morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-01
From: James Fry Shelter

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 12.0

June 1, 2014We awoke to another cool, sunny morning. I climbed out of the tent around 5:30, made coffee, ate, and Peach broke camp. By 6:50 we hit the trail.The trail started out nicely, then we hit a stretch of 5 "peaks" we had to tackle. The first climb took us through a rock maze, a collection of large boulders across the top of the hill. You really had to pay attention to the blazes and arrows to stay on the trail. We made it over the remaining climb and started the descent onto the Cumberland Plateau, an approximately 16 mile long stretch of farmland at around 500 ft elevation. We hiked 2 miles across open wheat fields until we came into Boiling Springs, PA.Boiling Springs looks like a Norman Rockwell picture of Americana: beautiful lake with families strolling around it; neat, historic homes along shady roads. We stroll along with them, as the AT passes right through town.We walked along PA 174 towards Allenberry Resort when we meet Aardvark. He was mowing his lawn, and when we walked past, he turns off his mower to chat. He offers to shuttle us to town after we check in and get cleaned up.We checked in at the resort. A lovely and rustic place for a great hiker rate. We enjoy a cup of clam chowder and salad at the bar.So we walk back over to Aardvark's house for a ride to town, and he says, "Oh, and you're going to be eating dinner with us tonight!"We met his lovely wife, Jane, and enjoyed a delicious meal of London Broil, zucchini, baked potatoes, baked Vidalia onions. What trail magic and AT hospitality!Aardvark also showed us his British car collection: TR6, MG, a fantastic 1955 Morgan. What an enjoyable evening, with perfect weather.We hiked 12 miles today.
Date: 2014-06-02
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 0.0

June 2, 2014We love Allenberry Resort and Boiling Springs, PA, so much that we decide to take our first "zero" day (zero miles) since we started section hiking.We joined Genesis, River Rock, and The Priest for breakfast. Allenberry is famous for their sticky buns, and they do not disappoint. Yum!After breakfast, we walked to town and roamed around. We sat on a bench by the lake and just relaxed. It was so nice. We stopped in at the AT conservancy.We has lunch at Caffe 101. We sat outside and enjoyed a sandwich and coke. We saw River Rock and joined him. Genesis came a little later. Saw The Priest as we were leaving.Headed back to the resort. At the pool, they have loaner bathing suits, so QS and I picked one out and lAid out for a couple of hours. River Rock came, too.On Mondays, the bar and restaurant here are usually closed. There was a group meeting here who were going to eat. So, we were allowed to eat also. We love this place!Dinner was awesome. We met another hiker names Reset. There were us 5 (River Rock, Genesis, The Priest, QS, and Peach) and Reset in the restaurant. We had great service.
Date: 2014-06-03
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.0

June 3, 2014Quicksilver and I awoke at 6:20 and got dressed and packed up. We ate breakfast (sticky buns and fruit) with The Priest, Genesis, and River Rock. Genesis and River Rock were going to start out with us. The Priest was not going to leave until 11.Rain was almost a certainty. We skirted around the edges of vast fields of wheat and corn. Several times we had to hike across a field out in the sun. Fortunately, after a couple of hours, clouds began to appear and provided some welcome shade. It was great seeing open PA farmland and a break from the rocks. This area was like an aromatic overload. So many wonderful scents. At noon we were still hiking around the farms in the surrounding woods. All of a sudden the four of us were engulfed in a swarm of mosquitoes. We dropped our packs and pulled out our bug spray and deet. Once we stepped out of the woods, we were safe. Around 12:30, we got to Scott Trail Farm Ctr where we found a picnic table and water. We had lunch here.Genesis decided to stay here for a couple of hours to let her ankle rest.From here we followed the Conodoguient Creek. The path was nice and cool. The last two and a half miles before our stop for the night was a stark change from the last day and a half. We had to climb 700 ft. We stopped about a mile before the shelter and watered up.Arrival was at 3:00. The Priest, River Rock, Kentucky, Quicksilver, and I were all staying here tonight. Genesis hasn't made it here yet. We found a great tent site.It never did rain today. Turned out to be a lovely day.We saw another scarlet tanager, heard towhees, and meadowlarks. Saw a snake just off the trail.We hiked 14 miles today.
Date: 2014-06-04
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.2

