morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-20
From: Swatara Gap

To: Hartline campsite
Miles today: 17.0

RW MEANS Rethinking Worldly17 miles and at 1195.2Last night was wonderful sleeping in the motel. This morning after breakfast a Canadian husband and wife agreed to drive Left Turn and me back to the trailhead. We left at 9:30. The weather was wonderful today and such a contrast to yesterday. This last day of spring has been a total joy. The day started with a tough climb, but soon the trail leveled, although rather rocky all day. Occasionally the trees would get thin and we could get a good view of the valley below.   The valley is scattered farmland and quite picturesque.   We soon ran into Three Thumbs.   A very interesting man in his 60's who lost part of his fingers on one hand, resulting in several fingers that look like thumbs.The 3 of us crossed a milestone today. We cross the 1183 mile marker which means it is now less than 1000 miles to our destination.      The pleasant conversation made the day go fast and my blisters only hurt a little bit. None have become infected. My new socks are helping a lot. About 3:30 we arrived at the 501 shelter. There I ordered a medium calzone and the other hikers ordered pizza.   This is one of the few shelters so close to town where you can get a delivery. After eating and enjoying the company of several other thru-hikers, we decided to hike      another 3 miles to a campsite. Three Thumbs didn't stop for pizza, he went on. After eating Hank joined us and the 3 of us went on. We couldn't find the site. After a while, Left Turn became tired and decided to stop for the night at a very nice campsite.I counted on finding water at the campsite and when I didn't it was clear I wouldn't have enough water for the night. I borrowed some water from Left Turn. I hiked with Hank several more miles to a stream and camped. I regret leaving her alone but I needed to find water. This leaves me in a bit of a dilemma tomorrow. I'm only 9.5 miles from the next shelter and 18 miles from town. Depending on the trail I will walk as far as possible tomorrow.The campsite I stayed at could have been nice but it was overrun with Boy Scouts who took all the good level spots. Later that night, Grinder arrived and camped on a pile of rocks. He was very dehydrated and I let him have the water I filtered from the lake nearby.
Date: 2014-06-21
From: Hartline campsite

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: light rain

RW MEANS Rattlesnake Wrangler.The first day of summer proved to be remarkable and enjoyable. This day is dedicated to naked hiking but I didn't see any naked hikers and I didn't hike naked.Hank and Grinder got up at 4:30 this morning and started the trail before 6. They asked me to join them but I refused and didn't leave camp until 7 o'clock. The weather was wonderful and the trail is easier than I feared. In fact, the trail all day was far less rocky than other people's trail journals would suggest. Still, there were some very difficult and rocky sections.The forest here has lots of ferns that go on and on and cover great wide sections of the forest floor. It is quite unique and the light shines through the trees, so different than the dark green tunnel in Virginia.Today I crossed the 1200 mile mark. I can hardly believe it! Just before lunch I ran into a guy named Mark Kuhns. He is 55 and lives near Allentown, Pennsylvania and one day would like to hike the Appalachian Trail. As I was walking past him I started to talk with him and he asked me my name. When I told him he was surprised and said he had been reading my trail journal. We had a very pleasant conversation. I look forward to him emailing me a recommendation for RW.I arrived at the shelter early at 11 o'clock and ate my lunch. As I was getting ready to leave, Hank and Grinder appeared. So I decided to walk with them all the way to Port Clinton. The day was nice and I had good conversation with each of them. Hank is 48 and has taken off time from a career as a computer software engineer to hike the trail. He left April 5th and is making great time. Grinder is in his 60's and is still working as a PE teacher at a grade school. He is section hiking 700 miles only. This is his second section and hopes to finish the entire trail in 3 years and three sections. Grinder is remarkable and a very fit person.By 4:30 we were in Port Clinton. Just as I stepped off the trail to my great surprise, there was Iceman standing there! He was waiting for Left Turn who he had met on the trail and was slackpacking her. Since she wouldn't arrive for several hours, Iceman drove us to Cabela's and Walmart where I resupplied. Tonight I'm sleeping in the Port Clinton Park run by a local church. Port Clinton is an interesting little old town but most things are far from the trail and require somebody to drive us.Tomorrow I am entering the mountains in an area known as "Rocksylvania". Iceman agreed to slackpack Left Turn, and I decided to join them through this rough part of the trail.
Date: 2014-06-22
From: Port Clinton

