morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-07-02
From: Boiling Springs Backpacker Tentsite

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

A leisurely day today, much of it on the edges of fields, crossing the Cumberland Valley to the next mountain ridge. We'll be on it only a short time, as tomorrow we reach Duncannon in just 12.3 miles. There we cross the Susquehanna and enter the famous PA rocks.I had hoped for a diner breakfast, but had to settle for goodies from the convenience store: a pint of B&J butter pecan, a quart of milk, and a bagel, all of which I ate at the ATC Mid-Atlantic regional office porch. Spitball, RockChalk, and Weatherman joined us, and we all pretty much embarked at the same time. The first destination was a lunch stop where the trail crosses US11. I went the wrong way and wound up with an adequate, but overpriced, roast beef and cheese sub and pepsi at the gas station convenience store after a .4 mile roadwalk. The truck stop in the guide is closed. I did luck into a ride back to the AT with Pedaler and her husband. I moved ahead and came across 42 and her friend eating leftover pizza for lunch on the trail, then I began the remaining 6 miles, hoping to beat the rain that was predicted at 40%. I stopped off at Scott Farm to get water, and soon was joined by everyone from this morning plus RockChalk. They had gone the right way, had a great lunch, and a trail angel had picked up their tab. Moral of the story: at Rt. 11, turn left.I took off before the others on the final 4-mile leg of the hike. This leg included the climb up to this ridge.With only an hour to go, there was thunder and we had enough rain to just wet the ground and my pack cover. As I was adjusting the pack cover, Weatherman moved ahead. There was quite a view across the valley and within 1/2 mile we reached this very nice, recently-built shelter with a brand new composting privy. On a scale of 1 to 10, we all rated the privy a 12.I am proud to report that the boardwalk I helped build with the Mid-Atlantic ATC trail crew last fall withstood the flooding just fine, and that it looks really great.The rain was light and the heat and humidity have yielded to dryer, cooler air which moved in with the storms, so tomorrow should be a great hiking day, and the cool air should be great for sleeping. My shirt dried from body heat, and the other clothes are on the line and will come into the tent when I finish journaling.Maine Ho!
Date: 2006-07-05
From: PA325

To: Tent on 2nd Mountain ridge
Miles today: 13.5

Woke up at the Doyle to a heavy rainstorm which continued to 7:30am. Joined JohnnyK and Weatherman for breakfast at the diner across from the Doyle, then humped my big pack over to trail angel Mary's for the ride back to PA 325. Took a while to get the ride organized, so didn't start hiking until 11:00am. I reached Rausch Gap Shelter about 4:30pm and decided to cook dinner then move on and camp. WoodChicken&CabinMan and #2 also moved on and are somewhere ahead.Did the extra 2 miles and found this campsite about 7:00pm. Nothing remarkable about today's hike except the very wet woods and the bear I saw 100 yards ahead in the trail, a big one. Reached for my camera, but it was in the pack, as the day started out rainy. Would have had plenty of time, otherwise. The bear was large, stared at me as if to say, "Well what are you doing there?", then ambled uphill from the trail.Right now there's a light rain so I've brought my still damp clothes into the tent vestibule. Hopefully we won't have a repeat of this morning's downpour.There was a war games exercise being carried on at the military reservation to the east of the trail. Lots of jets, helicopters and noise from ordnance.Early bedtime tonight.On! On!
Date: 2006-07-06
From: Tent on 2nd Mountain ridge

