morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-06-10
From: Port Clinton mile 1220

To: Eckville Shelter mile 1235.1
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Up before the alarm this morning and wasn¢t able to fall back asleep. We weren¢t getting picked up until 7:45 so didn¢t need to get up very early. I¢d gotten French Toast for breakfast instead of the hotel breakfast which was basically oatmeal, cereal and bagels. Pilgrim¢s friend was dropping us off at the trail. Naturally a pretty steep climb to get started but most of the rest of the day was a ridge walk. We got two nice views today at Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle. The Pinnacle overlooked rolling farms and was one of the best views we¢ve had in a while. Unfortunately Pilgrim took a hard fall between the two views, landing hard on his arm. So far it seems that he has escaped serious injury although his upper arm is a bit swollen. Not too much noteworthy about the rest of the day. We did get some nice fern areas and Mt Laurel areas. We¢re staying at the Eckville shelter which is an unusual one. It has a 6 person shelter and bunch of tenting sites. But there is also a caretaker that lives in a house on the property and a flush toilet and solar shower. Pilgrim¢s friends from home Bob and Thornton and one of their friends Randy stopped by bringing WaWa subs and drinks. We had a good time talking about the trail. Pilgrim¢s friends are hikers and have been around these parts as well as the Adirondacks. All in all a good visit. Tomorrow my friends Pete and Ron are day hiking with us and then come two neros around a Mrs Duckie visit. Steps 25500Weather Forecast: 79/60 SunnyJen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...
Date: 2022-06-11
From: Eckville Shelter mile 1235.1

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter mile 1252.5
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: broken clouds

Disclosure: Today¢s photo was sponsored by Ron and PeteOne of the upsides of the hotel and hostel is that they typically have real pillows. So far I haven¢t yet found a pillow that I really like for backpacking. Although I am getting pretty good sleep, I¢m also definitely waking up every hour or two to flip over - way more than I do at home. It seems like pretty much no matter what time we wake up we seem to get out about 7 these days (well Orchid is ready before us). Pilgrim¢s arm is definitely sore today but otherwise doesn¢t seem to be badly injured. We got started and after a short warmup we had another climb to start the day although it wasn¢t too bad of a climb. This started the ridge walk that we had for much of the day.We got some nice views from Dan¢s Pulpit and Balance rocks which looked back at the Pinnacle from yesterday, so we got to see the same valley from the opposite direction today. Shortly after that we met Ron and Pete (friends of mine I¢ve know for decades now) who had bushwhacked and then climbed a pile of rocks to get a view to the other side of the ridge. They brought lunch from WaWa making this day 4 in a row. It was very nice to catch up with them and to share some of my experiences on the trail. We got them some good boulder hopping for sections of the trail, but otherwise the trail was not too bad today. However, more importantly we got them some good views from Knife¢s Edge, Bear Rocks, and Bake Oven Knob. They got a copperhead sighting, which is my first poisonous snake this trip so far. Of the things that can kill you, I¢m only missing the rattlesnake at this point.Pete and Ron headed back to their car after Bake Oven Knob while we headed down yet another boulder field to the Bake Oven Knov shelter. This is an older, smaller, and not very tall shelter (I could barely kneel at the back end) which has a cutout in the floor making it almost like a U shape (lying flat part of my head was past the age if I wasn¢t on the edge). It also has no privy which makes no sense to us especially given the rocky area that it is situated in. I did some catchup of stuff (non trip related) that has been pending for a while before bed. Spotted a mouse running around so we¢ll see what happens overnight. Steps 27600Weather Forecast: 72/64Jen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...
Date: 2022-06-12
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter mile 1252.5

To: Palmerton PA mile 1260.5
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

