morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-01
From: Stealth camp passed PA325

To: Lickdale
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day One Hundred and Fifteen - (17.1) Stealth camp near PA325 to Lickdale,PAI was so sleepy this morning I really didn't want to get up but when I started hearing other people moving around I knew it was time. We started the day with another climb but it honestly wasn't as bad as I expected. There were several water sources on the way up so I didn't have the extra water weight, it was nice. Orange Peel found a rattlesnake on the trail so we all tread gingerly passed. The miles seemed easy today but by the afternoon I was tired. The forecast was for rain and I wanted a real meal. It wasn't too hard to convince everyone that town was the place to be and after a couple of calls we reserved rooms at the Days Inn. We almost made it to the road when the downpour began, within minutes we were soaked. I have never had any problems hitch hiking until now. We walked most of the two and a half miles in pouring rain while truck after truck passed us by. Finally a lady and her son pulled over and we all hopped in the back I her pick up. Thank you so much! It felt so good to have a hot shower and get dried off. After doing laundry we met in the lobby to go out for dinner, it seems like every other hiker around us had the same idea because there were fifteen of us just at this hotel. This town is hard to get around and the only guy doing shuttles wasn't available so we ended up just eating at Sbarro and Dairy Queen for dessert because it was across the street. I'm just finishing town chores now and it is late. Good night!Trouble
Date: 2013-07-02
From: Lickdale

