morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-13
From: PA. 325, Clark's Valley

To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Rained all night and most of the morning. We wait out the rain before leaving the tent. Even more people are fishing in the creek this morning. It's weird that I have to drink the same water they are walking through and fishing out of. The water is somewhat cold and very clear. A much tastier source over the nasty Potomac River water from a couple of weeks ago. My book doesn't list a water source for 11 miles so we camel up and chug water. Because of this I have to carry an extra 3 lbs. of water. We start the day with a steady climb. I excuse myself or an emergency poo break. Nothing stealthy here, nowhere to hide and no privy is available. I luck out as nobody walks by. A quarter mile later we pass some southbound sectioners with their dogs and 6 ATC members taking a break from doing trail maintenance. My poo break could have been really embarrassing if I waited another 5 minutes longer. Not sure if it is because my guide book lies often or if it was because we had a few hours of rain overnight, but the trail had plenty of small water sources before the next shelter. Packing the extra water and stopping short last night were not bad things but they didn't need to happen. My book frequently leaves out many small road crossings and reliable water sources. We get to the Rausch Gap Shelter midday and decide to push on to get a few extra miles in so we are closer to the post office on Monday. My book has this area listed as "no tenting". I was expecting that to mean the shelter was built on a cliff or steep ridge line covered with trees. Nope! The complete opposite is true, this is the most magical and beautiful area I've seen in hundreds of miles. The area looks like it was designed for plenty of tenting. There is a great water source, a bunch of hike made fire pits, and dozens of obvious areas of past camping. Great spot but the southbounder there assures us that the next 2-3 miles follows the small river (water source) and has plenty of camping spots under areas of pine trees. He was correct for a half mile, but far from right about the mileage past a mile. We don't see any decent spots 2 miles away so we hike further. Then we come up to an old cemetery and find that too creepy so we continue hiking. Eventually we are 3-4 miles past the shelter and hiking in the dark. Smirks' headlamp has dead batteries so I let her use my headlamp. I am in front leading the way and relying heavily on my trekking poles to guide me the same way a blind person would use a pole. I do okay with the hiking but can't see of there is any decent places to pitch a tent. Most spots I thought to be okay ended up having too many rocks upon further inspection. We eventually say enough is enough, this is the best spot we are going to get and we set up camp on some lumpy moist moss-like land. Edit: all day today and last night we heard bombs exploding in the distance and heavy machine gun fire. after some asking around we found out that there is a military field nearby (Muir Base)
Date: 2013-07-14
To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: light rain

The night hiking was a little scary but worth it. Nothing bad happened and we got a few extra miles in. It seems like something we might do again if for only a mile to rush to a hostel or shelter, but nothing for long periods of time or in really bad terrain. 1.5 miles into our morning hike we stop at a road and hitch into town. First stop is a gas station so I can get 2 energy drinks. Next stop is across the street to Wendy's for a meal and to charge my dead cell phone. After lunch we head back to the gas station. Smirks gets another snack and an iced coffee. We fill up one water bottle each and then hitch back to the trail. Mistake. Should've filled up ALL the bottles of water! Our next 8 miles had zero water sources. Smirks was fine but I got really dehydrated during the last 2.5 miles. I felt sluggish, slow, weak, thirsty, slightly vertigo, and could no longer sweat anymore. All I could think of was "where the hell is this shelter at?" Once we got to the shelter sign I immediately threw my gear down and drank a liter and a half at the water source. The first 32 ounces were the best as I used my final packet of Gatorade mix with the water. The rest of the water I drank tonight ended up getting urinated right back out of me shortly after.
Date: 2013-07-15
From: William Penn Shelter