When I got up to pee this morning I discovered that someone had rolled into camp after I fell asleep and was cowboy camping outside the shelter. I never heard him arrive so not sure what that says about me hearing a bear or other animal wandering around outside of the shelter. Never heard the mouse either and no mouse damage to anyone¢s stuff. While packing up we got a brief morning shower, fortunately all of our stuff was dry in the shelter but it did make some of the rocks slippery. Didn¢t rain on a duck yet again. Today was a planned short day to a meetup point with family. Mrs Duckie and Mrs Pilgrim came for an overnight visit and Orchid is going to stay with Pilgrim¢s familyWe continued the ridge walk including crossing over the PA Turnpike Northeast extension as it goes through the Leigh tunnel. Unfortunately with the low cloud cover there we no views today and we didn¢t even realize that we had passed over it. As with most towns we had a pretty good decent down to the Lehigh Gap and we¢ll have a pretty good climb to start the day tomorrow.Mrs Duckie and I grabbed lunch at a dinner and then checked into the hotel. This hotel has waffles - no oatmeal for me tomorrow!!! She brought up replacement shoes, some new camp shoes, as well as a bunch of other resupply items . I spent the afternoon sorting and trying stuff on to decide what to keep, doing laundry, grocery shopping, and generally not relaxing. Fortunately I can sleep in a bit tomorrow (although probably will still wake up early). Steps 15100Weather Forecast: 73/61 Chance of rain.Jen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...
Date: 2022-06-13
From: Palmerton PA mile 1260.5

To: Smith Gap Road mile 1273.3
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is a planned shorter day that we are doing as a slackpack. As a result we¢re planning a noon start to get some more family time. Woke up early but managed to get back to sleep. The hotel had a good breakfast with waffles, eggs, bacon which I took advantage of. While Mrs Duckie finished coffee, I went to drop off trail magic at the trail head. As I was crossing the Lehigh bridge I spotted Relish and Play by Play and was just able to give a quick shout before I passed them. Four hikers were there when I dropped off the stuff. Don¢t think they believed I was a thru hiker at the time given the situation although I did pass them the next day and they also ran into the twins. I tried to catch the twins at the next parking lit to no avail. Back at hotel Mrs Duckie was sitting at a table next to Big Hungry and his son.  He¢d been hiking with him for a few days. Very strange how things work on the trail. Also found out that apparently we¢re now ahead of Sparkles, 53, and Harmony from my first days on trail. Said goodbye to Mrs Duckie and headed across the Lehigh and the most technical climb of far. Ended up being a big climb with great views. We didn¢t realize the AT didn¢t go over the top as there were some better views possible if you climbed up to the top of Blue Mt Ridge. After that was an exposed ridge walk with many views. This part of the trail was newly relocated to avoid some remediation as part of a superfund cleanup of an old Zinc mining operation. This is a long dry section and I was carrying 4 liters but was starting to run low when we came across Philly Cheese (2021 thru hiker) doing trail magic by Blue Mountain Rd. The trail passes very close to the ski resort but we didn¢t spot any of the ski trails. Newly rejuvenated I cruised right on past the 400 mile mark so the official 400 mile photo happened a bit later.We made it to Smith Gap road and the pickup point for the Curly goose tent hostel with plenty of time to spare. It¢s a new hostel and they are still working out some kinks. Camping on a narrow strip of grass between a nice creek and field for goats and sheep. Got into camp after 7:30 and it was almost 9:15 before finished everything and got into the tent. Steps 26800Weather Forecast: 84/56 mostly sunny Jen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...
Date: 2022-06-14
From: Smith Gap Road mile 1273.3

