morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-06-05
From: Devils Racecourse Shelter

To: Rocky Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: mist

It rained all night long and showed no signs of letting up when my alarm went off at 6am. I wasn't surprised though because I checked the weather when I picked up my maildrop yesterday and the forecast called for rain until late tonight. But the good news is that those shields I put up around my tent worked - no splatter! I guess that's what I'll have to do from here on out when rain is in the forecast. My wet hiking clothes were balled up at the far end of my tent all night and my eyes actually watered from the overwhelming stench when I put them back on this morning! And don't get me started about my shoes I was packed up and ready to go right at 8am. Mudflap and Cricket left not too long before me. My tent must have weighed 15 pounds since it was sopping wet and there was no way to dry it since it was still raining. At least I know tomorrow will be a nice day so I can dry it out.The trail was a muddy mess all day. I took a break with Cricket at Pen-Mar park and then we both crossed into Pennsylvania shortly after. We took some photos at the state line (the railroad tracks) which is also the Mason-Dixon line. 7 states down, 7 to go! It feels good to be in the north    The hiking went by pretty fast today despite the weather. Cricket went into town to resupply so I didn't see her for the latter part of the day, but I met up with Mudflap for lunch at one of the shelters where I also met Marks. Despite the trench foot, my feet felt GREAT today! So much better than yesterday even though the terrain was similar. I wonder if it's because of the rain, which makes the trail muddy and spongy therefore providing some cushioning. Hmm... Mudflap, Cricket, and I were all going to stay at the shelter 20 miles out but Mudflap had to stay at the shelter before it because of a bad chafing issue. Cricket must have had a hard time getting into or out of town because she's not here yet and it's geting dark. Looks like I'll be the only one here tonight - my first solo shelter experience! I guess it's possible that someone else may still show up, but for now I'm riding solo. I'm sleeping in the shelter tonight because I didn't have a chance to dry my tent out...luckily this looks like a mice-less shelter. Tomorrow will be another big mileage day so I can hopefully catch Hot Sauce, Plunger, and Mr. Right. I think if I leave around 6am I can catch up with them around lunchtime or sooner. Tonight I'll be dreaming about crossing that half-way mark tomorrow...   MD-PA State Line - 7 down, 7 to go!Trench foot?
Date: 2009-06-07
From: Pine Grove Furnace

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I wish every morning could be this relaxing! Hot Sauce, Aaron, and I packed up and walked to the general store and bought a dozen eggs, a stick of butter, an onion, and lots of OJ. We found an awesome pavilion in the park and whipped up some killer breakfast burritos. Of course we had no problem finishing all the eggs - 4 per person! We went back to the general store to get some ice cream where I met Truckin, Snuggles, Gnarwal, and Skip who were all about to start the half-gallon challenge. Cricket and Mudflap were there too. Hot Sauce, Aaron, and I finally left the park around 12:30 and hiked 7 miles to the first shelter. The trail was FLAT and not too rocky. I've been a huge fan of all the Mountain Laurel thickets we've been walking through for the past few days. We had made a plan earlier with Cricket to night hike tonight since it was a full moon and the weather was perfect. We hung out at the shelter until 8:30pm, just as the sun was setting, which is when we decided to hike on to the next shelter which was about 8 miles away. The four of us hiked together and took turns leading since being in the front means dealing with cobwebs in the face and having to be alert to make sure we were still on the trail. The trail got tricky at times, especially when we got to the car-sized boulders that we had to maneauver between and around. It was fun!We rolled into the shelter around 1am and luckily it was empty so we could be as loud and giggly as we wanted. We all slept in the shelter since it was so late and we were all super tired, and to me it looked like it would be mice-free despite all the garbage in the nearby fire pit (ugh!).Onto Boiling Springs tomorrow! Mountain LaurelCricket, Loon, Aaron, and Hot Sauce gearing up for night hikeCricket amongst boulders
Date: 2009-06-08
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Darlington Shellter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

