morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-25
From: Turner's Gap

To: Free State Hostel
Miles today: 22.3

Day #2 on the luxury tour began with fresh coffee, belgian waffles and orange juice. Strings, our shuttle driver, picked us up just after 7 and returned us to where we started southbound yesterday. Today was to be an easy day and I planned on taking advantage of it by spending some time goofing off. It was cool and breezy this morning. A perfect day for hiking. I don't really hike with Princess and Rocket man (P&R) that much, but we see each other at various times throughout the day. I took off (jumped) while they made a call to the hostel. 45 minutes later, I was looking at the Washington monument. The original one. It isn't as big, but much older than the one in DC. I walked up the steps and looked around for a bit and when I came down, P&R were hiking up. We took some pictures and then left before the cast of thousands that were in the campground arrived. My next stop was Annapolis Rocks, a rock outcropp that was obviously a popular destination for the locals. I passed the rocks and went to the spring to refill my water bottle and then returned to the rocks for a snack and to enjoy the view. I quickly learned what that noise I had been hearing all morning was. There is a drag strip a mile or so away that was having races. It was intertaining for me to watch all the people climbing to spots on the rocks for photos much like I had done a couple of weeks ago at McCaffee Knob. I finished up and left to continue north. The haords of people dissapated. I guess it is quicker to the rocks from the south. Some of the trail was easy and smooth and some of it was covered in rocks like VA. I was in an easy section so I got my phone out and txt'd Tamara to see if she was at work. I was walking and texting. I know, I know. Anyway, suddenly I saw the ground move and stopped to see a 6 ft. black snake just inches from my foot. I knew he was not poisonous, but I have been bitten by them and it still can hurt. A few seconds later he slithered off and I was on my way. Before the day got hot I had finished this day's miles and was on the road that led .3 miles to the Free State hostel. A really nice place in the woods. The door was open but there was no one there. I came in and picked out a bunk and plugged in my phone. There is nothing around here but a Mexican/Italian place a few miles away delivers. P&R came in, we all showered and ordered food. It just arrived. I think it might be time to order the next meal. We decided to tack a few more miles onto tomorrows hike and thought it would be nice to have something for breakfast. we looked at our guide book and found there was a Food City in the town down the road. I said I would hitch in and get some cereal and fruit. After standing with my thumb out for a half hour, I gave up and came back in. We ordered food from the same/only place that delivers here. The miles listed for today are not correct. I adjusted them so the total miles listed are correct. We hiked 13.4 today and ate the rest of the day. I am gaining some of the weight I lost the last 7 weeks back now. Tomorrow is a big day and rain is moving in Tuesday.
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Free State Hostel

To: South Mountain, PA
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: light rain

Day 3 of the luxury tour. This was another excellent day for hiking. It was cool and clear again in the morning. We were on the trail at 7:15 I was excited about the day because we were crossing the Mason Dixon Line and we would finish MD. We had a long (23 mile) day planned, but I was fine with it because it would be my fourth over 20 mile day in the last 7 and I am feeling good. I haven't even been taking ibuprofin lately. My knees and ankles have just quit bothering me. The miles passed so quickly today except for a half mile section called Cascade. This area was pretty steep and all rock. Im not sure there is really a right or wrong route through this section as long as you end up at a white blaze. I actually enjoyed it because it reminded me of caving on a breakdown slope. We also passed Pen Mar County park. It was quite busy. I am, for once, gald Memorial Day is over. The trail has been so crowded near the parks and roads. Even with the crowds, I feel lucky to be here. As I walked through the towering trees, I thought about the time before televisions, computers and cell phones when the people that first came here to settle this land would spend day after day picking up rocks and laying them in the long walls that still remain. I guess some were to keep livestock out or in, and others were property lines. I saw an old stove in a spot where a house once stood. The white paint on the stove stood out like a Red barn in a hay field. I think it would have been a perfect day of hiking if it were not for Rocket Man getting a big blister on his heal. We finished our hike at 4:15, almost exactly 9 hours after we started. Since he was hurting, Princess and I got a ride to the Food Lion to get some food. I ate a half of a chicken, some potato salad and half of a veggie tray. Later I ate a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocklate Rasberry Ice cream. Tomorrow will be an easy day since rain is coming in, but I will still pass the 800 mile mark and P&R will pass their half way point. Once again, I am grateful.
Date: 2014-05-27
From: South Mountain, PA