To: Kirkbridge Shelter mile 1290.5
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept really well last night. Didn¢t hear the animals overnight and the creek was pleasant background noise. Despite late hour was up by 5:20 - downside of tents is that they are absolutely not dark in the morning. Despite the early wake-up was still ready just after 7. Can¢t seem to get rolling earlier. We got a ride back to the trail from the hostel owner. The rocks started almost immediately and never relented until the last mile. Can¢t really tell you much of the terrain as we spent the day looking down. We did get a respite of sorts with a quarter mile of boulder hopping at Wolf Rocks. Got some limited views during the day but many of them were overgrown and not very good.We passed by Wind Gap but decided not to head into town. Scavenger Princess and 3DM were eating pie as we went through and SP caught us and hiked with us for quite a bit. He¢s been basically hiking since 2018 (AT, PCT, AZ, FL among others) and started doing the AT again intending to flip to the CDT in June but is now staying on the AT. Ang caught us later at a rest break and we hiked with her for a long while as well. About 3/4 mike before camp passed Big Hungry napping and then Relish and Play by Play at the road crossing with family. They¢re here tonight as well. We¢re tenting and there are tents scattered over a very large area. This is another odd shelter with piped water provided by a private retreat and all sorts of communication towers in close proximity. Also can tell we are getting back into civilization as we¢re under the flight path for NY and hearing airplanes most of the afternoon and evening. Wondering if the towers are related to ATC. We can basically almost smell the Delaware River and assuming all goes well I¢ll be sleeping in NJ tomorrow. Rocks continue in NJ but they do get better.Steps 26600Weather Forecast: 79/59 partly sunny Jen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...
Date: 2022-06-15
From: Kirkbridge Shelter mile 1290.5

To: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center mile 1307.5
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

Spent the night slowly sliding in the tent due to the slanted tent site. Had a big group that camped on the road above us that had a fire and were pretty loud until 9:30 or so. Found out later that there was a big field we could have camped in. Oh well. Out by 7(naturally) even though trying for earlier. PA gave us some views and portions of nice trail for the last couple of miles before the decent into Delaware Water Gap. Once in town we headed to the outfitter but they seem to have switched over to more of a river canoe company. Walked down to the Apple Pie Cafe and got a delicious second breakfast sandwich - sausage and egg on french toast. Popped into a gas station setup for hiker resupply to get food for the next stretch. Back at the cafe grabbed two pastries for later and a scoop of ice cream to go and headed to the I80 bridge and took a hop to the left into NJ. Ran into many of the 8+ Harpers Ferry flip flopers that were at the shelter last night. Once in NJ we had s long climb up to the ridge and Sunfish pond were we took a break. Frogs and tadpoles galore and the shoreline was covered in blooming Mt Laurel. Of course walking around the pond was on a boulder field. We got some more views including a 360 two state view. NJ has slightly better terrain than PA in the beginning but there are still rocks¢¦ just not quite as many or for as long. Headed to the AMC Mohican camp to spend the night in one of their bunkhouses. Got a shower and did some sink laundry. Another thru hiker and his section hiking wife and three Mennonite (?) young women as well. Probably a shorter day tomorrow but we¢ll see. Steps 31400Weather Forecast: 85/62 sunnyJen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...
Date: 2022-06-16
From: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center mile 1307.5

To: Brink Shelter mile 1321.8
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up a little bit later today as we anticipated rain overnight ending in the morning. After packing up we headed to the AMC lodge to take advantage of the WIFI and get some updates posted. Looking at the weather seemed like it would end shortly after 8 but didn¢t stop until 8:40. At that point it was very close to the store opening at 9 so we stuck around so Orchid and Pilgrim could have an ice cream second breakfast. I ended up eating the sandwich I bought when we checked in. By the time we started it wasn¢t raining but the trail and bushes were pretty wet. Gaming the system yet again so it doesn¢t rain on a duck. We got to the Catfish Fire tower when it was still foggy out. We found out that Smiley, Blondie and Sojourner (the three Amish young ladies that stayed at the AMC with us last night) and are also at the shelter tonight got to the fire tower an hour later and had good views. However we did have some really nice views throughout the day although the best ones were towards PA. Trail continues to improve overall although there are still definitely rocky sections. It¢s nice to be able to keep the head up and look around for a change. We¢re starting to see some summer flowers blooming in places which is a nice change from mostly green although the Mt Laurel is still going strong. Also seeing dozens of the little red/orange newts. I always feel like I am about to step on them and they must feel like all these terrible things are falling from the sky. We got to the shelter at 5 and Bozo and Trot (also from AMC last night) were already in the shelter. For a brief period of time the 8 of us from last night were the only ones here but about a half dozen more have arrived. Chatted for a while at dinner with the Amish ladies. We¢re doing the shelter to avoid some anticipated overnight rain and packing up wet tents. Today and the next couple of days recreate a hike I took with my sons back in 2014. We¢re camping at similar shelters as the previous trip. I remember some of the terrain and features but not all. Regardless it feels like coming full circle as that was one of the first longer hikes I had ever done and was in the time frame that the dream of hiking the AT first took hold. PS. Forgot to mention that I weighed myself on our scale Sunday and was 167.0 which is down 4.5 lbs since start of trail. Steps 23800Weather Forecast: 73/65 morning rain Jen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...
Date: 2022-06-18
From: High Point Shelter mile 1341.5

