morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-26
From: Darlington Shelter 

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 15.6

Sore when we woke up this morning, but had to press through so we could get moving. Out of camp a little after 7:00 am and noticed a number of folks had ventured in last night after we had gone to sleep.   Had a quick chat with ¢Ru, Superman, Stoaway, Terrible Lizard, & Slinger when we woke up, and then were on our way. Not as easy of terrain as our first day, but we made it alright. Saw a number of great views today and stopped in Duncannon for lunch at the infamous Doyle Hotel. Surprisingly good food ¢ Bearman had a burger and Skins had a black bean burger. Spent too much time relaxing in the Doyle, but got moving and eventually crossed incredibly long bridges of the Susquehana and Junaita Rivers. Met a 2014 Flight Flop/Thru-hiker at our Shelter ¢ Rough Bananas who currently is living in Shanghai. Decided to stay in the Shelter tonight to avoid the long packing up of the tent in the morning.
Date: 2016-06-27
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter

To: PA 325, Clarks Creek 
Miles today: 13.4

OK sleep in the Shelter last night, but it did allow us to get moving quickly. The terrain was very rocky today, but only short portions contained large boulders. Unfortunately, the large boulders seem to be easier than the smaller ones.   Took a long lunch at Peters Mountain Shelter. Had a brief conversation with ¢Deepwoods,¢ a local trying to finish half the AT next year and left us a very thoughtful note after we departed. Met some new folks on the trail and found a nice tentsite next to Clarks Creek. Earlier in the day we took a quick break near PA 225 and had a bit of trail magic ¢ Met ¢Big Chill¢ who finished the trail in 2001 and is one of the Top Hat guys at Puxatawny for the Groundhog¢s Day tradition. Very nice guy and hopefully we can meet up with him in the future at Groundhog¢s Day!
Date: 2016-06-28
From: PA 325, Clarks Creek 

To: Campsite, South of PA 72
Miles today: 16.0

Last night was so dark since we were under a tree canopy and no one else was around us. Eerie at times during the night due to the darkness and quiet! Slept in a bit and didn¢t get going until 8 am. Terrain held out generally, but still very rocky. Incredibly humid today, and started lightly raining during out last 2 miles. Luckily, we got to our campsite and set up with only new face of the day ¢ ¢Lighten Up.¢ He is a rising senior Civil Engineer student at Ohio University and out for about 1.5 months to see how far he can get on the trail. Barely finish eating and setting up our tent before it poured down rain. Our tent protected us very well!
Date: 2016-06-29
From: Campsite, South of PA 72

To: Hertline Campsite
Miles today: 18.4

Glad we stayed dry last night! The storms after we were in our tent were somewhat intense. The terrain was very rocky all day too! We had a record resupply today ¢ 37 minutes from the start of hitchhiking to back on the trail! The same gentleman who picked us up after 9 minutes of waiting, waited at the Dollar General for us to take us back to the trailhead. We pushed past the 501 shelter, even though the Trail Magic was going to be there later that night, so we could get an extra 5.5 miles on the books. Met up again with Lighten-Up and got to bed a bit later than usual ¢ 9:30 pm!
Date: 2016-06-30
From: Hertline Campsite

To: Port Clinton Pavillion
Miles today: 18.5

The rocks just don¢t stop! Late start after the 18 mile day yesterday. And, for some reason we did it to ourselves again today! Our feet are extremely tired today after the infinite number of rocks that seem to be lining the Pennsylvania ground. Glad to be a North Bound hiker today after the serious steep downhill into Port Clinton today! Happy were able to get another long day behind us so we can make it to see the Center Valley Millers in two days!
Date: 2016-07-01
From: Port Clinton Pavillion