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 4 of the luxury tour. Another awesome day on the trail. This was an average mileage day with some fairly easy terrain. We got off to an early start at 6:15   and our day was guided by the weather. Thunderstorms were in the forecast so we wasted little time. I think we made the 15 miles by 2 and were settling in by 3. A group of 17 came marching in from a local Mennonite school shortly after, most of them were setting up tents as the thunder rolled and the rain began. They all headed for the shelter and the space became much smaller. Over the next several hours, the rain and thunder continued and the crowd grew. P&R and I cooked our dinner and got ready for bed by 8:30 or so. The Kids, mostly seniors, were playing games and just getting warmed up when their chaperons came to ask them to give us (through-hikers) our space. The rain had stopped and there was a fire competition going on at this point so that helped. Over the next couple hours, more hikers came in. The excitement of the half-gallon challenge and the mid-way point of the trail had everyone excited and rowdy. It was not a good night for sleep. I think there were between 30 and 40 people at the shelter before the days end. All in all, another day in paradise.
Date: 2014-05-28
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 9.4

Today was another day that the weather decided when and where. We got off to an early start. I think we left around 6:15. This was a milestone day for P&R and I was along for the ride or hike. Today we would not only leave the massive crowd, we would pass the official half way point for NOBOs. My half way point will come in a couple of weeks. We planned on going to Pine Grove Furnace State Park and to stay at the Iron Masters Mansion. I know what you are thinking, wrong. It was really another hostel. A nice one with a secret room. And yes I did go down there. I slept in the "mens dorm" in a bunk. Wait, back to the day. We had only 9.4 miles to hike , so we were there by 10:00 a.m. along the way we passed two signs that declared the half way point. One was the official point for this year ( the length changes every year) and the other is a nice wood sign that, I guess, is the general half way point. So, there is this tradition that is when you pass the half way point, you have to eat a half gallon of ice cream. I have been saying for the past few months I wasn't going to do it, but I got caught up in the energy and I did it. Some time it to see how fast they can eat it. I just enjoyed the 1,800 calories. Pine Grove Furnace State Park is a nice place with a lake and the AT museum but there is only a short order grill and we were hungry. Iron Masters only offered a frozen pizza dinner so we decided to try to find a ride to Holly Springs to the Inn and Tavern. I will say it wasn't easy, but we did get a free ride the 10+ miles to the tavern. Again, we had lunch, beers and dinner before returning at 5:30 or 6. I retired early and was asleep by 9. I had plans to leave by 5 and do 20 in the morning.
Date: 2014-05-29
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 19.6

I honestly can't believe I got up before 4 this morning to go hiking. But it is just another day at the office. Have I mentioned that I have been in PA for 4 days now? And it has rained every Day?   It has. So, I got up at 3:58 and began getting ready to do the 20 mile day into Boiling Springs. Since I was sleeping in a bunk house (men's side) I had already told everyone that I would be leaving early and I would be quiet as possible. I don't think I even woke any of the tired hikers (10 or 12) that I shared the room with. Another day of rain. Does it always rain here? I mean in PA. It has every day so far and I think it will be raining when we leave. Did I mention Rain?So, we were first to get to the dinning area and ate our waffles and grape nuts and were on the trail at 5:25. A record!!! The terrain was pretty easy and in the middle of the day we had a maze of house size boulders. I had a blast there. It was like a few caves I had been toin the past. We ran into some hikers we had not seen in a while that were doing 30 today. See ya! Just as we got near Boiling Springs, the rain began. It is still raining 6 hours later. We hiked the 0.4 miles off the trail to the Allenberry Resort and Play house. They have a hiker rate that is reasonable and offer an AYCE buffet. We checked in, showered, went to the bar and had lunch and, I guess P&R are waiting on me to return so we can go to the buffet for dinner. Does it always rain in PA?
Date: 2014-05-30
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Duncannon,PA
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Another early start Friday. Our intention was to be at the Doyle in time to meet up with some of Princess and Rocketman's friends later at the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon. Wow! I can't believe we are already in PA. We left a little later than planned, but were hiking by 5:45. The Allenberry was a half mile off the trail. We often have to go extra miles that are not part of the 2,200 miles of the AT. We walk them, but we don't count them. Rain was expected again today so we left with rain gear on. I took the lead this morning and was only 30 minutes into our day when I found a phone on the trail. I turned it on and was going to call some of the numbers on it to try find out who's phone it was. I know, or have met most of the hikers within a day or two arround us, so I thought I could make it happen. I know if I lost my phone, I would be really sad because it has all my pictures and contacts on it. Unfortunately, the phone was password protected and I could not access anything on it. I called the Doyle to ask incomming hikers, and ask everyone I met to see if I could get it back to it's owner. No luck. If you know who lost the phone, it is at the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon.This part of the trail is pretty easy. The trail passes lots of farms and is relatively flat. The last 7 miles had section of 6 miles that our guide book said was rocky. This scarred me because much of VA was full of rocky sections and never mentioned in the book. We alloted extra time for this area. The first 18 miles just evaporated and I was at a creek filtering water when P&R came walking up. We were ahead of our estimated time, but the rocks were still ahaed of us. It was easy to know where the book referenced because there was a clearing for a natural gas line just before it. I sometimes wonder if AWOL really remembers the trail at all. Yes there were rocks, but it was nothing to write about. Just an average day in VA. I do know they are coming though. Everyone talks about the rocks of PA. Some say it is the toughes part of the trail. Others say it is the White Mountains. It really doesn't matter which part is toughest, we are doing it all. I made it into the Doyle and the place was empty. I ordered a local brewed Pale Ale and before I finished it, the place was full of Hikers. I had a new pair of boots and socks waiting there that Tamara had sent me for the PA rocks. An hour later, P&R's friends arrived and we headed to Harrisburg, PA's capital city. We checked into the Comfort Inn on the river, showered and headed out for dinner. We stopped along the way at a pub for a drink and the waitress told us of her favorite places. We had a nice dinner at an Italian place and all ordered desert that was passed around so everyone got to try all the deserts. Having the opportunity to hike the AT is a dream come true, but doing it on the luxury tour is.... Well....SWEET! Tomorrow we zero.
Date: 2014-06-01
From: Duncannon,PA

