morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-07-10
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace S. P. (Iron Masters Mansion)
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Had to make today a bit more productive, especially after such a short day yesterday. I set my sights on Pine Grove Furnace. Today wa the day I crossed the official "half-way point" on the AT for 2003. Due to rerouting each year, the half way point varies somewhat. The hike was relatively pleasant with moderate ups and downs. When I reached the half-way marker I stopped for a moment and celebrated a bit before hiking on. As I approached Pine Grove Furnace the trail widened and I walked in on an old forest service road and then finally on a paved road through the entrance.First order of business was to visit the campstore and attempt the "Half-Gallon Challenge." Named in honor of reached the half-way point on the trail, this is where willing hikers attempt to consume 1/2 gallon of their favorite Hershey's ice cream flavor. I went for plain chocolate. Three other hikers began eating their ice cream at the same time but after about 15 minutes they had thrown in the towel. I, on the other hand, continued to shovel down the ice cream. To my own surprise, after 38 minutes my carton was empty and I presented it to the camp store manager for my reward -- a small wooden spoon with the following caption: "Official Member of the Half Gallon Challenge Club." Just about to burst at the seams, I walked over to the hostel, and registered for a bunk. After a hot shower I rolled into bed, hoping that my body would be able to process all that calcium and fat. Tomorrow will tell . . .
Date: 2003-07-11
From: Pine Grove Furnace S. P. (Iron Masters Mansion)

To: Alex Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up feeling pretty bloated and sick -- so much for the "Half Gallon Challenge." I guess I'm happy that I attempted (and succeeded)at the challenge but I'm definitely paying for it today! hopefully, all those calories, calcium, and fat will be put to good use on today's hike -- provided I would even be ABLE to hike.Being the trooper I am, I got my pack ready and headed out on the trail. About 3-4 miles into the first uphill I was greeted by a huge timber rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike if provoked. Check out my photos for a good look at this viper. The rattlesnakes up here tend to be much fatter (thicker) than those in the south. Regardless what I did the snake would not move off the trail and every time I trtied to step over or around it the rattles would go off. I decided to get a large tree branch and physically move the snake off the trail. It allowed me to lift it up and into the air, when I really realized just how heavy a snake like this can be. Anyway, with the serpent now off the trail I continued on with my hike.I felt better and better as the day wore on. I guess I was catching up a bit on digesting all that ice cream. The trail got pretty rough and headed uphill (YUK!). Just about the time my legs were about to give out I reached the shelter. After a quick dinner and some visiting with some other hikers I was off to la-la land. Tomorrow, I hit a town -- Boiling Springs -- and a little chance to relax and re-charge my batteries.All for today --
Date: 2003-07-12
From: Alex Kennedy Shelter

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: few clouds

Really short and nice hiking day. The final few miles into town went through a massive cornfield and ended up paralleling a stream where several "locals" were working on their trout fly fishing skills.I stopped off at the regional ATC office and then located a yard where hikers were allowed to set up their tents. This would be "home" for the night. I picked up my mail drop at the post office and then linked up with some other hikers. We found out about a free bluegrass concert being held on the Dickinson College campus in a neighboring town called Carlisle. Needless to say, we figured out how to get out to the concert, which was GREAT! Later on we made it back to Boiling Springs and got some dinner before heading over to our tent spot and a good night's sleep.Today was a good day!
Date: 2003-07-13
From: Boiling Springs

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

The original plan for today was to hike around 22 miles and get really close to the town of Duncannon. As with most plans though, something happened and that plan went up in smoke. In this case the problem was that I slept in a bit and didn't hike out of Boiling Springs until after 10:30. The initial miles were all on farm fields -- a nice break from the normal ups and downs.But just as I started to make some decent headway the trail turned uphill and got nasty. I hit a shelter for lunch and while sitting eating my lunch I noticed a timber rattlesnake crawling on the rocks in the fire pit. thinking this was a dangerous situation for other hikers, myself and another hiker (JJ) decided to catch it and move it out in the woods. Check out my photos for a little glimpse at the rattler.With my heart rate and blood pressure now elevated I headed out and finished off the day's hike. I got to the shelter around 6:30 PM and was truly ready to be off my feet. Just then I realized that the water source for the shelter was a spring that was 800 feet downhill. Some days you just can't win. I took a little rest and then hiked down to the spring. After getting back up to the campsite I had just enough energy to make dinner before drifting off to sleep.Tomorrow's another day.
Date: 2003-07-14
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon PA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: few clouds

Don't have real specific memories of today's hike. I was the first one packed and out of the shelter. The approach into town was a road walk and I honed in on the famous Doyle Hotel, where I quickly secured a room for the night.After dumping off my pack I came back downstairs where a number of other hikers had congregated. We had a few beers and then headed out to the grocery store for resupply. Later on we migrated en mass down to the pub for dinner. All I remember after that was falling flat on my face in my bed at the Doyle Hotel.'Nuff said!
Date: 2003-07-15
From: Duncannon PA

