morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-18
From: James Fry 

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

There is no other way of saying this... Today was a bad day on the trail. Maybe one of the worst. We stayed dry in last night's rain and the morning was sunny when we got up. We had a good breakfast and left camp at 8 o'clock. So a good start. But it changed quickly. Stick's feet are really bothering him now so he is setting the pace and I am following him. He has to go slow. We took a water break at 10:30 and then continued our slow accent up a big 1000 foot climb. After a significant amount of time I realized I had dropped our itinerary somewhere along the route. It is the only information that tells us where camps are located and where water can be found and the distances between certain land marks. So I dropped my pack and started backtracking to our last stop (we had made 2 stops that morning). I went a mile and a half and found the itineray laying beside the log I sat on. I walked the mile and half back to Hal. Steaming! (Note to self: always check an area before leaving, duh!)We continued on. Over a couple of big climbs, some huge boulder fields and many pointed rocks, Stick's blisters continued to get worse. We hiked through a few corn and soy bean fields with the sun shinning brightly and the temperature in the high 80/low 90s.All our clothes were wet from last night's rain and sweat, this included our socks and boots. This just added to Stick's blister problem. We hobbled into Boiling Springs on Saturday late afternoon to find no rooms available. We were at a loss. The next camp site was 10 miles away and the last site... well we were not walking backwards! So we decided to hike up town to the "Tavern" have a couple beers and figure something out. While we were hiking up the street a local resident was unloading her car. She asked us if we needed help... it was obvious we did, Sticks was struggling to walk. She offered us her back yard to camp in and we quickly accepted. We sat up our tent, changed into our camp/town clothes and hit the tavern, After 12 painful miles a couple of beers tasted pretty good. It is obvious that Stick's feet must heal some if we are to continue.
Date: 2012-08-19
From: Boiling Springs

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

No discussion about today... we are taking a "zero day". That means no miles. We had a really good breakfast at the 101 cafe and started looking for a room. We are staying in Boiling Springs but moving to the Allenberry theater. A kind of resort that puts on plays and has some rooms to sleep in. Unfortunately for us last night they were full with the Potomic Pedalars but tonight they can take us. We needed to get to the drug store so we hung around the gas station looking for a ride. Finally a local guy, Chris, not only took us the 7 miles but waited while we shopped then brought us back. He was willing to wait while we packed up our camp and then take us to the Allenberry but we wanted to take our time and we were moving very slowly. We had a shower. doctored Stick's feet and then had a nice dinner before lights out at 8pm.
Date: 2012-08-20
From: Boiling Springs

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Boiling Springs with overcast skies and blisters still hurting. Sticks continues to lead and as I follow I could see his left foot is really hurting him. So slow is the name of the game. The trail was good and level and smooth most of the morning. We passed some day hikers but we are the only long distance AT hikers on the trail in this section. We stopped for lunch at 2;30 right before a long 2 mile climb. Almost as soon as we started up a huge thunderstorm hit us. It rained so hard we had trouble seeing the white blazes marking the trail. The trail turned into a small river as the rain continued to pelt down. We had on our ponchos but it rained so hard and long that they didn't help all that much. Again our socks and boots were soaked so we know our feet are suffering. When we got to the shelter we were soaked. We doctored our feet again... we use blister pads and duct tape.... but nothing is really working. The sun is still up but lights out at 7:30.
Date: 2012-08-21
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We only did 11 miles today but it felt much futher. We put on dry socks in the morning but our boots were still wet so it didn't take long for the socks to become wet. Everything is either wet or damp, not a good feeling. I think Sticks feet will determine our hike, they are getting worse. We had many ups and downs today with many pointed rocks to walk over. The trail comes down out of the mountains and goes right through the middle of Duncannon. We are staying at a rather infamous hiker hotel the Doyle. It is 100 years old, one of the original Anheuser-Bush hotels. And I believe the last maintenance was done 100 years ago. The owners, Pat and Vicky, were former or maybe current hippies in their 70's. To say the hotel is rough is an understatement. There is not always a ceiling just the floor above you, pipes are showing, railings are missing, and the carpet? is threadbare. But I must say the beer was cold and the conversation was interesting. Sticker, a former thru hiker, was at the hotel[I don't know why he was there] and offered to take us to the grocery (we accepted)and he bought us a beer while we waited for him to finish eating. We went to dinner at the local bar where we met "Sedentary Steve" (the local "Norm" from Cheers) who chatted with us and also bought us a beer. Life is not all bad on the trail. A late night for us 8:30 lights out.
Date: 2012-08-22
From: Duncannon

