morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-18
From: Random campsite on a ridge

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 26.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Good thing I set an alarm last night - camped out under this mountain laurel thicket, it didn't really get light out until after 7. I was walking by 7:35, and made good time to the Palmerton Zinc Pile Superfund Site, where I met TruBrit, who runs a camp down near Bland, VA and welcomes hikers to come stay with him. Good thing I stopped to chat, because there's a detour now around the site - apparently they're actually doing some remediation up there- and I didn't notice the sign until he showed me where the trail went. I took my time going through there; it's a fascinating place to walk, looking down on the Lehigh Valley and all the industrial activity down there. There was actually GREAT water at the Outerbridge Shelter, and right on the AT, too. I filled up, then went to Bake Oven Knob Shelter for lunch. From there to Bake Oven Knob Rd. is easily the most abused and vandalized section of trail I've seen ... really too bad ...I got 5L of water at the spring WAY downhill before the Allentown Shelter, and still made it in by 6:30pm. This is the first shelter I've slept in since MA!Today marks the end of my second month on the trail!! Woohoo!!!
Date: 2014-08-19
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Port Clinton pavillion
Miles today: 22.2

The morning sun shone right in on me, so getting up was easier. It's nice not having to pack up a tent in the morning! The trail was pretty rocky down to Hawk Mtn Rd., but then the climb up to the Pinnacle was 5 miles of mostly wheel grade path - it was so easy I didn't even realize I was up there until I was at the giant cairn/rock pile at the top. It was smooth sailing from there to Windsor Furnace Shelter - I knocked out 16.5 miles in 5.5 hours!From there to Port Clinton there was a little more elevation change, but still pretty easy walking. I decided to come into town to hitch into Hamburg (there are no stores in Port Clinton), and quickly got a ride out there. I hit WalMart (love a $25 resupply), McDonald's (love that dollar menu) and then Dunkin Donuts (love them coolatas) before heading back out to Port Clinton and wandering down to the pavillion. I rinsed my clothes at the pump, skipped some rocks in the river, admired the stone and brick BBQ pit, and talked to a friend in Maine before pulling some benches together for a bed and calling it a night. It's really humid, but at least I have a roof over my head. Hope the birds that live in the rafters don't poop all over me in the night...
Date: 2014-08-20
From: Port Clinton pavillion

To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 28.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I love when I can get a whole day's worth of climbing done in the first 3 miles! That's how it was today - after the 1000' climb up from the Schuylkill River, I didn't go up or down more than a couple hundred feet for ~26 miles. Love it.I was planning on stopping at the 501 Shelter, and the sudden rain storm reinforced that plan. So when I got there, I hung up my wet stuff and ordered a pizza (to the shelter...rough life, ain't it??); in 15 minutes the pizza was gone, and it was still only 6:00. With all this new-found energy I decided to push on the 4.1 miles to William Penn (it stopped raining, too). This puts me in a better position for getting to Duncannon the day after tomorrow anyway. I have the shelter to myself tonight, but man are the insects loud! I might have to put in ear plugs just so I can sleep!
Date: 2014-08-21
From: William Penn Shelter

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 31.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Man was it humid today - everything was soaked in no time, and it didn't rain a drop during the day. I ran into Happy Yogi trying to dry out his gear near Swatara Gap; apparently I slept through a torrential downpour last night thanks to my ear plugs. No wonder it's so wet out!I stopped in at the Rausch Gap shelter because it's one of my favorites along the trail; It's next to an old rail bed, tucked down in this little depression, with a stone half wall and a log cabin top. There's a stone patio out front, and a spring piped into a stainless steel trough right out front. I was blown away to find that they recently did a huge renovation to it - they fixed some of the stonework, totally rebuilt the log cabin, and changed the roof design a little to let in more light. Looks great!!The ridge from PA 325 to the shelter felt really long, but I made ok time anyway. It was a LONG walk to water though. 300+ stone steps down from the shelter to the spring at the end of a 30 mile day...oof. Easy day to Duncannon tomorrow, though, and there aren't words to describe how excited I am to stop in at The Doyle again!!
Date: 2014-08-22
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: The Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.0

