morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-04
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park 

To: Boiling Springs PA
Miles today: 19.6

After eating breakfast @ the hostel (toaster waffles, cereal, and other rather forgettable stuff), I started hiking @ 6:53. It wasn't too bad of terrain for today. The battle plan was to reach Boiling Springs PA and see if we could get a room at the Allenberry Resort for the night. There was a free camping place just outside of town near the train tracks if that didn't work out. We called during the hike when we had coverage and reserved two rooms: one for me & Mack; one for 2-Speed & Shadow. As we neared the town, we visited the old furnace - Ironworks. We then walked along Chldren's Lake. A pretty lake right in town. Nice, quaint houses along the lake. We got to the ATC Mid-Atlantic Office around 2:40pm. I walked across the street to the P.O. to check on the package that I was expected to show up here. Had a shirt coming. It wasn't there. Turns out that there was a snafu about Fed-ex not delivering to a Post Office. Rats! What aggravation. I walked over to a nearby restaurant where the four of us got something to eat. Afterward, we walked over to the Resort and got our rooms. Nice place. Pretty reasonably priced for thru-hikers. We got our showers & also washed our clothes. Never pass up the opportunity to get clean stuff. Just don't wash some stuff. 2-Speed put her empty backpack in the washing machine. Some food from a sandwich had leaked out in the pack earlier. When she later went back to check on it, she could hear the machine making all sorts of nasty sounds. She stopped the cycle and pulled out a partially destroyed backpack. We would poke fun at her about this pack. Undoubtedly, this would come up again in the future. She called and ordered another pack. It was scheduled to show up at her next resupply.
Date: 2013-06-05
From: Boiling Springs PA

To: Duncannon PA (Doyle Hotel)
Miles today: 25.6

Got up & left Allenberry Resort early. Started hiking @ 6:04. Hiked the 0.4m back to the trail jct. Hit that @ 6:16. It was cool on the morning. Most of the time, I was hiking in the shade. Flat terrain. Sometimes I went into farm land w/ no shade. Overall, the first section was ripe for fast hiking. So I tried to keep a brisk pace. I was averaging about 3 mph for most of the early section. Just before I hit the first up of the day, I caught up to 2 Speed and a friend of hers who day hiking w/ her. I hiked w/ them as we climbed up to Darlington Shelter. I hit that & took a water & food break. I left them there & continued onward. A few miles later, I hit the 6-m rocky section. And, it was rocky. Had to consciously place each and every foot step. Very tiring. I did get to a nice view of Duncannon as I was descending onto town. Took a picture of that & was able to post it on Facebook. I hit the outskirts of town and got disorientated. No white blazes to follow. I had to ask for directions. I eventually got to the center of town & the Doyle Hotel. A 100+ yr old hotel that hasn't seen renovation since the FDR administration. Pretty run down. The food was okay in the bar. The room was really sketchy. Probably one of the top 3 worst places I"ve stayed at as far as cleanliness was concerned.
Date: 2013-06-06
From: Duncannon PA (Doyle Hotel)

To: Peters Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

This was a planned short day. I could either go 11.3 or 29.3 with a resupply. I went with 11.3. These were my shelter options. There were a couple of dry camping options. I decided not to tent in the rain W/ no water being available. The weather forecasted 80% chance of rain. 90% for the following day. And 60% for Sunday. This was due to the Tropical Storm that was going up the East Coast. I started hiking after breakfast @ 8:19. After hiking thru Duncannon and crossing the bridge, I then began to climb into the woods. I hit the first shelter (4.6m into the hike) @ 10:30. I stopped for a break - food & water. I continued to hike toward my destination shelter - Peters Mountain. I stayed mostly dry. Light rain that was mainly caught in the trees. I hit the shelter @ 1:23. No one was there. I waited for others to show up. Some had talked about hiking further. Once they got to the shelter, all of them decided to stay there to get out of the rain.
Date: 2013-06-07
From: Peters Mountain Shelter

