morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-12
From: Fayetteville,PA

To: Zero day 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So the all day bad weather didn't start until about 6pm. It was pretty vicious but I could have made it into a shelter by 6 if I had been hiking. It killed me to sit around in a non-smoking 10 out of 10 roaches motel that reeked of cigarette smoke! I did enjoy the company of some other hikers that are SOBO (southbound). The weather forecast for tomorrow is more lightening and rain but I plan to hike anyway.
Date: 2014-06-13
From: Fayetteville, PA

To: Ironmaster's Hostel
Miles today: 19.5

Naturally, today the weathermen finally got it right. The thunder and rain started by 11am. But it was mild and I had my wool shirt on so I was comfy enough. And I love how the woods look...misty and magical. Great hiking because the rain cooled things off.    Made it to the Pine Grove General store in time to watch 3 hikers take on the 1/2 gallon ice cream challenge. If they eat the whole thing in one sitting, they don't have to pay for the ice cream. Two of the three succeeded. Last year when I had made it to Bear's Den Hostel (almost 1,000 miles of hiking) I tried to eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and failed miserably! I only ate half of it and felt sick. Needless to say, I didn't attempt the 1/2 gallon challenge.    I truly enjoyed the Ironmaster's Hostel/Mansion. So comfy and great hosts. I highly recommend it. They have lots of porch railings to air out all you nasty (cigarette smoke) smelling gear!
Date: 2014-06-14
From: Ironmaster's Hostel

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

What a beautiful day. Very cool out and sunny! Woo hoo. Got trail magic for the first time this trip. Hot dogs (I declined since I'm vegetarian) and refreshing root beer and grapes. Isn't Black and Bear Bag were already there when I arrived. We've been leap frogging today. I don't normally drink soda but it feels so good in my mouth when I'm hiking. And the fluid and sugar puts some pep in my step.    I met Gone Walking at the shelter. He thru hiked in 1973 and got off in Monson,ME when a hunter shot his friends dog on the trail. He was too angry to finish the hike!    I met Mud and Bear Juice. Two Mennonite sisters and their 3 brothers (backpackers) showed up. The girls were in their dresses and hats and the guys had their black pants, suspenders, straw hats and full beards. That's a new one for me. We chatted a little and Left Turn asked if she could take their picture. They said they'd rather not.    We needed to hang our food since there's no bear pole. I said I'm really bad at the skill so it took about 20 minutes to get it done but it was text book good!    It got down to 50 degrees during the night! Good for sleeping!
Date: 2014-06-15
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: few clouds

It was hard to get up in the cold this morning! I waited till 6! And it was hard to take my down jacket off to start hiking! Turned into a beautiful and warm day. I saw deer and wild rabbits. And a red headed woodpecker pecked a piece of bark about 8x10 right off a tree. Then 2 medium size dogs that looked like a mix of Irish Setter and Lab came running out of the woods at me. They weren't on a leash and I couldn't see any owners. At first I thought it was a large animal like a bear by the amount of noise they made. Once I saw them I was concerned about being bitten. Finally the owners showed up and calmed them down.   Walked thru farmers corn and wheat fields and cow pastures. I walked from one side of the Cumberland Valley to the other. It was amazing at the end of the day to look back across the valley and see how far I had come! I was out in the sun a lot. The last mile was all uphill with an elevation gain of about 800+ feet! Hard end to the day.    Decided to pitch my tent since it's not suppose to rain. Using my new Hubba NX one person tent for the first time. I even got to lay down inside while talking to Ronnie on the phone. That's a luxury!
Date: 2014-06-16
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA The Doyle Hotel
Miles today: 11.3

