morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-07
From: Dahlgren Backpack Campground

To: Free State Hikers Hostel
Miles today: 13.7

Despite the howling winds and occasional  heavy drumming of rain drops on our tent, we managed to break camp in relatively dry conditions. Just to be sure of escaping precipitation, we cooked, ate breakfast and packed in the men's restroom of the otherwise deserted campground. We knocked out a quick five miles to the footbridge crossing I-70 where we met AJ "Doppler" Delauder. He's a former Air Force meteorologist. He gave us a custom AT forecast. It's going to rain. A lot. For days. For real. .After treating us to lunch and then going out of his way to take us to the grocery store,  he have us a bag of hiker supplies to plunder. The AT sparks a generosity in people that's amazing. Later in the day we were passed by a friendly hiker, Tenderfoot. She's completed two full section hikes of the entire trail and is now working on her third. She strongly suggested we take advantage of the Free State Hiker Hostel and we did. It's nice to be dry, at least for awhile. Hush's entry:  Today was a pretty good day. My headache finally went away. AJ treated me to a very tasty omelet. And I am warm, dry and showered. It was a tough day on the trail. It rained all afternoon and a lot of rocks in some sections. But once I got my poncho adjusted so I could actually see where I was going, I forgot about the rain and just enjoyed the hike.
Date: 2013-05-08
From: Free State Hikers Hostel

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 18.1

First, let me say that backpacking for 10 hours will make you tired and your feet sore. OK, now i will move on. We met our first fellow flip-flop hikers today, Olympia and Mr. Breeze. They are following the same route we are. We didn't talk to them too long but trail gossip has it they made the decision to hike the trail only two weeks back. They sound like our kind of people. Tenderfoot, who we met yesterday, started section hiking the AT in 1954. If your bad at math that was 49 years ago.  How cool is that?We are in Pennsylvania now. It's renowned in AT lore for its rocks. To me Maryland was nothing BUT rocks so I'm a little curious to see what this state throws at us. We're sleeping in a shelter tonight for the first time. It's nice, two buildings for sleeping, a covered picnic table for cooking and eating. There's even a clothes line. Oh, and a privy. That's important. We're getting our first mail drop tomorrow which will add two extra miles to our day. Two miles that don't get us closer to Maine. Sad face
Date: 2013-05-09
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was we were finishing dinner a southbound hiker (SOBO) came into camp. He wore blue jeans and a cotton t-shirt and knew a lot about the trail. The essence of Hike Your Own Hike (HYOH) is sinking in. Watching him eat two burritos made from Vienna Sausage, pork and beans and about four ounces of cheese was awesome!I mentioned to Hush as we climbed away from the shelter this morning (always with the climbing) that I thought I was getting my trail legs quickly. Wrong. We stopped in South Mountain, PA to get a mail drop of food and supplies. As soon as I added that 7lbs. to my pack my new found trail legs went back to just new legs. We went through Caledonia State Park. I smelled the unmistakable aroma of burning hot dogs and prepared to Yogi (manipulatively acquire) a couple of them. Alas, it was a Mennonite church group who probably didn't find Hush's running shorts and t-shirt within their standards of attire. We moved on. Arriving at the Quarry Gap Shelter we called it a day, mainly to eat some of this heavy ass food but also to repair a sleeping pad with a broken valve and skip the severe thunderstorm that, sure enough, rolled through an hour later. If all goes well, we push big miles tomorrow. Hush's entry: Last night I pumped up my sleeping pad. When I finished and pulled off the hand pump, the valve came with it! I tried to fix it but the pad leaked and wouldn't hold air. I slept with my sleeping bag directly on the boards of the shelter. Lefty slept without his too. He tried to get me to use his but I was too stubborn to take it from him.. It actually turned out to be not too uncomfortable without the pad.Today we had to detour into town to pick up our first mail drop. While in town we stopped at a tavern for some coffee and French fries. Then on the way back out of town, I spotted a Pileated Woodpecker.We only walked 12 miles today, but it was enough. The soles of my feet were throbbing.
Date: 2013-05-10
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Tagg Run Shelter
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: scattered clouds

