morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-17
From: Ensign Cowell Shelter (1045.2)

To: Tumbling Run Shelter (1063.3)
Miles today: 18.1

Are you kidding me? Another absolutely incredible day! I guess one needs a bad day like I had last week so you can recognize the good ones when you have them./ Anyway, today was sunny, cool, and breezy. On top of that the terrain was gentle. I hotfooted it for 12mi to Rt 16 to hitch into Walmart to have my glasses adjusted "again" and to get some medication for an ear "thing" I've got working. I stood on this rather busy highway with my thumb out for about 10 mins and was beginning to get disappointed when a PU turned around to pick me up. A hiker and PATC member, Moon Otter, took me to Walmart then he went to run some of his own errands then came back to pick me up and bring me back to the trail! Before hitching, I spent an hour or so at PenMar State Park just snacking and chillin'.After getting dropped off by Moon Otter I hiked a mle or so to Deer Lick Shelter and had lunch. Ohibro, Cricket, Thunder, Cowgirl, Roc an Roll,were there. As I was leaving, Daily dozen and Pyro the Wise came in. Got to this shelter at about 4:30 and got water and made something to eat. Tomorrow I plan to back track about .2 mi and hitch back into wayesboro to catch the US?Slovenia World Cup action.Teach your children to appreciate both the sunny and rainy days.
Date: 2010-06-18
From: Tumbling Run Shelter (1063.3)

To: Birch Run Shelter (1082.9)
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: few clouds

Wow!! They're stacking them together now. Three perfect days in a row. Today was a joke. I got up and out early and backtracked the .2 mi to the road. I stood on the road with my thumb out for over 30 mins and nobody even slowed down for me. At that point I decided to abandon this location and move 5 miles up the trail to RT 233 and hitch to a Bar and Grill up the road a couple miles. So off I galloped and got to the road about 0830. Again I stood there for half an hour without success, so I started to walk to the place when I met some Dept of Trans folks and they kinda discouraged me so back I went to the trail. This time I hustled 10 more miles figuring I could at least catch the second half at a Pizza restaurant that was near the trail. I got to the restaurant at 1115. The TV was on but not the game. I went up and went through all the channels- no game- can you believe it. I asked the proprietor if they got the game. He said no they didn't get ESPN. Darn All that effort. So I ordered a huge Stromboli and ate myself into a stupor. During the afternoon, I was a little slow but made the last 9-10 miles without difficulty. The shelter is really nice and has bunks for 8 and floor space for maybe 4 more. It looks like all the bunks are taken. I got one of them. Now I wonder, who won the game?Teach your children to set goals.
Date: 2010-06-19
From: Birch Run Shelter (1082.9)

To: James Frye Shelter (1100.0)
Miles today: 17.1

"These were the best of times. These were the worst of times...." And so it seems that nothing changes. Today started out in awesome fashion. I got up early (just after 5) and was walking by 0610. Barley who came into the shelter quite late was actually up and out by 0530! Ohibro and I literally flew the 9 miles or so to Pine Grove Furnace by 0930. On the way, we passed the halfway sign- 1089.6 miles. Congratulations! At the grocery store at Pine Grove they help the hikers celebrate their accomplishment by offering the half gallon challenge. Eat a half gallon of ice cream and you get an engraved wooden spoon acknowledging your accomplishment. Well, I did it. It took about 40 mins. Now I'm getting a better idea of why women live longer than men. Well, that was all done by about 11AM. Hiker continued to arrive all day and step up to the challenge. Some could do it and others couldn't. We just hung around and slept and watched. At noon the AT Museum opened so we went over to check it out. It was quite nice and I look forward to seeing it grow as funding allows. It was1PM by the time I decided to get back on the trail again. Earlier I had thought that I might try to do 28 miles today but the ice cream betrayed me. Try as I may, I really couldn't get going. I arrived here at the shelter at about 4:30 and I was beat. I got all situated and finally made some real food to satisfy my stomach. As usual, it will be early to bed tonight. Tomorrow, it's 12 miles to Boiling Springs and we'll get a room at the Allenberry Resort. There we will relax for Father's Day. Maybe we'll get to watch some world Cuo action!Teach your children the dangers of gluttony.
Date: 2010-06-20
From: James Frye Shelter (1100.0)