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Another 11 mile day. Not much change in the condidtion of Stick's feet but the trail is getting worse. The rocks are unbelievable! We did meet 3 young southbounders who told us the worst of the rocks are yet to come, UGH! We also met a young couple at our lunch break at the Clarks Ferry shelter where they had spent the night. Actually the young lady was walking back from her solar shower... naked. Embarrassment all around! Oh, the sights you see on the trail. After she got dressed we shared trail information especially about the availability of water. We decided to carry water from Clarks Ferry rather than get water at the next shelter. The book say that water is down a 270 step steep hill. So we opted to carry water 6 miles. When we reached the Peters Mountain shelter Matt was just returning from getting his water. He thought we were smart to carry the water as it took him 40 min to make the run.
Date: 2012-08-23
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Rausch Gap
Miles today: 17.0

We were up very early this morning, 5:30am, as we wanted to get a jump start on our day. Because of the way the trail /shelters fall we have an 18 mile day planned. And that is with sore feet. We have a 100 foot drop and a 100 foot climb both early today. We met two day hikers at a small stream who told us there is no water available at Rausch. So we decided to once again carry 5 liters of water for 7 miles. Then when we arrived at the shelter what do we find.... a creek runs with in 200 yards of the shelter. BAD INTEL! We did have a trail casualty today. Matt had to go off the trail as an old incision began to open up. He called a trail angel who met him at a road crossing and was taking him to a doctor. We wish him well! We finally reached the shelter at 5 pm 11 1/2 hours of hiking. A very long day. We fixed dinner, hung the bear bag Sticks fixed his feet and we were lights out at 6:30. Good Night OK, it is 7:15pm in the middle of nowhere with nothing around us but a trail and a mountain biker just rolls in. He stops for 10 min gives us some local history then pedals off. Go Figure!
Date: 2012-08-24
From: Rausch Gap

To: Pine Grove
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Exhausted! Yesterday 17 miles and today 18 miles on sore feet. Today we had two 1000 foot climbs within four hours of each other. The first one was early and we attacked it with high energy. It was only moderatly rocky so we did pretty well. The second one was hell! A 1000 feet climb over a one mile distance with many rocks and boulders. It really sapped our strength. We took a short break to eat someting and to fix our feet. For some reason after more than a week my right boot is now causing a blister on my heel, duct tape to the rescue. We are still using blister pads, ointment, and duct tape. It is the only tape that will stick in sweaty socks. But in reality nothing is really helping Stick's left foot. We still had 10 miles to go so we hiked until the next shelter. We got there had lunch, called our wives and fixed our feet again. Mine are doing ok thanks to the duct tape but Sticks... not so good. And we still had 4 miles to town. We talked about staying here the night and hiking into town in the morning. But we would need to be there before noon to get to the Post Office before it closes. We decided to go on. And the last 4 miles were terrible. The trail had many ups and downs with many boulder fields and jagged rocks. The last 2 miles we hopped over boulders, climbed up and down steep grades stepped on pointed rocks, and tried to protect feet. We were not successful. When we finally got to the Pa 501 road crossing we were exhausted. We found a phone number for a town shuttle and got a ride into Pine Grove. We went to the motel did our laundry and walked across the street for dinner. I am not sure but I think we are done. Sticks' left foot is not good and he had trouble walking to dinner without his pack. We'll see in the morning.
Date: 2012-08-25
From: Pine Grove