It's hard to plan a day out here sometimes. We are still trying to find a rhythm. Yesterday we went short  mostly because of heavy packs after a resupply. Today we went long and I am still not sure why. We'd planned to go 20 and camp but the campsite was buggy and it was only 4:00, never mind  that we started at 6:00. We were going to go one more mile to a different camp site but at some point we decided to just go to the next shelter and make a 24.5 mile day out of it. About a mile from the shelter the bottom fell out. When we got there it was almost full but they willingly made space for us. Moving very slowly we made some dinner after trying to dry off a bit. I'm blistered again. Hush has a knot on her shoulder. Mostly we're just too tired to care. I'll be more entertaining after I rest.
Date: 2013-05-11
From: Tagg Run Shelter

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

It was the best of times it was the worst of times. I'm sitting in a beautiful old inn in Boiling Springs, PA. My feet are propped up. I just had a great meal that included vegetables! I'm dry, showered, fed and dry. I'm dry!!!Obviously, there have been long periods of today where we were not dry. Your feet are much more susceptible to blisters when wet and ours are, as my Uncle Fred would say, "tore up". We stopped once to try some first aid but nothing would stick to our wet skin. Hush ended up hiking in Crocs for the last few miles. We saw one hiker going barefoot. Now, however, we are doctored up. My right elbow is bandaged too- took a tumble today in what the guidebook calls a "rock maze". Well, rock mazes suck when they are wet, probably aren't much more fun when they are dry. We walked through plowed fields into this neat old town. When we were close to the Inn, a guy called from his yard to ask where we were going. Once he found out we were thru-hikers he offered us a ride to anywhere we wanted to go. When we went over to take him up on it, he and his wife fixed us a cold glass of ginger ale and invited us to hang out for awhile, which we did. They also offered to do our laundry and let us take a shower. I love trail magic!
Date: 2013-05-12
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: scattered clouds

How can a day that starts with an all you can eat (AYCE) breakfast be anything but good. We started hiking later than normal but it was an easy day for the most part, walking across the Cumberland Valley. We climbed for the last couple of miles, but it was worth it. The soggy weather robbed us of some good views this week. Today the skies were clear. Looking down at the valley we'd just walked across was rewarding. Most people use technology on the trail. Hush and I were able to reach out to our mothers today. Hush heard from her children. Tenderfoot told us in the "old days" you only called when you passed through town, and then with a calling card at a pay phone. One of the most common reasons why people quit the trail is homesickness. Being able to stay in touch with friends and family is important to us. I like knowing people enjoy keeping up with us.
Date: 2013-05-13
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.3

Thanks to my wonderful daughter Anna and her pretty much OK husband Matt, we scored our second mail drop today. We also sent a few things back home: a tarp we didn't need, Hush's stove and pot, insoles, bear rope, a hat. Tomorrow our packs will be heavy and we'll complain all day. It's going to be awhile before we get another shower or a chance to eat town food. People in trail towns are used to hiker stench. I haven't gotten too ripe yet but I definitely don't smell like I'm getting ready to go to work. Tonight we're staying at the infamous Doyle Hotel. The people are super friendly but I'm resisting the urge to post pictures so our mothers won't be concerned. Rocksylvania is now showing its true colors. Today's trail was so rocky that I'm sure it was built by the CCC during the depression. No one would volunteer to carve a trail out of that mountain.
Date: 2013-05-14
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Shikellimy Trail Campsite
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: few clouds

Duncannon to North of Shikellimy Trail16.4 milesWe walked out of Duncannon this morning, crossed the Susquehanna River while being dive bombed repeatedly by a Peregrine Falcon and immediately began climbing a to a ridge line where we stayed for the rest of the day. At times the ridge narrowed to a knifes edge with steep drop offs on both sides. Hush took video of me standing there while not freaking out. One of my goals for the hike is to overcome my fear of heights. Walking these ridges is a start. As I predicted, our packs were about as heavy as we can stand today. There were few places on the ridge to get water so we carried more of that than normal. Couple all that with shin high rocks that make us high step all day and you have two very footsore hikers. We didn't have enough water left to cook tonight so we munched on tuna, cheese, a Payday bar some jerky and some peanut butter. I had some pretzels left from town and I killed those too. For the first time we are camping beside the trail tonight, not at a shelter or campground. It's nice to spend the entire day together with just each other for company.
Date: 2013-05-15
From: Shikellimy Trail Campsite