Had a good first night in my tent. I was warm enough all night even though the temps got down in the 50's again. It's nice to have privacy. Got up at 5:30 and I was packed and on the trail by 6:40. Not too shabby. I don't have many miles to cover today but the rocks are suppose to be bad from here on. The rocks started after 4 miles but were no worse than most of the trails in the Whites!   Got to the Doyle and it was like walking in to Cheers- where everybody knows your name! Rerun, you made it! Yep and in great time for an old lady, I might add. I had a huge Woodchuck hard cider and french fries for lunch. Sat at the bar with the rest of the thru hikers until 2 and finally got my mail drop, a room and a shower. The room is as bad as expected but still better than the Scottish Inn. And they're full with thru hikers so it's fun to hang out and chat. Wish I could remember everyone's names! Finally did my laundry. The beauty parlor was open so I got my hair cut for $11. It's layered and short but it's so hot out its worth having to grow it out again later.    Got all my stuff repacked then went out with Spot for ice cream. Ended up meeting AZ from Arizona. He went out there with his family (from VT) to work for 6 weeks and stayed! Also met J-5 a retired helo pilot for the Navy. His wife started the hike with him but had to quit because of her Achilles tendonitis. She meets him every few weeks and slack packs him.   Only 670.1 miles left to go. I miscalculated how long the AT is. It's not 2,100...it's 2185.3 miles long.
Date: 2014-06-17
From: Duncannon, PA The Doyle Hotel

To: Clarks Creek on PA 325
Miles today: 18.0

It rained, thundered and lightening during the night. There's no AC at the Doyle, so I had the window open and the fan on. There's a train station one street over so trains went by all night but they didn't blow their whistle so it was OK. I woke up early and was ready to go early. All the guys were waiting around on the porch for the restaurant to open for breakfast. I don't have hiker hunger so I moved on. It was so beautiful out when I got above the low lying fog in the valley. Great photos.    Got to the shelter I planned to stay at by noon. Way too early to quit. All the guys from the Doyle were there and welcomed me to share the picnic table inside the 2 story shelter with them. AZ, J-5, Patch, Spot, Laugher, etc! So I ate lunch and hiked 7 more miles to camp out by PA 325 with Spot, Laugher and Billy Goat and 2 section SOBO hikers. I took a dip in the river and washed my hair. Hope my clothes dry out by morning. It was so refreshing after sweating so much all day.    Took my Vitamin I (600mg twice a day) and hope that will help my back tolerate this crazy backpacking!
Date: 2014-06-18
From: Clarks Creek on PA 325

To: Campsite on PA 72 & 443
Miles today: 16.0

It rained during the night so in the morning I had to dry off my tent before I took it down. And I had to wear my wet clothes. Yuck! At least it wasn't raining as I was packing up to leave. And I still was able to get out on the trail early enough. Not bad since I didn't even want to get out if my sleeping bag!   I ate lunch by a steam and campsite with some guys that started section hiking from Harpers Ferry 18 days ago. They were embarrassed that I did the same distance in 11 days. I just hope I'm not doing any harm with these longer than expected days.    Got to the campsite early but can't really go any further because there's no water at the next campsite and everything else is too far away. So I set up my tent the went for a swim. It sure was refreshing but I hope my clothes dry out for tomorrow. Trying to be careful around streams because there's lots of poison ivy around.    Got to talk more with Twist (and petted her dog Oliver) and Scout.    It's supposed to rain tonight at midnight. And my clothes are still wet. I'm hanging them in my tent and hoping for the best! Can't tell you how much I now hate to put on wet clothes!!!
Date: 2014-06-19
From: Campsite on PA 72 & 443

To: Hertline Campsite
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We had pouring rain, thunder and lightening all last night. My clothes didn't dry out at all. So I ended up packing up my wet tent and wearing my wet clothes. I did put on my dry wool shirt because it's suppose to rain all day and only get up to 72 degrees in the valleys. It wasn't too bad till I stopped at the 501 Shelter for lunch. There were 2 Amish girls there who had just finished a 3 day backpacking trip. They had their dresses, aprons and kerchiefs on along with their backpacks. One had an Osprey pack like mine! I never would have guessed I would ever see that on the trail. Too bad I couldn't take a picture. They had called a taxi to get a ride home since the shelter is so close to the road and their home is only 10 miles away. One of them had a cell phone with her. I sure wish I could have spent time on the trail with them.    Most of my clothes are soaking wet. I really need to do some laundry soon! The feel of fluffy, cushy dry socks....heaven!
Date: 2014-06-20
From: Hertline Campsite