To: Pine Grove
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We were up early this morning. Neither of us slept well. The ball of Hal's left foot is swollen and blue where it meets his toes. And the blisters on other parts of the foot are still red. He decided that was enough, he was done. That was the right decision. This is supposed to be a challenge but when it becomes torture you stop... and we did. We did 170 miles in 12 hiking days with 2 zero days. Not to shabby on bad feet. Our plan is to pick up next year right here in Pine Grove and continue up the trail. Thanks to all...4Trees
Date: 2013-07-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

We are just one week away from starting our hike. Sticks and I will be taking the bus/train from Detroit to Harrisburg, Pa. We will then be taken by car, thanks Lance, to Pine Grove and dropped off at 501 & the trail. We have all our preparations complete, clothes packed, food bought, supplies ready. We both have been working out at a local gym so .... Off we go
Date: 2013-07-09
From: Detroit

To: Pine Grove
Miles today: 0.0

We took the bus from Detroit to Toledo late Tuesday night. Hopped on the train at mid night and headed to Pittsburg. Got off there at 5am and got on the train to Harrisburg at 7am. Unfortunately because of the storms in the area the train had to slow to 15 mph, that's right 15 mph for 100 miles. So we were late getting to Harrisburg, and then to Pine Grove. We finally arrived at 5:00' and had a decision to make.
Date: 2013-07-10
From: Pine Grove

To: Hertlein Campsite
Miles today: 5.5

We decided to go on to the campsite. We started hiking at 5 after a long and sleepless day and night. The 5 mi. were some what rocky but we were anxious to get started so we moved right along.We rolled into the site at 8 pm. It didn't take us long to set up our tent, get our water and fix a quick meal. We were in bed and lights out by a little after nine.
Date: 2013-07-11
From: Hertlein Campsite

To: Eagle's Nest
Miles today: 9.5

We woke up at 7 and broke camp easily. While having our breakfast we met 2 other hikers. One of them, Sandman, is from Myrtle Beach, SC, and knows Stick's son-in-law. In fact they work in the same real estate office.... small world! We had a great day to hike, the weather was mild, and the rocks were not too difficult. We rolled in to the shelter at 2:45. With nothing to do but set up camp and fix dinner. We are feeling pretty good about out re-introduction to the trail. Our legs are a little tired but other than that no problems.
Date: 2013-07-12
From: Eagle's Nest

To: Pocahontas Springs
Miles today: 12.0

Today was totally different than yesterday. The Trail decided we were ready for a real hike. It started with a really steep downhill into Port Clinton. The temperature in the morning was in the 80s and by noon we reached the 90s with high humidity. We were drenched with sweat and downing water every chance we got. The only restaurant in PC was at the old hotel.... a really small town. We were very hungry and both of us had hamburgers and fries... a bad decision on my part. Coming out of PC is a long steep climb, 800 ft. in about 1 mile. The heat,rocks and hamburger did not sit well with me. It was slow going for the climb. Sticks kept encouraging me and finally we made it to the top. As we started towards the campsite it started to sprinkle so we hustled down to the site... set up the tent ( we were the only ones there). We decided to hang our sweaty clothes on the line hoping the rain might wash them a little. They were already wet so either way we were wearing wet clothes in the morning. Because of the rain no hot meal tonight. We are in our tent @ 5pm eating gorp and reading.... It is going to be a long night.
Date: 2013-07-13
From: Pocahontas Springs

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Ok, after being in the tent from 5pm until morning at 6 I can tell you the tent can actually shrink. A 13 hour tent experience is not something you will enjoy... No matter how interesting your stories or how tired you are or how much you like the book.... 13 hrs is TOO LONG!!! It was a difficult trail but we took our time and met some really nice day hikers along the way. Dawn, Terri and Jeanie were super friendly and shared a lot of local knowledge. Ed and Andrea were hiking with their dog, Noona, it was way to hot for him so I gave him some of my water. We also stopped at a mountain stream and soaked our feet and washed the mud of our legs as best we could. We finally made it to Eckville shelter. It has a caretaker who lives in the house next to the " bunk house". It has 5 bunks to throw your sleeping bag on, we were in time to claim our two. We then hung our tent and stuff on the line to dry out. It is not fun to carry wet anything! The shelter also had a solar shower (remember the rain?) the water was really cold. It didn't take long to take a shower.
Date: 2013-07-14
From: Eckville Shelter