To: South of PA 72
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

North of Shikellimy Trail To PA 7217.6 miles. In the past two days, in 35 miles of hiking we only crossed a couple of roads. Yesterday we stayed on a ridge line. Today we walked on Pennsylvania game lands. Many of the trails follow the paths of long abandoned and overgrown roads from coal mining communities of the 1800s. We went through the rather spooky ruins of a couple of those. One long, straight uphill section bore some tell tale signs of improvement done by the Civilian Conservation Corps  during the Great Depression. You can tell by the type of drainage pipes used and the angle at which they were installed.   Toward the end of the day we walked through a treeless field covered in blooming honeysuckle. The fragrance was almost overpowering. We saw a brilliant bluebird in the top of a tree at the edge of the forest. Although the classic mountain vistas were lacking today, the sights were beautiful nonetheless. You find what you look for. We looked for beauty.
Date: 2013-05-16
From: South of PA 72

To: Hertline Campsite
Miles today: 18.4

Sawtera Gap to  Hertline Campsite18.4 milesWe saw two more deer today. That makes seven in three days. The deer here are the size if heifers  I understand the opening day of the season is almost a state holiday, much like the first day of the ACC tournament back home. We saw signs of bear today too, scat and overturned rocks where they look for grubs. We started hiking at 6:30 A.M. We didn't finish until 8:00 P.M, we took an hour break at the William Penn shelter for lunch. Later at the famous 501 shelter we engaged in the thru-hiker ritual of ordering pizza (grilled chicken salad for Hush). It's the only shelter on the AT with delivery. I had a large pepperoni and onion. We had problems during the last six miles. A spring we needed for water was dry. Today was the hottest day yet. Our clothes were crusted with salt. We were really scared there would be no water at our campsite but as we neared we could hear a stream cascading down the mountain. Phew!Tomorrow is yet another long day as we race to Port Clinton so that we can be there Saturday morning for our next mail drop.
Date: 2013-05-17
From: Hertline Campsite

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

A tenth of a mile doesn't sound like much but it's over 500 feet. That's one and two thirds football fields asking a hiker to walk an extra tenth of a mile to use a privy or to dip some water from a spring is cause for consternation, especially since we then have to walk back to the trail. Today a water source was three tenths a of a mile off the trail. Arghhhhh!! If this sounds wimpy, think about it next time you're sitting in your car in a parking lot looking for a space 20 feet closer to the grocery store. One of the inherent flaws of a market economy is the sellers ability to gouge customers with no other choice. We needed to shower and wash clothes tonight and ended up paying too much to an unfriendly jerk who acted like he was doing us a favor by taking our money for a room with no bathroom and no AC. Port Clinton, PA has been a real disappointment. Can you tell I'm grumpy? We raced all day to make it to the post office by 5:00 and got there five minutes late. Of course it doesn't matter since we can get in the morning. We just don't like to fall short on a goal. Tomorrow will be a short day. We have some shopping to do and then just six miles to our next shelter. After covering 76 miles in four days, we're footsore and tired - but still loving it. I'd rather be doing this than anything else!Hush's entry: Today was a mentally and physically taxing day for me. We needed to get to Port Clinton, so that meant a long day. Unfortunately it is Friday. The post office in Port Clinton closes at 11:00 on Saturday. The closest place to stop before Port Clinton was 9 miles out. If we didn't make it today, it would be hard to make it those 9 miles in time tomorrow. Which would mean waiting around until Monday for our box. But my feet were already sore from walking for days on these Pennsylvania rocks. So the thought of pushing 19 miles today was depressing. But we made it! Although my feet have never hurt this badly before!!! I am so glad tomorrow will be a short hiking day. They need a break.
Date: 2013-05-18
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: moderate rain