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: light rain

Day One Hundred and Sixteen - (11.4) Lickdale to 501 ShelterOnly one thousand miles left! It wasn't raining when we woke up so we packed up and went down for the free breakfast. We weren't sure how or when we were getting back to the trail but we all wanted to get some miles in before the rain started again. Surprisingly a shuttle guy showed up asking if we needed a ride. How perfect! Thanks! Everyday always starts with an up and today was no exception. It was so muggy out I was soaked in minutes but after the up the rest seemed easy and we made it through the morning before the rain started. It wasn't bad knowing that I would end up at a shelter and be dry. I actually slowed down and took it easy over the wet rocks and was last to get to the shelter. It was more like a cabin with. Skylight than a shelter. It has two doors and bunk beds and a long picnic table inside. I was warned that the solar shower was cold but getting all the dirt off my legs felt great. I dried off and set up on a bottom bunk and Two Socks arrived after taking a trip to town. I finally caught up to him, I have been trying to catch him for days! Right away I felt like a mooch because I didn't have cash on me and wanted to have food delivered so Two Socks bought my spaghetti dinner that came complete with salad and garlic bread. It was so good. Thanks! The rest of the night was spend gabbing. Sparky, Orange Peel and Monster Cheese went to town for dinner and a movie. It's just getting dark here and everyone else is already asleep. Soon I will join them!Trouble
Date: 2013-07-03
From: 501 Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Day One Hundred and Seventeen -(15.2) 501 Shelter to Eagles Nest ShelterI'm so glad we were inside because there was a huge downpour during the night. It still looked like rain when I woke up but it held off all day. Two Socks and I left just after 6am and I thought we would be done just after lunch, was I ever wrong! The trail was awful! It was all overgrown with sharp, thorny raspberry bushes and the trail was full of rocks. Where there wasn't rocks there was mud and for about two miles of the trail there was ankle to knee deep water that we had to wade through. I couldn't believe it was the trail! I kept thinking that we had made a wrong turn or ended up on an old trail but no it was the real trail. By the time we got to the shelter it was 3pm and we had only gone fifteen miles. Even though there weren't any tough hills I was beat, my ankles were throbbing and my neck was sore from looking down at my feet all day. I think the trail club here desperately needs more volunteers. Anyway the shelter is packed tonight because more rain is on its way. There is a couple here that I haven't seen since Neel's Gap back in Georgia. I didn't think that was even possible, I figured I knew all of the thruhikers that hiking around me right now, wrong again! I am exhausted and desperately need sleep, it is still light out but I am done for the day. Good night!Trouble
Date: 2013-07-04
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Day One Hundred and Eighteen - (9) Eagles Nest Shelter to Port ClintonWe woke up at 5am and packed up as quietly as we could. I know that I woke Magic Scout up because he asked what time it was, sorry. We get up so early to avoid the heat of the day and the possible rain that they are forecasting. The trail was awful again today. I am all scratched up from the thorns and I am already sick of the rocks and I'm not even to the bad section yet. The rocks really slowed us down and defeated us. By the time we arrived in Port Clinton we were hatching a plan to slackpack the rest of Pennsylvania to try to avoid injuries on the rocks. Entering Port Clinton is like stepping back in time about fifty years. The barber shop was the happening place and when we walked passed the owner came out and invited us in for free coffee and cookies. I declined but stepped inside to thank him and found a room full of guys just hanging out. We continued on to a diner that another local had told us about but made a pit stop at the pavilion to say hi to all the hikers. The town allows thruhikers to camp at the pavilion. I like this town! The diner was awesome and while there we continued our plot to slackpack. We decided to go back to the barber shop and find someone who would give us a ride to a campground farther up the trail and slackpack back to Port Clinton. As we approached the shop there were elderly men outside, one with a strange homemade instrument. We stopped to talk to them and ended up having our pictures taken with them and heard about a disease called nail patella and the legend about how it started. Once inside the barber shop, the barber knew everyone and suggested we go over to the post office and (Fred) the best friend of the guy at the post office would take us. He was right and soon we were on our way to the campground. After thanking him and making plans to go out for lunch tomorrow with him we found a campsite for two hammocks and were soon at the camp office checking in. The girls working were awesome! Julie bought me a towel for my shower and while I was getting clean Two Socks arranged our slackpack for the next two days. Julie is helping us again! I am sure she will be a thruhiker one day, her boyfriend has been asking her to do it with him. From what she told us I am sure he has seen Mancub and Kitfox's YouTube from last year, that video rocks! Next on the chore list was laundry and resupply, I only bought snacks for tomorrow since I would be back here tomorrow afternoon. By the time we got up to the campsite and set up it was almost 7pm. We went for a quick walk around to find water and found a restaurant! The day just keeps getting better! After our surprise hot meal we returned to the campsite minutes before it started raining. I really lucked out because I hadn't set up my tarp and all of my gear would have been soaked if it had started raining while we were still eating. I was just getting Melkie in the hammock as the first raindrops started . Perfect timing! Trouble
Date: 2013-07-05
From: Port Clinton

To: Blue Rocks Campground
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

Day One Hundred and Nineteen - (9.1) Blue Rocks CampgroundWe didn't start hiking until 6am and because we had to take a mile and a half side trail that was all uphill to get back to the trail it was 6:45 before we actually set foot on the AT. The side trail was horrible but the AT was better than I expected. The last few days we have hiked on trails that haven't been maintained at all this year, I don't think today's section was maintained either but with more rocks there was less thorns, long grass and water. The going was still slow but there were sections of really smooth trail that we sailed through, it is so nice to hike without a pack! It was too cloudy to see anything at the overlooks so we were basically just putting in miles again and we knew that we would be done by lunch. Two Socks had a bad fall on the rocks but luckily there seems to be no permanent damage. It just made us aware of how easily our trip could end. When we arrived back in Port Clinton we went straight to Fred's house, we had planned to take him out for lunch. When we arrived he declined our lunch plans but brought us back to the campground. Thanks! After a shower and a dip in the pool we went to the restaurant to eat and charge our phones. The rest of the day was a lazy one, we hung out at the pool and the restaurant and made one last trip to the camp store. I keep hearing of hikers getting off the trail because of the mud, the rocks or the rain. I know that it is so frustrating hiking through overgrown trail while gnats are circling your head and trying to balance on rocks at the same time but I can't imagine quitting after all we have gone through. This is a record year for snow and low temperatures on the trail. We made it through all the snow, the ice and the cold, then we made it through days of rain. I've had to learn how to hike in the heat and now we have rocks, water and mud oh and bugs! All those people who say the trail gets easier (or flatter) they are just wrong! As soon as you figure out how to overcome some problem another one arises. I'm pretty sure the whole trail will be this way all the way to Katahdin. I never thought it would be easy but I did think it would get easier, I was wrong!Trouble
Date: 2013-07-06
From: Blue Rocks Campground