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

RW MEANS Robin Work. Who is the real Robin Work? Today I met Robin Work while she was just out for a day hike. She is my RW.The second day of summer proved to be as good as the first. We broke camp about 7 o'clock and had breakfast with Iceman and hit the trail by 8. I slack packed today. Slackpacking sure makes my feet heal quickly and my achilles does not hurt. But my slack packing days may be over, I'm back with my full pack tomorrow.Today was remarkable because I saw my first Copperhead snake. It was just curled up near a rock where many, many people were sitting next to it eating their lunch and enjoying the beautiful view. The snake completely ignored everybody. The other wild event happened last night. Last night, I woke up and saw strange lights flashing in my tent.   At first I thought it was an electronic device but the color was funny and it was only on the ceiling of the tent.   After a moment I realized lightning bugs had got between my tent fly and bug screen and were flashing.  I watched them for a few minutes and then went to sleep. The day was also unique because I met so many thru-hikers in the senior class. I hiked with Journeyman who is 64, retired and lives in Tennessee. I met Dallas a senior from Louisiana. Eastwood from California and Heartwood who is named after heartwoodpath.com. She is from Arizona, 55, and hiking with sore ribs from a fall. I met Shortstop who is going to be 70 next week. This is the second time he is hiking the trail. He says the trail life is addicting and he wants to do it over and over again.I also heard from Rob who called me today. He is the guy I hiked with before Damascus. As it turns out he is only 2 days ahead of me. We both are hiking at about the same pace but eventually maybe in another 200 to 300 miles I will catch him.The rocks on the trail today are not nearly as bad as other people's trail journals lead on. In fact, I didn't see anything unusual about the trail concerning rocks. Maybe tomorrow I will experience that part of the trail people talk about so much.
Date: 2014-06-23
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Summit
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: scattered clouds

RW Means Remeeting Will also known as Dad.I got up late today because I slept very well last night. It was 7:45 before I hit the trail. All of us seniors left about the same time. It looked to be a great day. I hiked most of the morning with Dallas and we had a very pleasant conversation. She will be 61 shortly and is a very interesting person. Unfortunately the gnats pestered us for hours. They were constantly in our eyes and ears and nose.Generally the trail was pretty good but about 40% was difficult rock. The rocks were very hard on my Achilles tendon. The rocks were frequently very sharp and pointy and at steep angles to the trail. These pointy rocks just penetrated deep into the soles of my feet and twisted my ankles. There is a law here in Pennsylvania that if you break the point of a rock you must re-sharpen it. No one seems to break this law.By early afternoon these rocks had taken a toll on my Achilles tendon and I decided it was time for me to take a break. I am in Hamburg and will take a few days off the trail to rest before I go back to the rocks.I called Iceman to pick me up and he agreed. Shortly after I talked to Iceman I called the Microtel hotel for a room and they told me there was a trail angel named Dad who would give me a ride immediately to the motel for a small charge. I called Iceman back and cancelled because I felt guilty that Iceman had to take so much of his personal time to come and get me. Iceman has been incredibly generous to me, more than I can ever repay him back.Dad picked me up. William, or Dad, tried to hike the AT this year and I met him in the Great Smoky Mountains on a very rainy day. Dad had to leave the trail in Erwin, Tennessee because his Achilles tendon was in very bad shape. He is only 23 and we had a long talk about various remedies for the Achilles tendon. He told me his dream is to try and break the non-assisted hiking record for the trail and he will attempt it next year. I told him of my struggles and journey since Damascus with my Achilles tendon. I assured him it was possible for him to achieve his dreams even with the sick Achilles tendon issue if he took care of it.
Date: 2014-06-24
From: Blue Mountain Summit

