morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-29
From: Quarry Gap Shelters

To: Midpoint Marker
Miles today: 18.3

Well, as you might have guessed, the night hike was a no-go. We just couldn't bring ourselves to get out of our sleeping bags, it was just too chilly. By the time I had woken up around eight, Stick was already gone. I didn't want to get too far behind him so I packed quickly and was hiking by 8:30.The trail was pretty rocky and all uphill starting out, but after a few miles it leveled out. I practically flew the 7.5 miles to Birch Run shelters, I was there around eleven, where I met Megan and Lawerence, two college kids from Philly out for the weekend. My feet started to ache, so I slowed the pace a bit. It turned out to be a rather warm day, so I was really looking forward to eating that half gallon of ice cream. At Toms Run shelters, I found Stick there waiting for me. It was drizzling a bit, but soon let up. A bit later we passed Coredump, who had stopped to make lunch. Around 2:30, we reached Pine Grove Furnace State Park. We have officially walked half of the Appalachain Trail!! At the campstore, we found several thru hikers here; Snail, Buckwheat, and Coredump came soon after. We went inside to purchase our half gallon of ice cream for the half gallon challage. For those of you who are not familiar with this tradition, it is quite simple. Anyone who has walked here from either Georgia or Maine can do this. Simply buy a half gallon of ice cream and eat it as fast as you can. You can take as long as you want, but if you finish the whole thing, you become a member of the half gallon club and get a little wooden spoon to commemerate the event.Both Stick and myself have already tried this back in Front Royal, but we have to do it for real this time. He picked plain vanilla and I choose banana split. It took me 45 minutes and Stick about 42, but we both finish the challenge. Coredump, however, put both of us to shame. He started a good ten minutes after us and finished about 15 minutes before us. He downed it like a champ. And to top it off, he ate a plate of nachos afterwards!!Everybody had soon left and gone on down the trail. Stick and I were feeling lazy so we decided to hang around. The park has a lake, and a snack bar, so we went to hang out by the lake for a bit. I went up to the snack bar for a pop and to use the payphone to call home. After our ice cream had finally settled, we decided to continue on. We didn't go too far though. We only made it to the half-way marker. What a feeling!! The official halfway point was two miles back, due to reroutes that take place on the trail every year. We stopped to take pictures and decided to camp in a clearing nearby. It was a very tiring day, but we are in high spirits.
Date: 2005-05-31
From: US 11, Harrisburg Pike

To: Cove Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I can't recall the last time I have slept so well. The hotel breakfast was horrible, so we walked down to the diner. We were in no hurry getting back to the trail, we really needed to take it easy after such a big day yesterday. The day turned out to be a hot one. It was only in the mid seventies, but it felt a lot worse. Back on the trail around eleven, the going was slow, even though the trail was practically flat, going through several farm feilds for the first few miles. We had stopped for water at a cold spring, when Buckwheat caught up to us. Come to find out, we had missed him at the diner by about five minutes. We ended up walking with Buckwheat most of the day. By mid-aftertoon, the temps cooled off noticeably, making the day much more pleasant. A greater part of the day, the trail went through open feilds, which was a nice change of pace, although the sun can really suck the energy out of you. There was some great views a few miles before the shelter, but we didn't linger for long. I had only done ten miles by this point, but my feet are still really tender for yesterday's ordeal. To make matters worse, the rocks got really bad just before the shelter. For a few minutes, after looking at the map, we thought that we had passed it up, but kept going with the mindset that if we had missed it, we would just end up in town and would have a hot supper. Luckily, we hadn't missed it, and after a long steep descent, we came to a rather nice shelter. The only catch is that water is another 1/4 mile down a steep sidetrail. Tonight here with us and Buckwheat is Stealth and Ninja, and several section hikers.The shelter is constructed in a way that there is only room for four people. The have built makeshift bunks, room for one person on each. I ended up on the floor of the shelter, which is fine by me as long as no one steps on me in the middle of the night. Buckwheat is also on the floor, but he has a hammock, so he rigged it up from the rafters. Hopefully just a quick in and out tomorrow in Duncannon.
Date: 2005-06-01
From: Cove Mtn. Shelter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept very well last night. It was the first night of the hike that I didn't have to wear long johns to sleep in. It was very comfortable. We were up early and down to the road by about ten o'clock. We found a coller full of lemonade at the road and stopped to drink one, since it was a very hot morning. The trail goes straight through town, so we made our way down the main street. On our way to the post office, we met Peace Frog, he said we could leave our packs at his place while we walked around town. While I walked down to the post office, Peace Frog gave Stick a ride to the grocery store. In my box I had new shorts, water filter, and tons of letters from friends. After we got done resupplying, both of us walked down to the Doyle for lunch. The Doyle is a hotel/bar that was built by Anheuser-Busch in the early 1900s. After a great lunch, we hung around Peace Frog's place, which, by the way is over a pub. Very cool. We were waiting for the heat of the day to pass before we started that tough climb back onto the ridge. Around three, we finally were ready to leave town. We went downstairs to say goodbye to Trailangelmary, who is Peace Frog's lady. Well, Buckwheat was there and insisted that we played a game of pool with him. He bought us a round of drinks. Then a really nice local bought us a round of drinks. And the next thing we knew, it was about nine rounds later and about 8 pm. We were in no shape to do the four miles to the shelter. Peace Frog and Trailangelmary said we could sleep at their place on the couch. Peace Frog and Trailangelmary are probably two of the nicest people that I have met on the trail. They welcome hikers into their home all of the time, letting them stay there and feeding them on occasion. It is people like them that make the trail what it is. Well, what was supposed to be a short three or four hour town stop ended up being a nero day. We got sucked into the town vortex!!
Date: 2005-06-02
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Peters Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