To: Lickdale PA 
Miles today: 22.7

Rained a lot during the night. Got up & started hiking @ 6:12. Mack had checked the weather & it looked like it wouldn't be too bad until around 1pm. The wind caused it to rain on me from the waterlogged leaves. The wet grass & low-lying shrubs quickly got me feet wet. The wet rocks were slippery. I made really good time. The elevation profile wasn't too bad. The light rain got a little heavier around 10:30. I finally put on my rain jacket. That was when 2 Speed & Mack caught up to me. I spoke w/ them about the hiking intentions for the day. When they stopped to snack, I passed them & kept going. I got to the cutoff of the planned shelter - Rausch Gap - at 1:19. I waited a few minutes until they showed up. We discussed our options & decided to push on to a hwy where we would hitch into town & get a room. It was getting so soggy. And much more rain was on the way. We hiked until we reached PA 72. We hitched into Lickdale PA. Me & Mack got a room. 2 Speed got a solo room as did Shadow when he showed up. Tough day. But, we got clean & dry at the motel.
Date: 2013-06-08
From: Katahdin

To: Hertline Campsite
Miles today: 18.4

Got up & ate breakfast w/ 2 Speed, Shadow, & Mack. Afterward, me & Shadow left to hitch a ride to the TH. Turned out to be an easy hitch. Dropped off Shadow first. I stopped at a different place. Started hiking. Wet grass quickly got my shoes & socks drenched. When I Got to the I-81 overpass, missed the trail. It wasn't obvious. Had to doubleback & find it. After a while, I was caught by Chaser, Blue Eyes, & Promethius. I hiked with them for a while. They were faster than me so they evenrually left me. I hit the 501 Shelter. Shadow was already there. 2 Speed & Mack showed up. We ordered delivery pizza to the shelter. Ate lunch & then started hiking again. I hit Hertline Campsite @ 4:50. Set up my tent & called it a night.
Date: 2013-06-09
From: Hertline Campsite

To: Port Clinton PA
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up and started hiking @ 6:18. Looking forward to getting to town. The first part of the hike was fairly flat & easy. Made good time in the beginning. As the day went on, the trail got rockier. I had to get off the trail for about 0.2m to get water. While I did, Chaser & her crew passed me. 2 Speed was ahead of me all day. Mack was behind me all day. There was one short but steep up on the last portion of the day. That was tiring. Then, it was level for a while. Then I had a long, steep descent. My legs were really tired when I hit the town. I hit the town @ 1:45. The planned stay was at the Pavilion. A covered shelter where everyone slept on the floor. You got water from a nearby resident - Fred - who also gave a shuttle ride into Hamburg. Hardly anything in Port Clinton. In Hamburg, we frequented Walmart & Cabellas. The people.@ Cabellas gave us a ride back to the Pavilion. We later walked over to the Port Clinton Hotel & got a shower, did laundry, & got something to eat.
Date: 2013-06-10
From: Port Clinton PA

To: Port Clinton PA
Miles today: 0.0

Due to severe weather, we decided to take a zero day in Port Clinton. We ate breakfast in CC's Diner (0.3m from Pavilion). We later caught a shuttle from Fred into Hamburg and at lunch @ a restaurant. We frequented Walmart & Cabellas and later returned to the Pavilion. It rained hard in the morning, drizzled most of the day, and rained hard in the afternoon & night.
Date: 2013-06-11
From: Port Clinton PA

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: light rain

Left the Pavilion @ 5:47 am. The wet grass on the trail quickly soaked my shoes & socks. The beginning of the hike was too bad. I stopped along the way and saw a site of telescopes at a local star gazing club. Several nice views were also in the day: The Pinnacle, Dan's Pulpit, & Pulpit Rock. I was able to call Nancy from one of them. When I got to the Knivesedge, I almost fell several times. Really exposed rock ridge-line. I wouldn't have died if I fell but I would have broken something for sure. I was nervous. Glad the rocks weren't wet. It took much longer to hit the shelter than I expected. The rocks on the trail were hurting my feet. Eventually, I did hit the shelter @ 4:40 pm.
Date: 2013-06-12
From: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter

