morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-22
From: Waynesboro, Pa

To: Chimney Rock
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light rain

As rest days go, we felt like this was a very good one. Not a complete zero like the other Waynesboro   because we hiked about 9 miles yesterday and then 7 miles today. But we still managed to find it restful. We 'slept in' until 6 am, then had a leisurely breakfast. Afterwards a planning session for our next few resupplies, then Will listened to music and I read for a bit. After which we got packed up hit the street. Will had seen a restaurant that had gyros ( pronounced heroes ) and was hot to go there. He grew up in Detroit and Detroit has a great Greek Town. The food was great! We ate in a leisurely manner and then headed to the post office. We wanted to get to a shoe store and the Walmart but we weren't sure how we were going to get there, it was 3 or 4 miles from the end of town we stayed at. But, problem solved! A woman who was leaving the post office asked if we were hiking the AT. Why yes. Do you need a ride anywhere? Was her next question. Are you kidding me? We didn't even have to stick out our thumb. I named her a trail angel right then and there.Her name is Rae, and it turns out she does this kind of thing often. Many times she offers the hikers a home cooked meal and takes them to her home. She dropped us off at the shoe store amid our profuse thanks.I bought some new shoes, it was time, 500 miles or so. I liked the soles and the construct of this shoe, but the color...Will really likes them though, which is a good thing since he's going to have to look at them for the next 500 miles or so. I'll put a picture of them on here so you can see what I mean.   You might want to put some sun glasses on before you look at it though, lol.Next we went to Walmart and got food for a couple of days. Then it was out to the road.   We didn't stand out there long before a very nice young couple who lived just on the other side of the trailhead stopped and gave us a ride. So we were back on the trail by 3 pm. The tread was pretty easy at first and so we hummed along. We passed 3 shelters in relatively quickly succession. Deer Lick, Antietam and Tumbling Run Shelters. There was also a nice park called Old Forge Picnic area, where we got water and took a break. After we passed Tumbling Run Shelter we hit a bunch of steep uphill. Since it's warm and humid right now, we were both sweating like crazy. I felt like I had taken a second shower for crying out loud. We hiked until we saw a good place to camp near Chimney Rock. Since they are calling for rain tonight, we have set up the tent and will forego cowboy camping. So, we're back on the trail and moving toward the 'real' halfway point. Yahoo! Calling it a night. Catch you later!Road Runner
Date: 2016-04-23
From: Chimney Rock

To: Tom's Run
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: overcast clouds

In my last post I mentioned that we are seeing more hikers. Today was hiker central. We saw more hikers today than any other day so far. Day hikers, weekenders, section hikers and flip floppers. I don't want to give the impression that it is all gloom and doom for the flip floppers. I have met quite a few who are moving along, enjoying their hike and tapping into the tribal ethos of the trail; living their dream.The rain started around 9 PM last night and lasted most of the night.   The steady pitter patter heiped me sleep.   We were ready to hit the trail around 6AM but another burst of rain had us lazing around in our sleeping bags for another hour. The rain let up so we broke camp in the rain. It was actually quite enjoyable hiking in the rain.   The temp was around 50. We were comfortable in our rain gear.   A huge difference from a few weeks ago when we had rain and 35 degrees. The rain broke our string of 8 sunny days in a row. The rain lasted most of the morning but by noon the skies cleared, the sun came out and we had another perfect afternoon for hiking.The hiking was once again easy as we had quite a bit of flat terrain. The climbs were short and gentle. We walked through hardwoods most of the day. There were some nice pines especially at Caledonia SP.The main event of the day was that somewhere late afternoon we passed the halfway mark. I guess it changes every year depending on trail conditions.   This year AWOL's guide has it at mile 1094.50. Just north of Tom'so shelter is a permanent halfway marker. Tomorrow morning we will hit Pine Grove Furnace State Park. If the store is open we may buy some ice cream in honor of the tradition of the half gallon challenge but I doubt that I can pack away a half gallon all by myself. Another great day of hiking. I have to say, the hiking has been pretty easy lately. After some of the terrain that we encountered early on, I didn't know if easy and AT could be used in the same sentence. Hoping for more of the same tomorrow. Will
Date: 2016-04-25
From: Boiling Springs