June 4, 2014 Peach and I awoke early, 5:30, to be able to get on the trail toward Duncannon. We had an easy walk until we started the climb back up the ridge, at 1,300 feet. The trail started getting into the notorious PA "rocks."While it is rocky, it isn't what Peach and I really expected. We figured lots of boulder scrambles and loose rock, but it hasn't been any worse than other sections, especially the "Dragons Teeth."We took in the view at Hawk Rock (a badly spray-paint-vandalized boulder outcrop with a splendid view down into Duncannon and the Susquehanna River).From there, we descended sharply down a rocky trail and onto Market/High Streets in Duncannon. Unlike Boiling Springs, Duncannon appears to have fallen on hard times.   Most of the "mom and pop" shops have closed, but some places flourish...like The Doyle.The Doyle is a 1905 hotel that now is synonymous with AT hiking hostel must-sees. It is run-down...maybe even stretching that a bit. But it a stop you have to make. The rooms are a gracious step above flop-house, no disrespect intended. It is a storied place that is still writing it's own history.We quenched our trail thirst along side some other hikers.Peach and I went for a pizza for lunch at Sorrentos; delicious pizza!We decided...OK, I (QS), decided, that we really needed to stay at The Doyle just to soak is all in.We are still traveling with River Rock & Genesis; The Priest must have moved on along on the trail. But we have new acquaintances: Sharp Knife & Hiccup, Choclate & Cheese (a cute Swiss couple), Reset, and a few we've not yet met or have learned their stories.Today we walked 11.2 miles.
Date: 2014-06-05
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peter's Mountain shelter
Miles today: 11.3

June 5,2014The Taj Mahal privy wasn't mentioned on the June 3 entry. We were tent camping near the Darlington shelter. The AT guide boasts of this shelter having a Taj Mahal privy. Well, the only thing different about this privy was that it was spacious. Also, in yesterday's entry, QS failed to tell of his trip to the grocery store.QS:The Doyle offers a 4 p.m. shuttle to the grocery store, so nine of us crammed into a Dodge mini-van for the ride. The load nearly proved to be too much for the van's suspension to handle: the van rode on the axle most of the way to the store. After resupplying the van driver returned and broke the group up into 2 loads back to the Doyle. Peach:It rained last night and we were afraid we may be hiking in the rain today. We got up around 7. QS went across the street to Goode's Restaurant and got us coffee. We met Genesis and River Rock there at 8:30.We had an awesome breakfast and hit the trail at 9:15.The rain held off today and turned into a nice day. For the first 2 miles, we walked through Duncannon (pop. 1,500) and over 2 bridges. The second bridge was over the Susquehanna River. Very beautiful!After the bridge we were on the trail and it went up and up. Thank goodness, there were switchbacks. We climbed almost 1,000 ft in two and a half miles and it was very rocky. In some places, QS and I were crawling across wet and slippery boulders.The remaining hike was very pleasant. There were even several views along the way. Saw another 3 ft rat snake.QS and I arrived at Peter's Mountain shelter at 4 p.m. Sara and Turtle were already here. We found a decent tent site and got set up. Genesis and River Rock got here a little later. The shelter was very nice - 2 stories and right on the edge of the mountain, so there is a nice breeze blowing up to it. The bad thing about this place is the spring is 300 steps downhill. QS was kind enough to go get water for us. What a guy!!Tuna-Mac with Vidalia onion added was our dinner tonight and it was delicious!Today we hiked 11.3 miles. River Rock will be getting off the trail on Sunday. He's been a neat person to get to know.
Date: 2014-06-06
From: Peter's Mountain shelter

To: Rausch Gap shelter
Miles today: 18.0

June 6, 2014Peach and I got up at 5:30 (just after sunrise) and broke camp. We left Peter's Mountain Shelter at 7:00. Genesis and River Rock were right behind us, Sara (now christened "Early Bird" since she gets up early) was already gone.We hiked along a very level trail nearly all day, with the exception of the climb from PA 325/Clark's Valley up to Stony Mountain. After that it was mostly a gentle trail running level along a 1,500 ft ridge. Very few views here.We came to an area where there was a coal mining settlement, Yellow Springs, from around 1850. It was .7 mile off the trail. So we dropped our packs and walked to the area, but not much is left except a stone tower and portion of a rock dam (function unclear).We walked on through rather generic trail until we came into Rausch Gap. Rausch Creek was roaring by where there was a beautiful hemlock stand. We walked along a beautiful path to the Rausch Shelter where we found Turtle (a loud, smoking Long Island, NY, guy) and Shivers. River Rock set his tent up nearby because the shelter is small with a few smokers.We set up our tent about .1 from the shelter. Early Bird and Genesis came in later. Two others came in - Granddaddy Longlegs and Wrong Leg. We ate dinner and settled in for the night. We walked 18 miles today.
Date: 2014-06-07
From: Rausch Gap shelter