To: Blue Mountain Summit
Miles today: 17.2

Day One Hundred and Twenty - (17.2) Blue Rocks Campground to Blue Mountain SummitWhat a day! We woke up before 5am because we had to pack up and walk down to the camp store to drop off our packs for Julie to deliver to us later in the day. Then we had to walk back up to the campsite and redo the mile and a half horrible up side trail that we did yesterday before even getting on the AT. We had sweat pouring off of us by the time we arrived on the real trail. The trail today had sections with small ankle twister rocks, sections with large slippery boulder rocks and sections of old dirt farm road type path. We actually made really good time for the first nine or ten miles even with our little breaks. We stopped for a longer break at Dan's Pulpit and enjoyed watching the turkey buzzards flying at eye level in front of us. It was sunny and hot and it felt so good to sit on the rocks and relax (well kind of I was still on the look out for snakes). That break marked the beginning of our demise. We slowed right down going through the rocks and stopped several times to attack the bugs around us. We had to walk way down a hill for water and when we got back up Two Socks stepped on a rattle snake. Miraculously he was okay and the snake was more interested in getting away than attacking and even more miraculous is the fact that Melkie stayed away from the snake! Melkie and I had stepped right over it without even noticing it and when Two Socks yelled Melkie ran back to check on him but stayed away when Two Socks yelled "back". Needless to say, we hiked even slower through the rocks from that point on. We took another break at Allentown Hiking Club Shelter, Mr.Gigglefits and Paisley were there and Jaberwalkie arrived and offered to go down the steep hill .3 of a mile to get us water. Thank you Jaberwalkie! We picked up the pace to PA309 after leaving the shelter as the trail became much more manageable and hiked the last three miles of the day in fifty minutes. Funny how fast we can move when there is a restaurant at the end of the trail! Ken the owner of the restaurant and B&B was really helpful. He said we could stay in his backyard and is going to drive us to the post office tomorrow and drop off our packs so that we can slackpack again. A couple of hikers are giving me a hard time about slacking but I think it is a wise choice. I want to do the whole trail and I think I have less of a chance of injury if I slack through as much of the rocky sections as possible and besides I bet a daypack weighs the same as the ultra lighters packs out there (not that I wear a daypack). After a real meal we went out back and set up camp and then went back for a couple of beers later on. It's way past hikers midnight now so it's time for sleep. Good night world!Trouble
Date: 2013-07-08
From: Palmerton