To: Blue Mountain Summit
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

RW MEANS Rather be Walking.Sitting in the Microtel resting my ankle after yesterday's rough day. I have been icing and heating my ankle but it is still very sore. I will sit at least one more day here hoping for it to recover enough that I can walk again. These Pennsylvania rocks have twisted it up quite a lot and I am struggling to walk.
Date: 2014-06-28
From: Blue Mountain Summit

To: home
Miles today: 0.0

At home resting and wondering what my next step should be. My father picked me up Wednesday and drove me back to Chicago. Friday I saw my family doctor and we discussed my injuries. X-rays didn't indicate any fractures, so he prescribed Methylprednisolone, a cortisone steroid which is a strong anti-inflammatory that I will be taking for 6 days. I already see results because the pain is less. I am also soaking my feet in cold water 3 times a day to combat inflammation. The next step is an MRI to see if there is damage to any soft tissues. After I know the full extent of my injuries the doctor and I will decide on a plan to get me back to the trail. If the MRI results are good, it likely will take another 2 to 3 weeks before I can hike again.I have three alternatives to restarting my hike, depending on how long my recovery takes and my assessment of when the cold weather will arrive in Maine. First is just to start hiking north where I stopped, but I must make sure I have enough time to beat winter. Second, I do a flip-flop thru-hike: Start one direction and hike for a while (which I have already done), then go all the way to the north end and race winter south to where I stopped my northern progress. It is logistically more difficult but gives me more time before the cold weather moves in because I am so far south. A third alternative is to do a leap-frog hike. A leap-frog is to jump ahead a significant distance on the trail by car and then continue hiking the same direction to beat winter at the end. At the end I would then drive back and hike the section of the trail I skipped, which in theory leaves me far enough south to complete the hike before winter. All have advantages and disadvantages. I would like to avoid winter weather because my winter gear is heavier.
Date: 2014-07-04
To: recovering
Miles today: 0.0

RW Means: Rest does Wonders.I am responding well to drug and ice treatments and healing quickly. Yesterday the doctor prescribed a second round of strong steroids to get me back on the trail as soon as possible. Another 6 days of Methylprednisolone. I had planned to restart on the 9th, but the doctor felt I wouldn't be ready and advised waiting at least another week. I will make airline reservations to get to Allentown, PA on the 14th and restart on the 15th from where I stopped at mile 1240/Lehigh Gap. I will not be 100% and plan to take it slow for a few days to test my physical condition. Since I will start where I left off, it is back to the rocks, with the Knife Edge only a 3 miles into my restart. I looked at it on YouTube, and it is a short but tough boulder climb near the edge of a cliff, but most of the remaining portion of Pennsylvania is very rocky.I started at Springer Mountain with a base-weight (excludes food, water and fuel) of 15 pounds of winter weight. This increased steadily as I found I didn't have enough gear. I added an insulated shirt, gaiters, stove and cook-set, more socks, water bag, sleeping bag liner, and warmer hat. I don't know how much my weight increased, but it surely was several pounds. When I went to summer weight, I changed to lighter gear and removed gear, but was still about 16 pounds due to the addition of socks, gaiters, and a more robust medical kit as my injuries and blisters multiplied. I plan to restart with as stripped down base-weight as possible. I replaced some gear. The most expensive is replacing my GranitGear pack and Thermarest sleeping pad with a new GossamerGear Mariposa Ultralight backpack and sleeping pad. When it arrives I will re-weight everything I replaced and removed and determine my new base-weight. I am also thinking of doing away with my stove and cook-set, again. I hiked without a stove and cook-set in the beginning and after a month found I felt a bit deprived. But that was winter, and it is now warm. I don't think I will have the same need for warm food as I had in the colder months.
Date: 2014-07-11
To: Allentown PA
Miles today: 0.0