To: 501 shelter
Miles today: 17.5

June 7, 2014Quicksilver got up at 6 and started water for hot chocolate. I got up around 6:30 and dressed and ate. We broke camp and were on the trail by 7:40. Early Bird left around 7. Genesis and River Rock left with us. For the first .8 mile of the trail, we walked through Rausch Gap. It was so nice. There once was a coal mining and railroad equipment repair town from 1820s to around 1910. From the gap we ascended 500 ft. for a about a mile. It wasn't bad. The next five miles were small ups and downs along the ridge with occasional views.Right before we got to PA 72 at Lickdale, PA, we stopped for water and a brief break. After the break, we crossed the creek on a "tree bridge," passed under 72 again, then came upon a parking lot where there was a man set up with a grill, stove, eggs, hash browns, English muffins, burgers, chips and drinks! We sat there in chairs that he provided while he cooked to order. Awesome trail magic!His name was JZ, and he has hiked the AT five times, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) three times, and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) once. It was so cool talking to him. We waddled back on the trail. Then, only about a mile from this trail magic, there was a cooler full of iced drinks and fruit. Trail magic supreme!Back on the trail, we walked across an old steel bridge over Swatara Creek at Swatara Gap, then we passed under I-81 and found water bottles left for hikers. When we left Lickdale, the real climb began. It was a 1,000 ft. ascent over four miles; pretty rough. We climbed over miles of rocks and boulders along this portion. Once we reached the summit, we cruised along at a smoking pace for the next five miles. We met two young men carrying day packs; they asked if we were thru-hikers, and we told them that we were just doing a long section. They said they had cold drinks if we wanted one and we said", Uh, yes." Shortly after this trail magic a gentleman met us and asked if we were hiking the AT. He had fruit!The trail was a good one although there were several places that we has to scramble over rocks and boulders. Just before we got to the 501 shelter, we had short, but intense climbs. This shelter is different from all others. It's called 501 because it is right on PA 501. It is a large enclosed building with bunk beds around the walls and two large picnic tables. It sits adjacent to the caretaker's home. There is fresh water and a solar shower (which was like showering with a water hose). It was nice not having to filter our water.The other cool thing about the 501 is that a pizza restaurant in Pine Knob, PA, delivers to the shelter. AWESOME!So, Genesis, River Rock, Quicksilver, and I enjoyed pizza. Early Bird came later. We said our goodbyes to River Rock who leaves the trail tomorrow.Today we saw a female turkey and three chicks and a monster black snake.Today we hiked 17.4 miles. Our feet ache from walking over all the rocks, but we understand there are more to come. QS is concerned his boots may not hold out as the rocks are rough on boots.
Date: 2014-06-08
From: 501 shelter

To: Eagle's Nest shelter
Miles today: 15.1

June 8, 2014QS awoke at 6:20 and Peach and I immediately began breaking camp.We left the 501 shelter at 7:35 expecting the 15 miles to Eagle's Nest Shelter to be challenging. Two hikers at the shelter least night claimed it took the 10+ hours to hike it.We found the trail to be a little easier than yesterday. We've learned that everyone that there is a wide disparity on how people perceive the difficulty of the trail..About 4 miles in we heard from 2 So-Bo hikers that there was a rattlesnake ahead on the trail. I took two pictures of it. It appears to be a timber rattler, but we haven't positively identified it yet..we saw another black snake today, too.There were several, intermittent rock/boulder scrambles, but nothing grueling. The trail was fairly boring for the last few miles.We reaches the shelter at 3:30, got our tent up and got water. Early Bird and Genesis showed up about an hour to hour and a half later. Hagar and Key Lime are here, too.We had dinner and retired for the evening. Today we hiked 15.1 miles.
Date: 2014-06-09
From: Eagle's Nest shelter