To: New Tripoli Campsite
Miles today: 13.0

Now this was a difficult day. It started with a 1000 ft climb and Penn does not understand the concept of switchbacks. It was extremely difficult and tiring. A terrible way to start the day. The temperature in the 90s and we are are on a ridge. A full,sun, no shade and 2 big boulder fields to cross. The best way I can describe a boulder field is to picture a stack of buses and VWs on top of each other. Each of these fields are about 200 to 300 yes long so the going is slow and scary. We did meet "Wooden Spoon" who is from NC but was excited to learn we were from Detroit. Her best friend's father is a coach for the Lions. Because of the heat and the humidity we slowed way down in the afternoon. Sticks fell twice, that was our sign to go slower. But all is not bad, when we reached Pa. 309 there was a restaurant at the crossing so we stopped in for dinner and had ICE in our drinks. We only had 2 miles to go to our campsite. Unfortunately it was down a steep hill and in a small valley. There was no air moving at all and the mosquitos and flies were everywhere. They swarmed all over us. We took a quick sponge bath in the spring then dove into out tent. Another long night in a very small tent.
Date: 2013-07-15
From: New Tripoli Campsite

To: Filbert B&B
Miles today: 12.0

Another long, hot, humid day. It started with the climb out of our campsite. The temperature in the 90s again with a full sun. And we are spending most of the day on a ridge. The morning is full of rocks and boulders with the high light being "Knife's Edge" and it is exactly what it sounds like. Big boulders at the top of a ridge line shaped like a knife, About 150 yards of SCARY! By noon Sticks was not feeling to well. The heat and the humidity were getting to him. Around 2pm he was very weak, a little trouble breathing and starting to stumble along the trail. A couple of thru hikers, Hipsie Gypsie & Oak stopped and gave him some crystal light for his water. Oak even offered to carry his pack to the shelter.... But Sticks would have none of that. For the next 7 miles we went very slow with many stops for rest and hydration. We finally got down to a road.. I tried to find a hotel room so Sticks could take a cold shower and have air conditioning. Only 2 local hotels in the area and they were full. My last chance was a B&B or the local emergency room. He did not want that! Fortunately, Kathy was willing to take a couple of smelly, dirty hikes in at the Filbert B&B. We order Italian for dinner (delivered) Sticks didn't eat very much. He is in bed sleeping.... Not sure about tomorrow
Date: 2013-07-17
From: Filbert B&B

To: Leroy A Smith
Miles today: 16.0

We took a zero day on Tuesday so we both could hydrate. The temperature and the humidity has been off the charts for this region. It was a good decision as gain the day was hot and muggy. On Wednesday Kathy slack packed us. That means we carry only what we need for the day, snacks and water. Kathy will bring the rest of our stuff and meet us at a crossroad about 12 miles down the trail. This was a really good decision on our part as the climb out of the Lehigh gap was unbelievably difficult. At times it was hand over hand with one of us passing our sticks up to the other as we scrambled over the rocks. The mountain is being re-vegetated after a century of zinc mining in the area. Because of the mining there was no shade trees and the sun even in the morning was unrelenting. After the climb we still had plenty of miles to go before the camp site and those miles were filled with bugs and rocks. We have been using big repellent bit have decided the Pennsylvania bugs are not intimidated by this at all. In fact they consider it a challenge to break thru the fog and attack. As we hike we have a circling cloud of gnats and flies around our heads. I do have a bug net that covers my head but Sticks is hiking with no protection... He is definitely going to buy one 1st. chance! When we reached the camp site we had to get water. Unfortunately it was down a significant hill about 1/4 mile, fortunately it was a great spring with clear cool water. The camp site was busy this evening with 7 other hikers. We sat around and discussed the trail and had dinner before giving in to the bugs and getting into our tent at 6:30.
Date: 2013-07-17
From: Filbert B&B