We were up at 5:30, and Peace Frog was just leaving for work. We thanked him for his hospitality and started on our way out of town. We stopped at the truckstop on the outside of town for some breakfast. Food was good, the service was not. Left the resturant and crossed over the Susquehanna River. The sky is very gray and it is humid. If we hadn't felt the effects of our time in the bar last night, we were feeling them for sure on that initial climb. After a grueling 3 miles, we came to Clarks Ferry Shelter. We stopped to regroup so to speak. Not to soon after starting up again, the sun really came out and made things pretty enjoyable, although there were a lot of rocks today. Stick almost stepped on a diamondback snake. I was following right behind him when all of a sudden, he jumped back and ran into me. Sure enough, there was a brown diamondback, just sitting in the middle of the trail. I myself would have probably stepped on him. We really took our time and by a quater till two we had made it to Peters Mountain Shelter. This is one of the nicer shelters on the trail. It could easily sleep 30 people or more. It's a double decker and even has old backpacking magazines to read. The only thing is the water is down a steep steep sidetrail. It is a nice cold spring, so it is worth the walk.We spend the afternoon being lazy and resting, hoping we can pound out a big day tomorrow.
Date: 2005-06-03
From: Peters Mtn. Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: mist

It rained all day today. We slept in and were very slow to get going. I was in no rush to head out in the rain. There was no break in the rain, so we didn't take any breaks today. I don't really understand why. We area already soaked, so it's not like we'll get any wetter by sitting down and taking a break!! Must be something mental I suppose. It was a very dull day. Only one big up, but the rain made the going seem worse than it really was. We were the first ones to the shelter, with Buckwheat coming in about an hour later. Two teens came in very late. They were very inconsiderate. They tried building a fire inside the shelter, and after smoking us out, we told them to take it out in the rain.
Date: 2005-06-04
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained through the night and was still raining when we got up. I began to think that our good luck with the weather was starting to run out. But luckily the rain stopped right before we set out. I guess our luck will continue for now. Not only did it stopped raining, but the sun came out, and along with it, the humidity. It might as well have been raining. Around noon, we reached Swarta Gap, and tried hitching into Lickdale for some Mickey D's, but we had no luck. During the climb out of the gap, I realized how bad I stunk! A shirt drenched in sweat and rain and dried over several times can really reek! All part of the adventure. At William Penn Shelter, I took a break and waited for Stick. After reading the register, I realized that we now officially have less than 1,000 miles to go! We finally got to Highway 501, and Buckwheat showed up a little later. We talked a guy into giving us a ride to town, where we got pizza and pop. Getting a ride back was a little tougher. We hung out by a gas station asking for a ride back up the mountain. We have no shame. Finally a nice gentleman got us back to the trail. A short walk brought us to the 501 shelter, which is actually more like a building complete with a solar shower. Only Stick, Buckwheat and I here tonight.
Date: 2005-06-05
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I was up early due to an upset stomach. Nothing a little breakfast couldn't fix. The morning started out very humid, but the terrain wasn't too terrible, so I managed to knock out 10 miles by noon. Since I was ahead of Stick all morning, I decided to stop and wait for him at a road crossing. Once he caught up, I took off again to a spring that was just a mile up the trail. I needed water and it was a little ways off the trail, so I put my pack down on the trail so Stick would wait up once he saw it and off I went for water. When I came back, I filtered and waited a good 20 minutes for him, but I guess he continued on without me! I finally caught up to him at Eagles Nest Shelter where we took a long break for the final push to town. The day got really hot, topping out at around 85 degrees, one of the hottest days yet. After the shelter, the trail got waaay rocky. People say that Pennsylvania is the place where boots go to die. Now I know why. I got ahead of Stick during the last few miles into town. My feet were killing me due to the rocks and the 20- plus mile day that we were doing, so I just sucked it up and continued on. I made it to Port Clinton around seven, and proceded to the hotel/bar where I ordered a burger as big as my head. I saw the North Carolina Brothers, who I hadn't seen since the night before Damascus. Stick came in about half an hour later and called his uncle. He lives in Reading, which isn't far from here. Soon after he picked us up and we started a much needed zero day.
Date: 2005-06-06
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Took a zero today, and ended up getting a new backpack. Got the Z pack by Gregory and shaved another 2 pounds off my pack weight. So I'm down to about 37 pounds fully loaded. Tomorrow, Stick and I are talking to about 100 fourth graders about our hike, that should be interesting.
Date: 2005-06-08
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up about eight to the smell of Stick's Aunt cooking breakfast. She had to leave soon after so we said our goodbye's and thank-you's. Soon after, Stick's uncle drove us back to Port Clinton and we were on the trail by ten. Stick's Uncle and Aunt have been so great and hospitable. Thank you for the bottom of my heart. It was close to 90 degrees when we hit the trail. It seems like the heat showed up all of a sudden while we were in the air conditioning for the last two days. We had no time to climatize!! I was drenched in no time. We made it to Windor Furnace Shelter around two, and decided to take a siesta to let the heat of the day pass. I took a good long nap. I left around 4:15, but Stick decided to stay a little longer. I stopped at the Pinnacle, which offered excellent views today. It finally cooled off a little later and I made it to the shelter right as the sun was setting. This shelter is awesome! It's actually down a road a few tenths behind this guy's house. I didn't catch his name. But it is totally enclosed, with bunks, games, magazines, and a fridge full of pop and ice cream for donation. Stick came in a little after dark as I was finishing dinner. We played a few games of chess and called it a night.
Date: 2005-06-09
From: Eckville Shelter

