morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-06-22
To: Shippensburg, PA/Courtyard 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

The big event for today was a trip to Hersheypark in Hershey, PA. We were very limited in what we were able to do because it was rainy and slightly chilly (for June). We didn't actually even go into the amusement park area at all, which was a shame. When we first talked about going a few days ago, we were going to go to the waterpark, which would have been really nice.But, we were still able to have a good time. We did a tour that explained how they make their chocolate at the factory. It was fine for what it was I guess.The other big thing we did was get a giant Reece cup stuffed with our own chosen ingredients. And when I say giant, I'm talking about a Reese cup that is about 7" in diameter. The thing was massive. Avery got white chocolate chips, crushed cookies, crushed Reese's pieces, and sprinkles with a caramel sauce topping. I got chopped peanuts, white chocolate chips, and two scoops of crushed cookies. I also topped it off with some caramel sauce.We also did lunch and then did some souvenir shopping.When we got back to the hotel, we played some Uno, got dinner, and Avery got to go swimming in the pool for a little while.Breakfast: French toast with strawberries and whipped cream.Lunch: A 10 inch pepperoni pizza and a strawberry lemonade at the Hershey food court. It was about what you'd expect a amusement park food court pizza to taste like.I also had some of Avery's cherry slushie, which was really good. It had a really nice flavor.Dinner: Strawberry Almond and Arugula salad with chicken.
Date: 2023-06-23
From: 5-Way Gravel Road Intersection

To: Pine Grove Furnace General Store/ Courtyard
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

Let's talk about today's main event first, then I'll talk about the hike.Today, at the end of our hike, Pacer and I both competed in the Pine Grove Furnace half gallon ice cream challenge. Since they no longer make half gallon containers of Hershey ice cream, we instead had to eat a larger container (less than a half gallon though) plus a smaller pint sized container. We are allowed to choose different flavors for each container. My ice cream of choice was banana pudding for the larger one and dulce de leche for the smaller one. Pacer chose chocolate for her larger container and raspberry chocolate chip for the small size.My strategy was to eat it like any other normal serving of ice cream. I started with the banana pudding and while I was eating, I just casually read the news on my phone. Spoonful by spoonful, I slowly whittled my way through that tub of fat and sugar till I had eaten every last available bite. With the banana pudding finished, I moved to the dulce de leche. The biggest obstacle to finishing at this point wasn't that I was full, though I was starting to get there fast. No, the biggest problem was that I was freezing. It wasn't a real hot day to begin with, maybe in the low 70s or high 60s, and eating that much ice cream dropped my body temperature enough that I was shivering uncontrollably like it was below freezing. But I was determined, so I took a deep breath and started in on the pint. 35 minutes and about 2000 calories later, I emerged from the half gallon challenge victorious. Pacer finished up hers about 10 minutes later. So, we both went and signed the victory book and claimed our well deserved trophy, which was a small 3 inch wooden spoon. It was a bittersweet victory though. Like all vacations, they are over way too fast and this morning I had to say goodbye to my family. They took Pacer and I to the trailhead, we did our hugs and said our goodbyes and off we walked into the woods. If all goes well, it'll be about three months before I see any of them again. But, the next time I do see them, my Appalachian Trail journey will be over.Breakfast: Oatmeal and a hashbrown from McDonald's. Lunch: 1.5 quarts of banana pudding ice cream and 1 pint of dulce de leche ice cream. First Dinner: Yes, even after eating all that ice cream, I was hungry again several hours later. I had Avery's left over spaghetti and meatballs from when we ate at the University Grille.Second Dinner: A 6 inch ham and turkey sandwich from Subway. Thus was going to be our lunch, but we decided to skip lunch since we were going to eat ice cream.
Date: 2023-06-24
From: Pine Grove Furnace General Store