*pictures have been added to previous entries!*My feet totally didn't have time to recover overnight since we got in so late and they were pretty sore and tired when I woke up at 8am. The 4 of us hiked out around 9 and made the 4 mile trek through picturesque farmlands into Boiling Springs which is one of the nicest towns we've walked through so far. There's even a water slide at the town pool! The trail passes by the Boiling Springs ATC where we stopped and hung out for a while. There is a nice swinging bench on the porch which was awesome! We went to Anile's (a pizzeria) for lunch and then said our goodbyes to Aaron who was getting picked up after 5 days of hiking with Hot Sauce. Then back to the ATC for more lounging!Back at the ATC I met Double Vision and Jukebox Hero who I had heard a lot about and had been reading their entries for months now but for some reason we hadn't crossed paths until today. They are great!!Cricket, Hot Sauce, and I FINALLY left town around 2:30 (2.5 hrs later than what we had planned!) and had 15 miles to hike to the first shelter. What were we thinking leaving town so late when we had so many miles to hike?! We didn't actually want to hike that far but camping is strictly prohibited within this particular stretch of trail. It was so hot and humid which made the hiking go by slowly but we were hiking fast at about 4 miles per hour. We were all dragging and REALLY wishing we could just set our tents up and go to bed!We got into camp around 8:30pm just as all the folks in the shelter (Plunger, Mr. Right, Tax Dollar, Black Kat, Lost Arcadian, and Rusticus) were going to sleep. Apparently before we showed up a black snake had slithered up the front of the inside of the shelter and devoured baby birds...poor things! To avoid keeping everyone awake, the 3 of us set up our tents up the hill from the shelter. It was starting to thunder and drizzle, so we cooked by our tents and called it a night around 10pm. It's been a long, hot, and tiring day - goodnight! Hiking into Boiling Springs
Date: 2009-06-09
From: Darlington Shellter

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: few clouds

A crazy thunderstorm rolled through at 5am and was one of the most violent but shortest-lived storms so far. The thunder actually shook the ground and the lightning was incredible. The rain was ridiculously heavy for only 15 minutes or less and luckily I set up those splash shields around my tent so I didn't get mud splatter on my tent.We didn't find out about this until later, but apparently a huge black bear ran through the area near the shelter shortly after the storm. The folks in the shelter said it ran past the shelter and then booked it up the hill and right past our tents! Good thing it didn't seem interested in all the food we ended up sleeping with last night.The hiking today was hard and tough on my heels and ankles with all the jagged, pointy rocks. It seemed like today was one of the most humid days so far and the early storm didn't do much in the way of cooling things off. Cricket, Hot Sauce, and I hiked together most of the day and I was relieved to hear that the rocks and humidity were bothering them too and that it wasn't just me being a wimp! After what seemed like the longest 11 miles ever, we finally emerged in town of Duncannon, PA! Woohoo! The people here seem super nice and everyone waved to us as we walked through town...we felt like local celebrities! Duncannon is most known within the hiking community for the Doyle Hotel - a seedy but charming hotel with a bar on the first floor. My book describes it as an "ancient hotel" built by Anheuser Busch. The 3 of us checked in a were lucky enough to get the last room available with 2 beds. Cricket is staying with Tax Dollar and Hot Sauce and I are sharing a room. This place is very basic and I'm surprised it passes annual inspections, but it's awesome!We hung out in the bar all night with Paulman, Cuppa Joe, Plunger, Mr. Right, Tax Dollar, Double Vision, and Jukebox Hero. There were also a bunch of other hikers here tonight. I had a great time playing Photo Hunt with Hot Sauce and Jukebox Hero...lots of fun! We even walked the half-mile to the ice cream parlor at 9:30pm which was well worth the long walk!Hot Sauce is going to Ohio for 2 days to visit her family and invited me to come along. I've been debating for days but decided today that I'm going to go with her. After the tough hiking today and the long hiking days since leaving Harpers Ferry, I think my feet could use a couple days off. Tax Dollar will join us for the drive since he also lives in Ohio and wants to go home for a couple days. Roadtrip! We'll be back to the trail on Friday. The Doyle
Date: 2009-06-10
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Athens, OH
Miles today: 0.0