To: N of Clark's Ferry Shelter 
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: broken clouds

We left the suburbs of Boiling Springs early this morning. It was warm as we walked through the farmlands and flatlands. We had to carry extra water as we were walking past streams and creeks that were laced with pesticides.   The Aqua Mira that we use is pretty good at protecting us from pathogens but it probably doesn't do much for leaching out bad chemicals.After we left the flatlands we actually did some climbing today. We had 3 climbs of about 1000 feet each. The climbs were fairly moderate, so all in all today continued the trend of fairly easy hiking. Most of our afternoon was spent in the forest.   The forest continues to green up. The underbrush is getting thicker and the trees are leafing out. Spring is happening before our very eyes and it is amazing to see the subtle changes on a daily basis.The hiking through Pennsylvania has been relatively easy so far with the exception of these rock gardens that pop up on the trail every so often that at times slow us down to a crawl. I guess it gets worse further north but we'lljust keep enjoying what the trail gives us day to day and worry about those nasty rocks up north when we get there..On the way into Duncannon AWOL's Guide even mentioned a 5-6 mile stretch that was 'rocky'. But it wasn't any worse than what we had already encountered.   So we were thrilled. AWOL must have been having a bad foot day.We got to Duncannon around 2 and headed to the Doyle which is an iconic spot on the AT.   We were greeted by Pat, one half of the husband wife team that owns and runs the Doyle. We had a nice meal, then headed down the street to 3B Ice Cream for a double scoop cone.We crossed the Susquehanna river as the cars and trucks zoomed by and then reentered the forest for our last climb of the day. We quit early and shared a campsite with Soho a young German girl whom we met at the Doyle. She is hiking north to finish up Pennsylvania and that will conclude her section hike of the AT. So a big congrats to her.Another nice day on the AT. We are enjoying hitting these little towns along the way. The locals that we have met are friendly and knowledgeable about the trail. And best of all we are keeping our bellies fullWill
Date: 2016-04-26
From: Tom's Run

To: Rausch River Campsite
Miles today: 25.5

I hate to say it, but there isn't much to say about today's hike. 'A Walk in the Woods' it was. We passed three shelters and let ourselves get pretty dehydrated in the heat of the day; got rained on a little and saw two different thunderstorm systems that were on the verge of colliding, one from the east, one from the west,both with lightning. But that was about it.So I thought I'd talk to you about what I am calling, 'the Chipmunk Plan'. It's pretty much Will's idea but I don't think he'll mind if I tell you about it. It's not a secret plan or anything. And of course I'm behind it 100% since we are Team Tyler!You'll remember that we have a time frame for our hike because of our dog Jedi that we share we our son Matt. That time frame is four months. So Will divided the mileage by the days, threw in a few rest days and came up with the magical daily mileage figure of 21.5 miles per day. We have tried to average that from the gitgo. That was a challenge in Georgia where apparantly know one knew what a switchback was when they built the trail in that state. So we're all on the same page about our daily mileage right? Here's where the Chipmunk Plan comes into play. You know how a Chipmunk gathers up acorns and keeps stuffing them in his cheeks until they look like they're going to explode and then he goes and buries them away for winter? Well Alvin, I mean Will, has us hiding a few extra miles away in our cheeks. In Shenandoah NP where the terrain was more forgiving and anywhere else, we're putting those miles in our little Chipmunk cheeks. That way when we hit the White Mountain Range, which has a reputation for making mileage difficult, we'll know that the extra miles we chipmunked away will offset the miles we are short on. The Chipmunk Plan! See how it works now? Okay, great! Well, I guess that's all I have to say about that. We have a nice campsite here by the river. We're hunkered down and ready for bed. So I guess I'll turn in. Catch you later! Road Runner
Date: 2016-04-29
From: Hamburg, PA