To: Pochuck Shelter mile 1353.9
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: broken clouds

Although we were trying to get out this morning about the same time, despite the short day, we ended up delayed to make hotel reservations for Sunday night (shower, laundry and resupply) and an unexpected privy stop. Prior to leaving we said our goodbyes to Smiley, Blondie and Sojourner who finished their 11 day trip and are heading home but not before going to the High Point Beach. It was great to hike with them and hear about their adventures and how their culture impacts them and their travels. Almost immediately after starting the trail changed from the rocks that have been prevalent since Duncannon PA to smoother trail. We also started the first of many meadow sections today. After staring at your feet all day long the change of pace is nice and the meadow is a nice change from the same old woods. We headed into Unionville, NY for a first lunch and a small resupply at the General Store. Had an egg salad sandwich (and 2 hash browns, muffin, banana and black cherry soda) which was really good. Debated ice cream but it was really windy and cloudy so we were all bundled up on the porch and came to the conclusion it was too cold out. LeafBlower showed up as well as Blood Beard and Beats from the Brink shelter. After lunch we went through series of Puncheons (wooden boardwalks ) through various swamps. Nice but they can be slippery when wet. However the longer Pochuck Boardwalk is tomorrow. We also walked around parts of the Wallkill National Wildlife Refugee which had a number of different kinds of birds. The shelter has no water so we got some at an abandoned building with a water spigot the National Park Service owns on the climb up to the shelter. Really windy and cold in the late afternoon. Ate dinner in the shelter with pants, fleece and windbreaker. First time I was unhappy I no longer had a stove as a hot meal would have been nice. Sun briefly popped out and winds are dying down this evening. Looks like I will be wearing most of my clothes tonight.Long day tomorrow but shower, laundry and resupply along with a Mrs. Duckie visit. Tweaked right ankle on a rock today. It¢s definitely swollen on the inside ankle but doesn¢t hurt. We¢ll see what happens tomorrow. Also sounds like someone is shooting off home fireworks for the last 20 minutes. Steps 26200Weather Forecast: 64/48 windyJen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...
Date: 2022-06-19
From: Pochuck Shelter mile 1353.9