To: Leroy A Smith
Miles today: 16.0

We took a zero day on Tuesday so we both could hydrate. The temperature and the humidity have been off the charts for this region. It was a good decision as again the day was hot and muggy. On Wednesday Kathy slack packed us. That means we carry only what we need for the day, snacks and water. Kathy will bring the rest of our stuff and meet us at a crossroad about 12 miles down the trail. This was a really good decision on our part as the climb out of the Lehigh gap was unbelievably difficult. At times it was hand over hand with one of us passing our sticks up to the other as we scrambled over the rocks. The mountain is being re-vegetated after a century of zinc mining in the area. Because of the mining there were no shade trees and the sun even in the morning was unrelenting. After the climb we still had plenty of miles to go before the campsite and those miles were filled with bugs and rocks. We have been using big repellent but have decided the Pennsylvania bugs are not intimidated by this at all. In fact they consider it a challenge to break thru the fog and attack. As we hike we have a circling cloud of gnats and flies around our heads. I do have a bug net that covers my head but Sticks is hiking with no protection... He is definitely going to buy one 1st chance! When we reached the camp site we had to get water. Unfortunately it was down a significant hill about 1/4 mile, fortunately it was a great spring with clear cool water. The camp site was busy this evening with 7 other hikers. We sat around and discussed the trail and had dinner before giving in to the bugs and getting into our tent at 6:30.
Date: 2013-07-18
From: Leroy A Smith

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 4.6

A long hot day after a long hot night. We didn't get up until 7 as the other campers were late sleepers and I didn't want to disturb them. We only had 4 miles to go to reach the town of Wind Gap. Only 4 miles to go but it took us 3 hours... plenty of rocks, boulders and bugs. The temperature was near 100, wow! When we reached town we realized the only hotels were on the other end of town, another 3 or 4 miles. We walked to the nearest gas station, bought cold drinks and looked for a ride. A local trucker, Henry, offered us a ride in the back of his dump truck. We quickly accepted. The nearest hotel to the services we needed was a hiker hotel, rough. We were directed to a local restaurant by the laundromat attendant. Becky, the restaurant owner volunteered to give us a ride to the trail head in the morning... Perfect!
Date: 2013-07-19
From: Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water G
Miles today: 20.0

Wow, we originally planned to hike to Kirkridge shelter but we are getting our trail legs. We had breakfast at Three Brothers and Marco, Becky's husband drove us to the trail head at 8am. We made the 500 foot climb and took off. We did 10 miles by noon. The rocks and bugs did not slow us down like before... We got into a hiking rhythm and rolled. We decided to get to Delaware Water Gap. We reached town at 4:15. We took rooms at the 1st. place we saw... the Deer Head Inn. Jim, the manager, helped us get settled and served us a couple of cold beers. We are going to go shopping tomorrow, bug net and hiking shoes. ...
Date: 2013-07-20
From: Delaware Water G

To: delaware water gap
Miles today: 0.0

We took a zero day today because we need to resupply ourselves. I needed a new pair of shoes because my old ones were worn out... Especially the left boot. We also got a bug net for Sticks and I bought some pepper spray in case we saw any bears. We stopped at a local Irish bar for lunch then back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
Date: 2013-07-21
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Blue Mountain Lake Road
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

We left DWG after a good breakfast at the Gap Diner. While there we met a father-daughter team day hiking. They are in training to hike Kilimanjaro. I shared my experience there and encouraged them to continue training. Early in the morning we crossed the NJ- NY state line... But apparently no one told the rocks. NY looks a lot like NJ. Apparently the rocks still think we are in Pennsylvania! Plenty of rocks but also many pretty views. NJ is a beautiful state so far. Around noon we met a " ridge runner" They are summer employees who cover different sections of the trail and check on the hikers. We covered a few more miles when we ran into a south bound ultra distance runner in training... and we thought we were crazy. We reached our camp site set up our tent just a few yards from a lake and had an early dinner & night.