To: Hamburg, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We walked in to Hamburg yesterday in the rain and it's still raining today. We decided to take a full zero today. it is one thing when you are hiking and it is raining. You just hike on. But when it is raining on a zero day, and you don't HAVE to be in the rain, it feels so good to be in a warm comfy room. And it feels so cold and nasty just walking across the road for lunch.We are staying at the Microtel in Hamburg. It is a bit pricey. $100. It has limited amenities: no fridge or microwave, no computer in the lobby but it is the only show in town. There is a Cabelas and Walmart across the highway along with several fast food joints. On the plus side our room is bright, warm and the beds are spacious. The laundry is inexpensive; a buck apiece for the washer and dryer. The breakfast is good.I got a shuttle to Port Clinton to the P O to mail a package. $5 roundtrip with Rainbow Shuttle. They have the number at the front desk.We are going to try and make this week an easy week and just shoot for our daily mileage: 21.5 miles/day. We are a bit worn out and it feels like maybe we have been pushing a bit trying to 'chipmunk' those miles RR talked about.That's about it from rainy, blustery Hamburg. Back on trail tomorrow morning.Will
Date: 2016-04-30
From: Hamburg, PA

To: Allentown Shelter
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Our day started out pretty smoothly. Up at 5 am, checked out of the hotel by a little after 6am. But then it took a turn to the not so smooth side. Remember when I told you that Andy had given us his phone number and volunteered to take us back to the trail? Well, either he misspoke when he gave it to me, or I didn't enter it correctly in the phone. Because when Will called it yesterday he got a 'no such number' kind of recording.   It was probably my mistake.   Whatever the case, that meant we had to hitchhike cold turkey.Hamburg turned out to be a tough hitch for us this morning.   It took over an hour for a kind hearted young man to stop and pick us up. We sure did appreciate it! He dropped us back in Port Clinton where we had gotten off the trail on Thursday. We made our way through the streets and to the edge of town where the AT went into the woods.   A man was down by the road with two young puppies getting his morning newspaper.   These puppies were so cute! They were about 4.5 months and a yellow lab/Sharpe mix. The lab part of their parentage was in full flush as they romped over to say hello and then decided they were going to hike the AT too! It took a while and several treats by the owner but we finally disengaged ourselves and continued hiking. But seriously, they were the cutest thing we saw all day. We always get a bit homesick for Jedi when we bump into a dog, especially anything with lab in it.Then it was a long steep climb up onto the ridge, with views of the highway and the Hamburg area as we neared it. We passed Pulpit Rock and then the Pinnacle Rock. I got a kick out of the trail register we signed up there. The entry of a previous hiker ran something like this. 'And on the 8th day God looked at Pennsylvania and decided it didn't have enough rocks in it. So He created enough to fill the whole state. Especially the hiking trails. And that's how Pennsylvania got it's rocks'. Well, now there's an idea. You may or may not know that Pennsylvania has a very bad reputation for being outstandingly hard to hike due to the rocks on the trail.   As I walked along chuckling over that register entry, I came up with my own theory on how the rocks got on this trail.You see, when Will was a young boy and he did anything rash or silly, his dad would say, 'what's the matter with you kid? You got rocks in your head?'. So I thought about it, if everyone who hiked the trail since the late 1930's had rocks in their head, and since most of them were men it follows (lol), then every time they shook their head over something the rocks fell out on the ground, and THAT'S how the AT got so rocky in Pennsylvania.   It's just a theory mind you.We finished up at the Allentown Shelter. Have the place to ourselves. Still pitching our tent though. But this is a pretty nice shelter.   I guess I'd better turn in. All those rocks made my head hurt. Catch you later! Road Runner
Date: 2016-05-01
From: Allentown Shelter