To: NY 17A mile 1375.5
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Was definitely a cold night last night dropping down to the upper 40s. I had almost everything I have on and was comfortable for the most part but definitely was waking up more if the quilt let in a draft.   However not as bad as NH as Mt Washington got snow and sleet last night. Got out of camp just about at 7 and immediately continued up the mountain. After a couple of miles we got to the Pochuck boardwalk which is a long raised boardwalk through a marsh. From what I can tell it has very good birding and is a popular day hike destination. After finishing it wasn¢t much longer to a planned stop at Heaven Hill Farm which has a really good bakery. Luckily for us, Mrs Duckie was early and was able to meet the three if us at the farm market where we all enjoyed some ice cream and I got some apple cider donuts. We left the farm and unloaded gear to slackpack the remaining miles for the day. We headed out if the parking lit for the Stairway to Heaven and Pinwheel Vista which is a popular day hike destination and was busy with people. Just before we started the climb I spotted a black bear off to the right if the trail about 50m away. He was just minding his business looking for food. Was able to get a picture and start a video. As people started approaching from both directions the bear turned, chuffed at us, charged forward a couple of feet, and then turned and continued moseying around. We beat a hasty retreat up the trail to put some more distance between us. From what we could tell the bear had been there a while as many groups had seen it and there was possibly more than one. We finally made it up to the top and the great views looking back to High Point. Mrs Duckie had driven around to Wawayanda State Park and hiked south and we met her shortly before I reached 500 miles so I was able to celebrate that mark with her. We stopped at the shelter for lunch and caught the tail end of some trail magic but they didn¢t have much left.  A couple miles further we crossed into NY for the final time completing NJ, my fourth state. Almost immediately we started a challenging ridge walk where we got some views of NYC, some 38 miles away, and Greenwood Lake. Walking between the tall grass on either side of the trail I almost stepped on a snake which then tried to zip away and dropped off the ledge. Fortunately looked like a black snake. Today was Orchid and my first 20+ mile day and it felt like it. We got to the trail head about 6:40 where Mrs Duckie was waiting. Did a resupply at the Acme, got takeout pizza, drove to the hotel, ate and it was well after 9 before I even got to the room. Did some gear swap and additions and worked on putting everything away and was close to 11 before I got to bed. Steps 47800Weather Forecast: 69/46 sunny Jen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...
Date: 2022-06-20
From: NY 17A mile 1375.5

To: Fingerboard Shelter mile 1392.1
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

As I write this I am listening to a Whip-poor-will, probably the loudest most annoying bird known to man. (Edit at 4:20 in the morning there was another very annoying and very loud bird that is a close second. It woke me up but I¢m not sure what this one was).Sheila drove us down to Route 17A and started the hike up to the overlook with us. She got to the overlook about 1 mile in and then we said our goodbyes and she turned around and headed back to the car. After that It was rather uneventful until we got to Trail Magic hosted by a trio filling in for Glenn who does this every Monday during the hiking season just west of Harriman State Park. He did a thru hike in 2017 and is giving back to the community this way. They had a full kitchen going with hamburgers, hotdogs, sausage and chicken wings. They had served pancakes and eggs for breakfast earlier in the day. Unfortunately they had gotten more people than expected so they had run out of soda and Gatorade. We were able to refill our water from the water cash at the road crossing and then headed out for the push towards Harriman. We came down Agony Grind and then crossed over I87. As we entered the Elk Pen lot we saw more trail magic from Swamp Irish and Sugar Gal, a couple from Louisiana that thru hiked last year. We were running low on water again so we were glad to be able to refill our water bottles as the water sources in Harriman are not great in the summer. I also got some snack food from them as well.Climbed out of the lot and headed towards the lemon squeezer, which is a tight trail through a gap in the rocks. Immediately after is a fun little rock face climb which we did without packs -we passed the packs up. Then we made the final push towards Fingerboard shelter. The water sources before the shelter were either dry or barely flowing and although we got water it wasn¢t the best. Fortunately we have enough for dinner and the plan is to head down to Tiorati Circle for breakfast. I have carried out two pints of NJ Blueberries and Orchid and I shared one pint of blueberries. Saw Chum, Weebles and Cholula at the shelter and gave them the 2nd pint of blueberries. As I was falling asleep I thought I heard something playing with the bear cables. However it¢s possible it¢s just another hiker that came in late as all the bear bags were still intact in the morning and Orchid¢s bear can stashed nearby hadn¢t been touched. Steps 25400Weather Forecast: 74/54 sunnyJen (my awesome video editor) also created a website to consolidate info: https://atwithduckie.wixsite.c...