To: Hamburg, PA
Miles today: 9.3

June 9, 2014The rain came yesterday around 7 p.m. and it rained all night. Quicksilver and I got up around 6 and began the process of packing up, eating, etc. A couple came to the shelter around 5 with cold drinks. They were there to clean up the shelter and the privy. They even took our trash!The lady was a thru-hiker in 2008. She said the next 9 miles to Port Clinton/Hamburg were covered in rocks and boulders and were very difficult. Here we go! We started out thinking we were in for a tough go. With covers on our backpacks and gators over our boots, we hit the trail at 7:15. The hike started at an easy grade with a few rocks thrown in. It was a wet, foggy morning. Surprisingly, the rocks weren't slippery.Next, about 3 miles we encountered a steep ascent of 300 ft, quick but intense.The trail alternated between smooth and a rocky, boulder scramble. About a half mile before Port Clinton there was an extremely steep 900 ft drop into town. We reached the Schuykill Trail at 11:20 a.m. QS called Cabela's about a shuttle to town and Gary said he'd be there in 20 minutes. We walked about a half mile from the trail head to the pickup point. Gary picked us up and 2 other hikers at the post office. It was Big Dawg and Indiana Jones!Gary took us to the Cabela's. There was 6 acres under one roof. It was huge! We walked to the Microtel by going out the back entrance of Cabela's, across a four lane highway, stepping over a guard rail, stepping over a small creek, up a slippery ditch and on to the hotel. We got cleaned up and did our laundry. I walked up to Wendy's and got lunch for us.After lunch, we walked to Wal-Mart only a half mile. We restocked our food.We got back to the room and chilled for a little while. Had wings for dinner in a pub nearby.Today we hiked 9.3 miles.
Date: 2014-06-10
From: Hamburg, PA

To: Hamburg, PA
Miles today: 0.0

June 10, 2014Yesterday, when we got off the trail, we had to walk across several railroad tracks. We went right by Reading Railroad and a coal mining company. As a matter of fact, Quicksilver has noticed some coal on the trail.We have also noticed people here say "You's" instead of y'all or you guys; kind of a New Jersey sounding accent. QS:Peach and I decided to take a zero day today so we stayed in Hamburg another night.We are really enjoying visiting areas along the trail that are decidedly NOT southern. The people have been very friendly and accommodating in PA.Peach and I went back to Cabela's then to Wal-Mart.We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.We spoke with "Dad", a local hiker and shuttle operator who will take us to the trail head in Port Clinton tomorrow. Weather forecast calls for some rain, so we expect to get wet on the trail.
Date: 2014-06-11
From: Hamburg, PA

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.0

June 11, 2014Peach had a birthday today, so we slept in a little, especially since it was poring down rain. We got our packs loaded and had our continental breakfast. Dad, our shuttle driver, picked us up at 8:30 and we were on the trail at 8:40. The start of the hike today was up with the aid of switchbacks. It was cool and very cloudy throughout the day; we only got a few sprinkles. There were more rocks today than we normally encounter; the scrambles were longer and more consistent. It was a challenging day. Most of the day was fairly level but covered with rocks, and we had a few inclines that got our heart rates up. The last five miles or so followed old road beds, which made for an enjoyable hike. QS and I had a great pace going and were focused on the trail - so focused that we missed the blue blaze (on Hawk Mountain Rd) indicating the turn to the shelter. We ended up hiking about .5 mile past the trail! Oops...Got to the Eckville Shelter at 4:45, just as Grasshopper, Runaway, Chocolate and Cheese were heading to the shelter; Genesis was already here. This shelter is about a 16 x 20 feet shed with bunks in it. It sits right behind the caretakers house, which was a little odd, but ...the privy has a flushing toilet and (cold) shower. We can get fresh water at the caretaker's house. He even allowed us to charge electronic devices at an outlet near his back door: oh, the changes wrought by the electronic era!We fixed dinner at the communal picnic table, then wound down for the evening. We hiked 15 miles today.
Date: 2014-06-12
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 7.5

June 12, 2014We had rain last night and quite a bit of it. It's not looking good today either. We slept in this morning, knowing we only had 7.5 miles to do. Two reasons: rocks and rain.The rocks are finally starting to live up to their mythical status in PA. But when the rocks are wet, they are even more treacherous.So we planned to leave at 10 a.m to give us plenty of time.This was the toughest rock section so far, and we moved slowly. Quicksilver took a few spills trying to move too fast, so we backed off on our pace.We ate lunch while hunched on rocks at a campsite, then moved on. Still clouds descended on the mountains, 100% blowing humidity.We finally reached the Allentown Shelter at 2:45. Early Bird was here. Critter and Shivers just came up and tried to start a fire, but failed. Sea Biscuit showed up. We expect others because of the rain, so we hunkered down and waited. We had dinner and retired for the evening.Today we hiked 7.5 miles.
Date: 2014-06-13
From: Allentown Shelter