We had a great breakfast across from The Doyle at Goodies...the pancakes were HUGE and cheap. Hot Sauce, Tax Dollar, and I packed up and waited for a shuttle to pick us up and bring us to Enterprise where we were renting a car. We hit the road around 11am and got to Athens, Ohio around 5:30pm. Even though we were in the car for a big chunk of the day, it was nice being able to rest my feet. I thought we'd be driving through the entire state of Pennsylvania but instead we were in Maryland and West Virginia for most of the trip.Tax Dollar continued on to Dayton to visit his family, and Hot Sauce and I were staying at her older sister's house in Athens with her parents and other sister. We had pizza for dinner, soaked our feet in epsom salts, played with her sister's 1 year old son Luke, and watched movies - just the kind of R&R I was craving!
Date: 2009-06-11
From: Athens, OH

To: Athens, OH
Miles today: 0.0

It was nice to sleep in a bit, watch some morning Saved By The Bell, and enjoy a nice breakfast whipped up by Hot Sauce's mom. I just lounged around for the first half of the day, reading and even taking a quick nap. During my shower I found a tiny TICK on my leg! I couldn't believe it - I had been out of the woods for 36 hours and found one crawling around on my lower leg! All the ticks I've pulled off me I have found either during or just after a shower. My theory is that the ticks crawl around in my hair and when I wash it, the ticks fall off and somehow end up on my legs. Ugh! Hot Sauce and I eventually headed into Athens to resupply, grab some Indian food (something we had both been craving for a while), and check emails at the Ohio University library.Back at the house, we cruised around on the ATV through the trails close by which was awesome! The ATV is pretty powerful so we could bomb through the overgrown woods and even take it through the wet marshy areas with grasses 5 feet tall.We packed up our packs since we are heading back to the trail tomorrow, lounged around a bit more, played with Baby Luke, watched a movie, and called it a night around midnight.Good news - the weather actually looks pretty decent for the next several days! ATVing!
Date: 2009-06-12
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I had another great night of sleep and woke up feeling refreshed and ready to get back to the trail. Hot Sauce and I soaked our feet in epsom salt baths again, made breakfast, packed up, and hung out until Tax Dollar arrived with the car. We said our goodbyes and I can't thank the Gerome and Zukowski families enough for their hospitality and generosity over the last 2 days!The drive actually went by pretty quickly and we arrived back at the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon around 6pm. We popped our heads in for a little bit and I saw Bow Willow and Radio Freq which was exciting, and I met Rolling Stone for the first time. It was tempting to stay at the Doyle for the night, but we all knew we should hike out.Hot Sauce, Tax Dollar, and I left the Doyle around 6:45pm and had 4.5 miles to hike to the first shelter. The first couple miles are through a cute neighborhood a block off the main street. Residents waved and smiled as we walked by - I really think Duncannon is the friendliest trail town so far. My pack felt a bit heavy but my feet felt great! It's amazing what a couple days off and foot soaks can do. We saw an amazing sunset as we climbed out of town, with great views of the Susquehanna River below. The trail only had a few climbs but it got pretty rocky which made the 4.5 miles take a bit longer than we had thought.We got in to the shelter around 9pm. I made a quick dinner and scoped out a tent site up the hill from the shelter. Besides the three of us, Western is the only other thru-hiker here tonight. Western is deaf and converses with other people on the trail by typing on a blackberry - it's pretty neat. There are also 4 guys here just out for the weekend, as well as a father and 5 young kids who are adorable.The shelters in the next section are spaced out in a weird way so that tomorrow we either hike 7 miles or 24. We are going to try for 24 and see what happens! It's hard to believe that just 12 hours ago we were in Ohio...View out of Duncannon
Date: 2009-06-13
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter

To: Rausch Gap
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: scattered clouds