To: Pine Grove, PA
Miles today: 4.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Quick and easy 4.1 miles to the 501 shelter. This is the 2nd shelter on the trail to have a shower and also the 2nd to be a fully enclosed building with bunks. The shower is nothing more than a 3-sided structure with no ceiling and a garden hose full of cold water. A similar structure was in Glasgow, VA but had a shower head and the hottest water on the planet. We each take a quick shower, change into our town clothes and hitch to town for my mail (replacement rain pack cover). When in town the urge for a meal is undeniable. The only options within walking distance are a pub-resturant and two over priced Italian places. We step inside the pub for a deep fried sampler mix of fatty foods and one beer each. Before paying for our bill the guy next to us buys the bar a round. I say thanks and we chat for a bit. He is from this area but now does work in Alaska 6 months out of the year and is very interested in hearing all about the AT. Smirks and I were planning on going back to the 501 shelter tonight but people in the pub kept sending more and more free rounds our way. Our quick lunch turned into a few hours of free drinking. After the dehydration from yesterday and the intoxication of tonight I decide to get a cheap room in town to sober up and get more water in me before hiking any more. I fell asleep in the room before ever turning on the tv. Probably a first for me.
Date: 2013-07-16
From: Pine Grove, PA

To: residential 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

(Middle of the day post - mileage will change during next update. )Starting slow today. Heat is extreme!New priorities are being set, we need to start hiking at 6am and taking a shaded long water break during midday. I want to give a special thank you to my mother for paying my cell phone bill while I am on the trail and also a big thank you to my longtime best friend Derek who has bought me a subscription to Spotify Premium. THANK YOU !!-------------------------------------Other notes: We are starting to run into more and more northern accents now. I'm used to hearing it from the short time I lived in NJ and PA but I don't think that Smirks is. I replaced my old worn out Montrail trail runners with a new-looking pair of women's Nikes from a Goodwill store back in Front Royal, VA. Two days after I lost my hiking poles I was extremely grateful to run into a past thru-hiker named "Yikes!" who was out for a post-work day hike. She felt bad for me and have me her old hiking poles! Wow, the trail community is so giving and caring. --------Zero day. Smirks and I resupplied at Dollar General and then grabbed a quick lunch at Arby's. While breaking down our food boxes two men in military attire started asking us questions about the trail. We answered the questions and one of the guys, John, asked us of we wanted to stay at his home tonight with his wife and daughter. I took his number but wasn't sure what we would decide. Smirks and I were planning on hitting the trail but this felt like a good experience and too nice of an offer to pass up. We ended up staying at John, Terri, & daughter Zoe's home and it was the right choice. The night was filled with great conversation, pool, a nice homemade dinner, breakfast, some much missed TV time, and I got to spend hours loving on Mr. Whiskers - the most sweetest kitty ever.
Date: 2013-07-17
From: 501 Shelter

To: Canyon Spring 
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

Terri cooked us waffles for breakfast and sent us of with fresh homemade zucchini raisin bread. John drove us back to the trail at 6:15am --- maybe my earliest start ever. Expected to be further back from the pack because of our zero day but instead I was pleasantly surprised to find that we are now finally back in a bubble of hikers. The entire day was spent leap frogging Dimples, Midway, Delorean, Saga, and three hikers I had not met before; No Name, Homeward Bound, and a girl whose name we don't know yet. Once again water sources are far away from one another. We hike 20 miles today (Smirks 1st 20 miler day!) and end at a small camping area named "canyon spring" which of course has a dried up water source No dehydration issues tonight and the sleeping weather was better than usual but unfortunately Smirks last handful of miles were plagued by a growing collection of heat rash. Buggy & Muggy. All day, everyday. Lions, Tigers, & Bears - no problemMosquitos, Flys, & Gnats - OHH MY!!!
Date: 2013-07-18
From: Canyon Spring 