To: Clarks Ferry Shelter
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a relatively short but tough hiking day. I had to hit the post office in the morning, so that got things off to a somewhat late start. I also had a breakfast at the hotel. A group of hikers at the hotel started talking about chipping in toward a big meal at the first shelter out of town. By the time we got all the decisions made and food purchased it was lunchtime. So, I went ahead and got a sandwich at the hotel too. I started out hiking about 1 PM when all was said and done.Although the mileage was short, we had to climb over 900 feet of elevation in about 1.3 miles which is pretty steep. Added to that was the fact that I was carrying an already heavy pack (4 days of food) and lots of water -- this situation ended up adding about 6 pounds of pack weight.I got to the shelter around 4:30 and was totally exhausted. Filled up my water container at the spring and waited for the other hikers to show up with the rest of the food. It was after 6 and a couple hikers had not yet arrived. I was hungry and growing impatient so I went ahead and made my dinner with the available supplies.Lesson learned . . . large group activities are hard to coordinate among thru-hikers and rarely work out. I need to remember that the next time someone suggests a group meal.But the good news is that the miles are now behind me and I had a good dinner. Tomorrow is another day. Life is good!!
Date: 2003-07-16
From: Clarks Ferry Shelter

To: Spring after PA 325
Miles today: 12.8

Got up early and was hiking before 7:30. I thought that would give me a shot at decent mileage. What I didn't anticipate was how humid things would be. I hadn't gone 5 miles and I was soaking wet from head to toe. This wreaked havoc on my hydration levels and several times during the day I started to get heat cramps. I was literally pouring gatorade down my throat and still falling behind. I stopped for lunch a bit early at Peters Mountain Shelter and hung a clothesline to dry things out. It was touch and go all afternoon. The trail was loaded with rocks that really slowed down the pace. Then came the steep downhill to PA 325. By the time I reached the road it was going on 5 PM and I was ready to call it a day. Right after crossing PA325 I found a nice campsite and a spring. What more could a guy ask for at that point!I set up camp and started dinner. Rumbler hiked up and decided that he'd had enough too. Nice having company at the campsite. Big climb in the morning. . . so "lights out."
Date: 2003-07-17
From: Spring after PA 325

To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 24.8
Weather: few clouds

Funny how things work out sometimes. This ended up being my longest day on the trail (24.8 miles) but that really wasn't the plan. In fact, I woke up this morning not feeling so hot and before lunch I was considering taking a relatively short day.Then again, my last 2 days have been pretty low mileage so maybe this was meant to be. What caused the day to go into long mileage was WATER -- a vital commodity on the trail. I had plenty to get me to the base of Blue Mountain and I refilled before starting the climb. The problem was that all water sources were dry until I got to the shelter. Today I also encountered my first real dose of the Pennsylvania rocks. Sharp, uneven, and worst of all they often tip when you step on themAll in all, it was a tough day. I reached the shelter at 7:30 PM exhausted and my feet were aching. Not much else to do but make dinner and hit the sack.
Date: 2003-07-18
From: William Penn Shelter

To: Eagles Nest Shelter
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: broken clouds

First things first . . . today was my birthday!! OK, now that we've got that taken care of . . . It seemed a bit strange, having a birthday and waking up all alone in a shelter. But that was the situation so I just rolled along with it. Since no one was there to sing Happy Birthday to me, I went ahead and sang it to myself. Bet the animals out in the woods loved hearing that at 5:15 in the morning. I had eaten breakfast and was packed and hiking by 6:15. The trail was murder. The rocks just kept getting worse but I knew that if I wanted to reach Port Clinton by Saturday morning I needed to press on. I gobbled down some ibuprofen and tried to tune out the foot pain.About 2 hours into the hike I reached the 501 Shelter. This is a fully enclosed building with a full-time caretaker on site. I poked my head into the shelter but the hikers inside were still asleep. As I walked back outside the caretaker approached me and we chatted for a while. I told him that I really needed to get a message to someone in Port Clinton and he let me use his cell phone -- great guy!! I called Charlie Tobias and told him I'd be arriving on Saturday rather than Friday, as earlier planned. I felt really good about having made that call because I didn't want anyone worried about me. With that out of the way, I resumed my hike. Again, the rocks were everywhere and progress was slow. But I popped a few more ibuprofen and masked the foot pain.About 3/4 of the way to my desination (Eagle's Nest Shelter) I passed through an area called "Black Swatara Spring." I stopped briefly and took a photo, since this was the spot where my wife had a bear encounter on her 2001 thru-hike.It was threatening rain on and off all afternoon so I put on my pack cover and pressed on. I reached the shelter around 5:30, got water from the spring, and spread out my gear just as the thunder and lightning began. Within minutes the rain started to fall. I was one happy camper to be inside and out of the rain, especially on my birthday. Dinner was quick and then it was off to sleep.
Date: 2003-07-19
From: Eagles Nest Shelter