To: Port Clinton,PA. The Pavilion
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

I had one set of dry clothes left and since it was only 48 degrees in the valley, I decided not to put the cold wet stuff on. Even put on my only dry socks but since my boots are soaked the socks will be wet in a heartbeat!    Chasing big foot today. Someone is wearing the shoes with the toes. So I took a photo of a print in the mud. When I find the wearer, I'll take his photo, too!    When I got to town I went right to the hotel to take a shower and do laundry. Feels so good to be clean and have clean, dry clothes on. My feet are a mess from the wet socks....all raw! And my hips are so black and blue and blistered! I saw Scout as she was heading to the outfitters so I asked her to pick up some body glide for me to use on my feet and hips.    This is such a hiker friendly town. When I got to the Pavilion I called a shuttle to go to Walmart for food! And a house near the Pavilion lets hikers get fresh water from a garden hose. Another guy let's hikers charge their phones using a power strip on his front porch. Gotta remember to charge the phone anywhere and everywhere.
Date: 2014-06-21
From: Port Clinton,PA. The Pavilion

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: broken clouds

I saw a partial rainbow as I left town this morning. It made me smile....it's what I call a God Wink. There's a book called "When God Winks at You" written by Rushnell SQuire (former producer of Good Morning America). It's a fun, fast read of stories told to him by friends and celebrities. It will be time well spent. Lily does her 4-H presentation on "Grammy's Great Adventure" (hiking the AT) for the NC state competition. And it's the first day of summer so the longest day of the year. Also naked hiker day on the AT. No, I didn't participate. But I hear some Boy Scouts had a few surprises thanks to Kickapoo and Pogono.    I broke the 20 mile barrier today....only 14 days into my hike. Hope I'm not being foolish doing so many miles so soon.
Date: 2014-06-22
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Palmerton, PA Jail House Hostel
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Had to walk almost the whole way in to town...2 miles! Got a ride from a cute young couple that had been fishing and their truck was on the side of the road. I asked for a ride and the guy thought I was crazy for hiking so many miles!!!   The shower at the jailhouse was off the basket ball court...like a boys group shower. No lock on the door. I was quick enough. I put my clothes in the laundromat washer across the street then went to the diner next door and had breakfast for supper with Soile. Didn't have enough cash to get a milk shake though, which is my food of choice when I get into town. I don't like my trail food in my bag and I'm loosing weight!   There were about 12 bunks in the basement room I was in and 4 more in the next room that was occupied by Nepsis and her husband Hesychast. They're another cute couple on the trail.    Rob and I are sharing a shuttle back to the trail head in the morning. There are at least 5 others who are going to slack pack about 30 miles. Looks like Oliver and Twist, Rob and I are the only ones carrying full packs up the Lehigh Gap at Palmerton, said to be hardest rocks south of the White Mts!
Date: 2014-06-23
From: Palmerton, PA Jail House Hostel

To: Wind Gap, PA. 
Miles today: 20.1

The hike out of the gap was a mini Katahdin. Only took 1 hour and I took my time. Took pictures, looked around and drank often. Had to put my poles away as I expected. Sure didn't need to loose sleep over this one. Will I ever learn?Ron left his glasses and pages behind at the hostel so he had to ride back to town to get them. I'm to blame because he got them out to show me something. The he went inside and when he came out, our ride was there and he grabbed his pack and jumped in without his glass case. I wanted to give him a trail name...Backtracker. But he doesn't want a trail name.Met up with Bear Juice, Gofar (from Fargo) and Skittles at some trail magic. Yep, a new one for me......beer and blueberry coffee cake at 9 am. I really needed the fluid and sugar and I actually enjoyed it! Clearly not getting enough calories these days. I'm so happy to make it to Wind Gap today so I can get to Delaware Water Gap in time to pick up my new boots at the Post Office tomorrow. I had dinner with Twist at the Beer Stein. Big Greek salad, French fries and a Shock Top (citrus) Beer. Only ate half the salad and felt sick after it. Got a banana and juice for breakfast at the gas station across the street. They're open 24/7 so there's a bathroom for us to use. There were at least 5 tents on the lawn. Rob was already here when we got here. Twist and I hiked the last 4 miles together. We're right near the road so lots of car noise. And it got louder when the bar let out at 2am! The the fire department alarm went off 3 times during the night! Didn't get quality sleep but it was free!!!
Date: 2014-06-24
From: Wind Gap, PA. 