To: Kempton Hotel
Miles today: 4.7

Hiked the first 4+ miles with zero water between the two of us. The trail leads into the tiny town of Port Clinton, PA and passes the famous Reading Railroad. (Monopoly? - collect all 4 RR and rent is $200 every time you land on one - the game did start based on places in Atlantic City so maybe this is the same Reading Railroad) The first building we come to is a firehouse station. I ask some firefighters for tap water and they give us an arm full of delicious cold water bottles! We sip the water and decide to hitch to nearby larger city of Hamburg, PA. Not sure why we are going to a town since we now have water and way too much food already, but we go anyways and it's probably because of my desire for sugary drinks. First stop ends up being a WaWa so I can get an energy drink. Smirks thought WaWa was just some odd way that people have nicknamed Walmart, but it is actually a very popular gas station/sub shop/conscience store in this region. Second stop is 5 Guys & Fries for a town meal. Other hikers Homeward Bound and No Name are already here. They give us a huge greasy bag of fries that somebody else had bought for them. Next stop is the nations largest Cabela's store. Over 250,000 sq. footage of awesomeness. There are stuffed animals all over this place and a small aquarium. I felt like I was in a zoo instead of a retail store. During our tour of the store we come across a small vendor cubical that says "Free Hearing Test". Smirks and I have time to cure and I've had some issues with my left ear over the past year so we each take the free hearing test. We both pass with no real hearing concerns. After the test the lady working the cubical starts asking us a bunch of fun questions about the trail. We answer everything and start building some friendship with the lady, Judy, who eventually invites us to stay at the Hotel she owns. Of course we accept and within an hour we are at the Kempton Hotel Bar/Resturant/Hotel. The place is sort of similar to the Doyle (which we didn't stay at) back in Duncannon, PA - very historic and over 100 years old (Kempton was established in 1874). There is no a/c in our room but we are able to get a shower, meet the locals, and have some more TV time!
Date: 2013-07-19
From: Krumpton Hotel

To: Port Clinton, PA (Hiker Pavilion) 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Zero day today. Plan was to hike a handful of miles but we stopped at a pavilion in town and changed our minds. The weather is too hot to hike in and there is a nice pavilion in town for hikers to sleep under and hang out at. Also a local resident said he will slack pack us tomorrow morning so that helps us get in some quick miles in at a cooler temperature. Hanging out at a local swimming hole for a few hours. Plan is to do a 20+ mile day tomorrow.
Date: 2013-07-20
From: Port Clinton, PA (Hiker Pavilion) 

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: broken clouds

I slack packed the first 15 miles today and Smirks yellow-blazed to the next shelter. The trail angel who helped us set this up is a past thru-hiker who is from Elizabethtown, KY. I had thoughts of asking him to just drive us back home instead... but I know the great disappointment of not completing this hike will stick with me for the rest of my life. I push my time and money concerns aside and hike. The weather was more mild today so I complete my 15 mile slack pack rather quickly (despite getting turned backwards and hiking the wrong direction for half a mile).I get to the shelter at 1pm and find a sleeping Smirks all sprawled out on an old dirty reclined wooden chair. She is quite the mess with a hiker style concoction of makeshift covers. A bandana over the face, a rain jacket over the body, and a thin zip up jacket over her legs. I arrive with my phone playing music and she quickly awakens. Uncle Buck, his dog Jake, and a southbound section hiker arrive before we head out. (Note: this was a very nice shelter - it had a shower, a flushing toilet, an electric outlet, and the shelter had four sides plus a door -- these are all luxury items that are rare in a shelter area)Smirks and I wanted to go about 10 more miles but due to a very rocky trail we stop to tent up inside a different shelter 7.6 miles away.
Date: 2013-07-21
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Palmerton, PA 
Miles today: 17.7