To: Lisburn Rd/Quality Inn
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It was an unnecessarily long day today.Our original plan was to hike about 19 miles into Boiling Springs and then get shuttled to the Quality Inn in nearby Carlisle. But, we told the driver that there was a good chance that we would go further depending on how we felt. In the same shuttle was Jelly Bean. She was also staying at the Courtyard, but she was about a days hike in front of us, so she was getting dropped off further ahead. He said to just give him about an hour heads up so that he could be there on time.Well, a couple of miles from Boiling Springs, we did decide to go a few more miles. About 3 more to be exact. So, we called the guy and let him know. He sounded a little flabbergasted when I talked to him, but seemed to indicate that he'd be there.When we get to Boiling Springs, after a brief pit stop at the local gas station for a Gatorade, we run into the shuttle driver. He said he couldn't pick us up because he had to pick up Jelly Bean from further away and he wouldn't be able to get to us in time. Fortunately he was able to call another shuttle driver who was able to meet us and we finished our hike at about 5:30pm.The days delay came when we got to the hotel. There was only a single person working and there were about 6 people waiting in front of us to get checked in. It ended up taking probably about 30 minutes to get our room key.We did get invited to dinner by a gentleman in front of us though. He is from Indianapolis, but was there for some kind of tractor conference I think. Anyway, he's in his 70s and he plans on hiking the trail with his 50ish year old daughter in 2026. So, as a form of trail magic he offered to buy us dinner at the nearby Middlesex Diner. It was Pacer, me, and two other thru-hikers. It was a nice gesture that we couldn't turn down, but by the time we finished it was almost 8:30pm. So, we didn't get to do laundry and we still had to arrange a shuttle for tomorrow. It made for a bit of a hectic time right before going to sleep. Breakfast: An overpriced cup of yogurt with granola, some fruit, and a packet of honey that I bought from the Courtyard restaurant. Lunch: A five piece chicken tender platter with fries and an orange mango juice from the Green Mountain General StoreDinner: Chicken Cordon Bleu with mashed potatoes, a baked potato, a bowl of potato soup, and a bowl of mixed vegetables.
Date: 2023-06-25
From: Lisburn Rd

To: Duncannon, PA/The Kinda Outdoorsy
Miles today: 22.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a tale of two trails. For about the first 10ish miles, it was fantastic. I think the total elevation change was maybe a few hundred feet, so it was basically flat the entire time. Several times we went through farmer's fields. The only real negative was that as the day wore on, it did start to get pretty hot and humid.But by the end it was a completely different story. The climbing wasn't too bad, though the heat and humidity didnt help, but the rocks, ugh... they are the worst. And to top it all off, it started raining pretty heavily. Though I will say, it is so much better hiking in the rain when it's in the 70s as opposed to when it's in the 40s. If it hadn't gone on for so long, I would even say I welcomed it because it dropped the temperature and humidity to a reasonable level.I also dropped my phone on a rock and now I have a crack in my screen which sucks.But, I was able to do 22 miles and get to the hostel by 4pm, so overall I'm pretty happy with today's hike.Breakfast: Two bowls of fruit loops, a bowl of apple cinnamon/cinnamon spice oatmeal and a subpar glass of orange juice. Lunch: Two English muffins with grape jellyDinner: A filet mignon with grilled asparagus, french fries, and some lemonade. I also had a plate of pasta salad that was given to me by mistake.Dessert: Triple chocolate cake
Date: 2023-06-26
From: Duncannon, PA/The Kinda Outdoorsy

To: Peters Mountain Road/Kinda Outdoorsy Hostel
Miles today: 7.5

It was a short day. Pacer is having foot problems still and decided not to hike today. I was originally going to do about 16 miles, but I got started late and I also kept hearing about a massive thunderstorm coming in, so I decided it would be best to cut my hike short, so I wouldn't get caught in it.I can say it didn't end up storming in Duncannon, but that doesn't mean it didn't storm up in the mountains. Either way, I was happy for the short day. The hike out of town was nice. It was maybe a mile and a half of walking on roads and over bridges along the freeway. So nice and flat.But the climb up really sucked. It wasn't that it was too difficult. It's just that the humidity is so high right now that it drains my energy pretty quick. It also didn't help that it was pretty rocky for the entire climb and lasted a couple of miles. They were mostly big rocks that you could step on, instead of the small angled rocks that tear up your feet, but still a pain when there's hundreds of them.After the climb though, it did get a little better. There were some spots that were rocky, but other spots were dirt and pine needles which is always nice.Breakfast: I left in a hurry and thought I'd pass a Subway on the way out, but didn't. So I didn't get to have breakfast. Lunch: A Rodeo burger with fries at The Pub in Duncannon. Dinner: Some fried chicken, fries,and mashed potatoes from Kerns grocery. It wasn't very good and I didn't finish it.
Date: 2023-06-27
From: Peters Mountain Road