To: Boiling Springs, PA (1112.0)
Miles today: 12.0

Ohibro and I pulled into Boiling Springs at about 1130; walked up to the Allenberry Resort complex and got a room. The rates had jumped from $25/room to $40, but it was still a very good deal. After showering, we headed back into town for lunc. I had a beautiful salad and a hot eggplant parmigiana sub. the next stop was the gas sta/convenience store where I watched a bit of the Brazil/Ivory Coast game (Brazil is awesome) Back at the hotel, I relaxed and watched some more soccer and called son Karl. Dinner was a nice omelet at the hotel pub; I also had a apple pie a la mode! Good. Returned to the room at about 9 and successfully called home.Teach your children to eat their spinach.
Date: 2010-06-21
From: Boiling Springs, PA (1112.0)

To: Cove Mtn Shelter (1133.6)
Miles today: 21.6

Happy Summer Solstice! Today's job was to get to the Dr for an ear "issue" that I've been dealing with for a while. After an AYCE $6 Breakfast Buffet I called a local Family Practice and was able to get a 1015 appt for myself and another hiker who thinks he has Lyme's Disease. We successfully hitched a ride and were delivered to the front door of the clinic. We checked in, filled out some forms, and were seen almost immediately! My ear"infection" turned oout to be nothing more than a massive buildup of ear wax! So now I can hear again. Stretcher was treated for Lyme's Disease and we were able to catch a ride from the clinic parking lot back to the trail. We were back hiking by 11. The day's hike was pretty easy in spite of the heat. It was partially overcast and that offered a lot of relief, especially as we had to cross a lot of open fields. I arrived at the shelter at about 8:30 so it was a long day for me. I cooked my dinner in the dark and went to bed.Teach your children to clean their ears.
Date: 2010-06-22
From: Cove Mtn Shelter (1133.6)

To: Duncannon,PA (1137.7
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's task was simple- hike the 4.something down into town, get a decent breakfast, do some laundry, and check into the historic Doyle Hotel. The descent into town was actually quite steep and "difficult", but we were still in town by 0730. I had a filling breakfast of an omelette and pancakes. Next stop, the laundramat. Interestingly; the change machine, returned 95 cents on the dallar, charging a 5% fee for the machine's effort! A stay at the Doyle is a hiker tradition. It was simply great. They treated us really good. They have a bar, a restaurant, free internet, and free shuttles to the grocery store for resupply. A two person room costs $35. So we're (Ohibro and I)are set. Tomorrow, the US plays Algeria at 10AM and we're planning onb watching it at Jolene's Hair Salon! Only place with a TV that's open at that hour. We can watch the second half at the Doyle Bar when it opens at 11. After the game, we'll get back on the trail. Temps are sup[posed to reach the mid 90's but we'll try to get in about 10 miles to the 2nd shelter. We'll see.Teach your children to value their local library.
Date: 2010-06-23
From: Duncannon,PA (1137.7)

To: Peters Mtn Shelter (1148.9)
Miles today: 0.0

It was soooo good. I spent the night in a real bed! A comfortable bed too!! Unfortunatekly, it was hot, very hot in our air conditionedless room. We had an occilating fan but still I awoke in the middle of the night, sweating profusely. I got up and opened the window wide and could feel the the cooler air coming in. By morning the room was actually quite cool. We went to Goodies for breakfast than came back and kinda hung out waiting for the 10 o'clock game to start. o, just before 10 a bunch of us headed up to Jolene's Hair Salon and just plopped ourselves down in the waiting area and watched the first half of the game then went back to the Doyle to catch the second half. What a game! The US finally scored in the final minute to win the game 1-0 and win their group. So finally at noon, we set off on a long (2mile) road walk out of town. Our first stop was at a Subway, at a truck stop outside of town on the highway. In the area there were massage parlors, adult entertainment stores/shops, adult books and video stores and bars-What's that all about Mr Moral America? Well, we got back on the trail abd pulled into the shelter at about 6PM. It was a nice shelter and couldn't help recal the last time that I was there in 2003 or 04. Back then, when I arrived, rats were fighting behind the bulletin board-oh boy- this is going to be a long night, I thought. When it got dark, I heard the rats jump down from the rafters to the loft above where I was lying. That was it. I picked up my bag and went down the trail about 100 yards to the old Earl Shaefer Lean to and spent the rest of the night there-peacefully. Happily, none of that happened tis time. There were 8 of us in there and I didn't even hear a mouse. Morning comes quickly on the trail. Good night.Teach your children to be independent thinkers.
Date: 2010-06-24
From: Peters Mtn Shelter (1148.9)

