morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-27
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: clear sky

Ever since being here on the Trail, I yearn for a cushiony, warm bed every night. However, the nights when I am able to sleep in a proper bed, I invariably wake up with stiff, aching muscles. The beds are too soft or, at least, do not adequately distribute my weight. Is my body now used to rock-hard surfaces? Every night I toss and turn, cursing my thin, uncomfortable sleeping pad yet, when morning comes, all my brain needs before engaging full sleep-mode is that my body be in an APPROXIMATE horizontal position. Needless to say, I woke up tired. We waited around for the post office to open, but my package wasn't there; it was wishful thinking to expect it to have arrived so early, I know. After Harpers Ferry, the next real outfitters is the Cabela's in Port Clinton. I purposefully ordered gear online to have it before Port Clinton. All my planning was for naught as I had the package bumped to Port Clinton. The day was extremely hot. The climb out of Duncannon was steep though the main challenge was weaving through these large rocks while carefully navigating around the usual PA rocks. Over 90% rock coverage over that ridge line. I can't believe that we hiked here in 2013 and totally forgot about these passages... I guess the rocks were not a concern at the time. I used my hands as support while I scrambled down sharp, vertical rocks - anything to avoid excessive stress on my ankle. A few times I just scooted down the rocks on my butt - not an effective hiking technique, but a safer one. Consequently, I moved slowly.Grey, menacing clouds loomed overhead and deep rumbling sounds echoed through the sky. We hiked to the shelter where we stopped for a snack when it started raining. We had anticipated rain much later this afternoon and had subsequently planned on staying at the next shelter. The unrelenting rain fell hard so we decided to call it a day: it is not worth it wetting our gear and souring our moods for 7 extra miles. I am glad we are staying here. - Axon
Date: 2015-05-28
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter

To: Yellow Springs Village Site
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up early with a vague objective in mind: walking farther than Peters Mountain Shelter (~7 miles) but not as far as Rausch Gap Shelter (~25 miles). The only real concern today was for water, which is becoming really scarce. If we wanted to stealth camp, we had to make sure we collected enough in one of the two springs or so we were going to cross. Fortunately, we usually carry a lot of water so we didn't need to add much more weight (and we ended up not really needing it).We hiked with a good rhythm today, relatively long stretches of walking (3-4 miles) interleaved with long breaks (about 30 minutes), without a lunch break. It was a peaceful, pleasant hike, even Axon was content. We stopped at an ancient village site, near an old coal mining settlement. We walked about 20 miles in a little over 12 hours. We barely saw anyone during those 20 miles.Pennsylvania rocks are a major topic among hikers so I'll discuss them a bit. There were rocks on the trail pretty much at all times during the day but, to follow on Axon's classification scheme, they covered 10-20% of it in general, with a few short stretches that reached 50% coverage. Basically, we've seen worse, mainly in the Grayson Highlands and in central Virginia on ridges similar to the ones we are currently following. The problem is that it was never rocky for such a long stretch. I know the worst is to come, but we'll deal with the rocks as we go (even if we don't like them).As for wildlife, we saw a pheasant this morning. It came running from the woods and hissed at us. We guessed it was a mother trying to protect her nest so we just passed her quickly.- Shrugs
Date: 2015-05-29
From: Yellow Springs Village Site