A nero (near zero) day is when you hike only a short distance due to time spent in town or for rest and recovery. Today, our fourteenth day on the trail, we took our first nero - 5.7 miles. We spent the morning eating a real breakfast (no Poptarts!), sorting our mail drop, getting free coffee at the barber shop, a hitch to Walmart and free wifi at McDonalds. Our feet hurt so bad last night we were both just miserable. Today we met a hiker who has been on the trail since February. He said Pennsylvania has been harder on his feet than any place in the 1200 miles he's hiked. At least we know aren't total wussies. One more week on we will be in New Jersey. Whew!
Date: 2013-05-19
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 16.5

It took us nearly 11 hours to go 16.5 miles. We moved so slow for several reasons. We negotiated boulder field after boulder field. They're hard just because of the climbing involved. When they're wet, they're harder, and scarier. There isn't a discernible path through them. You have to rely on white blazes to stay on the trail. Today's section was the least well maintained we've cone across. The blazes were faded plus the trail was fogged in all day making it hard to see for more than 50 feet ahead. Some days you eat the bear. Some days the bear eats you. We will try to avoid shelters on weekends from now on. Only my desire to avoid the Pennsylvania penal system kept me from killing the crew of drunk weekend campers who plopped themselves in front of last night's shelter and raised hell. How come drunks always have to talk about how drunk they are? I got them back this morning when I yelled "Good Morning!" as loudly as I could before. 6:00 A.M.I'm glad Hush and I are doing this together. So far we haven't had a bad day at the same time. One of us is always there to cheer the other up if either gets discouraged or frustrated. Yay us!
Date: 2013-05-20
From: Allentown Shelter

To: Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 16.8

Next time I see something in the guidebook referring to a "knife's edge" I'm going to go ahead and start cussing. A knife's edge is a coward's way of saying the pointy end of a mountain. I wanted to get over my fear of heights. Today was a really good opportunity. We had to put our hiking poles in our packs. Cinch the straps really tight and keep three points of contact at all times for a mile or more as we traversed this "Knife's Edge" thing. We are so close to being out of PA but first we have to go through the crucible that is the Lehigh Gap. After all the crazy rocks, climbs, boulder fields and other horrors of the past 15 days, the guidebook has a special warning only now about the trail conditions.  Thankfully we have some shorter days plus a Nero tomorrow to get through it. We will be in NJ on Thursday. Tonight we are staying in one of the original AT log shelters. It's definitely old school. There's no telling how many thousands of hikers have slept here while dreading the Lehigh Gap.
Date: 2013-05-21
From: Outerbridge Shelter

To: Jailhouse Hostel
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: clear sky

Palmerton, PA, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love the cheap breakfast, good coffee and the permission to put our packs inside the door instead of on the sidewalk. I love the free hostel provided by the town with hot showers and the friendly way we were shown the amenities. I love the free apple given to us at the grocery store just because we are hikers. I love the guest book we were asked to sign at the diner where we ate. I love being treated like a real person spending real money instead of hiker trash like we were in Port Clinton. This hostel is called the jailhouse, although it wasn't ever actually used as a jail.  Hikers stay in the basement of the town hall. Tonight our company is Chino, Piper, Ayce and Free Man. Our earplugs are on standby.   Tomorrow we climb the north side of the Lehigh Gap. We're starting at 5:45 to beat any threat of rain. The next few days will be shorter than normal. We are staying at the home of a trail angel tomorrow, picking up a mail drop on Thursday and meeting a friend from home on Friday as well as buying some replacement gear for a couple items that aren't working out like we hoped.
Date: 2013-05-22
From: Jailhouse Hostel

To: John Stempa's House
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: haze