To: Applebee campsite
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain stopped by 6:30am when I got up. I put the damp things back on the line and brought in the bear bag, then jumped back into bed for a catnap. At 7:00am, I finally dressed and started the "pack up/eat breakfast" routine. As the sun was coming out and the humidity had broken, I decided to string extra clothesline to dry the tent. It was 9:00am before I got going -- a very late start for me. Even so, I had a 16+ mile day by the time I arrived at the 501 Shelter at 5:30pm, from which I ordered pizza. PuffyNipples, Cheeto, and Pillbox were there, but were moving on to cut their miles into Port Clinton tomorrow.I loaded up on water at the 501 Shelter, hiked out to the road to pick up my pizza at 6:00pm, then hiked a half mile into the woods to this official campsite where I am the only occupant. I strung a line and everything dried quickly, as the air is now cool and dry and there is a light breeze.I got camp set up and was taking a nap by 7:15pm, having eaten half my large (16 in.) pizza and guzzled one of the pepsi's. Today we had nice views down into the Susquehanna River valley from a couple of overlooks. The trail also passed an historic iron bridge and a lock and some vestiges of the old Union Canal, a part of the PA canal system.We also climbed up to the ridge of Blue Mountain, which we'll follow all the way to Port Clinton and beyond to Palmerton after Lehigh Gap. The trail treadway wasn't bad, but worsened toward the north as it transitions to the infamous PA Rocks.We again crossed I-81, I think for the last time. The early part north of I-81 is in serious need of weed whacking or treating the poison ivy with an herbicide. I doubt there's a single hiker who didn't brush up against it in this part of the trail.Looks to be good sleeping weather.Onward to Maine!
Date: 2006-07-07
From: Applebee Campsite

To: Campsite near Phillips Canyon Spring
Miles today: 19.1

The highlight of the day was trail magic by Jack Zercher and his dad Paul. Thank you very much. It's amazing how trail magic lightens one's spirits. I ate leftover cold pizza for breakfast while I packed up. I got underway about 8:30am and walked a bit of the way with 42, who was first out of the 501 shelter. She pulled ahead of me when I stopped about 11:00am for a break and morning snack of more cold pizza. Not long after the break, I came across a large snake that might have been a rattler in the trail. I almost stepped on it then backed off quickly. It didn't rattle, but it had markings similar to the timber rattlers we saw in VA, and what appeared to be rattles at its tail. I took a wide detour. When I looked back it was slowly moving off into the woods. I did get a pic, so perhaps someone can identify it when I get it posted. (Turns out it was a timber rattler in its yellow phase.)A couple of minutes later, along comes Chuckbuster southbound. He flipped north to his PA home and was going back to Harper's Ferry. He said a friend of mine was doing trail magic at PA183, and I knew it must be Zerch. That certainly lightened my step. I made record time for the hour it took me to reach there. Sure enough, JAZ was set up with a grill and folding table with a first class spread. 42 was already there, and PuffyNipples, Cheeto, and Pillbox had passed through earlier. It was lunch time and I enjoyed two Yuenglings, two Pepsi's, 4 hot dogs, an apple and a banana. Before I pulled out, in came Rapunzel, Samurai, and RockChalk. They had double-timed to be sure they didn't miss out. I let Jack know that Willow and Switch would probably be along soon then headed back into the woods about 2:30.I made great time in the afternoon, energized by that huge lunch. About 5:00, I reached the side trail to Eagles Nest Shelter. I debated whether to stop in, and decided to go for the view. It turned out to be disappointing. Although it was a nice shelter, I had already decided to move on here to allow short miles into Port Clinton tomorrow. There I must stop at the outfitter to replace the waist belt closure on my pack which broke when I tightened. It's no fun hiking 4 hours with all the weight on one's shoulders. I also need to get new tips for my hiking poles.The problem with this loaner pack reminded me to call Gregory to find out what was up with mine. It is repaired and shipped out today to the outfitter in Waynesboro VA, where I picked up the loaner instead of to Youngstown. I asked the manager to leave me a voice mail on how they will remedy this error.I pulled into this site about 7:15pm, set up camp, fetched water, and made dinner. The mosquitoes were bad enough that, for the first time I used the DEET.I'm just .8 mi short of the 1200 mile mark, and 4 mi. out of Port Clinton. I should be there in time for a town breakfast in the morning.On! On!
Date: 2006-07-08
From: Campsite near Phllips Canyon Spring