To: Lehigh Gap
Miles today: 17.5

We had a great night camped at the Allentown shelter. We set up our tent on the soft grass below the shelter. It was flat and soft. There was no one at the shelter. It was quiet until around 9 PM when the rain started. It rained for most of the night and it was still raining when we broke camp. It rained all day. It was nasty. We had some rock hopping and climbing today that would have been fun on any other day, but today with the rain it was a bit slippery. There is one area where the rocks are piled up on a bit of a 'knife's edge' that slant at a 45 degree angle. When we were going through, the wind decided to start howling at about 30 mph which added to the fun. I got a good picture of RR and then the phone just decided to quit. Kaput, gone, nothing. We hiked on to Lehigh Gap and made it down to the road. We needed to make a phone call but we were out of luck.Bob and Pat a couple who live in Lehighton had reached out to us. Bob had read our journal and offered us a night at their place: a soft bed, a meal, a shower and laundry. Wow!!! How good is that? We got back with Bob and decided that we would meet near Lehigh Gap. However only one problem. Bob's phone number was in my email on our cell phone which no longer worked.We hitched into Walnutport and stopped at the McDonalds. We shed our wet clothes, got a hot chocolate and then explained our predicament to a group of teens at another table who kindly lent us their phone. We got a hold of Bob who made it to McD in no time and whisked us away to the comfort of his home. It was great. We got a shower, did laundry and sat down to a great home cooked meal by Pat. We had stuffed shells. They were the best stuffed shells I ever had.Bob and Pat were very welcoming and it felt as if we had been friends for a long time. Their hospitality and kindness couldn't have come at a better time. It was a nasty hiking day. Wet, cold and windy. By the time we hit Lehigh Gap we were chilled. Once again many thanks Bob and Pat for taking us into your home and treating us like family. If we make it to Katahdin, you two will be a big part of our success.Bob and Pat got up early and cooked us omelettes and pancakes for breakfast. Even though it was still raining, we were dry and warm heading out for the challenge of the steep climb out of Lehigh Gap. Will
Date: 2016-05-02
From: PA 248/145 Traffic light Walnutport,PA

To: North of Wind Gap
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Bob dropped us off back at the point we had exited the trail yesterday afternoon. But what a boost to our morale! We were cold, soaked and well, a little down hearted as Bruce would say, when Bob picked us up yesterday. But now we were clean, very well fed and all our stuff was dry. That's huge! Just in that short time we were in their care Bob and Pat helped to lift us up. Complete strangers except for our journal. But you know how there are some people you meet and you feel right away like you have known them for much longer? This was one of those times. They have been through a lot, and it's not my story to tell, it's theirs. But I will say that some people would go through something like that and become bitter. But Bob and Pat came through it looking for ways to help other people. And for that I am very grateful. As you climb up the trail here, you are looking at one of the steeper, longer climbs in PA. It is the Superfund area and zinc smelting has made it rocky and steep. You also do some large rock climb here. A bit more of a big deal for us because it was wet and slippery.   We had to go slowly and cautiously. But we made it through without mishap. We took a break toward the top and while there met a new hiker. His trail name is Mac and he is from Toronto in Canada. He started around Harper's Ferry. Of course Will immediately started asking him if he was a hockey fan. Which he was and that makes him a true Canadian in Will's book lol.More trees and more rocks. We stopped by the Leroy Smith shelter and picked up some water. Mac came in while we were there and decided to camp in the shelter. We wanted to put in a few more miles so we hiked on a bit and then cooked a hot supper by the electrical tower. We passed through Wind Gap and then up over to the ridge on the other side.   As soon as we crested it we started looking for a place to camp. It's a very weird thing. During the day when we don't need them, there are all sorts of fabulous campsites, but late at night when it's coming on darkness they are no where to be found! Well, we found a sort of flat spot covered with leaves. There seemed to be a few rocks but beggars can't be chosers right? That's right, but after we pitched our tent and got in, these turned out to be very sharp rocks. I had to find some spare clothes to drape over them and deflate my Neoair to half full so I wouldn't puncture it. Hope that works out for me. Okay, it's after 8pm and I guess I'll call it a night. Catch you later!Road Runner
Date: 2016-05-03
From: North of Wind Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Today felt like a wasted hiking day. We had decided to take it easy and cut back a bit this week but this isn't the way we had planned. The hike into Delaware Water Gap was uneventful. We are on the verge of leaving Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has been an interesting state. It has some of the flattest and easiest hiking on the AT and then it has some of the most maddening stretches of hiking with rocks that slow you down to a crawl. Today we had both.We made it into Delaware Water Gap by late morning and went to the outfitter which was closed. We then went to the local bakery and had the daily special: a hot dog and big slice of apple pie for $2.95.We needed to resupply and then there was the matter of our Samsung Galaxy Note 5 which was nonfunctional. We hitched to Stroudsburg where we were dropped off at the Best Buy. I bought the protection plan for the phone when I purchased the phone at Best Buy. But unfortunately they were not able to replace our phone. They determined that since the phone was less than a year old that it would have to go throught the manufacturer's warranty. They did offer to sell us one of their other expensive smartphones. We declinedWe walked over to 5 Guys for lunch and had cheeseburgers, fries and milk shakes then walked down to Weis markets to get a few days of food. From there it was a hitch back to DWG. Ironically enough we got picked up by a Uber Driver--no charge.We went back to the bakery for more dessert and then decided to call it a day at the Church of the Mountain Hostel. The high point of our day was the two visits to the bakery; not to be missed. It was raining again by evening so we decided to stay warm and dry and start afresh in the morning.Today was a low point for both of us. We are out of a phone temporarily so we are unable to journal. We had been using Guthook's App and in terms of communication we are out in the cold. Our situation seemed a bit bleak especially with the lousy weather but after we sat down and really thought about it, we both said that we had hiked for years without a smartphone and that it was more of a convenience than a necessity. I am not sure when we will be able to resolve the problem but tomorrow morning come rain or shine (most likely rain) we will be crossing over from Pennsylvania into New Jersey. Thunder RoadWill
Date: 2016-05-04
From: Delaware Gap