Today was tough. My feet are aching pretty bad from walking over miles and miles and miles of various sized rocks. I also started the day off with some raw patches of skin around my waist and on one heel. A few sections of the rock scrambles were fun though. Knife Edge and Bear Rocks had interesting terrain where if you missed a step, well then you broke bones and get helicoptered out. Bake Oven Knob had a nice view but was littered with graffiti and local residents. Smirks fell on her butt once of twice through this section but had no injuries, just frustration. We wear our new bug nets for the greater part of the day. The gnats are still ridiculous in number and are becoming larger and more aggressive each day. Trail magic today was a miss on the first cooler and a hit on the second cooler. Smirks and I arrived at it just shortly after Stori got there. The three of us took a short break to make PB&J sandwiches, refill our water bottles, and to eat various other snacks. We pick up our pace for the last 5 miles so we can get to a hostel in Pamerton, PA at a reasonable and worthy time. This is a hostel I had read about in some books and was looking forward to seeing. The hostel is the basement of a small town's city hall building and was once previously used as an overnight jail cell. Sounded really cool. Unfortunately the jail bars are nonexistent, the basement is full of hikers already, the smell of thru-hikers is strong and nasty here. Haha. Also, like every small town we've been to in PA, there is no air conditioning. Smirks and I are lucky enough to be able to get hot showers though. We decide to not sleep in the basement and end up sleeping on the floor upstairs next to a door that we leave cracked open all night.
Date: 2013-07-22
From: Palmerton, PA 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

7/22Had a nice unexpected zero day in Palmerton, PA. Morning plan was to buy a box of Pop Tarts and refill the fuel for my camp stove and then hit the trail. We bought the Pop Tarts and a bottle of Heet for fuel but ended up going to the library also. The librarian told us to pick out any books we wanted from their for sale shelves and we could have them for free. This took an hour. Smirks chose "The Diary of Anne Frank (the play)" and something else. I contemplated a book named "Ultimate Cat Lovers" but opted for coach Tony Dungy's book "Quite Strength" instead. The next 2+ hours were spent on watching "Into The Wild" on one of the library computers. It was getting pretty late (4pm) and I knew we had a difficult climb ahead of us with no water sources so I made the decision to take the day off from hiking. Dropped our bags back off at the free hostel, quick lunch at a local dinner, and then we checked out the activities going on in the town's park. I got to hold two snakes! It was so weird but very exciting and slightly scary as one kept trying to get in my shirt. There were fewer hikers staying tonight and no repeats from the night before besides ourselves. Even though it rained today the basement was still far too hot to comfortably sleep in. Probably doesn't help that there is no a/c and a boiler room is down there as well. We drag out stuff upstairs after hours so we can claim our spot next to the side door exit. I sleep better tonight with the door propped open and the sound of rain hitting outside.
Date: 2013-07-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

7/2313 miles - stealth camp Easy hitch out of town and back to the trail head 2 miles away from the hostel. The first mile is a steep rock climb with an elevation gain of close to 800 feet. It is a little difficult but a fun change of pace and offers really good views on both sides of the rocky ridge line. The next group of miles are through what Smirks likes to call a "Tick Field". I don't know how many she found but I had at least 20 on me altogether. I hiked while staring at my shoes. Every tenth of a mile I would see a tick jump onto my shoes and start racing towards my legs. Some I could flick off but others were able to sneak up to my socks or calves before being noticed. Hot dinner was cooked early tonight because both of us were so sleepy by 6pm. First water source was 10 miles into our day and not only was it dry but it was also a steep .4 miles down a blue blazed trail. The weather was tamer today and we loaded up in the water before leaving town so there was no panic about the dry water source. The next two water sources are more reliable so we set up camp between the them. Squid passes us and gives us some extra water that he had been carrying around.
Date: 2013-07-26
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA 

To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.5

Crossed into New Jersey this morning. The Delaware Water Gap area is beautiful. Most of the day is spent hiking around ponds or up on long ridge lines looking down at views of lakes and distant mountain ranges. We camp near a gravel road that leads to the AMC Mohican Outdoor Center. After setting up the tent we walk down to the camp store for a couple sodas before bed. Hiker life is good. --------(Side note: we fixed Smirks' camera a week ago)
Date: 2013-07-27
To: Brink Rd. Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

Climbed my first fire tower today. The "Catfish Fire Tower" is probably about 85 feet tall and very sturdy, but nonetheless I was still a little nervous climbing each step. Once at the top I stayed close to the flooring and kept each hand clasped to the flimsy caged walls. The view was not spectacular but it felt good to finally fully climb a fire tower after chickening out of all the others on the trail. Pitched a tent outside of the shelter. Also here tonight is Turtle, Fire Pants, and brothers Ember and Feather.
Date: 2013-07-28
From: Brink Rd. Shelter