To: Clark's Valley Road/SureStay Hotel
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: light rain

Today was longer than yesterday, but still short. Which ended up being a good thing because I think it started raining pretty good not soon after I was finished.It wasn't quite as hot and humid as yesterday and I didn't really have any big climbs, so overall it was a pretty decent hike.I passed Pacer while hiking as well. She was feeling better and decided to do the full hike that I was going to do yesterday, but going southbound instead. She pointed out to me a spot just past where we passed each other that had two rattlesnakes sun bathing on a rock. I got a few pictures.I did have an issue at the hotel this evening that really put a damper on it. It was about 7pm when I went down to put some clothes in the washer. When I came back up, my key card wouldn't open the door. I went downstairs, they reprogrammed it, I went back upstairs, same result. They tried a master key, same result. Keep in mind, all my stuff is currently in the room. My phone, my pack, my clothes, everything. If I can't get back in, I can't hike tomorrow. They ended up putting me in the room next door because the maintenance guy had to go to Home Depot to get a tool so he could work on the lock. To make a long story short, I was finally able to get back into my room about two hours later.Breakfast: Two containers of Quaker Honey & Almond oatmealLunch: An apple pecan and chicken salad, 6 piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a root beer from Wendy's. Dinner: A Hawaiian pizza from Pizza Town II. It was okay.
Date: 2023-06-28
From: Swatara Gap

To: Clark's Valley Road/SureStay
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I made a mistake choosing to stay in Jonestown. The shuttle options are complete garbage. The only shuttle available wanted to charge me $40 for a 5 minute ride. Fortunately I was able to cut a deal with one of the front desk workers. She'd take me to the trailhead at 7:30am for $20. Still not great, but better than $40.The weather during the hike was just about perfect. The humidity was low and it was overcast most of the day so the temperature stayed at a reasonable level.The hike itself was also favorable. There were some rocky spots, but they didn't last long. There was a couple of decent climbs, but not too bad either. The only real part that was a pain was at Stony Creek. It's currently flooded because of beaver activity (though I didn't see any beavers when I was there). It wasn't completely unpassable. There were some partially submerged logs and a fallen tree that I could use, but I misstepped on one of them and planted my foot in twleve inches of water.Breakfast: An egg circle, ham, a bowl of fruit loops, and Lunch: An Italian sub from Pizza Town II.Dinner: Instant teriyaki yakisoba, chicken noodle soup, and a chocolate milk.
Date: 2023-06-29
From: Swatara Gap 

To: PA Route 183/Comfort Inn
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: broken clouds

Rocks. Rocks. Rocks. Today was all about rocks. I think of the 20.4 miles I did today, 18 of them were over rocks. And, since I couldn't find a cost effective way to shuttle my pack forward, I had to do it with my full pack instead of my day pack. Needless to say, but it was a tough day for my feet.All in all though, now that it's over I'm feeling pretty good. I also checked off two milestones today. I passed the 1200 mile mark and I'm also less than 1000 miles from the finish line.Today is also Pacer's birthday. We are in Pine Grove, PA so we went to a diner nearby for her birthday dinner.Breakfast: Some kinda gross scrambled eggs, two pieces of ham, and a banana.Lunch: A turkey and cheese sandwich, two slices of watermelon, a small lemon pie, and an orange Gatorade from two Trail Magic angels.Snack: A Boston cream honey bun. Dinner: Fried chicken, green beans, tater tots, and potato filling (I'd never heard of this before today. It's basically mashed potatoes mixed with stuffing and then baked) from the Pine Grove diner.I also had a glass of lemonade. Before the trail, I was never a big fan of it. Now I can't get enough.Dessert: Boston Cream Pie from Pine Grove diner.
Date: 2023-06-30
From: PA Route 183