To: Stealth camp near Pulpit Rock
Miles today: 11.7

Today I caught up with CatchUp, who was in Port Clinton. Carnivore was also there. They are two of the "Wild Turkey Boys" that I first met on Walnut Mountain, just north of the Smokies in NC. I won't be around him long, as he's going to flip north to Bear Mountain NY from Delaware Water Gap, then finish his thru by hiking NJ, the first part of the AT he ever did.I was disappointed to learn that the outfitter was closed from a postal patron named Mike, since I was counting on replacing my hip belt buckle. Mike was kind enough to drive me about 5 miles to Cabellas where I got a hip belt buckle, but they didn't have replacement ends for my Leki's. Thank you Mike. You don't realize how much weight that hip belt transfers from your shoulder until it's not working.CatchUp clued me in to the great food and large portions at the Port Clinton Hotel, as well as the possibility of laundry and a shower. I decided to forego the shower and laundry since I knew I'd be getting all sweated up on the climb out of town. Well, the size of my chopped steak dinner with salad, baked potato, and asparagus sure lived up to CatchUp's billing. The chopped steak must have been at least two pounds. It was all I could do to eat it. I wound up packing the mini-baguette loaf that came with it and had that for dinner. While I was at the bar eating for two hours, I charged up my cell phone, and the barkeep let me use the land line to send my journals via the 800 number. Had trouble getting moving this morning so hit the trail at 8:30. Got to Port Clinton at 10:30 to see a large group of thru-hikers at the post office. Had some trail magic from 42's parents there.After the sojourn in Port Clinton I continued my hike to here. There was a section of trail along the river that would have been 6 feet under water in last weeks flooding, judging from the debris lodged in the trees. The climb out of town was steep, and knowing I needed water, I filled up at Pocohontas spring about 4:00. There I met RainMaker and MoonBeam, who were doing a northbound slack. Rainmaker is from this area and clued me in to the possibility of stealth camping at the Pinnacles, reportedly the best view in PA. If that's the case, it must really be something, as the view here is also great. As it was getting on to 7:00, I decided to camp about .1 mile beyond the pulpit at a good campsite back from the trail. It's only 1.6 miles beyond the shelter where I had planned to stay, but I was able to eat my dinner of leftover bread and cheese at the overlook and the tent site is very private. Also, I got a significant ascent behind me.On to Maine!
Date: 2006-07-09
From: Stealth camp near Pulpit Rock

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Got an 8:30am start after I went back to sleep after my usual 5:45am call of nature. Decided to hold off breakfast until the Pinnacle, two miles up the trail, where I enjoyed what is billed as the best view in PA. Then I continued on the 5+ miles to Eckville Shelter where Rainmaker had said the caretaker stocked the fridge. On the way, I met some weekenders filling their water from cached gallon bottles. They gave me the last liter, allowing me to skip the side trip to a spring.Turns out there is no stocked fridge at Eckville this year, as someone in '05 had stolen the money box. Mike, the caretaker, was busy with various chores, and must have read the disappointment in my face as he gave me a pepsi while I was setting up to cook dinner. I cooked and ate and debated whether to take a "solar" shower. Finally decided to do so, even though I knew I'd get all sweated up on the 1100' climb up to the ridge for the afternoon's hike. It sure felt good even though it was cold. After chilling for nearly three hours, I hefted my pack and started the .2 mi. trek back up the road to the trailhead about 3:00pm.On the way, a car pulled to a stop and Rainbow (Rainbow&Spartacus, GA-ME '05) offered an orange. It was a great dessert. As I finished it at the trailhead, I struck up a conversation with a Drexel Univ computer science prof returning with his girlfriend to the BMW Z4 roadster parked there. He offered me a bottle of gatorade which I drank down, and a PowerBar, and agreed to take my orange peel with his trash. Turns out he is quite the adventurer, and has done trekking in Nepal and ManchuPichu in Peru. He's also a race-walker coach. (www.racewalking.com and www.greattreks.com). Thus it was about 3:30pm before I started the 7.4 miles to here, but I scored 3 trail magic's in as many hours!The rest of the hike wasn't bad in spite of the rocks and the climb, but the gnats dive-bombing my eyes were really getting to me. I stopped off at Dan's pulpit to enjoy a bug-free view in the breeze and sign the register. I pulled in here to find only Cornbread in the shelter. He was finishing up his meal. I decided to tent and had no sooner set up than I noticed the distant thunder was not so distant, and it was unusually dark for 8:00pm. I went up to the shelter to chat with Cornbread while I ate and then hung my foodbags. The gnats were bothering him too. I had to cut the conversation short, returning to eat most of supper in my tent, because it was spitting rain and clearly more was on the way. The rain and wind of the storm cooled things off, making for nice sleeping weather. I fell asleep to the drumbeat of the rain on the tent fly. Dealing with the rocky tread must have been more exhausting than I thought. When I woke about 10:30pm, the rain had stopped. I opened the tent fly to let the air in before rolling over and sleeping soundly until my usual 5:45am wake up. Thus, I'm typing this journal as my tent dries off in the morning.Maine Ho!
Date: 2006-07-12
From: Tent near Delp's Spring Trail