To: Rausch Gap Shelter (1166.9)
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

On the trail by 0610 today. Lots of humidity and the going was very slow. At RT 235 there was some Trail Magic! Sweet. I went over and had a donut, a banana, and a couple of oranges. Delicious. I took an orange for the trail and gave thanks to Doodlebug and hubby for their treats and left. The weather changed and the humidity dropped. The trail improved too so I was able to finally move out. An afternoon thunderstorm moved in but didn't slow me down at all. I arrived at the shelter at about 3:30.Teach your children to speak proper English.
Date: 2010-06-25
From: Rausch Gap Shelter (1166.9)

To: Hertlein Campsite (1189.9) 
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning we got the who;le shelter up at 5AM!Cowgirl, who doesn't normally get up and out till after 9AM was the first one out at 0535! Ohibro and I followed at about 0610. We hiked our tails off and at about 8 came across a cooler on the trail with Trail Magic (jugs of water, soft drinks and Twizzlers.) I had a Root Beer and a couple of Twizzlers, compliments of Railroad and a friend. As I was leaving, a guy named JZ came up to tell us that he was setting up some Trail Magic at the upcoming Parking area and invited up to come over. There I had 2 Veggieburgers, a couple more Root Beers, and some chips. An hour later, I left and pressed on to the 501 Shelter (about 18 miles for the day so far)Since we wanted to get into Port Clinton (still 24 miles away) for the Sat 2:30 Soccer game we decided to press on another 5 miles or so to the Hertlein Campsite. The walk between the 501 Shelter and the campsite was simply horrible. Long, long sections of walking on big, jagged rocks. When we finally got to the campsite, my feet and ankles were "killing" me. We found a nice spot and "cowboy" camped there for the night. I slept very soundly, all night.Teach your children not to fear the night.
Date: 2010-06-26
From: Hertlein Campsite (1189.9) 

To: Port Clinton (1208.0)
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: broken clouds

Up at 5 and out by 0540! A new personal best. The trail was sometimes good and sometimes bad- just like yesterday- horrible. At one point, I'd be making better than 3mph, the next would be about 1mph. But, I moved as fast as I could and made it to the Port Clinton Bar, Restaurant and Hotelat 1:30. Plenty of thime before the game. The bar scene was very interesting! It could have been a skit from Sat Night Live. Anyway, the game started and the bar was filleed with hikers and locals. I drank Pepsis and ate a huge foot long fish sandwich and french fries. "Tragically" the US lost 2-1 to Ghana, in overtime. On the bright side though, now I won't have to rush all over the place trying to catch the next game. Thanks US Soccer Team for being so considerate. After the game, I went to a Candy Store across the street to buy some snaks for the next couple of days then went down to the local park where hey allow hikers to camp out. There I bathed out of a bucket, washed my nasty shirt and now I'm catching up on some journaling. Now I'm inventoring my food bag to see if I've got enough food to get me to Palmerton, still 2 days away. As I'm journallling here, there are several beautiful butterflies flying around. There is also a barn swallow that has a nest in the rafters of the pavilion where we'll be spending the night. Teach your children to identify ten butterflies.
Date: 2010-06-27
From: Port Clinton (1208.0)

To: Eckville Shelter (1223.2)
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

Slept "cowboy" style at the pavilion last night but I didn't sleep all that well. I don't know if it was all those Pepsis I drank or the road noise that kept me awake, but I think I only slept an hour or so. Whatever, when morning finally came it was a great relief. We got all packed up and left our pack at the pavilion and headed up the road to the 3C's Restaurant for breakfast. I thought it was a pretty neat place- kinda a combination between Grandma's house and a page from a childrens Christmas Book. The food was good. We were on the trail before 8 and with all the energy from breakfast, we virtually ran up the hill out of town The trail today was a little better. In fact,there were some real good, easy stretches. However, the rocks still have the final say. They are so difficult for me to navigate through and a really demoralizing. It will be nice to get PA in the rear view mirror. The sight stoday included the Pulpit, and the Pinnacles (which I missed). So here I am at Eckville Shelter. A dozen or so hikers have stopped to rest, shower, eat or just get water. At the moment there are only three of us that are staying for the night but more will probably come in later. Oh, they have a shower here! So sweet. Tomorrow will be a big 24 mile day into Palmerton.Teach your children to catch snowflakes on their tongues.
Date: 2010-06-28
From: Eckville Shelter (1223.2)