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

Heavy rain flooded the area around our tent and some of the stuff inside the tent got wet as well. Around 7am I woke Smirks up and told her to start grabbing things and run to the shelter. We got everything to safety rather quickly but the tent itself was drenched. I hung it from a corner of the shelter entrance but it wasn't drying at all so we eventually packed it up and left. All the others stayed behind. Fire Pants didn't have any flooding and the two brothers slept in the shelter with no issues (besides mosquito bites), but Turtle's tent ended up being in a large puddle. The rain stopped as soon as we started hiking. Some of the trail was dry and some of it was muddy or creek like. Just a few miles into our hike we came across a road with a convenient store, a gas station (gas only), and a steak house. The store has a hiker mural posted on the window and a bench on the side for hiker packs. I'm thinking okay cool I can get an energy drink here and let my wet gear hang out to dry. Nope. The attendant behind the counter was not hiker friendly. Sort of odd for a place that literally has a white blaze on a tree just across the street. I hung my tarp and tent on a fence that borders the store and an empty parking lot. I go inside and see an unused power outlet by a table. When I point to it and ask the cashier if I can use the outlet for my phone he gives me a cruddy look and slowly answers with a silent head shake from left to right twice. I dump my trash in a tiny wastebasket then turn around and tell Smirks let's go spend our money somewhere else. I don't trust the grumpy old man so i gather our stuff and dry it out down the road. We walk an extra minute to the steakhouse and share a veggie burger with fries. All of our stuff is dry, but not for long. Loud thunder bangs in the distance later into the day and eventually the storm makes it way to us in the form of more rain. Neither of us put on a rain jacket we just keep hiking through the cold heavy downpour. Due to the heavy rain from earlier plus a new storm the trail quickly turns into long streams of puddles separated only by the large boulders we have to climb. We hike soaked for a couple miles then take refuge in a shelter to wait out the rest of the storm and to grab a snack. Mamasita, a section hiker, and a ridge runner arrive shortly after us. The rain stops after 30 minutes and we all head out a few moments apart from one another. Mamasita, Smirks, and myself end the night at the next shelter. Mamasita tents up in the grass and we tent up inside the shelter which is littered with mice.
Date: 2013-07-29
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Jim Murray's cabin
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Quick hike to the NJ High Point state park headquarters. A park employee there gives each of us a free can of throwback Pepsi and we sign in as thru hikers #453 and #454. Brother Bear is here. Mamasita shows up after us. Followed by a group of hikers getting dropped off from their recent trip to NYC. A short hike from here to the observation deck and then a confusing attempt to bushwhack down to a beached lake area. Brother Bear & Mamasita hitched their way to the beach. Both of those two as well as numerous other hikers out have been yellow-blazing large sections of the trail. I don't approve of it and I will end my rant at that. The monument that marks New Jersey's highest elevated place is pretty cool looking. We have a light snack at the beach area but we don't take advantage of the free showers offered by the park and we don't go swimming. It's somewhat early in the day but Smirks and I are wanting to hike another 7 miles before dark so we can stay at a heated cabin owned by a past thru-hiker. We get to the cabin an hour before dark and begin investigating the miscellaneous tiny wooden buildings. We find the 80sq. ft enclosed hiker cabin, a nicer locked cabin, an outhouse/privy, a few other very tiny locked buildings, a water pump, and an outside shower. While we are examining the property Huckleberry, Copperhead, and their dog Lilly show up. This is good because they give us cooking fuel so we can have a hot meal tonight but also bad because it makes the cabin a little cramped. We sleep okay. The heated cabin turned out to have a broken heater. On the bright side we were "inside" and out of the elements. There was a window that stayed open all night so we had the occasional mosquito bite through the night as well.