To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

The hour was 0200. The bomber squadron "Wings of Liberty" left the base, their bowels full of ammunition. Commander Bird O'Shit, in the lead, flew over the targeted area. "Come in HQ", he called. "Loud and clear", they responded. "Target is acquired". There was a short pause; the Commander glided through the night sky, circling over the sleeping enemy. He squinted, his gaze cast downwards, trying to keep the grey and orange tent in his line of sight. Commander O'Shit finally received the order he was waiting for: "Alright Commander, fire at will"PLOP PLOP PLOP. DIRECT HIT!We emerged from the tent alive but it took a lot of effort to deal with the collateral damage. Shrugs had to use many, many baby wipes to clean off the nasty bird droppings. I guess it's a good thing we left the rain fly on! There were also many caterpillars crawling all over the tent. We started calling them "the paratroopers" as they jump down from the high trees, hanging precariously from a thin silk thread and aiming to land on our packs or our heads. Who knows what those caterpillars are up to.We left the campsite and hiked at a good pace before taking our first break near an old cemetary which was attached to a 19th century coal-mining village, Rausch Gap village, of which only a few ruins remain today. The small settlement's economy was dependant on the mine's output as well as the nearby train. When the railway tracks were moved in the early 1900s, the village became abandonned. The few headstones in the cemetary showed that the desceased died in the 1850's and that many of them were below the age of 30. It enjoy these small historical sites that the Trail periodically passes through. Back in Virginia, we came across a similar settlement whose past inhabitants had all been ex-slaves. The members of the small community worked as share-croppers and cultivated different varieties of grain and tobacco. They had even constructed a water mill.The AT has witnessed the unfolding of so many hard and difficult lives; a rich collection of human experiences.The terrain was very flat today, with only two significant climbs (though never exceeding an 1000' elevation gain... it is Pensylvannia after all!) Many rocky areas. We even hit small sections were the rock coverage was 100%, that is, there was no ground left uncovered on which you could step. Only rocks. Still, we hiked right through. The previous day had been a long day, so we were uncertain how much we were going to accomplish today. Water sources are becoming increasingly distant from one another and I have heard from many hikers that a few of these springs have begun running dry, an issue we will have to deal with as the weather continues to warm up. We felt good so we hiked on to the next shelter.I was pleased with the day and even happier that we pushed onwards to the William Penn shelter. Why? Because this shelter is, as listed in the Companion book, 999.9 miles away from Kathadin. Less than 1000 miles to go!-Axon
Date: 2015-05-30
From: William Penn Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: broken clouds

We hiked 4.1 miles to the 501 Shelter, a unique shelter. It is an enclosed structure and, due to its proximity to a road, one can have pizza delivered there. Hooray!Today is a somewhat forced nero. The Port Clinton post office will be closed during the week-end and will only reopen Monday at 12:30 PM. We are at an awkward distance so, to avoid arriving too early, we are taking the opportunity to rest today. I think it's a good idea to have a few smallers days between the rocks. I'm sure our joints and feet appreciate it and it makes PA far more agreeable. It is also nice to have some time to write and read.Since many of my readers are quite knowledgeable, I figured I could ask about the pictured insect. This giant bug was buzzing about and, I assume, depositing its eggs via its oviduct, that extremely long and thin protuberance. I have raised crickets in the past, and the females had a similar structure, but this bug's duct is twice as long as its body, making it awkward to direct. When the bug was busy burying its assumed oviduct in a dead log, its abdomen opened up revealing this thin, greenish and translucid membrane that the bug would wave as one waves a flag. What? Why? I would use Google, but nothing comes up when I type in "horribly huge black and yellow insect that ressembles a creature of myth oh God why?"  Scary Bug II - Axon
Date: 2015-05-31
From: 501 Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: light rain

Thanks to everyone who identified the different bugs that are continuously assaulting us! We can now name our assailants.Last evening three people came to the shelter to bring us Vitamin water and muffins for breakfast. Thanks to them!It was hard to sleep because the snoring/farting cacophony reached unprecedented levels. It seems the noisiest people are the ones who instantaneously fall asleep when they lie down. Axon was very discouraged.Now the rocks. I would say the coverage was between 50% and 75% for most of the day, with peaks at 100% for a few stretches. There were some rare occasions where we could take a few steps in a 10%-covered terrain. Now my feet hurt.It rained a bit and we saw a lot of bright orange salamanders today. We finished the day relatively early. It turned out to be perfect timing since we just had time to set up camp and eat the leftover pizza we carried from yesterday before it started to rain heavily.- Shrugs
Date: 2015-06-02
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: light rain