To: Port Clinton PA
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: clear sky

I was pretty anxious to get into town, so an early wake up wasn't a problem. In fact, I was pretty much up and packed before it was light enough to hike. It rained cats and dogs last night but by morning the storm had passed through. Bad news is that the trail had turned to mud and all of the trees and ground cover were soaked. That meant my boots (and feet) were soaked within the first mile of hiking.I haven't said much about the trail here in Pennsylvania and maybe it's time I did. The PA section of the AT has a pretty bad reputation, and for good reason. Truth be told, it's a reach even calling it a trail, once you get north of Duncannon. With very little exception, the trail here in PA is a boulder field with little white rectangles (blazes) randomly (and I emphasize RANDOMLY) painted on trees and rocks. I suppose that's just my weak attempt at sarcasm/humor -- but can you tell I'm not overly impressed?Just when I thought things couldn't get much worse I hit the downhill into Port Clinton. At first glance I thought this certainly must be a mistake. There were only 2 choices (well 3, actually, but waiting for the helicopter rescue wasn't a viable option). you could either try to go slowly . . . a near impossibility on such a grade. OR you could just learn into it, start the "controlled fall" and hope like hell you were able to stay on your feet. I went for the controlled fall and was never so happy to have hiking poles. Once I took that first step there was no stopping until I had levelled off from the 900 foot drop. I must have stood there motionless for 5 minutes after bottoming out. It took that long for all my internal organs to find the natural places again.One more short drop and I was standing next to the railroad tracks just outside town. There were others standing there in shock after that experience. We all agreed that after a wuick pass through the post office we needed a beer (or two or three). So off we went to the Port Clinton Hotel. Several beers and a huge cheeseburger later, in walked Charlie Tobias. I bought him a beer (and, of course, had another one myself) and introduced him to my hiker friends.A short time later, Charlie drove me out to his home where I met his wife Nancy and began the process of some serious relaxation, which I desperately needed.this would be my "oasis" for tonight and the next day. Felt a little funny leaving my hiking friends back in Port Clinton but this was one of those times when you just gotta push away and be with family -- Life is GOOD!!
Date: 2003-07-21
From: Port Clinton PA

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

Well, what goes down must go up . . . at least out here on the AT. And the trail out of Port Clinton was no exception. I was very glad to have gotten an early start after a great breakfast with Charlie Tobias. I did hang around for a little while until the outfitter opened up. I wanted to buy the trail maps for the section between Port Clinton and Delaware Water Gap. One I had that in my pocket it was off to the trail head. As had been the case since Duncannon, the trail was covered with nasty rocks.For hours on end I seemed to just stumble along as I tried to negotiate the rocks. I knew I was moving forward but progress was slow. Added to that was the humidity. I listened to my radio as I hiked and learned that a bad storm was building. That made me hike all the harder so I could get to the shelter. I finally broke out of the woods onto a road. There was a sign indicating that the shelter was just up the road to the right. As I approached the shelter I realized that it was really a small bunkhouse on a piece of private property.I was the first one to arrive and I quickly secured a bunk. Something told me that the impending storm would bring a lot of hikers off the trail. Within 2 hours another 16 hikers arrived and the bunkhouse was bulging at the seams. We had people laying everywhere but we were all glad to be inside when the storm hit. I made some dinner and curled up on my bunk to spend the night and ride out the storm.
Date: 2003-07-22
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Bake Oven Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

This was one of those days that started off great and then went pretty sour. The initial few miles of the trail was a road walk which went pretty well. I crossed a road at lunch time and ran into a couple former thru-hikers who had driven out from Indiana to do some trail magic. They were grilling hot dogs and had coolers full of soda. I sat there for quite a while and really stuffed my face. I still had quite a few miles to go and we were now at about 1:30 PM so I said my thanks and moved on.It was pretty much all downhill from there . . . and I ain't talking about the trail grade. The rocks and boulders were horrendous and really slowed me down. On top of that, the clouds had come in and I could hear thunder in the distance. It basically became a test of will -- me versus the trail . . . and I was determined to win.I got to the shelter around 6:30 PM and it had already started to drizzle. The shelter was old and small (circa 1937) and only held 4-5 hikers. Several other hikers came and we crammed as many as we could into the shelter to get them out of the rain. This was one of those nights on the trail that you hope will go fast. There was very little talking among hikers. We cooked our dinners and crawled in our sleeping bags. Tomorrow will be a better day!
Date: 2003-07-23
From: Bake Oven Knob Shelter