To: John Stempa's House
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day One Hundred and Twenty Two - ( 12) Palmerton to John Stempa's houseI woke up this morning and thought I heard rain but when I got up it turned out to be the sound of an old fan. After packing up we walked up the street to stock up on Gatorade, Coke and junk food and by the time we got back we only had minutes before Janet arrived to pick up our packs. As we walked up the sidewalk a pick up truck pulled up this time it was Canadian Bacon who secured our ride back to the trail. We started out with a big climb up to the superfund site. The superfund site is an old zinc strip mining site (1843 - 1980) that left a totally barren section of land and polluted the whole area. Today there is some vegetation growing and they are still adding mulch and seeds to try to fix things. The climb was very steep up rocks ranging from ankle twisters to giant boulders and as much as I want to complain about the Pennsylvania rocks, it was a lot of fun! It felt like I was rock climbing not hiking and it was amazing how quickly we were able to get up so high. It felt like I was accomplishing something more than just putting miles in. This is going to be the closest to an admission that I secretly must like climbing mountains. Melkie did awesome on the vertical rocks and we only had to take his pack off once for a big jump. Once at the top it wasn't so much fun. We were exposed to the sun with no protection on an extremely hot day. It was so hot that my iPhone hanging off of my neck was useless, it had a temperature warning on it for most of the morning. As soon a we reached tree cover we stopped for a break to rehydrate and then continued to hike the ridge overlooking the town below. The trail was a little rocky but it was the gnats that were bothersome. It's hard to enjoy anything while tiny little bugs are swarming around your head and flying straight into your eyes. The day was spent in top of a ridge so other than the rocks and bugs it wasn't difficult and yet we were all tired by the time we arrived at Smith Gap Rd where we had a one mile road walk to get to the home of John Stempa. He allows hikers to shower, fill up water bottles and even sleep in his garage.Trouble
Date: 2013-07-09
From: John Stempa's House

To: campsite near Krkridge Shelter
Miles today: 17.6

Day One Hundred and Twenty Three - (17.6) John Stempa's house to campsite passed Kirkridge ShelterWe packed up as soon as we woke up and were ready to go when John woke up. He drove us back up to the trail and then we were off! It was still rocky but we made good time and were surprised how far we had gone when we stopped for our first break. The rocks were eating up our feet today so we stopped for extra breaks and made a detour to buy sodas. The only real climb we had today was right at the hottest point of the day but even though the sweat was pouring off of us we were up and over it quickly. I think it was after the climb that we started to slow down, by that time our feet and ankles were sore from all the rocks and we still had miles to go. We came to a section called Wolf Rocks and I think if that was the first thing I did today I would have enjoyed it but by the time we were there our feet were so sore that it hurt to have to jump down off of the big rocks. We stopped briefly (there were way too many mosquitoes to take a break) to see how many miles were left to get to the next shelter and then continued north. Surprisingly the trail was nice and smooth with only a few rocks and when we reached a road crossing someone had left us a cooler with pop and dog treats in it! Trail Magic! Thank you whoever you are! The last mile was easy after downing a can of coke and soon we were at the shelter getting more water. There is a campsite just beyond the shelter where we are staying. Two Socks actually turned around and went back to the shelter when he saw how many bugs were here but once inside my hammock I'm safe. It's been a long day and I feel dirty and gross. I cant wait for the next shower. I am carrying baby wipes as a luxury item and they help but it's just not enough on a day like today. Good night world!Trouble
Date: 2013-07-10
From: campsite near Krkridge Shelter