To: Eckville Shelter 
Miles today: 14.5

Somehow we got an early start to hiking even though we went to be at 10:00 am. Sleeping close to the highway last night may have helped us get up early too. Incredibly humid all day! We heard last night it was supposed to storm this afternoon, so we wanted to get moving. The steep inclines and rocks did slow us down quite a bit today. Around 1 pm, the storm clouds started rolling in. The thunder started and we pressed on, hoping to minimize the time in the storm. Luckily, the trail turned into a dirt road and only a few rain drops greeted us. The rain part of the storm never really hit us. Lucky to have a short day as our feet are really tender today. We made it to the Eckville Shelter, which is more like a hostel than a shelter. Made some new friends ¢ Pyro, Badger, Thin Mint, & Pirate. The four of them went to Lancaster, PA today and brought back a ton of extra fruit to share with all the other hikers. Had a great time relaxing and getting to know lots of good people! We spent some time on our hike today playing an old favorite game ¢ My father owns a grocery store!
Date: 2016-07-02
From: Eckville Shelter 

To: Center Valley Miller House
Miles today: 11.5

Cold night last night in the shelter! Minor storm swept through, but luckily we were inside the Shelter! Since we stayed in the shelter, we were able to get hiking early so we could reach the Miller family¢s house sooner! The terrain continued to be rocky, but the weather was incredible! It was cool, not humid with the right amount of sun. Saw 3 Rattlesnakes sunbathing on the rocks during our hike!We made our trek to PA 309 and met up with Andy, Makenzie, and Hudson around 2 pm. We got to hang out with the whole family ¢ Andy, Kerry, Makenzie, Hudson, and Keaton when we got to their house. A few stops that day ¢ Giant and LL Bean to resupply. Sung Happy Birthday to Hudson, Makenzie and Skins for their Birthdays! Great night with family! Nice to have shower and do laundry too!
Date: 2016-07-03
From: Center Valley Miller House

To: Lehigh River South Bank, PA 873
Miles today: 13.2

Woke up early from our cushy sleeping at The Millers! Both Bearman & I did not want to leave, and came to quickly realize why so many thru-hikers don¢t make it back to the trail if they visit home during their journey. Andy, Makenzie, & Hudson came to drop us off where they picked us up. Unfortunately, we said our goodbyes and were off. The morning weather was fantastic ¢ cool & not humid at all. Terrain had some soft sports, but generally still rocky. The ¢knifes edge¢ was very rocky, but a lot of fun and had great views. We made good time to our intended stopping point, but didn¢t care too much for the shelter. Lighten-Up called a local restaurant & ice cream spot who said we were welcome to camp on their lawn. We (Bearman, Skins, Lighten-Up, and Poppy) took an Uber to the restaurant an when we showed up there was a vintage car show going on! We had a grilled chicken on a salad and soup in the restaurant, but finished off with food of our own. Great spot for camping!
Date: 2016-07-04
From: Lehigh River South Bank, PA 873

To: Smith Gap Road, Stempa House
Miles today: 12.7

Early morning wake-up to catch our shuttle back to our pick-up spot. Cathy from the local Blue Mountain Summit B&B picked us up around 7 am. Soon after our drop off we ran into trail magic from ¢Egg man.¢ Had eggs, hash brown, and some fruit salad. He had a lot of other things for the other hikers too! Great start to the day!Beautiful morning climbing Lehigh Gap ¢ Not sure why so many complaints about it, since we both enjoyed the climb. Beautiful views from up high on the ridge, but still very rocky. Made good time, and had a great, cool spot to enjoy our lunch once we were on the ridge. We decided to make it a short day and stay in ¢Mechanical Man¢s¢ garage and got a very nice hot shower. We are hoping to get a lot of miles in tomorrow so we can finish PA in a few days.
Date: 2016-07-05
From: Smith Gap Road, Stempa House

To: Church of the Mountain, Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 23.6

Exhausting, rocky day ¢ But we made it! We got up early so we could leave our ¢shelter¢ (garage) and hit the trail. We intended on a 17 mile day, so we had to get started. It was raining when we woke up, but luckily had stopped by the time we hit the trail, except for a few wind gusts knocking it off the trees. The day started extremely foggy, but was nice and cool to hike in. Unfortunately, the PA rocks continued to be present.We took a number of breaks for snacks, but more to help rest our tender feet. We saw a wild turkey with several baby turkeys (not sure what the proper name is) following her. When we reached our intended destination we met some SoBo hikers, but decided that we had a few more miles in us and decided to finish PA tonight (kind of).After an extremely long day of hiking, we finially made it ¢Church of the Mountain¢ and set up our tent. We met a lot of nice folks while here. We somehow remet ¢Focus¢ who we had briefly met at the Allenberry when we originally started and Bearman gave her the rest of our Cheez-Its that night! We will definitely sleep well tonight!
Date: 2016-07-06
From: Church of the Mountain, Delaware Water Gap