To: Palmerton PA (Jailhouse Hostel)
Miles today: 18.0

Left the shelter at 6:08. The terrain was fairly flat at the beginning. Soon, it got rocky again. Really rocky. When I got to Bake Oven Knob, the rocks were boulders. The trail was painted blazes on the rocks. At this point, I lost the trail. I tried to find the trail for about 10 minutes. Other hikers showed up behind me and we all looked. Some went low and others went high. Eventually, we found the trail and continued onward. Water was at a premium on this day. Not many water sources. When I got to the last shelter before the town (George Outerbridge Shelter), I only had about 1.2 M to get to the road. When I got down to the road, I stuck out my thumb to hitchhike. A car going the opposite direction pulled into the parking lot I was standing in and gave me a ride back into town. He was a construction worker who had just got off. Very nice of him. 2 Speed was eating lunch at a deli. She texted me where she was and the guy dropped me off there. Ate a sub and then we walked to the Jailhouse Hostel (which was never a jail; long story). After cleaning up, I did laundry. We later at a late supper and then talked about what to do for the following day. It was supposed to be a very bad weather day. The Jailhouse Hostel had a 'One Night Only' policy. We thought that they'd be willing to waive that policy in lieu of the bad weather. So, we planned to zero and head out the day after tomorrow. That was the plan when we went to bed.
Date: 2013-06-13
From: Palmerton PA (Jailhouse Hostel)

To: Smith Gap Rd (Garage Hostel)
Miles today: 12.0

We got up and ate breakfast. The city workers where the hostel was at didn't come in to work until 8:30. When we approached them about taking an extra day there, they refused to budge from their policy. Shadow had already decided to leave early that morning and hike all the way to Wind Gap PA solo. We tried to find alternative lodging but couldn't find anything close to being reasonable. We were finally told of the 'winter route' up to the AT that missed the exposed, Class 3 scrambling route that was the AT. The bad weather has drifted south and it wasn't too bad at this time. So, at 11:30, we left the hostel and started hiking towards the edge of town where we would try to hitch. We got a quick ride to the TH. We climbed the alternate route with little problem - other than breathing hard & sweating. Normal stuff. We then rejoined the AT and continued onward. We were shooting for a shelter 16 miles from the start. We expected to get there around 7:30 or so. Around 4pm, it started raining hard. Really hard. We all got drenched. I brought up to Mack & 2 Speed about the Garage Hostel at Smith Gap Rd (12M). We decided that we'd try to stay there when we got to the junction. When we got there, the rain had lessened. We called the number for the hostel. The guy was there (John). He came and picked us up. We got to sleep in his garage floor. We got showers in his house. He drove us to a little grocery/deli where we got subs. He then drove us back. He was a very talkative guy. Even when his wife & son came home, he stayed down in the garage with us talking rather than going upstairs to eat his supper. But, we were dry and clean. We appreciated that.
Date: 2013-06-14
From: Smith Gap Rd (Garage Hostel)

To: Delaware Water Gap PA
Miles today: 24.7

John's wife (Linda?) gave us a ride to the trailhead this morning from the Garage Hostel. We started walking at 6:40. It had rained off and on all night long. The trail was wet & muddy. The grass along the trail was wet. Out feet got soaked quickly. The trail had a lot of small rocks in it. It hurt my feet. We had only one section of trail where there was some large rock slabs to climb over. Fortunately, the rocks had dried out by then. As I neared the town, I called the Outfitter where I had two packages waiting on me to see when time they closed that evening. I learned that they closed at 5 pm. I knew it would be almost impossible to get there in time. I asked if they would stay open for a few minutes longer. They said that they would leave the packages on their front porch. They said that it would be okay. I hurriedly went downhill on the trail. I eventually got the to church hostel around 5:05. I dropped my back and quickly walked toward the outfitter. It was still open & my packages were on the front porch. 2 Speed also had a package for her. I picked it up for her and took it back to the hostel. The hostel portion was full. Mack & 2 Speed tented. I stayed in a little shelter behind the church. I was the only one there. Peace & quiet.
Date: 2013-06-15
From: Delaware Water Gap PA

To: Mohican Outdoor Center NJ
Miles today: 10.8

We were planning to either slackpack a portion of the trail southbound back to Delaware Water Gap or hike a short distance to the Mohican Outdoor Center. Mack & 2 Speed tried to arrange a slackpack. They were unsuccessful. Just prior to leaving the hostel, I looked on the bottom of my shoe & noticed that the sole was ripped over the ball of my right shoe. There was no way to repair it right then. I didn't have enough duct tape to do this before I started hiking. I called REI and managed to order a pair of shoes to be delivered at the next church hostel in Vernon NJ. So, we left the hostel with packs at 10:25. We crossed over the interstate bridge over the Delaware River into NJ. Wahoo! Finally done w/ PA. The river looked like it was above its banks. Lot of rain lately. We steadily climbed up the hill along a creek. Eventually, we leveled out. We came upon Sunfish Pond. This was a glacial pond that was listed as one of NJ's 7 Natural Wonders. I climbed higher and got some nice views of the Delaware Valley & River below. We got to the junction to the Mohican Outdoor Center @ 2:35. We waited for 2 Speed and then walked there (0.3M away). We got a tent site and set up camp. Shadow decided to hike much further. He was no longer travelling w/ our group (was 4, now 3). At the end of the day, we passed another 100-mile marker: 1300. It was 1300.1M at the end of the day today.
Date: 2013-06-16
From: Mohican Outdoor Center NJ