My alarm went off at 5am which was unfortunate because I definitely wanted to sleep longer but knew if I wanted to hike 24 miles before it got dark, I needed to leave close to 6am. I packed up, ate breakfast, and was walking by 6:15, shortly after Hot Sauce had left.The temperature today was perfect for hiking and not as humid as it's been the past few days. The trail was only rocky for short sections and was pleasant and mostly flat for most of the day. My feet got sore halfway through the day but a couple ibuprofens did the trick The highlight of the day was watching a porcupine run in front of me across the trail and up to the top of a 50 foot tree. I actually didn't even know porcupines climbed trees, so it was great to watch as it slowly inched its way upwards. As it climbed, it looked like a cross between a koala and my cat Brewster (ie, adorable). The mosquitos were horrible today. I applied bug spray to my legs in the morning (mostly for the ticks) but apparently forgot to consider my arms. I was brushing mosquitos off my arms all day and at one point looked down and I had FIVE mosquitos on my arm, all with full pouches of blood. If I didn't have bug spray in my pack, I probably would have hightailed it to the nearest road and back home to Maine. THANK GOODNESS I had bug spray! I doused myself in it (98% deet but I didn't care since my sanity was at stake!) and fortunately the mosquitos stopped bothering me but unfortuantely I was a little too late and am now covered in bites. At least I didn't find any ticks!Another highlight of the day was FINALLY meeting Wags and Gangsta. Wags and I found each other on Trail Journals and have been emailing for the past year but had never met - until tonight! Hot Sauce and I are tented about 50 feet from Wags and Gangsta, right next to Rausch Creek. This is a great camping spot and is packed with weekend/overnight campers and boyscouts (and a loud, barking dog at a campsite just across the creek from us).All in all a great day, minus the rash I have on my lower back, the patches of poison ivy on my lower leg, and all the mosquito bites. And yay to my biggest mileage day on the trail so far! Porcupine!Rocks!
Date: 2009-06-14
From: Rausch Gap

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

Today wasn't my favorite day on the trail, that is for sure. The trail started off really nice this morning as it went through Rausch Gap and the remains of an old coal mining village from the early 1800s. The terrain was nice and not too rocky, and the temperature was perfect. The trail then took a turn for the worse. The trail went underneath I-81 and then climbed steeply up 1,000 feet to a ridgeline. Although the ridge was flat, it was completely overgrown with poison ivy and ticks. At times you couldn't even see the trail because it was so overgrown, it was horrible! We also encountered ankle deep mud in a couple places and LOTS of rocks for the majority of the day. And on top of all that, I wasn't feeling too great. I was feeling lethargic and a little nauseas and all I wanted to do was curl up on the trail and take a nap. The trail almost brought me to tears today but I pushed through it. I mean, it could have been worse - it could have been RAINING on top of it all!For the last 4 miles I listened to my music and eventually started to feel better. We got to 501 Shelter which is right next to the road, meaning pizza delivery! I got a broccoli, spinach, and ricotta calzone and eggplant fries. I also polished off the rest of Tax Dollar's AND Skittles' french fries! There is a solar shower here but it was getting dark when we arrived so the water was cold. I washed my hair (mostly to get the ticks out) and my feet and legs...it felt great to get all the mud off. Tomorrow is another long day into Port Clinton, but I plan on doing some lower mileage days after I leave town. I'm looking forward to that.Exciting news is that as of today we have hiked just over 1,178.3 miles, which means less than 1,000 miles to Katahdin! Ouch!
Date: 2009-06-15
From: 501 Shelter

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

Ow ow ow owowowow OW!! My feet screamed all day long...rocks, mud, then more rocks! I can see why people get the urge to quit in Pennsylvania...no views, lots of rocks, and the pain!!Today we walked into Port Clinton and I picked up my maildrop (and an awesome package from my sister!) at the outfitter. Good thing I had a maildrop here because there is nowhere to resupply in town or in the surrounding towns. We are staying the night in the town pavilion. The town lets hikers stay here for free...it is basic with no electricity but it is covered and has benches, chairs, and a large sleeping area. We don't really need anything else! Actually, a shower would be nice, but apparently the shelter tomorrow night has one There are a bunch of hikers here tonight...me, Hot Sauce, Wags, Gangsta, Rabbit, Skittles, Bunyon, and several others. My feet are THROBBING! And more rocks...
Date: 2009-06-16
From: Port Clinton, PA