Short, easy miles today. I got a late start (some day hikers actually showed up before I was out of my sleeping bag) and still made it to town by 1pm.My destination: the legendary Doyle Hotel. Built in 1905 and not really updated since, it's one of those can't-miss stops. There's a bar downstairs, and the owners, Pat and Vickey, are great folks. I got checked in, dropped my gear in my room, took a shower - they have the hottest water on the trail - and then had a BBQ pork sandwich for lunch. Pat had to run to the grocery store to pick up some supplies for jambalaya for dinner so he gave me a ride to resupply. Great guy to talk to for a while!After the resupply run I basically spent the rest of the afternoon/evening at the bar, eating great food (the jambalaya was awesome) and drinking cheap draught Yuengling. I chatted with a nice SOBO section hiker named Tom, and Happy Yogi came and went at one point, too. Otherwise it was quite - this is the first time I've been here without it being packed with rowdy hikers...kinda nice!I have a corner room, so there's a nice cross breeze (no AC in this joint!) and the bed's comfortable. Glad to be here!
Date: 2014-08-23
From: The Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA

To: The Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Actually slept in this morning, he. Did my laundry, packed and planned to leave after lunch. Their one employee was still out (family emergency) and I watched them get swamped through the lunch rush, so as I was saying my good byes, I offered to stay and help at least wash dishes so they weren't totally overwhelmed for dinner. They agreed to let me stay another night in exchange for the help, so I spent the afternoon/evening in the kitchen with Pat and Vickey. Turns out that there was a huge dinner rush, that kept them hopping until the kitchen shut at 8pm, so I wasn't unnecessary. Afterwards I hung out with them drinking beer and talking deep talks until 1am - way past Hiker Midnight. All in all a great day; felt good to give back a little bit to some people who do a whole heck of a lot for the hiker community, and I wish only the best for them and their employee!
Date: 2014-08-24
From: The Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 29.5
Weather: broken clouds

Because of staying up so late last night I didn't get the earliest start, but the miles went fast and easy anyway. I grabbed some snacks and coffee on my way out of town, cranked over the first ridge, and was in the Cumberland Valley by 2pm. From there it was about 11-12 miles of flat, farmland walking - nothing but corn and soy beans as far as the eye can see; not even a single cow. The whole way I was getting bombed by tree nuts - walnuts, chestnuts, and acorns were raining down on me every time I went into the woods. They hurt when they hit you, and they hurt when you step on them...basically no fun at all. By5:30 I was in Boiling Springs and ran into Happy Yogi and Maps at the ATC Office there getting water. I decided to skip the pizza run (there's a great pizza place in town) and came up to the shelter. There are a couple great guys from Chambersburg out here, just on a week long hike to spend time in nature and build fires and act manly. Their dog hates me though - every time it sees me nearby it tucks its tail and runs away...guess she's not used to smelly guys in kilts!!
Date: 2014-08-25
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Toms Run Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Walking by 7:45 this morning, and I made pretty good time despite the miles feeling like they were dragging. Other than a privy and water stop at Tagg Run, I just made tracks for Pine Grove Furnace State Park, 16 miles away; today was Half-gallon Challenge day!The park itself is a really cool place - it's the site of an old iron blast furnace, where they melted down iron ore in the 1800s. The furnace shut down in the 1890s, and all that's left is the stone furnace itself and some of the out buildings, but they've done a great job of preserving it. I was at the general store by 2pm, bought a half gallon of vanilla, and powered it down in 22 minutes. I signed the book, got my official wooden spoon, and sat around for an hour or so chatting with some really cool people, then moseyed out to the shelter. There used to be 2 shelters here (they do that here in southern PA for some reason), but one burned down last fall. They have some nice tent pads and a pavilion now though, so it's a nice spot.
Date: 2014-08-26
From: Toms Run Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 29.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I passed the 1/2 point today!! Woohoooo!!!I got to the "official" sign - a little, uninspiring paper thing - at 8:35 this morning, took some pictures, and moved along. It feels good to have walked more miles than I have left to hike!At the Birch Run Shelter I met a wonderful couple from Ohio, out for a week or so. We had a great chat, and they majorly overpacked in terms of food and were more than willing to offload a bunch of it on me. They gave me some tuna, salmon, SPAM, and an instant pudding dessert thing, as well as a bag of homemade venison jerky that was delicious! Thanks so much guys!!The Quarry Gap Shelter near Caledonia State Park is nicer than ever - an amazing spot, and the caretaker does a truly spectacular job maintaining the place. It totally deserves all the "best shelter" awards. Now I'm at Deer Lick, tenting, because two guys have set up each of their tents in the two shelters and made it quite clear that there wasn't any more room up there. Ugh...I'm too tired and hungry to even argue. Off to sleep, and heading into Waynesboro tomorrow...I wonder what excitement will befall me there this time...
Date: 2014-08-27
From: Deer Lick Shelters