To: PA 309, Blue Mtn. Summit
Miles today: 11.5

I was up really early, around five, but layed in the bag for a long while. I would soon come to regret it! Started around 9:30, and it was already getting HOT. The heat just keep getting worse. It is smothering; it's like a blanket. It engulfs you and there is no escaping it. It makes it hard to breath, like someone has you in a big bear hug. Stick says I should like the heat, being from Florida. My response is that just because I'm used to the heat, doesn't mean I have to like it. Out here, you just can't go inside the air conditioning; you are stuck!The view from Dan's Pulpit was nice. That's when the rocks started. We stopped for water at Dan's Spring, where Stick and I came to the conclusion that winter hiking is where it is at. Hiking in the heat is no fun at all. We've decided to do a January 1st start when I finish college, or one of us wins the lottery, whichever comes first. We stopped at Allentown Hiking Club shelter for a short break, where we found mounds of weekend warriors. After a short break, I practically flew the last four miles to PA 309, where there is a resturant. I waited for Stick, who was getting sick. I think it is probably due to the heat, and us not being adjusted properly to it yet. We ate at the resturant, which was good, but expensive. They have a big grassy patch behind the resturant, and they allow thru hikers to camp there, so that's what we did. (With permission of course) But stupid us, we should have put our tents up and then went eat, because just as we were in the middle of setting them up, a torrential downpour started!! In my haste to put up my tent, I put the fly on backwards, so I couldn't get in, so I had to take it off, and flip it, getting absolutely drenched in the process.With my tent up, I climbed in to wait the storm out. I was sitting in an inch of water. Stick's situation wasn't much better. Here camping with us tonight are Water and Wave, a couple who just started in Port Clinton and are finishing up their thru hike from last year.
Date: 2005-06-10
From: PA 309, Blue Mtn. Summit

To: Lehigh Gap, Palmerton, PA
Miles today: 13.6

It was very muggy this morning due to the rain yesterday and last night. I got started before Stick, who is still pretty sick. I am starting to get sick somewhat myself.I met Deacon from '93 just up the trail aways. A nice fellow. There were a lot of rock feilds today. I bent my leki pole on some, but not bad enough where I can't still use it. I just can't retract it. Not soon after Stick caught up to me and we walked together to the shelter. By this time the sun really came out so we took a long break to dry everything out. The water was down a steep trail. I had to go to the third spring, since the other two were dry. Not a good sign of things to come. There were a bunch of weekend warriors here, they are all very nice. One even gave us a mountainhouse meal, which Stick and I split. We met a ton of people out for the day. The heat was absolutely unbearable, especially over some of the rock feilds that had no tree cover. I got ahead of Stick and made it to Lehigh Gap around a quarter to four. It was a very busy highway, so no one was stopping to give me a lift to town. I ended up walking all the way to town. At the first stoplight in town, a guy in a pickup gave me a ride to the jailhouse. He said that he saw me back at the trail, but couldn't stop because traffic was too heavy, and came back to give me a ride. What a guy!For those of you who aren't familiar with the hostel here in Palmerton, let me tell you about it. It is in the old jailhouse, which isn't really more than a basement in the old police station. But it is a free stay. I got there just as they were locking the place up. Come to find out, Stick was only five minutes behind me and got a ride no problem. They take down all this information about you; social security number, driver's license, the works. I guess they do a background check on you, but hey it was free so I didn't mind. It is a pretty nice place. Wooden bunks, cold showers, and a gym area with a basketball court. We were in heaven. Here also with us tonight is Becky and Bev, a daughter and mother from New Hampshire out for a few weeks. We did the usual town chores, showers, laundry, calls and then went eat at Berts Diner for dinner. I played a few games of HORSE with Stick and we called it a night.
Date: 2005-06-11
From: Lehigh Gap, Palmerton, PA