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

We all slept in a little bit, and Hot Sauce, Wags, Gangsta, and I went to 3C's Restaurant for breakfast, located just 0.3-mile past the pavilion. 3C's prides itself on having the "best breakfast on the Appalachian Trail". My eggs and toast were fine, but my homefries (which I was so looking forward to!) were saturated in bacon grease so I didn't have more than one bite and Wags ate the rest. It was just your typical diner food, nothing to write home about. I still think that The River's Edge at the NOC has the best breakfast on the trail!Today I realized that I've got to get rid of my hiking tshirt that I've been wearing since Daleville, VA. It was supposed to be stink-resistant...HA! This is probably the worst smelling shirt yet! It smells like a bunch of ripe, rotton bananas that have been locked in a hot car for a month. So now the question is...would I rather smell like rotton bananas, toxic car tires (the icebreaker shirt), or cat urine (the tech t)?? I'm having Dom send a new tech t and a polyester tank top to Delaware Water Gap and then I'll probably throw my current OR shirt away!Anyways, Wags and Gangsta hiked out and Hot Sauce and I spent some time in town. While Port Clinton doesn't have much to offer in the way of hiker services (no laundromat or grocery store), future hikers should not miss out on the Peanut Shop - it's an amazing candy store with every kind of candy imaginable. We hung out in front of the Post Office for a while, charging phones and ipods, and mailing stuff home. I hiked out just before Hot Sauce around 12:30. The hiking today was much easier than the past few days...less rocks and there were actually some nice views at Pulpit Rock and The Pinnacle (which we heard has the best view in PA). I ran into everyone at The Pinnacle - Cuppa Joe, Paulman, Double Vision, Jukebox Hero, Gangsta, Wags, and Hot Sauce. The 180 degree view was actually pretty cool and overlooked the PA farmlands. Hot Sauce and I hiked together to the shelter which seemed to take no time at all since the trail follows an old woods road for a while and is mostly flat. We got in at 7:45pm (it would have been earlier but we accidentally walked 0.4-mile past the road to the shelter and had to backtrack), made dinner, and set up camp. This shelter has a water spigot, flush toilet, and solar shower. Everyone here is sleeping in the shelter and Hot Sauce and I are camped across the street in an awesome grassy field. Both Cuppa Joe and Double Vision were sick a couple days ago...I'm crossing my fingers I don't get what they had! The PavilionThe Peanut ShopThe Pinnacle (Gangsta, Wags, Hot Sauce, Loon)
Date: 2009-06-17
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Slatington, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Last night was AWFUL! I went to bed around 10pm feeling a bit nauseas, but thought it was because I was getting whiffs of my shirt through my tent vestibule. Sometimes that happens but the nausea goes away and I am able to fall asleep...but that wasn't the case last night. I was awake all night feeling horrible with hot and cold sweats, so I knew it was more than the smell of my shirt that was making me feel this way. I usually don't get the flu or stomach bug and haven't puked since the 3rd grade, so I thought I'd be able to fight whatever it was, but I was wrong about that. I dryheaved a couple times around midnight and figured I should walk around a bit. That didn't help much so I got back in my tent hoping I'd be able to fall asleep. I tossed and turned for the next 3 hours and finally puked outside my tent around 3am. Ugh! Luckily it didn't happen again and I was able to sleep for 2 hours at most.I woke up in the morning thinking I was ok to hike today, but my body and joints were achey and weak and I was winded just from packing my bag. I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to hike when feeling so weak, so everyone hiked out and I got a shuttle into Slatington, PA from Ira, the owner of Fine Lodging, where I'm going to stay the night.We got to the hotel around 1:30, and I showered right away and then crawled into bed and watched TV. I eventually ate a granola bar (the only thing I had to eat all day) in order to take an AdvilPM. It's 5:15 and I'm going to bed!Fine Lodging
Date: 2009-06-18
From: Slatington, PA

To: Slatington, PA
Miles today: 0.0

I slept for a solid 13 to 14 hours last night and woke up feeling less weak and achey but still under the weather. I ate a granola bar in bed and lounged around watching TV all day.Hot Sauce, Wags, Gangsta, and Loudspeaker (formerly Chuckles when I last saw him in Erwin, TN) arrived at Fine Lodging sopping wet around 1 or so. They said the hiking was miserable because it had been raining torrentially since last night and said I made the right choice to come in to town.I managed to get up and do some laundry at the laundromat down the road. Then watched some more TV for the rest of the afternoon and finally got the urge to have dinner. The 5 of us had dinner at the Italian place across from the hotel...I ordered spaghetti with tomato sauce and was only able to make a tiny dent in it. But this was my first meal in 36 hrs and anything was better than nothing.It's Gangsta's birthday tomorrow so we had a little celebration back at the hotel with a small container of ice cream with candles. We're planning on doing a little more celebrating tomorrow back on the trail.Speaking of tomorrow, I'm really hoping that I wake up feeling 100% so I am able to hike!