The nice thing about expensive hotels is that they usually have comfortable beds and a greater variety of food choices for breakfast. While we ate, we talked with Prime, a hiker we had not yet met. We were uncertain about how to get back to the trailhead - the hitch into town had been relatively easy, but the highway leading towards the opposite direction had no room for cars to pullover. Walking along the busy road with large trucks zooming past us unnervingly close was unappealing. Prime said that he had arrived via a bike route that went from the trail head near Port Clinton to behind the hotel. He said the terrain was "flat as a pancake" and that we should consider this option.Prime is a wise man. We walked the 2.5 mile-long trail in 45 minutes and arrived to the Trail. A light mist hung in the air and the humidity dampened our clothes. We began hiking up a long ascent that mirrored the descent we experienced yesterday. Then, the rain intensified; as we climbed up, the rainfall increased in volume. It was miserably cold. The wind blew gently and fat, icy drops rolled off the leaves and landed onto our napes, wetting our backs. We pushed through dripping, overgrown vegetation. The rocks were numerous and quite slick. They stood out in the flooded Trail like small rocky islands. My new boots were drenched. My whole body was thoroughly soaked. Shrugs and I would joke that we could not get any wetter until I felt water seeping towards a new portion of our body, saturating all our clothes. Prime said he was taking a zero today to resupply and avoid the bad weather. As I said, he is a wise man.Shrugs said that he felt midly hypothermic, so we agreed to cut the day short and take refuge in the next shelter. Another small day. The past week has not been very conductive for hiking. This string of shortened, intrrupted days appears to me as a regression, a very discouraging observation. I am constantly thinking about our pace - not only would I like to finish a couple of weeks before school starts (late August), but my big motivation prior to commencing our hike through PA had been that I wanted to do it quicker than we had back in 2013. In fact, I was excited about two things in PA: our potentially faster, more efficient pace and the half-gallon challenge. I failed the ice cream challenge (though, I suppose, not managing to eat an ungodly amount of ice cream is not a failure, but a confirmation of my humanity) and, at this rate, we will not accomplish our goal to cross through PA in a shorter time. Plans don't always work out.Sometimes, I feel that we are a spaceship and PA is a giant black hole. We are slowly skirting around this dense, rocky body, creeping towards it as its gravitational pull lures us in. If we do not escape PA soon, it will be too late: its force will exceed any thrust we can manage and we will be sucked into PA, trapped forever.It's still raining. The green leaves seem more vivid, their colors revived. At least the springs will be flowing once more. - Axon
Date: 2015-06-03
From: Windsor Furnace Shelter

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning was very wet and foggy but at least it wasn't raining. We climbed on rocks (50 - 100% coverage) until we reached the view of the fog from Pulpit Rock. Then it was more of the same terrain until we reached the Pinnacle, where we took a break. We were fortunate that the fog decided to lift during that time. We enjoyed the view (the best in Pennsylvania on the AT according to our guide) for a few minutes then moved on easier terrain (less than 50% rock coverage) to the Eckville Shelter. After that it was more rocky nonsense, where we had to climb up and down huge inclined boulders that were still slippery from the rain. In fact, I slipped on one of them and scraped my elbow. There were some not-too-bad sections between the rock fields (20-80% coverage), but they didn't stand out as much as the rocks. We are a bit tired after this day.- ShrugsP.S. Close-up of a bird on the Pinnacle Turkey Vulture on the Pinnacle
Date: 2015-06-04
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Campsite past George W. Outerbridge Shelter
Miles today: 17.0