To: Leroy A. Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

We ate at Bert's again for breakfast. I bought two gatorades since the water sources are going to be non-exsistant today for 16 miles. A lady had planned to pick up Becky and Bev and take them back to the trail, but she didn't have room for all of us, so Stick and I started the 3 mile walk back to the trail. We were walking for maybe ten minutes when the lady came back and took us to the trail. The climb out of Lehigh Gap was steep, but fun. The Gap is also known as "Dante's Inferno". On a hot sunny day, it can really be hell. Luckily it was overcast in the morning and cool so it was no problem. I even stopped to take a picture of my "Cliffhanger" pose. I put Sylvester Stallone to shame. There was a bunch of dayhikers out. A kid was above us throwing rocks down. His dad yelled at him to stop before he hit us. Let me explain a little bit about the Palmerton area. As I understand it, it was a Zinc smelting accident that took place here decades ago. It killed all the vegitation for miles around. To this day, hardly anything is alive. It literally looks like an atomic bomb went off. It was very depressing. There was pretty much no water all day. There was one source called "Metallica Spring". I sure wasn't going to drink from it! A trail angel left a water cache at Little Gap. We both grabbed a bottle of water and continued on. By noon the overcast was gone and it got hot. We met a few day hikers along the way, as well as a six foot black snake. About a mile before the shelter it started to rain, just enough to cool me off and get me chaffe as well. The shelter was packed tonight. There are three springs here, all downhill. The first two were dry, so I had to walk half a mile downhill to the third one. It hasn't been this crowded since Partnership Shelter in Virginia, over 700 miles ago.
Date: 2005-06-12
From: Leroy A. Smith Shelter

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I was up early since it wasn't hot this morning. We walked down to the gap, where there is a hotel near the trail that sells pop. Of course, we had to go get one. While we were there, we were informed that there was a town a mile from the trail the other direction with a McDonalds. Like Stick said, "How could we pass this up?" One mile ended up being about two and a half, but it was no problem. We sat in McDonalds for several hours, eating, reading the newspapaer and enjoying the air conditioning. We talked to a scout troup that was finishing up a weekend hike and they gave us a ride back to the trail. It was a lot hotter when we got back to the trail. We were also greeted with a big climb, which is not advisable on a full stomach. I started to get really sick, so I took some immune system boosters. It was rocks all the way to the shelter. Here tonight with Stick and I are Water, Wave and a section hiker. On to DWG tomorrow for some much needed R & R.
Date: 2005-06-13
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, here we are at the end of PA. Stick and I have battled rocks, lack of water, exessive heat, and mounds of weekend warriors and have prevailed. Went over to Strousburg for the day and got a room to get out of the heat. Both Stick and I are sick right now, so we are going to rest up the rest of the day and get better. Going to get a late start tomorrow, it's supposed to top out around 98 degrees. Finally going to be in NJ!!7 states down, 7 to go. Peace.
Date: 2005-06-14
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Camp Road, Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: few clouds

A good night's rest can do wonders. Although I am still clogged up, I feel a lot better. Stick is feeling worse though. We waited until the last possible moment to check out before we left. Split a taxi with Water and Wave to take us back to Delaware Water Gap to the post office. Mailed home some maps. I had misplaced my guidebook yesterday in the phonebooth next to the church hostel when I was calling to find us a room. Luckily it was still there. We hung around the hostel until about 2:30 to wait until the heat of the day passed. We talked to Pastor Karen, Becky, Bev and Coredump for a while and played some chess. Stick taught me how to play Badgammon?The climb out of the Gap wasn't bad, it was just rocky and still fairly warm. We stopped at Sunfish Pond, which is a glacier lake. We almost went swimming, but before we could, a ridgerunner came along and told us no camping/swimming here. Like we would do such a thing. The trail the rest of the way to the MOC was easy, but I was chaffed, so it was miserable. the Mohican Outdoor Center is a few tenths off the trail, but offers free campsites, and sells cans of pop, so we are crashed here for the night pumped full of caffiene again!! The bugs are out with a vengence tonight so it's in the tents early tonight.