It took us exactly seven minutes to get a hitch to the trailhead from the hostel. Two townsfolk we spoke to during the morning both winced and wished us good luck when we said we were headed north. The trail was no harder than other places we hiked in Pennsylvania, for about 100 feet. Then we encountered the boulder field from hell with white blazes pointing toward a line of trees high, high above us. It was basic three points of contact rock scrambling until we came to what seemed to me to be a dead end. A real dead end. Hush coaxed me into the only really accessible way up the rock face. From there we continued upward for another half hour or so, covered in sweat and gasping for air. The view came and went with the fog. I wasn't sure I wanted to see the bottom. At the top we got to see the other Anerica, the one that doesn't love our natural history or give a damn about preserving it. The top of the mountain is a dead zone. A century of zinc smelting so polluted the area that the (taxpayer funded) cleanup that began in1980 isn't close to being done. Welcome to the Palmerton Superfund Site. That's what you get without "onerous government regulation" or oversight. You get private profits generated by pollution that the public gets to pay to cleanup. The rest of the day was typical PA trail, a rocky green tunnel pointed generally northward. The weather was closer to NC than we've seen yet, mid-80s and humid. Tonight we are crashing in the garage of a trail maintainer here in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Eastern PA. I'm ready to stay away from towns and people but we have a mail drop and a visit to an outfitter in between hiking during the next two days. Luckily the Poconos are beautiful. Just like Hush.
Date: 2013-05-23
From: John Stempa's House

To: Wind Gap, PA
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: moderate rain

I asked for advice today and then ignored it. Hush and I elected to wait out the storm. I for one am glad. The temperature is falling and will continue to do so. The overnight lows for the next few days are expected to be around 40. Being wet at that temperature is miserable.  Areas west of here experienced one-inch hail. The ridge lines are so black we can barely see them in the mid-afternoon. Our plans today were for 17 miles and then 8 tomorrow. We just flipped the plan. It takes the average hiker 5 million steps to complete the AT. Hush and I are over 10% done, thus we've taken 500,000 steps with a loaded backpack through three states. If I conservatively estimate one mid-Atlantic style rock every three steps, that's 165,000 steps on top of some sort of rock. The Inuit people have more than 90 words for snow. AT hikers have nearly as many for rocks. You have your sliders, spinners, teeter-totters, high-steppers, boulders, bacon rocks, shoe rocks, pyramids, knife's edges, shin scrapers, boulders, BFRs, hiders and your dig-a-hole-in-the-meadows. Plus more. I hate rocks. Early night tonight. Hiker midnight is currently 8:00 P.M. Tomorrow we want to have 16 miles done by 4:00. Piece of cake.
Date: 2013-05-24
From: Wind Gap, PA

To: Church of the Mountain Hostel
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a hot dog and a piece if blueberry pie for $2.49. Then I had another hot dog and a piece of peach pie for $2.49. Hush ate some kind of new age balsamic gluten-free Italian cheese toast. Welcome to Delaware Water Gap. The lady at the post office did rocket science to help us figure out the cheapest way to ship home gear we've either replaced or rejected. My daughter, Anna sent us some of our cold weather gear, the good stuff, wool and down. We sent home the lighter clothing (silk, don't laugh). (Beware, hiker tech talk coming). We started the trail with Klymit sleep pads. At nine ounces and compressible to the size of a coke can with high ratings, they'd worked well for us backpacking. Their durability left much to be desired. Today we replaced them with Thermarest Neoair X-Lites. Other pieces of gear we've sent home include a tarp, Hush's stove, Superfeet, and a video camera. We've purchased lots of foot care products. I finally got a pair of Walmart Croc knockoffs for camp shoes. Maybe my feet won't be so needy now that PA is over. Hush's entry: today's goal was to make it to Delaware Water Gap (and finally out of Pennsylvania). We practically ran (when the rocks didn't slow us to a crawl).  We made it to DWG by 2:45 even with the rain, wind and crazy rocks. The rain made those rocks very slippery. I fell twice today. Once my feet slipped right out from under me and I landed on my butt but I was fine. Then within a mile of DWG, I fell and slipped down the side of the mountain. I twisted my knee and saw visions of my AT hike ending. But after sitting for a minute, I determined I was fine and Lefty pulled me back up on the trail and we finished the day.