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 30.2
Weather: broken clouds

Ok, so once again, Waynesboro, PA does NOT disappoint on memorable hitches. Usually I get tweakers and drug dealers, but this time it was just above-and-beyond friendly. A woman heading the opposite direction did a u-turn to pick me up, then we went back the opposite direction to drop her 1 year old son off at daycare. Turns out her husband hiked in 2005, same year I did my first hike! They both hiked the PCT in 2010 as well. She took me to Walmart, offered to take me back to her house if I wanted a shower or to do laundry, and then took me all the way back out to the trailhead! Amazing! All that and I was back on the trail before 10am. The other highlight - I crossed the Mason-Dixon Line today, the MD border. I'm officially in the South now. Good stuff. I planned to stop at the Dahlgren Backpacker Campsite, but got there early enough that I pushed on to Rocky Run. I did stop for a shower, though (that's right - a free trailside campsite with showers and flush toilets and electricity. What now, AMC????)There's a family camped here too - the adults have been knocking off chunks of trail and meeting thru-hikers all summer, and the kids are out for their first trip. They're wonderful to talk to, and they gave me some leftover tomato sauce for my ramen (and were amazed at how fast I ate it) and then gave me some marshmallows for dessert. Thanks!!
Date: 2014-08-28
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: David Lesser Mem. Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: broken clouds

I know, I know, I've been neglecting my journal; I keep MEANING to update it, but then I get distracted. Due to the recent influx in angry messages and phone calls, though, I'm turning over a new leaf and I'm going to get this thing up to date!For now, though, here's where I'm at:I just got to Harper's Ferry, WV, and am sitting in the ATC headquarters using their Internet and enjoying a few minutes of indoor time. We've had some beautiful weather out here - nothing too hot during the day, nice and cool at night, and really no rain to speak of since leaving NY. That meant for some long stretches in northern PA either without water, or requiring a looonnnng walk off the ridge to find it, but south of Port Clinton it got better, and through the southern few dozen miles and all of MD water was plentiful.Other than a nero at the Deleware Water Gap (to go to Camden, NJ to see the hippos at the aquarium) and one zero in Duncannon (unexpected, and spent in the kitchen at The Doyle to help them out because they were short staffed), I've been cruising! It takes more than rocks to slow me down...and I'll be honest, PA is one of my favorite sections of the whole trail. Other than chewing up my shoes, it's awesome to be able to do some big miles without lots of climbing up and down through out the day.At Pine Grove Furnace State Park, near the half-way point, I took on the half-gallon challenge, and ate my 1/2 gallon of vanilla in about 22 minutes. The next day I passed the actual half-way point, and now, in Harper's Ferry, am at what they say is the "psychological" half-way point. They took my photo when I arrived here at the ATC Headquarters, and I'm the 18th southbounder to stop in this year! There are a couple right ahead of me (like, they stopped in today), too. For the most part, though, all I've been encountering are day, weekend, and section hikers.Heading across the border into Virginia today (were I'll be hiking for a while - at over 500 miles, it accounts for nearly a quarter of the trail's total length). I will stop in to Front Royal to resupply this weekend, and will be in Shenandoah National Park by Labor Day (that ought to be interesting); then a more "full" town stop in Waynesboro to eat, do laundry, have a shower, and pick up a new pair of shoes at the post office!As I said, I'll try to get the rest of my journal up to date over the next couple days; my phone has a full charge, and my little battery back-up doodad is charged, too, so I should be able to do it.
Date: 2014-08-29
From: David Lesser Mem. Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: clear sky