To: Rattlesnake Spring
Miles today: 13.5

Slept in late until 7:30 am! We woke up with the sun on our tent and could already tell it was going to be a very hot day today. And, boy were we right! After slowly (much needed) getting our stuff together, we walked around Delaware Water Gap; re-supplied; and then had a huge breakfast sandwiches at the Village Bakery. Also, we decided to get a hotdog and piece of pie ($2.95 special!) to include in our breakfast! Today we officially finished PA and started NJ! We were hoping the rocks would stop too, but seemed almost equally as rocky in NJ. We saw some neat Rock Sculptures at the end of Sunfish Pond, which is a much better use for rocks than to floor the trail. Our hike seemed much more difficult than yesterday, but maybe was because of yesterday. During the last ~2 miles we ran into a rattlesnake who nearly bit Skins, who unknowingly got too close just by walking on the trail. Luckily after some patience and well placed distraction rocks, we made it through unscathed. Eventually, we reached additional water and a nice campsite which a number of local YMCA kids, but we found ourselves a more private campsite nearby. And, got to bed at a much more decent hour than last night!
Date: 2016-07-07
From: Rattlesnake Spring

To: Gren Anderson Shelter
Miles today: 17.9

Started hiking at a good hour ¢ a bit after 7 am. Unfortunately, the heat and humidity were already in full swing by the time we started hiking. Today, was very humid and very hot! We saw a number of snakes along the trail too. We stopped for lunch at the Brink Shelter, and very lucky that we did. We set up lunch, got some trail magic from a 4H camp (mixture of popcorn, Fritos, & honey nut cheerios) they left behind in the bear box.   All of the sudden after lunch was set up, dark clouds started moving overhead and luckily we moved into the shelter before the deluge of rain came in. We stayed dry while the 30 minute rain storm passed through. After the rain subsided, we pressed on in the heat and newly moistened trail. We finally made the Gren Anderson shelter and enjoyed some Ramen. Unfortunately, this is likely going to be one of the last nights for us on the trail.
Date: 2016-07-08
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Unionville, NY
Miles today: 20.1

Despite getting up around 6 am, we were one of the last ones to leave camp leaving at 7 am. Unfortunately, today started just as humid as the past few days. While the terrain wasn¢t too bad, the heat and humidity the terrain very difficult. We passed several shelters today and took a break at one of them ¢ Mashipacong Shelter. Our half way point was High Point State Park Headquarters where we got a little trail magic ¢ a diet coke from the employees who were incredibly nice! We really enjoyed a nice break and lunch. We pressed on with the knowledge there may be a thunder storm on the way. With the incoming storm, we knew it would be better to finish the ¢high points¢ before the storm started. Somehow, we lucked out again and the rain didn¢t hit until we reached our endpoint. Despite the rain holding out, the last few miles of our 20+ day were brutal. But, we pushed through to finish our AT section tonight!   Success! 223.5 miles this section!When we arrived into town and stopped at Horler¢s Store and registered to set up a camp in the town park. A number of other hikers set up tents or hammocks in the park too. After getting our tent set up, we ventured down to Wit¢s End Tavern and had celebratory burgers and beers! Cheers!The rain was pouring while we were in the tavern and kept coming down after we left. Happy to be in the tent and fortunately we don¢t have to hike tomorrow!
Date: 2016-07-09
From: Unionville, NY

To: Hampton Inn ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Newark Airport
Miles today: 0.0