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 16.9

Day One Hundred and Twenty Four - (16.9) Campsite near Kirkridge Shelter to Mohican Outdoor CenterI woke up and there was a nice breeze so I got up right away and packed up before the mosquitoes could get me. We had to hike six miles to Delaware Water Gap to meet Mayer (a section hiker I met on the trail who will be our trail angel for the next two days) At 9am. Mayer had text me saying that the rocks weren't as bad through this section and I guess he was right but every time we went through a rocky section I was totally making fun of him. We arrived on time and soon Mayer was taking us to a local diner for breakfast! Next stop a hotel to drop off our packs and then back to the trail for eleven more miles. There was a mile of road walk as we crossed into our eighth state New Jersey. Yay! Then we had a five mile gradual climb that started out wonderful because there were no rocks but as we got higher the rock came back. My feet are so sore and bruised from the rocks and I am sick of having to concentrate on where I step. I can't wait for the rocks to go away! Once we were up we walked the ridge line and had some really nice views before coming back down a rocky trail to arrive at the Mohican Outdoor Center. The Center is run by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and I was expecting a big facility with a restaurant. I was so disappointed! To be fair I didn't look around to see what else was there but the size of the office where we paid $2.50 for a soda and saw how little was available to buy and how much they were charging really put me off. I was glad Mayer would be picking us up soon so that I didn't have to stay there. While we waited a local journalist and photographer interviewed us about the use of technology on the trail. It was funny, I'm pretty sure that the photographer was taking pictures of my legs for all the bites on them. Within minutes of them leaving Mayer arrived, he offered to keep Melkie for the night. Perfect I'm sure Melkie will love all the extra attention! Soon we were at a hotel getting clean! Next stop food! We went to a bar &grill and the food was awesome! It was dark by the time we left and we hadn't even done our laundry. Even the convenience store wasn't open everything must close early here. I guess we aren't getting clean clothes tonight. Hikers midnight was hours ago, good night! Trouble
Date: 2013-07-11
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day One Hundred and Twenty Five - (14) Mohican Outdoor Center to Brink Road ShelterI am so exhausted, today was a hard day. We woke up early finished up our town chores and went to the lobby for the free breakfast. Mayer arrived with Melkie and drove us to Walmart to resupply our food. I bought too much and suffered all day with a heavy pack. Back on the trail the day just dragged on and themosquitoes were relentless. We were all so tired and even the blueberries and raspberries alongside the trail didn't cheer us up. New Jersey is pretty though and not what I had expected at all. We followed a ridge for awhile that afforded views of the surrounding wooded mountains and lakes below. The rocks are still here not as bad as Pennsylvania but enough to make you appreciate the smooth trail when you are lucky enough to be on it. We arrived at a swampy mosquito filled campsite but were too tired to move on. We set up in the driest area and I was soon in my hammock away from the bugs for the night. Trouble
Date: 2013-07-12
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: High Point Mountain Motel
Miles today: 17.9

Day One Hundred and Twenty Six - (17.9)Brink Road Shelter to High Point Mountain MotelI woke up to the sound of Two Socks packing up and realized that I should be doing the same. I was super quick because the mosquitoes were already out in full force and it was only 5am. I was ready and waiting before Two Socks was ready but I still had to get water from the spring. The spring was near the swamp which meant even more bites. They were even biting through my clothes. I couldn't wait to leave. Once we had climbed up a bit it wasn't as bad. There was a nice breeze but the trail kept going back down into mosquitoes land. After three miles we arrived at a road crossing and came across Joe to Go an amazing coffee place! There was a bench alongside the store for our gear and a nearby tree for the dog. We went inside and the service was awesome! I had the best breakfast sandwich on a croissant that I have ever had and the coffee and coke helped power me up the next climb when we left. We sat down at the top and Canadian Bacon and Zenmaster zoomed past. We caught up to them at the next spring (where the water had a funny colour and odour) but that was the last we saw of them today. We started slowing down as the rocks came back in full force and our feet and ankles were in a losing battle. At one point we arrived at a really cool pavilion that had a nice breeze and a great view but by then we had already planned on stopping for a break at the next shelter. We totally should have stopped at the pavilion because the next shelter was so full of ants that I couldn't even sit down (and I had planned a nap). Our feet were already screaming for relief and soon the gnats and mosquitoes were at us again. We only had a few more miles left to get to High Point State Park where there was a water source and where we had planned on meeting Canadian Bacon and Zenmaster. We slowed down so much that we told them not to wait for us and by the time we arrived there we had talked ourselves into a hotel room. We called the closest (and cheapest) hotel and they sent someone to pick us up. The place was nice but way more expensive than advertised and doesn't offer breakfast. First thing I did even before a shower was call for pizza delivery. Priorities! It felt so good to be clean and away from the bugs. My feet are still throbbing now but hopefully when I wake up they will be ready for another day of abuse. Good night! Oh I forgot! While we were taking break a buzzard landed fifteen feet away from me, do I really smell like death? TroubleConfessions of a thruhiker: Two Socks swears he saw a chicken and a mosquito mating. He's calling it the new state bird!