The Appalachian Trail is no longer a "foot" path, but a "foot, hand, knee and butt" path. Today we had, in addition to the now familiar rocks, the Knife Edge and Bake Oven Knob. The Knife Edge is named this way due to the fact that the large slabs of rocks which compose this particular fornation are angled in the shape of a blade. We are required to balance along this narrow, rocky edge. Bake Oven Knob is simply a chaotic cluster of rocks. My hiking poles were useless during this segment; I hiked bent over to use my hands for additional balance and support. Looking like a deformed quadruped, I awkwardly crawled up those rocks. When I needed to climb back down, I scooted along the slanted rocks on my butt. For some reason, a continual stream of super strong hikers decided that today was the day they would pass me. I watched as these tall, lean guys merrily skipped from one rock to the next. It was aggravating.As a reward for having completed this difficult portion, the Trail rewarded us with a random boulder field. I yelled out in anger and discouragement, a cry that surely echoed throughout space and time. My literary skills are limited, so I cannot accurately portray how the Trail looked today. Hell, there are no words in the English language to eloquently describe "huge, rocky bullshit". An image is worth a thousand words, so here are a few:  Knife Edge I  Knife Edge II  Bake Oven Knob I  Bake Oven Knob II  Some boulder field "Heuheuheuheu! But Axon, without the rocks, there wouldn't be a challenge!"I still maintain that this segment was useless and certainly not enjoyable. Sure, Shrugs for instance found PA as a whole irritating but manageable. My experience of the Trail is unique; all hikers will have different memories of the same Trail. While I try to keep this journal somewhat "educational" for any would-be thru-hiker, my account is only more or less valuable as I can only depict one facet of a very subjective and multidimensional journey."Ok, Ok Axon, but, wait 'till you hit the Whites! Oh man, you haven't seen anything yet!"For some reason, people love to remind me of the difficulties ahead. Of course, I realize that many challenges await and, more importantly, I know that the Trail is NEVER easy. No matter how much I try to deny this fact or try to erase it from my mind, it is always challenging.After one of the boulder fields we came upon trail magic from Starman (if I remember correctly). He had a lot of food, water and even bandaids in case someone fell. It was very welcome, thanks!Now a haiku to commemorate this section of the Trail:To insanity!Knife's Edge and Bake Oven KnobAll hikers gone mad- Axon
Date: 2015-06-05
From: Campsite past George W. Outerbridge Shelter

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke up early today, ready to face the climb out of Lehigh Gap a.k.a. "The Hell Grind". The whole area adjacent to Palmerton has been completely devastated by the pollution resulting from a century of zinc smelting. The mountain's facade is completly deforested and exposed; the land seems barren, only hospitable to rocks. The site is now on a Superfund clean-up list and will hopefully come back to life. Until then, the climb up from Palmerton is described by the guide book as "the most challenging on the AT south of New Hampshire". The climb is short, yet very steep.We began the climb with no problem. There were many rocks to overcome. Some of them were as high as my waist, forcing me to use my upper body to push myself up. My muscles, especially my quadriceps, were quivering from the effort.We eventually came upon a 10' tall wall. Small notches on the rock's surface could help us climb, though the indents were not purposefully carved into the rocky facade to aid hikers; they just naturally formed the rock's surface. I attempted to climb up, then paused for a few seconds. A sinking feeling washed over me: I was stuck. Stuck to the wall, I ressembled a starfish that someone had scooped out of the water and thrown against a wall.My parents have a big orange cat named Bob. One day, Bob was climbing up a tree next to our house and managed to reach the house's roof. My Mom and I heard this frantic meowing and I only realized its source when I looked up and saw Bob's small head with his huge eyes taking up all of his face's surface poking out from the roof's ledge. I was like Bob today.Shrugs managed to go around and climb up ahead of me. I couldn't take my pack off and I couldn't see above or below me. There was a very narrow ledge beside me on which I placed my knee, then my other knee. I slowly inched towards a larger rock, a couple of meters/yards away, my upper body glued to the rocky wall and my knees painfully bearing all my weight. I managed to reach my savior rock. When I stood up, my legs were shaking from the strain, fear or both. A light sprinkling of rain began, coating the rocks with the perfect amount of slickness. It was HIGHLY unpleasant.The rest of the climb was done as if my brain switched to an automatic function. Every foot and hand placement needed to be done in quick succession before the conscious part of my brain could register what was going on. I clearly needed a lobotomy before attempting the AT.The Trail on top of the ridge offered a small respite. We could see down below the town of Palmerton and its numerous industries. Unfortunately, the terrain, while being incredibly leveled, was so rocky, with usually 70% coverage or more. There were small oases of soft earth, but these were short and far between. It was a very long day. Many toes were stubbed.- Axon Climb out of Lehigh II Climb out of Lehigh III
Date: 2015-06-06
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Wind Gap, PA
Miles today: 4.6