To: Reservoir Rd/The Lookout Hostel
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

From the people who brought you "Tripping on Roots" and "Going Down Just To Go Back Up" comes a brand new tale of masochistic insanity. On a trail dominated by rocks, only two brave, intrepid adventurers have what it takes to overcome blisters, plantar fasciitis, and achilles tendinitis in order to stop the evil forces that hate feet. This summer, Edward Norton is Argonaut. Jessica Alba is Pacer. Together they will brave the geological forces of glaciation and erosion. And also sadistic Virginians in... Rocksylvania: The Rockening.This film is not yet rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.Breakfast: A bowl of Cap'n Crunch Crunch Berries and some sausages.Lunch: A ham and cheese lunchable, some French onion Sunchips, and a banana.Snack: A Boston cream honey bun Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie at Thunderhead Lodge. It was good, but it could have used more salt because it was a little bland.
Date: 2023-07-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well today ended up being a bust.Last night I called a shuttle driver and he said he'd be able to pick us up at 8:00am, drop our packs off at the hotel in Delaware Water Gap, then drop us off at Wind Gap. It was a red flag when he told me to call him at 7:15am to make sure he was awake, but we didn't really have any other options.Well, morning came and when I tried to call him, I got no answer. I tried several times and sent him several text messages, but it was radio silence.So, we ended up getting an Uber. By the time we got to the hotel to drop off our packs, it was almost 10am. The start of the trailhead was about 20 minutes away. So, under best case circumstances, we wouldn't have been able to start until about 10:30am. Neither one of us wanted to risk getting in late, so we did not hike today.First Breakfast: Nutri-Grain Apple Cinnamon Bar Second Breakfast: Sweet Black Pepper Breakfast SandwichLunch: A hamburger and BBQ chips from the Apple Pie Bakery. It was fine, but a little undercooked for my taste. Dinner: A 6 piece chicken basket from Dairy Queen Dessert: A large Oreo blizzard
Date: 2023-07-05
From: Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap/Clarion Inn (Slack)
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's rocky terrain was not as bad as previous days rocky terrain. It still wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either.It started with a fairly easy ascent out of Wind Gap. Then it was rocky ridge walking for several miles. Then at about 7 miles in, I got to Wolf Rocks. Now, I was reading about this section of the trail the night before and one person said that it was as difficult and dangerous as Knife's Edge a few days ago. Having not experienced it myself, I think that's an exaggeration. The rocks were mostly level and flat, so it really wasn't too difficult to walk over them. It also only lasted for at most maybe a quarter of a mile.After Wolf Rocks, it was back to just more small jagged rocks. There were a few places that eased up for a bit, but not many and not for long.I did end up making today's hike, if not more difficult, than at least a bit longer. At a point near the end, I missed the white blaze and went down a different path. I didn't realize it though until I was already kind of far into it and turning around would have meant going back uphill.Fortunately the trail I was on did rejoin the AT further ahead, but unfortunately I think it was slightly longer. But, I still made it back to the hotel by about 2pm, so overall it was a good days hike.The only other bit of news is that Pacer won't be hiking with me, at least not for a while. She didn't hike today, but instead is renting a car so that she can drive to New York to see family for a few days. She may hike some of the trail up there and then finish this section when she returns her rental later in the week.She's not leaving until tomorrow, so we did drive into Stroudsberg for a bit and she's also dropping me off at my hiking point tomorrow morning. That'll save me a shuttle fee.Breakfast: Two single serving bowls of Frosted Mini Wheat cereal.Lunch: A bag of Golden Recipe Hearty Trail MixRecovery Drink: Half a gallon of chocolate milkDinner: Fried calamari, honey garlic glazed salmon, some kind of cheese risotto, and some vegetables from Sycamore Grille.Dessert: Strawberry parfait from Apple Pie Bakery. It was pretty good, but it did have a bit of a weird taste.
Date: 2023-07-06
From: Crater Lake