Monday the 14th I fly to Allentown, PA and will restart the trail where I stopped. It will be exactly 3 weeks since I left the trail, and while not 100% recovered, my Achilles feels better than it has for a long time.With the new pack and changes in equipment, my base-weight drops from 16 pounds 8 oz, to 12 pounds 10 oz. A substantial reduction in weight, but at a cost to my comfort. I will not carry my 16 oz alcohol cook set and stove, and will go from a thermarest sleeping pad to a toso-lenght foam pad, as well as cut out most emergency equipment and only carry spare socks for spare clothing. This is a short-term situation. This abnormal stripped down pack is likely going to prove to be a bit too much deprivation and hardship in the long run. Once I am confident of my health, I may add some comfort items.   But for now and in the warm months, I can make do at this minimal level.   I will need to increase my clothing and possibly other equipment should the cold move in earlier than expected. I changed shoes. I will start with a stiff-soled New Balance boot with a stiff insole. In walking around the house, I find the stiffness reduces the work by my Achilles and the tougher soles should improve my ability to withstand the Pennsylvania rocks. The Merrill boot soles are just too soft for the trail.My big weighty items that are luxuries are: 1) I have ATT as my carrier, I added a second phone -Verizon - because one of them should work. 2) Still carrying camp shoes at 9 oz, but may get rid of them at the last moment. 3) A ground footprint at 3.5 oz for my 2 man tent, which I can use on the floor of the shelters so I don't sleep on the dirty floor. 4) 3 pairs of spare wool socks, and 5) a spare pair of insoles.I am running out of RW names. Any suggestions will help. My only rules: 1) no profanity; and 2) no names that have been used. I like fun names and names that seem to have some relevance to recent events on the trail or are cleaver. No promises on using any names.
Date: 2014-07-15
From: Blue Mountain Summit

To: superfund trail head
Miles today: 13.9

RW Means: Ready to go Walking. Thanks everyone for the RW suggestions. I wrote them down and will use them in the future.Yesterday all my connections went well and I arrived in Allentown, PA without incident. Last night the skies opened up with some very hard rain and a tornado warning was issued for the area.   It missed me and so I restart with a good sign. I restarted the trail today with great trepidation. Not only am I wary of my physical condition, but the trail ahead is rock hard and today's weather forecast predicts rain. Iceman picked me up on time and I started the trail where I left off at 7:15. I started in a thick fog, which continued all day. After the first few miles, the rock legend came true. A long hard boulder field climaxing in the Knife-Edge, a steep-sloped ledge about a half mile long and at the edge of a cliff. The rocks were lichen covered and slippery. I literally crawled on my hands and feet for hundreds of yards fearing I would slip and fall should I stand up. After this dangerous section, the next 6 miles were boulders and big rocks with only the occasional island of soil. The trees in this area are small and young and seem to struggle to find places to sink their roots. The trees provided little cover from the drizzle. I mostly hiked alone except for a short time when I hiked with Mighty Blue. Mighty Blue is 63, an immigrant from England who now lives in Florida. He started March 21, shortly after me and has had his share of physical troubles. I hiked with him for a few hours, then he got off to go a motel and dry out. Trail magic at lunch time. Not much drinking water on the trail and someone left lots of water and food at a road. It was so welcome and enjoyed! Anyone wanting to tent this section, other than the lack of water, it is great and numerous good locations were noted.   I went slow and babied my Achilles all day and it worked. I came out of the woods by a stoplight and asked the driver at the stoplight for a ride to Palmerton. He said yes. FASTEST hitchhike yet.   By 2:30 I was in Palmerton at the Jail House Hostel. Sorry, no bars, just some wood bunk-beds without mattresses in a smelly basement of a municipal building. It is crowded with hikers I haven't met before. They are all in their 20s. All seem nice. The next two nights are camping and on the third day I should arrive at the Delaware Water Gap and almost out of Rocksylvania.  Tomorrow the forecast calls for slippery rocks and rain.
Date: 2014-07-16
From: superfund trail head