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

Left the Mohican Campsite @ 6:03. Made really good time in the morning. Did 10 miles in just over 4 hrs. At the top of Rattlesnake Mtn, I called Nancy and spoke w/ her for a while. The second half of the day was a little steeper than the first half. I hit Hwy 206 (17.6M) at 1:45. There was a restaurant a short distance to the west. I walked there and got a burger. I then walked back to the trail and began climbing up to the shelter. Hit the shelter junction at 3:49. Claimed my spot in the shelter. Mack & 2 Speed showed up much later. 2 Speed's grandfather had passed away. She was working at getting off the trail and driving up to Boston for the funeral. They showed up at the shelter much later.
Date: 2013-06-17
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Murray Cabin
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: few clouds

I left the shelter @ 6:11. 2 Speed left earlier. The previous night, I had been told about a crazy guy by the trail name of 'Lucifer' that had been at the shelter prior to my arrival. They told him that there was trail magic at the next shelter which got him to leave. As I was hiking that morning, Mack sent 2 Speed at text about this crazy guy. I didn't get the text as my phone was turned off. Just prior to reaching the Sunrise Mountain Pavillion, I saw a bear in the bushes. It was my 5th bear of the hike. After passing the Pavillion, I ran into 2 Speed. She was hiking in the bushes off the trail. She had run into Lucifer and he had frightened her so much that she took off running and hid off the trail. She hiked with me for the rest of the day. A few minutes later, we met up w/ Lucifer and his dog. He asked me where we were going. I told him nonchalantly that we didn't know and kept walking by. After several hours, we came upon a Ridge-runner going S/B. We told him about Lucifer. He was aware of him and was looking for him. We then hit High Point State Park. There, we got some trail magic inside the visitor's center (soda) and another soda & fruit in the parking lot. We kept hiking until we got to the cut-off of the Murray property. There, the owner had constructed a cabin, privy, well, and shower for hikers to use. 2 Speed did some figuring of her distances to Vernon NJ and decided to stay here for the night. Mack showed up later. Soon, the cabin filled up with other hikers.
Date: 2013-06-18
From: Murray Cabin

To: Vernon NJ 
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

2 Speed left camp @ 4:55. I was already awake. So was Mack. I got up and packed up. I left Murray Cabin @ 5:54. Mack was with me. We hiked together for the entire day. It had rained the previous afternoon & evening (even though it wasn't supposed to). The trail was muddy. Our shoes got wet quickly. We hiked quickly so we could get to Vernon. We did three 90 deg turns around a Wildlife Center. Basically, a swamp with straight dirt roads on three sides and a hwy on the other. We then did some board-walking thru a different swamp. We later went through some more ups and downs. We then hit a really nice boardwalk over some swamp. After that, we had a few miles to the jct to Vernon. After we got the jct, we tried to hitch for a while. After a while, we decided to walk 0.2M to the west & went to Heaven Hill Farm Market. We ate some ice cream, sodas, & pastry. We ate them. Then, we again tried to hitch again. This time, we were successful. A lady at the church where the hostel was gave us a ride there. Once at the hostel, we showered, did laundry, and got something to eat. We also learned that hitchhiking was illegal in NJ.
Date: 2013-06-19
From: Vernon NJ 

To: Wildcat Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Got a ride from the hostel from Butch Cassidy (Trail Angel). Got to the TH & started hiking @ 7:30. Started climbing. The NJ/NY border was near Prospect Rock. Nice flag there. The trail in NY followed a rock ledge w/ interspersed w/ brush. It wasn't marked well. Kept losing the trail. Long downhill to Hwy 17A. Once there, I walked over to a hot-dog stand & got a soda. I then walked another 0.2m over to a creamery & got some ice cream. Nice view of the valley below. After the ice cream, I climbed up to Wildcat Shelter and called it a day. Got there @ 4:30.
Date: 2013-06-20
From: Wildcat Shelter