To: S of Culvers Gap
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: scattered clouds

You know that feeling when you are warm and dry and you look outside and it's wet and rainy and what you'd really like to do is just tuck your head under the covers and stay there until the sun comes out? Yeah, it was one of those mornings. But nothing to do except to buck up and hit the trail.This morning the 'trail' was walking down the streets of Delaware Water Gap until we were directed to the sidewalk that ran along side of the expressway and over the bridge. About halfway across we saw the sign that had been painted on the side walk. It was a big box that had Pennsylvania on one side and New Jersey on the other. So we could step back and forth from one state to the other in one little stride. That is always a fun thing to do. New Jersey, yay!!   But it was raining, again, boo!Just because it is now New Jersey doesn't mean that it is suddenly rock free. So we continued to trip and slip on the rocks all day long. We bumped into a couple of guys that were doing a southbound hike for a couple of days. I made sure to tip them off about the wonderful bakery in Delaware Water Gap.We passed the sign for the Mohican Outdoor Center. This got a pretty big write up in our Appalachian Trail Guide but we hadn't hiked far enough and so we gave it a miss. Along the way we met Jen and Julie, they were flip flop hikers heading north. They had started in Maryland so had just finished hiking PA. They were hiking pretty strong I thought. They had spent the night at the Mohican Outdoor Center but were less than positively impressed by their experience. They were planning to call it a night at the Brink Shelter. We hit the turn off for the shelter and kept on walking. If the weather was bad enough, we had plans to hike to Culvers Gap and then hitch the 2 miles or so to a little motel and get out of the rain. As it was, the rain let up and we hiked until we could see the road below and also the lake and found a very small spot to put our tent up. There is supposed to be a hiker friendly restaurant and a bar with a restaurant to choose from in the morning so that makes us happy.While we were looking for a place to set up camp, Will scared up a porcupine. It had its quills all bristled and everything. They are a funny looking little animal. Well, here's hoping it doesn't rain too hard and flood us out. Looking forward to a hot meal in the morning! Catch you later!Road Runner