A more gorgeous day does not exist! Sunny, breezy, cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon - glorious! Today was a "short" day, so I took my time getting out, and took my time during the day, too. Nice to do once in a while! I had lunch at Bears Den Rocks, and was swarmed by annoying, out of control kids, and then cruised into The Rollercoaster. It's 13+ miles of constant ups and downs, and to be honest, with my beefy New England-seasoned legs, I wouldn't have even noticed if they hadn't put up a sign. Just another day on the AT if you ask me!I got to the shelter tonight and was about to do another few miles and camp when I said "nah" and set up. I ate all of my food for dinner, though, like literally everything but a pack of poptarts and some snacks for tomorrow morning, so I HAVE to get to Front Royal to resupply. Nothing like a little encouragement to bang out some miles, huh?
Date: 2014-08-30
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 26.5
Weather: broken clouds

Knowing I had to make good time, I woke up and started packing in the dark and was walking by 6:45am. Then I just hammered out miles - other than a privy stop at Dick's Dome and a chat with a Marine and his son at Manassas Gap who come out and hime 30 miles of the AT each year. I had lunch when I got down to VA 55, and was at 522, 23 miles into the day, by 3:30pm. A couple was dropping their son off (Country Roads, heading from Hot Springs, NC to Harpers Ferry, WV) and they gave me a bag of home made brownies and a ride to the store. I did my shopping at the Food Lion, went to the gas station near by for some HEET (I forgot to buy denatured alcohol for my stove in Harpers Ferry...doh!), went across the street for some McDonalds, stopped at 7-11 to get some beer to pack out and then hitched on out. I packed out 6 eggs, too...yummy treat! I was up at the shelter by 6:15. There are a couple SOBOs here, from VA, who got into Vernon, NJ and the woman came down with kidney stones; they're out for a couple days to make some trail miles until she can have them blasted and hopefully get back on the trail in NJ.
Date: 2014-08-31
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: scattered clouds

[I went on journal strike tonight after being annoyed to no end by a weekend hiker here. That's about all I have to say.]Post-script: I got into Shenandoah National Park, registered at the kiosk and attached my backcountry permit to my pack, and until the end of the day didn't have a bad day. The trails here in the park are graded for 'normal' people, so even the hills are nice and gentle. Probably the nicest stretch of trail yet!
Date: 2014-09-01
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 26.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Oy. Lots more excitement last night. There was a group of freshmen from Princeton on an orientation trip; all evening they were doing their business in a very entertaining manner - better than watching boy scouts! However, at dusk we had a thunderstorm. Apparently Princeton protocol is that the group has to be split in two - so only HALF of America's best and brightest get wiped out in one go?? - and half of them crowded into the shelter with the 3 of us. 15 minutes later the storm passed over and they went away. All seemed quiet, so I went to sleep. Then around 2am one of the Princeton leaders comes up and asked which one of us was yelling for help. None or us were yelling for anything; we had been asleep until she showed up. But the. We heard it - "HELP ME!! HELP ME!!" from the woods. It was the guy who royally pissed me off yesterday; long story short, he hiked out yesterday - the first day of his trip - with "food poisoning." He had been vomiting continuously since ~11am the previous day, crossed Skyline Drive no less than 5 times, and US211 at Thornton Gap, but decided to come on up to the shelter anyway. Then, middle of the night, he decided he was going to die. Luckily the Princeton girl was all gung ho to save some lives so she went to deal with him (this guy had such a foul temperament that none of the rest of us were in any rush to head over) and she also had a satellite phone; there was no cell service up there, but she was able to call 911. Eventually a ranger drove out (the shelters all have access roads in the park) and picked the guy up and took him out. So finally, around 4:30am, we all got to go back to sleep. Moral of the story: don't knowingly put yourself in a bad situation. Just don't. And when you spend the evening bad-mouthing a group of novice hikers, make damn sure you're not going to need one of them to call you in a rescue. A mile from the road. On the AT in Shenandoah National Park. As of to make up for all that nonsense, later on in the afternoon I ran into a ranger leading a talk/hike about the AT. As I went by he asked if I'd be willing to spend a few minutes talking about my hike (of course I would - I love talking to people about the trail almost as much as I love hiking it!) so I spent about 10 minutes discussing various aspects of life on the trail. They all seemed to love it, a few took my picture, and one family even gave me 2 bags of jerky (thanks so much!!). The ranger gave me a special patch, too. As I hiked away they all clapped and I wandered off with my jerky and patch with a big goofy grin on my face - it really made my day! I gave them all the info on my journal, and a couple have already checked it out; hope you keep checking up on my progress!
Date: 2014-09-02
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