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 10.0

June 13, 2014It was just misting when we started out this morning. The trail was really nice for the first six miles. Then the real challenge began. We hiked over thousands of rocks and large boulders. The killer was the Knife's Edge. We were teetering on the top of the Knife's Edge - very precarious! The day was becoming sunny and we thought the rain was over.We only had 2 miles to go to the shelter when we started hearing thunder.We had a short break from the rocks with a decent trail. So, with the storm coming, we tried to hurry, but guess what? We had large rocks to climb up and over. We finally made it to Bake Oven Knob Shelter as it began to pour. No one was here yet, so we staked a claim on a spot in the shelter. We saw a deer on the trail. Looper, Brian, and M¶bius came up soon after we got there.We had quinoa (?) for dinner. (Don't even know what it is, but it was tasty.)Today we hiked 10 miles.Bubba got to the shelter at 8 p.m. We read on FB a post the Brett made; He said that there was a strawberry moon tonight. It just so happened that in the shelter, our heads were facing the outside so when the moon came up, it shone right on our faces.We woke up at 10:45 p.m. and there was a slight pinkish hue around the moon. At 4:20 a.m., we saw the moon again higher with no hue.
Date: 2014-06-14
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter

To: Jail House Hostel
Miles today: 8.4

June 14, 2014Another guy came to the shelter last night during the pouring rain after everyone was almost asleep. He just tented on the other side of the path. At the shelter there was Bryan, Bubba, Quicksilver, and me. Looper and M¶bius tented beyond the shelter. We awoke around 6:30 and were on the trail at 7:40.The trail was not too bad today. There was a short .75 mile section of rocks and boulders that was very difficult. There was also a 1.5 mile decline that has small rocks on the trail. It got real steep the last .5 mile.We got to the intersection of the road at 11:30. There was a real convoluted way to get into town. We stopped at the first restaurant we came to and had lunch. It was the 110 Tavern. We hiked about 3 more blocks to the Jail House Hostel.This place was really spartan. It was in the basement of the burrough hall (jail). It's never actually been a jail. There were bunks around the walls. The toilets were upstairs and the showers were reminiscent of a high school gym. The shower was a group facility - dirty and flip flops required.We spoke with our kids, then did laundry and ate dinner at Bert's. We visited the Palmerton Hotel Restaurant later.We have 10 co-hikers with us in the Jail House; should be a cozy evening.We hiked 8.4 miles today. Then we hiked about 2 miles into town.
Date: 2014-06-15
From: Jail House Hostel

To: Leroy Smith shelter
Miles today: 17.7

June 15, 2014Peach and I awoke at 5:45. Got packed up and left the Jail House Hostel around 6:50. As we walked out of town, we stopped at a convenience store to get coffee and a biscuit. We sat outside the store on a bench enjoying a cool, sunny morning and our breakfast.We retraced the one and a half miles back to the junction with the AT.The climb back up was quite steep, but the views were some of the best we've seen in PA: wide vista along windswept open ridges overlooking the Lehigh River valley and Palmerton.We passed through an area that was at one time (or may still be) a superfund sight to restore the damage done during zinc mining days. We continued along open ridges for about 3 miles.We came to Smith Gap where we found trail magic: fresh water, then a cooler of cold drinks and mini snickers!We went from nice views and good trail to more rocks/boulders. The trail goes through endless stretches of dense forest and lots of rocks. The rocks are expected to continue to increase as we approach Delaware Water Gap.Saw another black rat snake crossing the trail today; I think I spooked it worse than it spooked me! And a few of our hostel dwellers passed us, heading on toward Wind Gap (about 4.5 miles further) so they can reach Delaware Water Gap tomorrow...an aggressive day of 16 miles over increasing rocks. It will take us until Tuesday to get there. We reached Leroy Smith shelter at 4:15, set up our tent in a lovely open area, watered up and cooked, then crawled in for the evening. It was a very nice day, upper 70s, clear blue sky, with a nice breeze. We hiked 17.7 miles today.