To: PA 248 (Palmerton, PA)
Miles today: 7.4

It apparently had rained all night. Everything outside was soaked but we had luckily been able to stay dry in this dinky little shelter. Of course, all the hiking clothes we had hung out on a line were cold and wet -- yuck.But today was a relatively short day so the discomfort seemed more tolerable. As could be expected though, the trail was again loaded with rocks. In fact, about 3 miles into the hike I was crossing a boulder field and saw the largest timbler rattlesnake to date. [NOTE from transcriber: photo of this snake will be up soon. Check back to see it in a day or so!] It was close to 6 feet long and big around as a baseball bat. The "hiss" of its rattle was a clear warning to keep your distance, but I was able to get close enough for one good picture. After that encourter the trail started to head downward. Roughly a mile before the road I reached the George Outerbridge Shelter and took a little breather before finishing the hike.The plan had been for me to hitch a ride into Palmerton and call my neice. But, to my surprise when I reached teh highway, I found that my nephew, who also lives in the area, had driven out to pick me up. Do I have a great family -- or what?After a brief greeting we were headed off in his truck. They had lost power in the area during last night's storm so Dough (my nephew) suggested that we grab some lunch. Got a lot of strange stares as we rolled into Applebee's Restaurant -- then again I did look (and smell) somewhat like a homeless person. We polished off some burgers and a few beers and headed out to Doug's place. He still had power and more importantly, hot water. So I was able to get a shower and wash a load of clothes.By then it was time to hit the grocery store for some minor food re-supply. We got in touch with my neice and made plans for dinner. Had one of the best steak and cheese sandwiches I've ever had and visited with family until it was time to head back to Doug's and crash. Being able to see family along the way is great. But now I need some rest before continuing on in the morning.
Date: 2003-07-24
From: PA 248 (Palmerton, PA)

To: Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

Had a great breakfast with my nephew Doug and was back on the trail by 8 AM. Holy Guacamole. . . the first mile and a half was damn near vertical Hiking sticks were pretty useless. A lot of the time was spent rock scrambling. When I got to the top it looked like the surface of the moon. I passed a day hiker going southbound and he explained to me that the absence of vegetation was due to acid rain that was caused by the zinc smelting furnaces. They were used heavily during World War 2 and the waste was poorly managed. The EPA has stepped in and things are getting back under control but in the meantime the contamination has really caused a lot of damage.The interest thing is that the initial climb this morning, while difficult, was actually interesting and the views were super. A lot of the trail on top followed an old gravel road and was fairly level. But before too long the trail veered off and was once again covered with rocks. I stopped for lunch at a spot where a side trail led to a rocky cliff. The view was fantastic and there was a refreshing breeze.The afternoon got progressively worse in terms of rocks and my feet were getting pretty sore. I was glad to finally see the sign for the shelter. Normally I would have hiked longer and later in teh day but with my dogs barking the way they were I decided to knock off for today. Water was a half mile walk downhill from the shelter which definitely finished me off. Dinner, a little journaling, and lights out!!
Date: 2003-07-25
From: Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: scattered clouds

My plan going into the day was to hike 13.5 miles to the next shelter and then drop down into Delaware Water Gap on Saturday (7/26). As a result, I started off hiking a bit late and kept a pretty easy pace. I got to Wind Gap around 10:30 AM and decided to check out the motel which was just down the road from the trail crossing. I knew some hikers who had talking about staying there the nigth before and I thought it might be fun to hook up with them. I ended up not seeing any hikers but I did buy a couple cans of cold root beer. I sat in front of the motel for over an hour and then continued hiking. Whew, that climb out of Wind Gap was a ball buster.Once I got on top of the ridge the trail leveled off but the rocks were everywhere, and they were the sharp "hurtful" ones. The afternoon turned into what I have come to call a "blind hike." There isn't much pleasure so you just grit your teeth and get through it.I arrived at the Kirkridge Shelter at about 4 PM. There were several other hikers at the shelter. They were getting water and then hiking on into town. At that point I had hiked 13.5 miles and felt like I could do more. However, I was still not planning to hike into Delaware Water Gap. I kept on hiking and figured I would stop at around 6:30 and set up my tent. Just then I ran into 2 hikers taking a break. According to them the hike into Delaware Water Gao would only take 45 minutes from that point. I thought it over for a minute and decided to hike on. sure enough, at 7:30 I walked into town and checked in at the hostel.After a wonderful hot shower I met a big group of hikers down the street for some pizza and beer. I had just enough energy left to walk back to the hostel and crash. Full day/hard miles -- but glad to have done the 20 miles and made it to town. As I drifted off to sleep I thought about how glad I was to have Pennsylvania behind me. It will be a long time before I would ever hike this section again (willingly).