To: Delaware Water Gap/ Clarion Inn
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: light rain

This morning started out pretty pleasant. There were some rocks, but not too bad. There was even a nice road walk for a couple of miles. But, as the day wore on, it started to get really hot. I think the high today was supposed to be in the high 80s or low 90s, and it definitely felt like it.I did take a blue blaze trail at about the 7 mile mark. It was down the Rattlesnake Swamp Trail. One of the comments on FarOut made it seem like it was worth taking because the flora and scenery were different. Maybe if I were a botanist I would have noticed a difference, but as it was, it didn't seem all that different to me. I did pass the Mohican Outdoor Center and there was a group there that let me fill up my water bottle, so that was nice.Since I was slackpacking south, as I got closer to Pennsylvania, the trail started to get a lot rockier. I'd say close to after the Rattlesnake Swamp Trail is when it started. Then it was pretty much rocks for the next 6 miles or so until after Sunfish Pond.The final stretch was about 2 miles. It was under and along the highway. It was all flat, but it was out in the sun, on asphalt and concrete, and it was at the end of a 20 mile hike so it was actually kind of tough.But, I made it and now I'm hoping I can get an Uber driver to take me back up to Crater Lake so I can go the other way. Since there aren't any good slackpacking options, I'm going to carry my pack for a few days to another hostel up the trail. Breakfast: Two individual servings of Frosted Mini Wheat cereal Snack: A strawberry cereal bar I got from a trail magic cooler.Lunch: Golden Recipe Hearty Trail Mix Recovery Drink: A quart of chocolate milk Dinner: A 10 piece chicken nugget combo with fries and a pineapple mango lemonade from Wendy's. Dessert: Starburst jellybeans
Date: 2023-07-07
From: Crater Lake

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was one of the toughest days I've had in a while. Even though it was only 12 miles, I had my full pack, it was hot, fairly rocky, and there were quite a few ups and downs.It was also, I wouldn't go so far as to say enjoyable, but it was a very tolerable day. Since I was only doing 12 miles, I could take more and longer breaks and not feel like I was falling behind where I needed to be.I actually didn't even get started until almost 9am. I was going to try an Uber up to Crater Lake earlier, but by 9:00pm last night, a driver still hadn't been reserved. So, I had to scramble to try and find a shuttle driver.Fortunately I was able to get a hold of Misty who turned out to be awesome. She said she could pick me up at 8am from the hotel and it was about a 50 minute drive. When she dropped me off, she wasn't even going to charge me for it. I gave her a $20 for gas at least.Anyway, even though I didn't get started until almost 9am, I still made it to Culver Gap, which was within 3 miles of the Gren Anderson shelter, by about 2:30pm. So, I walked down the road a little ways and hung out at the Mountain House Tavern and Grill for a few hours.It just felt really good not having the pressure of having to do big miles. Though it did make me realize that I'm probably done slackpacking. I need to get back into pack carrying shape or I'm going to have an incredibly difficult time once I get further north into the New England states.I'm still going to try and stay at hostels and hotels whenever I can though. I really like beds, showers, and clean clothes. But I'll just get to them with a full pack instead of a day pack.I ended up getting to the shelter at about 6pm and there are two people tenting and no one in the shelter. So, I may end up having it all to myself tonight.Breakfast: A sweet pepper bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from Dunkin Donuts.Lunch: A pulled pork sandwich with fries from The Mountain House Tavern and Grill.Dinner: A tropical salad from the Mountain House Tavern and Grill. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It had greens, banana chips, pineapple, raisins, yogurt covered raisins, tomatoes, and goat cheese with a balsamic vinegar dressing. All of those things just didn't mix as well as it sounded on the menu.I also had six glasses of lemonade in the few hours that I was there.