Short day today to resupply (and stay) in Wind Gap. It was as rocky as usual, with most of those 4 miles at 70+% rock coverage.After shower, laundry and Subway, we feel a lot better. We have been writing a lot for the journal. At least Axon has. She's preparing the Pennsylvania as well as the 3-month summary.- Shrugs
Date: 2015-06-08
From: Backpacker Campsite

To: Unnamed campsite
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: light rain

We came out of the tent just in time for the start of the rain this morning. At first it was very light but it degenerated into a rather heavy downpour when we started walking. We had to stop to collect water from a stream after an hour or so. It's a bit irritating to do that while it's raining (almost) hard enough to drink directly from the sky. It stopped raining after two hours so we had the rest of the day to dry out. We passed around Sunfish Pond, a glacial lake.I think I repressed some memories from our section hike because I have no recollection of these New Jersey rocks. There were many long stretches with 80+% rock coverage. There is even a new category of rocks: hills. They are as large as a house and relatively flat so it's easy to walk on top of them. The problem is to getting there as it generally involves the use of hands.(While on the subject of rocks, there was another category in PA that we forgot to mention, the rollers. As their name implies, when you step on them, they roll from under your feet.)There were still some passages that were flat and relatively non-rocky so we managed to get to our destination before 6 PM. It wasn't too soon because as soon as we finished cleaning after dinner it started pouring again, this time with lightning.- Shrugs
Date: 2015-06-09
From: Unnamed campsite

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Unrelenting, heavy rain throughout the night. The tent was completely covered in mud and leaves. Cleanliness is an impossible state out here.We began the day's hike rather late and our pace was slowgoing on the account of an unexpected obstacle: numerous orange newts (also called red efts). I had previously mistaken these delicate creatures for salamanders, but I now know they are newts in the juvenile and mostly terrestrial stages of life. Mature adults are apparently aquatic and not as vividly pigmented. The newts' color ranged from a bright, neon orange to a more earthy tone, though they always had a small red- dotted line that ran across their back. The smallest specimen we saw was less than an inch. It was somewhat stressful hiking through these small clusters of orange newts that were lazily sprawled out along the Trail; I was afraid of squishing them!At one point, we saw a small mammal that was definetly not a squirrel. It may have been a weasel. Other than this very brief sighting, we only witnessed a rain of caterpillars. They really are everywhere. The Trail is blanketed with small leave clippings which, upon closer inspection, have clearly been nibbled around the edges. Some trees do not have an intact leave left on their branches. The hungry caterpillars are sowing chaos and destruction throughout the forest!New Jersey has had its rocky moments. Many times, when we walk along ridge lines, the terrain is composed of large, slanted rocks, like small tectonic plates that seem held together by a narrow seam of grass. I hike slowly along these exposed rocks as they can be quite slippery; consequently, I do not look up. While hiking the AT has gotten me intensly familiar with the apperance of my feet, this time, I should have paid attention as the Trail swerved sharply back into the cover of the trees. I continued down the ridge along an old, defunct path. The descent was extremely steep. I was becoming suspicious as the painted white blazes appeared faded and erased. We marched on until we saw a road at the foot of the hill and realized that the guide did not indicate any upcoming road crossing. We had to climb back up the very sharp hillside...While this small detour was very minor in terms of time lost, you still want to limit the amount of "stupid miles" per hiking day.- Axon