Only a "short" 20-miler today, so I got a slow, late start this morning after spending a while longer chatting with Jackson and John, two local guys out for a week-long hike in Shenandoah. Jackson is a "military contractor," but not in the hired-soldier sense; he works for a company that sources equipment for the troops and sells it to the military. Basically he gets paid to research and test outdoor gear - cook stoves, tents, water filters, boots, sleeping bags, etc. - and then negotiate between the manufacturer and the government about how many units of something they need and how often. Sounds like a cool job!The park feels like a wasteland now that the holiday weekend is over - it's a little strange walking through campgrounds and picnic areas and suddenly having them all to myself. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, it's just a sudden shock. On my way to the shelter I ran into another Princeton group (number 3 so far), and yet another at the shelter. The two banded together here and are causing quite the ruckus...poor planning on the school's part, allowing two groups of 10 kids get together at the same campsite. Otherwise it's just me, Lonestar, and his dad Papa Joey in the shelter. Lonestar's another SOBO, and his dad - who has never backpacked a day in his life - came out to hike Shenandoah and see what it's all about. Despite constant pain, and a knee problem that might cut his trip short, he seems to be having a blast! Being out here has totally changed his outlook on his son's trip and given him a whole new insight into what the hiker community is really like; it's truly one of those things you need to experience to appreciate. He's already talking about wanting to thru hike when he retires in 2 years; bringing Lonestar with him, of course, so he doesn't have to go it alone!
Date: 2014-09-03
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Calf Mountain Hut
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: broken clouds

Wow - I've walked a lot of 26+ mile days this trip, but I think this is the first even marathon I've done. Funny - I'll walk a marathon or more every day, up and down mountains, with 30 lbs on my back, but I have no urge to ever spend a few hours running one! (I need a "0.0" sticker for my car I think.)The highlight of the day today was a morning stop at the Loft Mountain Camp store to bulk up my food bag. I COULD have made it to Waynesboro with what I had, but I would have been pretty hungry by the time I got there. Luckily the AT goes within spitting distance of the store, so I stopped in and grabbed a pack of pop-tarts for breakfast tomorrow, a days worth of snacks, some vienna sausages to add to my ramen tonight (I'd never had vienna sausages before; they're like little hot dog sections in broth. Who knew??), and then a whole pile of snacks to eat right then and there. I stood outside, ate everything, then went back for round two - the woman at the register said something to the effect of "my heavens child" when I confirmed that, yes, I really did finish most of what I walked out with the first time. It's the Hiker Hunger - what can I say?Anyway, after falling into a 20 minute food coma, I suddenly had The Power. I was unstoppable - no hill or rock field could slow me down. For a while I was averaging about 3.6 miles per hour...up hill. I actually encountered another hiker on top of Blackrock Mtn. but was in such a groove that I just steamed right on past her without saying more than "hello" (I felt bad about that a few minutes later...).Needless to say, I made great time to Calf Mountain where I met The Hungarian Revolution, another SOBO. Two of them in two days - it's practically a bubble! Good grief! I have actually been following this guy for a while now - I was within a day of him back in VT right before I jumped up to the northern part of the Long Trail, so it's nice to finally meet him. We're both heading in to Waynesboro tomorrow, so maybe I'll even see him again up the way - that has 't happened often this trip!