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: light rain

Got up early knowing I had a 20-miler facing me, and hoping to walk in the cool of the morning. A good thing too -- because just as I was putting the trash from breakfast in my trash bag, it started raining a few drops. That's all there was, but I got to hike out with a dry tent as I was already packed up.I got underway at 7:15am and made the 6.1 miles to the next shelter by 9:45am. Pretty good time. I stopped in, signed the register, had a snack, and then moved on since it was a ways to water. The folks at the Gateway Motel at Wind Gap 4.6 miles up the trail filled my water bottles and sold me some pepsi's, the prospect of which was the inspiration for that section of the hike.I then started up out of the gap and found a place to eat lunch. While I was eating, a guy came by on a day hike, and we chatted for about 10 minutes. Then at 1:15pm I headed out on the remaining 10 miles which proved challenging. The footbed was strewn with rocks and it rained a bit, enhancing the already high humidity, making the constant smallish rocks underfoot slippery, and encouraging swarms of mosquitoes to get their blood meals so they could lay eggs. To make matters worse, there were few landmarks, so it was a constant trudge through the green tunnel with no hint when it would end. I coped by repeating in my head as a mantra the phone number of the Gamble Mill Tavern in Bellefonte, PA my favorite restaurant. I'll eat there tomorrow on the way back to Youngstown for 3 zero days at a family wedding.Things started looking up when I got to Wolf Rocks where there was a breeze to blow away the bugs, and an indication that the shelter was only a few miles away. Although the "view" amounted to only the faintest indication in the haze of the next mountain ridge in the west, I enjoyed the rest and a snack before tackling the final miles.The hike across the rocks was hazardous as the lichen had enough moisture to be slippery. Hands were needed to keep from falling. Even so there were some close calls. Once past the rocks, it was smooth and fast hiking on good footbed toward Fox Gap where there was trail magic! SheBear and AbleJack were relaxing in chairs at the magic, and I dug into the cooler for cold fruit juice and cokes (2 each) and a great blueberry muffin. I took an apple and bag of mini-oreos with me on the .6mi to the shelter. I set up my tent as a bug bivy in the shelter, since both SheBear and AbleJack were tenting. A hundred yards away was water from a tap which I used to take a sponge bath. The breeze was such that I could eat the apple and oreos in peace. Good thing I had those, as I was too tired to cook. I crawled into my tent and, just at dusk, Wiggy and Potter pulled in and set up their bug bivies in the shelter. Next thing you knew it was raining, and I fell asleep.I didn't get up until 7:00am. I'm journaling in the morning over a breakfast of what would have been last night's dinner -- instant mashed potatoes.Maine Ho!
Date: 2006-07-13
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap, then Home
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Since it was an easy hike in to meet my daughter about 12:30 or 1:00pm, I slept in a bit. Then, as my stomach was growling, I cooked and ate last night's dinner of mashed potatoes and jerky. It was 9:15am before I hiked out -- late, but still first.I was delighted that the trail surface was much smoother than yesterday, and the humidity seemed to have backed off a notch. Even the descent into the gap was well-graded and switchbacked. I had a couple of nice viewpoints for photo ops on the way in.About noon I arrived at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain where I had a great shower and changed into town clothes. While I was showering, Becca had arrived. We had a meal at the restaurant across the street -- a bit upscale and uppity for hikers. They even charged for refills of iced tea!Then it was off to the Gamble Mill Tavern for dinner. We arrived about an hour late, as construction on I-80 encouraged us to take the scenic route. That part of central PA truly is scenic with well-tended farms and nice, vibrant small towns. Jean Murphy and Courtney Confort, the owner and chef-owner, greeted us warmly in the bar where 20 years ago I was their first "regular" dinner patron. They opened just after I started consulting for Bellefonte Lime Co., just around the corner. The meal was fabulous, living up fully to my fantasies of two days ago.A tie up during the merge for construction on I-80 and stop-and-go traffic on the detour delayed our arrival in Youngstown by 1-1/2 hours. Nonetheless, it was good to be home, and my wife Carol had the place looking fabulous.In a respite from "Onward to Maine!"
Date: 2006-07-17
From: Youngstown, OH