To: Deleware Water Gap Church of the Mountain Hostel
Miles today: 15.6

Still dealing with PA rocks! Can't wait to be done. My boots really are ready to RIP. Got my mail drop and new boots at the PO. Cute little town. Went right to the ice cream parlor and got my first shake for this hike!    Rob gave up his bottom bunk for me. He said the bunk room was too claustrophobic for him so he'd rather sleep on the couch. The church is old so the basement is ratty but I got a shower. Then I went to the ratty hotel to do my wash. Made some phone calls while I waited for my clothes.    Ronnie said we're suppose to have storms here tomorrow. He suggested I stay put but there's no way I want to zero here! Oliver & Twist have moved on. And I like the bubble I'm in. But I'll have to hike 20 miles tomorrow to get to the next shelter. So I'm gonna go 10- to break in my new boots and get safe before the storm. I'll stay at the Mohican Outdoor Center run by the AMC.    Went to bed at 9 with my ear plugs and slept well till 4:30.
Date: 2014-06-25
From: Deleware Water Gap Church of the Mountain Hostel

To: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.8

Got up at 4:30! The water here tastes nasty so I'm using the Orange Crush water enhancer but it still tastes like dirty hiker soxs tea! plan on doing a Nero day today with my new boots and messed up feet.    Got to the Center and was hoping to get an egg salad sammie. And was I ever blessed and thankful when I saw it listed on their limited menu! Cost $30 to stay in the bunk room but it's so much nicer than the church hostel. Clean bathrooms (at least 3). And a nice kitchen. And I had the place to myself until 5pm. I even took a nap. Got caught up on phone calls, texts and email. Calls drop and I can't update the AT Journal page but this is better than a zero in the Water Gap! Got a plan to my next mail drop. It's good but may change. I'd like to be with some of the hikers I was with before. The storm hasn't really shown up yet. Hope it blows through before I leave in the morning.
Date: 2014-06-26
From: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

New blisters from my new boots! I've never had this much trouble with my feet before!   The hike was a good one. I Scared off 3 bears and saw 2. One was just the tail end running away from me. The other was 1 mile from shelter. He was walking on the trail and stared me down. I clicked my poles together and backed up and he continued slowly towards me. I kept backing up and backing up wondering if he was ever going to stop meandering towards me! Finally I hid behind a tree and he slowly headed off into the woods. Guess we know who owns the trail!   I was going to stop at Brink Road Shelter but Twist journaled that 3 large bears patrolled the shelter all night the night before. I sure didn't want to spend the night alone with the bears. So I moved on to the next shelter. I set my tent up in the shelter because it was so buggy! I don't usually do that but there was plenty of room and I was able to leave the fly off to get plenty of air in the tent. Gargoyle & Foot Dr, Bucket List, Kickapoo & Pogono, and Scout were all here for the night.
Date: 2014-06-27
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Murray Property
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Scouts boyfriend is going to do trail magic at Sunrise Pavilion today but not until 11am. It's only 2 miles from here so I'll be passing by there at 7am and won't wait around for the magic. I hope to get as close as possible to Vernon today so I' won't have many miles to do to get into town tomorrow. That way I'll have plenty of time to get things done in town like charge my phone and update my journal.    The air temp has been cooler than I expected! Love that. There were way more rocks today...like PA! The blisters on my feet are complaining. I threw out the boot inserts that came with my new boots when I got to High Point State Park. They let you empty your trash bag and give hikers free soda. Love orange soda when I'm hiking but never drink the stuff otherwise.    Had 2 bear encounters today. Scared off a large bear on my right and a minute later, spotted a cub to my left. It just looked at me and slowly walked away. It was really cute! I moved by quickly in case it was the mamma bear I had scared off and I was in the middle of the 2 of them.    Got to the Murray property which is a farm owned by a previous thru hiker. He has a cabin ( where we'll store our food safely from the bears), electricity to charge our phones, the best well water I've ever tasted and an outdoor solar heated shower. I was so disappointed when a hiker set up his hammock right in front of the shower. I really wanted to clean up but not with an audience! Oh well. Tomorrow I'll be at the Episcopal Church Hostel and they have a shower and laundry facilities. Now I just hope my feet will get me there.    It's gonna be a cold and damp night at the farm. I set up my tent under a tree to reduce the amount of dew that will settle on my tent but the tree is dropping nuts. Should be an interesting night! There are at least 13 people set up in tents here tonight. It's amazing that the whole place quiets down right at 9pm which is hikers mid night!
Date: 2014-06-28
From: Murray Property