Glad we got our tent set up early last night since the rain was fairly consistent and the tent rain fly was soaked when we woke up. We had a restful night knowing we could relax all day and weren¢t planning to hike today. The sky looked like the rain clouds were still above, but was not raining...at least not yet. We packed up and made our way to Horler¢s Store and grabbed a few chairs on the front porch. We had delicious breakfast sandwiches while we hung out. Hikers filed in and out of the storm and generally milled around. Some hikers were sifting through the mail drops and others just enjoying coffee and food (likely recovering from too much to drink the night before). Around 10 am, our shuttle driver, George LIghtcap arrived. So, we said our goodbyes to new friends ¢ Lighten Up & Pirate, and headed on our way.Our shuttle driver was previously a teacher and still does that part time, but also does shuttles (obviously). He gave us some really cool bead necklaces that he makes himself, which are incredibly awesome. He let us take a few extra too! George was nice enough to stop at Target on our way so we could pick up a few things. We enjoyed our time with George and made our way to the Hampton Inn near Newark airport. We enjoyed much needed showers, and were able to dry our stuff out. After our showers, we headed to the Laundromat and cleaned up our clothes at the ¢Wash & Fold¢ on Monroe Avenue. For dinner, we ordered ¢Eli¢s special¢ sandwich, a large salad, and mozzarella sticks. We enjoyed a bottle of wine with dinner and spent most the rest of the day and night relaxing in the hotel.
Date: 2017-07-09
From: Center Valley Miller House

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 5.3

Skins woke up in Center Valley, PA and hung out with Bearman¢s son/Skins¢ oldest brother¢s family until Bearman arrived. After he arrived, we compared food and gear to arrive at our final packs. Our same shuttle driver from last year, George Lightcap, picked us up around 1 pm. George also brought beads! The kids loved them! We said our goodbyes and saddled up for our 2 hour ride to Unionville, NY. We arrived in Unionville around 3 pm and met Purple Rain on the porch of the general store. After some thought, we decided to head to Pochuck Shelter ~5 miles on the trail since it was pretty early. The weather was terrific and we made good time. The shelter was nice, but we opted for our tent. George told us he helped build the shelter previously! We met Frisky, the Ridge Runner, and Weatherman and Delicate Flower. We enjoyed a light dinner of ramen, crackers, and a granola bar. In bed a little late ~9 pm!
Date: 2017-07-10
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 11.5

Late start today, but nice to sleep in. The only person left at the campsite was Frisky. The day was hot, but still pretty nice. A lot of boardwalk hiking today and several footbridges - even one suspension footbridge. We eventually made our way to the foot of Wawayanda mountain and the stairway to heaven. Before the mountain, we did walk through a herd of cows eating all around the boardwalk. The climb up the mountain was pretty challenging and incredibly rocky. But, it was worth it as we could see the boardwalk with the cows and beautiful scenery. We had lunch with the views and lots of the day hikers. After lunch we had about 5 more miles to the shelter. The terrain was not too bad, but we did get caught in a short rainstorm. We got to the shelter and set up our tent, Bearman went to the Wawayanda State Park for water while Skins met some new hikers. We had breakfast for dinner and saw Purple Rain again. Trying to get to bed early tonight!
Date: 2017-07-11
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Wildcat Shelter 
Miles today: 12.1

So much rain last night! While we woke up earlier than yesterday, the soggy environment forced us to spend an hour getting our packs together. Yet, we got moving around 9 am. We had a nice walk with cooler weather. We took some time at a nearby pond to spread Grandpa¢s ashes. After a little time at the pond, we hiked on a nice 4 miles until the NJ-NY border. We finished another state! After a break and a snack, we pressed on. We had a lot of rocky terrain, ups and downs, scrambles, and even a ladder to get up the rocks!We met another father/son duo who started at the Northernmost point, making their way south. They recommended taking our time in NH and stopped at the huts along the way. More to think about next year! After a few miles, we came to a road with Trail Magic from Tentman. He gave us cold drinks, fruit, and socks! We enjoyed the trail magic for a bit and then hiked the last two miles to the shelter. A few short rocky climbs there. Lots of tent space at the shelter, but a weak water stream. Hopefully a dry night!
Date: 2017-07-12
From: Wildcat Shelter 