To: Backpacker Campsite north of DWG
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: few clouds

Well, what a busy time I had at home. Spent most of Friday resting. I was concerned that I was running a low grade fever and felt very tired all day. With tick bites a few weeks ago and others in treatment for Lyme disease, I had concerns on those lines.I got recruited to assist with the wedding by placing and removing side panels for the tents protecting the tables at the Lake Milton cottage of the bride's uncle, where the wedding reception was taking place. Had two trips out: on Friday to place the panels and, after overnight rain, on Saturday morning to remove them.The wedding and reception on Saturday were very nice. The weather for the outdoor reception Saturday afternoon and evening was fine, and a strong breeze off the lake moderated the heat.I heard from Veto on Sunday that the FDOM-1 group had reached Kirkridge shelter and would be coming into DWG on Monday. My daughter Becca and I finalized plans to hike together through NJ, and Candace, another daughter, will meet us at Port Clinton NY next week and do a short in-out overnight then take Becca home. We gathered up needed gear and went food shopping Sunday evening for the coming week. Still had some flu-like symptoms on Sunday, so decided to camp out in my doctor's office at 7:30am Monday in hopes of getting in early audience. Got in quickly and have a course of Doxycycline to treat the Lyme if that's what it is. Given the efficacy of early treatment, and vague symptoms vs. potential serious effects if left untreated, it makes sense to treat early even if one isn't sure. Then we headed out to DWG. Carol drove us out, and we had a nice picnic lunch on the way. With the wedding and preps for Becca joining me, seems Carol and I had hardly any time to ourselves. We said our goodbye's and Carol headed back home about 3:30pm.Veto, Goose, and Bigfoot had been at DWG, but I'm not sure they got the message I left for them. The hiking poles I left behind were exactly where I'd left them on Thursday. Becca and I took a walk down to the outfitter to try to get new tips for them, and thankfully were successful.The heat was oppressive at 3:30pm -- nearly 100*. We debated staying at the hostel, but finally decided to hike out and get the climb up to the ridge behind us during the evening. Left at 5:00pm and had lunch along the way, arriving about 8:00pm at this very nice, but dry (no water), campsite. It was a lot cooler up on the ridge than in town, and we spent a pleasant night.Maine Ho!