To: William Brien Shelter
Miles today: 19.6

Left the shelter @ 6:06. Trail descended to a pretty waterfall - Fitzgerald Falls. Then, I climbed up Buchanan Mnt. Tough climb. Lots of tough, steep scrambles on the hike. One of them was called the 'Lemon Squeezer.' Tight fit. Took a picture of it with Knightrider going through it. He's from Maine. Retired guy like me. Later, I was hiking w/ Mack. We came to the jct to Harrison Park. We hiked down to it for some snacks & possibly a shower. No hot water. We passed on the cold shower. Throughout the day, there was trail magic water cached at each road jct. Water was scarce on the trail. I tanked up each time I could. After Harrison Park, me & Mack hiked the last 4m to our shelter. Due to the unreliable water source @ the shelter, we got water 2m away & lugged it to camp.
Date: 2013-06-21
From: William Brien Shelter

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Left the shelter @ 6:06. After a short climb, I came upon a distant view of Manhatten. I took some pictures but I don't think they'll show up very well. After the trail crossed Pallisade Pkwy, I lost the trail for about 45 min. Very frustrating. Eventually, Knightrider showed up & we eventually found where we erred. We got back on track & began climbing Bear Mtn. Along the way, I had Knightrider take my picture with the Hudson River as the background below. When we got to the top of Bear Mtn, it was a tourist-type place: road w/ parking lot, vending machines, rest rooms, observation tower, etc. While drinking a Powerade, I saw a bear walk across the road & began snooping.around the area. I alerted Knightrider. We both began taking pictures & video od the bear. Mack walked up at this time. He also took some puctures. At one point, the bear climbed up on a rocky knob & basically posed for a bit. Pretty cool. After the bear walked off, the 3 of us climbed the observation tower for the views. Afterward, we began hiking down Bear Mtn. This was a steep descent that was basically a bunch of stair steps in rocks all the way down. It ended in Bear Mtn Park. Nice park complete w/ a zoo. In fact, the trail went right thru the zoo. I had a food mail drop @ the P.O. I had to walk about 1.5m to pick it up. Across the street, there was a pizza joint where I ate along w/ Crazy Frog. Afterward, I walked back to the trail & hiked thru the zoo. After the zoo, I crossed over the Hudson River on Bear Mtn Bridge. I had a steep climb up a ridge on the heat & humidity. It was level for a.while. After hitting Hwy 9, there was a store that also served pizza. I ate more pizza. There were a bunch of Thru-hikers hanging around the picnic tables of the store. Afterward, I crossed the hwy & walked a short distance until I reached the Graymoor Spiritual Life Center. There, there was a pavilion & camping area next to a ball field that they let thru-hikers camp at. There was even a shower (no hot water... Brr!). I set up my tent & called it a day. The place filled up w/ a lit of hikers.
Date: 2013-06-22
From: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Me & Knightrider left the Graymoor @ 6:15. Lots of short ups & downs in the a.m. Trail was well marked. Around lunch, we hit the hwy jct to a state park that had a grill. We road walked for a short distance & then got a ride to the park. Grabbed a burger & then took a green-blazed trail back to the AT. The afternoon had easier terrain & was well marked. We hit the RPH Shelter @ 2:55. It actually had four walls, bunk beds, covered eating area, trash cans, & a pump well. I drank from the well before I saw the notice that it needed to be treated. You could order pizza & have it delivered. That's what I did. I shared a pizza w/ Crazy Frog.
Date: 2013-06-23
From: RPH Shelter

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Left RPH Shelter w/ Knightrider @ 6:12. We hiked together all day. After 5M, we took a side hike to a store/deli & got something to eat. Mack & Javaman showed up. We had a long break there. Afterward, me & Knightrider headed on. It was a hot & humid day. No breeze. I was on the edge of heat exhaustion all day long. Just trying to keep somewhat cooler. I arrived @ Telephone Pioneers Shelter @ 3:25. I was pretty tired. I took a sponge bath to clean up & cool off some. It helped some. I put on a bunch of Deet & slept in the shelter. Yuck.