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 14.3

Such a difficult day! We had hoped to get 19 miles in today, but unfortunately only get 14 miles. The terrain was very difficult - lots of ups and downs over rocks! The humidity was the biggest killer thought. The temperature wasn¢t bad, but it was so humid that we had to take frequent breaks. The weather and terrain slowed us down so much that we didn¢t get to the shelter until after 6 pm despite leaving this morning around 8 am. There were a few neat rock climbs, like the lemon squeezer, which would have been a lot better without the humidity. We met some new hikers and saw some old friends, but still had a productive day - yet exhausting!
Date: 2017-07-13
From: Fingerboard Shelter

To: Seven Lakes Drive - Fairbridge Suites Hotel
Miles today: 10.3

No bear issues last night! Unfortunately, shelter sleeping is not as good as tent sleeping. Regardless, we got up early yet only two tents left when we left. Some rough rocks again today, but not as many as yesterday. Humidity still there though! We took a lot of breaks today and made sure we had plenty of water today too. We saw a bunch of day hikers around William Brien shelter and talked with them for a bit. We pressed on hoping to hit the Zoo today, but took a break at the Palisades visitor center first. A very small visitor center in the median of the road.We got some cold drinks and talked with Starglitter and her daughter who is doing small hikers with her husband and his son. They got picked up to get a rental car and we started hiking towards our destination. We realized we wouldn¢t make the zoo in time, but we discovered it didn¢t matter anyway. A huge thunderstorm came through with a vengeance. We got dumped on and soaked very quickly. We decided to try our hand at hitchhiking to dry out at a hotel. Luckily, an awesome guy named Carl picked us up and took us to two hotels (first one full) and then gave us his number to take us back in the morning! We cleaned ourselves up and walked a mile into Highland Falls to Brother¢s Pizza and then a local grocery for resupply. When we got back to the hotel we saw a number of hikers including Frozen. We met some new hikers and started packing and finishing up drying our stuff for tomorrow.
Date: 2017-07-14
From: Seven Lakes Drive - Fairbridge Suites Hotel

To: Highland Falls, NY - Fairbridge Suites Hotel
Miles today: 0.0

So much rain! We had to really think if we wanted to keep going or wait for the rain to stop. We had breakfast at the fairbridge hotel, not too fancy, but nice enough and kept us full. We relaxed a bit and made the decision to zero at the hotel because it was going to rain all day with only short breaks in the weather. Once we made that decision, we had to decide what to do during the day. We split an Uber with Weatherman to the laundromat to get our wet clothes clean and dry. We walked around the town a bit, but didn¢t eat in town. Instead, we grabbed a sandwich and salad at the grocery store before heading back. Bearman bought a new t-shirt from some guy selling some clothes out front or the grocery store. We walked back to the hotel in a light rain and enjoyed our lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and taking naps. We eventually got hungry after watching enough Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. We ordered food from West Point Pizza - baked ziti and Tuscan chicken sandwich. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and packing for tomorrow!
Date: 2017-07-15
From: Highland Falls, NY - Fairbridge Suites Hotel

To: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center
Miles today: 11.6

Much drier today! We had continental breakfast at the hotel, packed up our bags, and called an Uber. Gideon, our Uber driver, dropped us off exactly where we got picked up by Carl a few days earlier. The weather was a lot better and a lot less humid. We had a great hike up Bear Mountain where there were a lot of people and cyclists. We went up in the Perkins Memorial tower which had some neat views and old pictures from when Bear Mountain recreational area was being built. We had a nice climb down a lot of steps off Bear Mountain! We saw a number of day hikers on the trail, and a lot of people picnicking near the lake. One lady gave us a mango, but no other trail magic. We ate the mango and made our way to the zoo! There is a zoo on the trail! The zoo takes in rescues, but a lot of the animals were older and have since or recently died. We saw two bears...at the bear exhibit..and we hit the lowest altitude on the entire AT. We walked through a small historical museum and then over the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge. The bridge was huge and a lot of fun to cross. After the bridge, we hiked up a steep hill with a lot of day hikers going to Anthony¢s Nose. We split off from them and did not see his nose, but it seemed like a popular place. The rest of the day was really nice, and we had a long break at a gas station with an awesome deli. We did not get a sandwich, but instead just a drink and ice cream. We enjoyed our break and snack before a ~1 mile hike to the spiritual center. We had a big dinner and tried to get to bed early to see how far we could get tomorrow and to get out before the big event they were having the next day.