To: Palmerton (1248.3)
Miles today: 25.1

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. That's what today was all about. The first order of business was making the 1100' climb up from the shelter. It was actually relatively easy, but the humidity, even at 6AM, made it a bit harder. Most of the rest of the day was spent dealing with the rocky terrain. At Bake Oven Knob Shelter I watched a big Black Snake raid a rabbits nest an devour one of the baby rabbits. (You could hear the baby squealing as the snake devoured it!) All the while, the mamma rabbit was nearby trying to distract the snake but to no avail. Finding water has also become more and more of a problem Tomorrow, for example, there may be no water for 20 miles! At the conclusion of today's hike, there was still a two mile walk into town along the road. I just didn't have it in me to even attempt it. I waited at the Trailhead and a couple of guys that I had met earlier, came down and I asked them if they could give me a lift into town. No problem. they took me right to the door of the hostel! The "histel" is in the basemant of the old Municipal Building and to check in after hours, you have to go to the Police Station to check in. That done, I found myself a spot (on the sofa actually), took a shower, and met Ohibro and together we went to a delightful Italian Restaurant where I had homemade Cheese Ravioli with a huge piece of Chocolate Cake for dessert. Then we went up to the Country Market and got some bagels, cheese, and snacks for tomorrow and a pint of Ben and Jerry's for tonight. So as I finish this journal entry, I'm stuffed and ready to call it a day. Sleep may not come for a while as there are 20-25 smelly hikers in my bedroom Goodnight.Teach your children to bathe regularly.
Date: 2010-06-29
From: Palmerton (1248.3)

To: Wind Gap (1268.8)
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: broken clouds

It took a while getting out of town this morning. We had a decent breakfast at Bert's then I returned to the hostel to pack up while Ohibro went to the PO to see if his mail drop had arrived. As I was leaving, Ohibro was returning sans box. I walked all the way out of town to the approach trail. It took me along the highway then briefly through a quarry yard. I talked to the Security Guard who directed me over the cement barricade. I detected an accent and asked him what it was. I thought it was maybe one of the Scandinavian ones but nope, it was Pennsylvania Dutch. It sounded beautiful-very melodic. I got to the base of the climb at about 0830 and started the rather difficult ascent up out of Lehigh Gap. The climb actuallly took less than an hour and at the top, there was a reroute that took us around the edge of the Zinc Super Fund Site which was being reforested. After Little Gap the rocks reappeared and we walked in/on them for the rest tof the day to Wind Gap. We called around and ended up staying at at the Gateway Motel. It wasn't very good and I couldn't recommend it to anyone. No computer, the tel didn't work, and it was dirty- all for $70! Actually, it was a disaster. Later however the proprietor took us 2 mile into town so we could eat and resupply. He told us to call him whenn we wanted to come back and he would come pick us up. Which he did. That was nice. It was nice to watch TV for a whil.Teach your children to learn a foreign language.
Date: 2010-07-12
From: MT Algo Shelter(1456.4)

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Lean to (1463.7)
Miles today: 7.3