To: Clarks Creek
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

After spending two nights in Harrisburg eating, drinking and sightseeing, we got back on the trail Sunday morning. P&R's friends that we spent the weekend with took us back and let us off at Clark's Creek. This is 17.7 miles north of where we were on the trail. This way we were able to hike back into Duncannon and spend the night at the Doyle. I really wanted to stay there because it is a Thru hiker tradition. Again, we had perfect weather and a cool morning. The trail was fairly easy, but I was not feeling well. I ask P&R to go ahead so I could stumble along the trail without slowing anyone down. I had felt bad the night before so I thought I was dehydrated. I drank plenty of water that night so I knew that was not the problem. We finally made it to our half-way point and a parking lot. There was a girl there that ask if she could take our pictures for an art project assignment and there was trail magic there. We partook in each. I ate three items from the Pastry cooler, some grapes and a cold Mtn. Dew. I suddenly began to feel better. Thanks Ice Man. I think my body just needed more calories. The rest of the day went well. I enjoyed hiking south for the day. I saw and talked to over 20 hikers that I had met in the past couple months. I told some of the first ones about the trail magic and the trail angel that left it. They smiled and were excited and headed North. When I came down the ridge, I thought I was almost finished. However, I still had two miles of bridges, road and sidewalks to get back to the Doyle. It was pretty calm there when I arrived with only a couple of hikers there. I ordered some lunch and a beer and relaxed. Over the next couple of hours the crowd grew and I saw several people I had not seen in a couple of weeks. It's strange how time seems to fly by and move so slow at the same time while out here on the trail. The evening was filled with stories and laughter. When the Doyle closed at 8, we moved a block and continued our fun and ate dinner. I ended the day sleeping at the Doyle. Day 62
Date: 2014-06-02
From: Clarks Creek

To: Swatara Gap
Miles today: 17.4

We started our day trying to wake trail angel Mary up by repeatedly calling her until she woke up. We had made arrangements with her previously to give us a ride back to Clark's Creek where we would start again. This time heading north. It was yet another cool morning with a perfectly clear sky. Today, the trail was much easier than I expected. We gradually climbed up a few hundred feet and intersected an old road or railroad bed and spent most of the morning on it. 2 and a half hours later we met at a spring and we noticed we had already done almost 8 miles. The PA section of the AT is known for several things. Mostly Rocks. There seem to be so many jokes about the rocks here but we haven't gotten into that area yet. Another thing PA is know for is the water, or lack of. Actually I think it the lack of water extends beyond PA. We plan our days around where we will get water. Usually, we stop 2 or 3 times a day for it. Sometimes more. After we tanked up, I left and didn't see P&R again until the end of the day. I enjoyed hiking alone past Yellow Springs, an old coal mining community that now is a beautiful grassy field that would be an excellent camping spot. Later I passed Rausch Gap. Another mining community that apparently had a thousand residents at one point. Not much remains now except the sign describing the time long ago. There was also something very unusual. There was a pipe with a concrete box on top that was apparently to regulate the flow of water coming from it. When I first heard the rushing water, I had a vision of a swimming hole, but when I saw the water there was something strange about it. It had a milky coloration and Didn't look too appealing. Also, there were signs near the water that said Authorized Personnel only. I moved on.The last few miles took me out of the forest and across a field, then crossing a few roads and a nice creek on a large tree. I wanted to swim, but I wondered where the milky water went so I passed. After passing two more roads, I went back into the forest for another 1.6 miles, a little of which was rocky. I later found out Rocket Man saw a Rattle Snake there. We had talked about going into Lickdale, so when I reached PA 72 I hitched into town and went to Wendy's for some lunch. I ran into 4 other hikers I had met previously there that had the same idea. PA has lots of towns so most people carry less food and go into town more often. Another perfect day. I am grateful for many things today, but mostly for the rattle snakes timing. Rocket Man heard the snake rattling. I, for the first time in two weeks, was wearing headphones and listening to music.   Day 63
Date: 2014-06-04
From: Pine Grove, PA