To: Vernon, NJ St Thomas Episcopal Church
Miles today: 13.5

Lots of dew on the tent in the morning. That means more weight in my pack till I get a chance to dry it out. But it looks like it's gonna be another beautiful day! As usual, I was the first one on the trail. I need more hours to make the same distance as the younger hikers!    My blisters are really slowing me down today so I'm grateful that it's going to be a short day. I stopped many times to adjust my socks, clean trail dirt out of my boots, and finally remove my insoles! I decided to listen to my iPod to improve my spirits and within 5 minutes, my bad-ittude was changed for the better. I was coming out of the woods onto a hilltop field with a fabulous view if mountains to be climbed. Rascal Flatts song, Changed, was playing in my ears and all of a sudden my eyes flooded with tears. My heart was overwhelmed with the beauty of the morning and that I was able to be here hiking! I'll never be able to put into words what this feels like. All I can say is that I've been blessed beyond measure and I'm so grateful to my sweet husband for supporting this crazy dream of mine to hike from Georgia to Maine!   The whole hike to Vernon was absolutely wonderful....even though my feet were killing me. I walked through Wallkill Preserve and saw a Blue Heron. I also walked through Pochuck Park which has a half mile elevated board walk through another wet land. Such a variety of trails today. New Jersey has turned out to be way more interesting than I expected.    I was first to arrive at the St Thomas Episcopal Church Hostel. I spent way more steps wandering around the many buildings trying to find the hiker entrance. But it was well worth it. The set up is the best ever. As soon as I walked in, there was a mini fridge with 50 cent sodas. I got one and headed straight to the shower which was right next to the washer and dryer! So I was clean in a jiffy and so were my clothes. I figured out my hiking plan for the next few days and went to the A&P to resupply. Can't believe I spent $32 for an egg salad sammie and pasta salad for supper and a 4 day food resupply!!   Scout, Kickapoo, Pogono, Bucket List, Patch, Foot Dr and Gargoyle are all here for the night. I'm sleeping on a twin mattress on the floor so it's gonna be a good night. Hopefully my feet will repair themselves well during my rest!
Date: 2014-06-29
From: Vernon, NJ St Thomas Episcopal Church

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

I didn't want to hitch hike back to the trail head alone, so I waited for Scout and hitched with her. We asked a guy with a truck at the gas station if he'd give us a ride. I feel better when I'm choosing who I get my ride from!    AWOL (the author of the guide book I'm using) said this section from Vernon to Bear Mt would be hard and he was right. My blisters are really killing me! And we had a thousand foot gain first thing this morning! But it got much more challenging later in the day. Lots of miles of slab rock over the top of mountains and several rock climbs. By the time I finally got to the shelter I was too tired to set up my tent and too tired to cook. Some hiking club brought trail magic to the shelter. Water, chocolate chip cookies, and V8 Fusion Juice. I enjoyed it all and I ate the rest of my lunch and snacks and called it a night.    I was so disappointed that I missed out on the ice cream shop on the road side. It was just out of my view!    I ended up setting up my tent inside the shelter because the misquotes were relentless. New York is known by the hikers as having the worst crop of mosquitos on the AT.