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 20.1

RW means Really WorkedToday was a very interesting and long day. It started at 5 a.m. when I got up, packed, and was ready to go. After a quick breakfast at Dunkin Donuts I met Andrew Hollywood. Andrew is taking pictures and doing an art project about all of the hikers who come into Palmerton.   He is on Facebook - see his photo. He took my picture and then drove me and 2 other hikers to the trailhead. We started the trail at 7:00 a.m. It was a brutal start to the day with a nearly straight up, hand over hand, climb up a cliff. It took nearly an hour to go less then 3/4 of a mile. It is a good thing the weatherman was wrong because this would've been an unbelievably dangerous climb if the rocks were wet.After we reached the top, we then walked by the Palmerton superfund site- an old Zinc mine.   Few large trees grow in the area and there were lots of warning signs saying stay out. However flowers grew everywhere. We hiked several miles adjacent to this polluted area.My two hiking companions are Baird and Dragonborn, Both are in their early 20s and are from Pennsylvania.   They started in February.   After about six miles they ran out of water and had to go in search of water at a restaurant that was far from the trail. I carried 3 liters of water so I was good for the day.After the initial hard climb, the trail was quite easy for several miles and then the rocks started again. My new boots do very well in the rocks and help me a lot.I hiked further today than I thought I would. My legs felt good all day. At about 2 p.m. I ran into trail magic. A couple from Fort Wayne, Indiana was giving out water, soda pop, and other goodies to thru-hikers. Their son was about an hour behind me and they were anxious and excited to see him again. Their son started March 19, a day after I started.
Date: 2014-07-17
From: Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 15.6

RW MEANS Real WatermelonMore than a dozen hikers camped on the grassy lawn next to the Beer Stein Bar and Grill in Wind Gap last night. It was a great camping location. I got up early, had some coffee, and dried my tent out. I walked the one mile to the trail and started at 7:40am. I took a pass on the bar's free breakfast for thru-hikers. The bar allows thru-hikers to use its kitchen and its food to make the breakfast of their dreams for FREE! I skipped the offer because I knew everyone was heading to the next hostel and I wanted to make sure I got a bed. If I had stayed and enjoyed the breakfast offer I surely would have been far behind all these very young hikers.The trail was extremely rocky for the first 7 miles. Afterwards it became quite nice and only had bad rocks occasionally.Several unusual incidents occurred during the day. First, while gazing at the rocks I walked right into a low-hanging branch and bashed my head. Then, ticks attacked me but none managed to bite me as I swept them off all day. The ticks had an ally, a bee, which stung me in the leg.Just before town I received some serious trail magic. A woman named Sug was cooking hot dogs and hamburgers and had tables full of food. Shortly afterwards another thru-hiker approached me and asked if I had lost my trail guide. I checked... I had. He found it! Another great trail magic moment.I made it to the Church of the Mountain Hostel run by the local Presbyterian Church by 3:30pm, which was good because the beds were nearly all taken.After I staked out my bed I went to the local outfitter because the tip of my left hiking pole broke off today. Again I was lucky, and the outfitter gave me a replacement.At 6 o'clock tonight the church gave all the thru-hikers a meal. It was a feast and there were at least 15 of us here. Cold watermelon, homemade ice cream, and all the food thru-hikers could ever want. And great company. Many of the church members were here and we chatted for an hour.
Date: 2014-07-18
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: 1311.8
Miles today: 22.2

RW MEANS radio waves. A banner day. I crossed the 1300 mark and left Pennsylvania. I got up and hit the trail by 7:40am. On the way out of town I saw the largest bear I have seen yet on the trail. It was in a dumpster close to the hostel. Within minutes, I had left the state of Pennsylvania and entered New Jersey. I was hoping for a PA/NJ stateline sign, but there wasn't to my great disappointment.New Jersey is immediately very different than Pennsylvania. The trail is relatively flat and other than the occasional rock it's an easy walk. Within a short time I had arrived at the Mohican Outdoor Center where I had the most expensive and lousy sandwich that I have had on the trail so far. My plan was to buy another one for my evening meal, but I quickly changed my mind.Water was a bit of a concern today so I carried extra. Many of the places I had planned to stay were not marked, and because the trail was so good, I had passed them before I realized it. So I just kept going until I forced myself to stop walking even though I was within 3 or 4 miles of a shelter. During the day I passed a radio tower with two female forest rangers on duty. We talked for a while and they pointed out a sign describing a Poconos photo contest. They agreed to let me take their picture, as long as I did not enter it in the contest. Right now, I am camping alone at a beautiful little flat area with water next to the trail. Because of the bears I was hoping other thru-hikers would stop here. But it is already late and I doubt anyone will come by tonight.