I spent last night camping at the Mt Algo Shelter Campsite and made an early morning dash into Kent to do a bunch of errands. First off the bat was of course, a cup of coffee and breakfast. Since we arrived before 6AM, we had to wait a while before the restaurant finally opened, but the wait was well worth it. Best Veggie Omelet so far! Next stop was the PO where I picked up three packages. One from Merell, with replacement boots for the ones I had had that wore out a little prematurely. Another box was one that I had bounced to myself from Delaware Water Gap and the last, but most important one was from Snowball. It contained a pair of replacement glasses for the ones that I had lost on the trail between Pochuck Shelter and 17A. We then went over to do some laundry and now with my glasses, I'm able to update some of my journals. Unfortunately, there is a thirty min time limit on the computer, there is a line of people waiting, I have a lot of catching up to do and lastly, I'm a slow typer! So let me try to update what's been going on.To begin with,the heat was horrible. Much of our hiking was on exposed ridges and at times the temps reached probably up to 110! On top of that, water has been extremely hard to find. It was just so bad. We probably should have slowed down or just holed up for a bit, but we pressed on doing some remarkably big days. But day by day our energy was sapped and we started each day with less energy than the day before. Before long we were totally spent. We finally spent a night at the Holiday Inn Express in Fort Montgomery. It was over priced but necessary. We went out to dinner and left hungry so went to a store and bought a pint or Ben and Jerry's, then went back to the hotel and called out for Pizza. Finally, the hole was filled. At least temporarily. The next day we took it easy. We had a big in house breakfast, watched TV, and went out for lunch before heading out on the trail for a short 6.3 miles to the Graymoor Estate.Somewhere between Pochuck Mtn Shelter and the Ice Cream Shop on the 5th I lost my glasses. I left a note to that effect in the next shelter(Wildcat). As it turned out, they were found by the Wildcat Shelter maintainer. He rushed ahead by car to get ahead of mebut apparently I had already passed that point so he handed them off to Draggin Tail and Sherpa who will probably catch me in a day or so.Well,my time is running out and there are people who are looking at their watches. The pressure is too much. Anyhow, we'll have lunch, wait for the weather to cool a bit then head out to the next shelter, seven miles or so down the trail.Teach your children to know the symptoms of Heat Stroke
Date: 2010-07-14
From: Belters Campsite (1478.9)

To: Brassie Brook Lean to (1494.7)
Miles today: 15.8

Today I hit a home run with two strikes on me!Dawn comes a little later each day now and the birds begin their morning wake up calls a little later as well. So this hiker rises a little later each day too. Today it was just about 5AM when I sat up and began to pack. Packing went fast this morning, however, because there was no breakfast to prepare and there was motivation to get a move on. Before getting to the motivation though, I should mention the campsite privy which I had to visit before I left camp.So I set off on the trail leading to the Big P and soon came to a sign directing me forward. I followed the trail (blazed in blue) for about two hundred feet, rounded a bend and there it was! ly A low platform affair under which was the working part of the privy and on top was the toilet! Quite simple really. So I sat there comfortably, doing what I came to do and was able to survey my "domain" in the process without the encumbrance of walls or any thing of that nature. That done, now let's talk about the motivation. I don't know if I mentioned it before or not but this part of the trail has the reputation of being the Deli Section. Down the trail from us was a road crossing and up that road was our for breakfast. On the way, we passed a bridge construction and were informed that the Deli was closed. (Strike 1) We pressed on and about an hour later we met a woman out walking her dog and she told us of the Toymaker Cafe which was not far up the road and served breakfast! Bingo! So off we went but when we got there it was closed. (open thurs, Fri and Sat only.) Just my luck Strike 2) We continued on and now I began to think about Salisbury. Ohibro was worried that this would be Strike 3 but I was more confident however and thought that it could just as easily be a Homer. We got to the road and walked onto town and it was awesome!`We went to the LaBonne Market. I got big cup of corn chowder, a huge Veggie Wrap, a pepsi, a peach turnover and a Klondike ice cream bar. I finally felt full; I finally felt wonderful. It was so good as I'm constantly hungry. It made the afternoon climb a whole lot easier.
Date: 2010-07-16
From: US7/Great Barrington, MA (1511.5) 

To: MT Wilcox South Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I got up eartly, but didn't hear anyone stirring so I decided to do some maintenance on my water filter in the bathroom. That done, I reorganized my food bag and then smelled coffee brewing so I went downstairs. Had a couple cups of coffee and a bowl of cereal while Mark made a big pile of pancakes (which we devoured immediately.) Like all stays away from the trail it was hard getting out but we finally did and were back on the trail aat 10. The hike over June Mtn and East Mtn was tiring and by the time we got to Benedict Pond, we were ready for a break and we were just about out of water. We hiked (the long way) to the beach/picnic area; took a swim, chatted with some folks, then made dinner. As we were finishing, it started to cloud up and the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance. Time to move on. As we walked, we got caught in a small thunderstorm which lasted until we got to the shelter. It was 7PM at that point so we decided to stay and not risk getting caught in the dark in more rain on the way to the next shelter, two or so miles away. (Wise men make wise decisions)So we put up our tents in the drizzle to escape the mosquitoes and spent a comfortable night there.