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 24.4

Today is another beautiful day for hiking. We got an early sart and were on the trail by 6. A nice, cool morning. As usual, I took the lead clearig spider webs as I went. The trail was to stay between 1200 & 1500 feet of elevation until the last mile where we would drop to 420 ft. Yes, I said 420. At Port Clinton. The day started easy enough, but the infamous PA rocks began to become very evident. At times, all I could see was rocks. I don't mind the big rocks because I just hop from one to the next, but those ones that just have the point sticking up......well, I don't like them.I soon passed the Fort Dietrich Snyder monument and realized 9 miles had passed. Wow, It was only 9:30. (Smile) Today was going to be a good one. 6 miles later I took the .2 mile side trail to Sand Spring for a water refill. There was a bullfrog there guarding the spring. He never moved while I was there. I hiked on. A few hours later I found myself going down one of the steepest declines I remember. I was soon in Port Clinton passing an old train station. I love these old towns. I continued until i reached the road that went to Hamburg. We had planned to get a hotel room there and celebrate P&R's 15th anniversary. My plan was to hitch into town. I walked the 2 miles making this another marathon day.Celebrate we did. We were joined by 5 or 6 other hikers and the pub knew we were there. We ate drank and were merry. If it weren't for the 3 tics I had to remove, it would have been a perfect day. This day, I am grateful for my friends Princess & Rocket Man. Happy anniversary!
Date: 2014-06-05
From: Port Clinton

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 14.5

Happy birthday mom! We got a late start today because of the rain and last nights celebrationis . We were on the trail at 9 this morning just as the rain stopped. Another day of rocks and a late start set us up for a 14 mile day. The rocks seem to be more abundant as we head north. Virginia had me accoustom to the rocks so I don't really mind them all that much. There were a couple times today when i was looking at the rocks while hiking and suddenly realized that I hadn't seen a blaze in a while and had to turn around and find the trail again. When you are in these rocks you really can't look up without stopping or you will fall. Or worse. We heard of a someone that broke her ankle here this week. If that happens, you are done.The day was cool and clear again. I really can't complain about the weather we have had this year.I stopped at several overlooks to take pictures today and chatted with other hikers. I guess that is why the day went by so quickly. I saw something on the trail today I have never seen while hiking. I saw 5 young women wearing boots, long dresses and bonets. I ask if they were Amish, they were quick to say "mennonite". I guess they thought I was from Tennessee. Another great day and more rocks on the way for tomorrow. Today I am grateful for my mother who is celebrating her birthday and has always been there for me. Day 66
Date: 2014-06-06
From: Hawk Mountain

To: Palmerton PA
Miles today: 25.4

Today was to be an easy day on the luxury tour with an 11.5 mile day planned. We got an early start and were on the trail around 6:30. This was a perfect day for hiking. The temperature never left the 60's all day. Our destination was Blue Mountain Summit B&B and restaurant. There were some easy miles mixed with rocky sections. We made it to the restaurant by 11:30 and there were a dozen hikers there waiting for it to open at noon. I could not believe how early we had finished. I even stopped at several Vistas and played at balanced rocks for a while. Balanced rocks is three huge slabs of rock stacked on each other and they're resting on another rock in a way that you can teeter them with little effort. Fun!So, anyway, I started talking with some of the other hikers and they planned to do 14 more miles and go to Palmerton and stay at the Jail House Hostel. I was familiar with the place and thought about joining them. This would mean I would lose P&R for a while, but my leg was twitching and I was about to jump. We all went into the restaurant and had lunch and I told P&R I was on. They were fine with it so after lunch I left with a big group.I encountered three large rock areas and my 25 years of caving paid off. The large rocks are similar to the breakdown areas in many caves. Around 5 I found myself going down into the gap at Palmerton. I crossed the river on the bridge and hiked the 2 non-AT miles into town and got registered at the Jail House Hostel. It really was a jail once. Later, 12 of us went to the Chinese restaurant for dinner and someone mentioned beer. Me, the 2 others from Knoxville and 3 more were out the door heading for the one ten tavern and restaurant. The service was bad and the food was just ok. The ridge runner we had seen earlier stopped by and told us of the 400 lb. Bear he had seen a few miles out. He was also from TN. We all left and went to the hotel bar in Palmerton. That is the place to go in that town. We had a great time there singing, dancing and more drinking. I met two local women while waiting for beer at the bar and spent a while talking to them about the AT and life on the trail before returning to my friends. I think it was close to 1 when we all volunteered to go to jail. Ha!