morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-06
From: Free State Hostel

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked to Caledonia State Park. Lots of rocks enroute. Had lunch with other hikers at tables in front of restrooms. Other hikers moved on and I finished lunch and stowed my gear. Put on pack and headed for trail. Just as I reached the trail I was overcome with the feeling that I'd done enough for this section. I turned around and hiked into town, spent the night at a motel and was shuttled back to Harpers Ferry the next day. The following day I caught a train back to KC and home.
Date: 2012-05-05
From: Caledonia State Park

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Shuttled from Harrisburg airport to Caledonia State Park by Robert Freeman. Great guy with lots of interesting stories of his times on the AT. Started up the trail at 6:30 PM and met thru hiker Grandpa at the top of the hill pitching his tent. Introduced ourselves and I headed on for Quarry Gap shelters. I was planning on staying there if they weren't full but it was a Saturday and the shelter area was overflowing with hikers when I arrived. The skies were clear and the full moon was supposed to be the biggest of the year. I'd been planning to night hike on the AT but never got around to it. Clear skies, a full moon and a full shelter said this was a great time to do a night hike. I repacked my pack which was still in airplane mode and got water for the hike. As soon as the moon was over the ridge at 8:30 PM I hit the trail. Great night for a hike. Only used my headlamp about 1/3 of the time. Got to Birch Run Shelter at midnight. This shelter sleeps 10 but only three were there plus some tenters. I tried to be quiet as I made up my bed and hit the sack. One of my fellow shelter-mates snored big time. No matter, I'm glad to be back on the trail. In the morning I discovered I was sharing the shelter with 2 college girls and a mom. One of the girls apologized first thing in the morning for her mother's loud snoring. No doubt about it, mom was a champion snorer. As the tenters came up to use the table for breakfast I met a young hiker who I discovered had started a thru hike in 2009 on March 11, the day after I started my attempt. He was with his dad and they were called The Two Bills. I didn't remember him but we knew a lot of the same hikers. He and his dad made it all the way to Katahdin in 09 so congrats to them. I enjoyed talking to him about those first few months on the trail in 2009. (Actual hiking miles was 10.0 but I need to show 14.1 to bring my mileage in line with current mileage listings.)
Date: 2012-05-06
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Left Birch Run in a foggy mist and was excited to reach the official AT Halfway Marker. Met a section hiker, Chuckie the Fish, who is out for a couple months. He has shin splints so we won't be hiking together too long. Met day hikers, Gary and his wife. Had lunch with them and Chuckie at Toms Run Shelter. They took off but met them again at the Halfway Ice cream Challenge. I wasn't interested but Gary tried it. He gave me some ice cream in a cup and it was so rich I couldn't eat it. They invited Chuckie and I to camp with them at their campsite in the park. When Ironmasters Hostel didn't open we took them up on it. We had a nice evening eating Chili mac they gave us and sitting around the fire talking. Gary and his wife both backpack but were very interested in the light weight gear used by long distance hikers. We answered a lot of their questions and let them see our gear. Trail was good today!
Date: 2012-05-07
From: Pine Grove Furnace State Park

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 19.2

Good hike! The hills were tough but it was a good day. Stayed at Garmanhaus B&B. Not cheap in price but very nice! It's in the center of Boiling Springs just off the AT. Had a nice lasagna dinner at Anile's just two blocks from the B&B. It's supposed rain all day tomorrow so I'm planning on going to Darlington Shelter (14.3 mi). If I feel good enough I might try for Cove Mtn. Shelter at 21.6 mi or Duncannon at 25 miles. My legs are a little tired but feel strong.
Date: 2012-05-08
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Cove Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: light rain

Rain all day. I hiked wet and tired after a great Garmanhaus breakfast of eggs Florentine. Met Next Year at the Scott Farm Trail Work Center. We had lunch at the covered picnic table out of the rain. Thanks Scott Farm! They also had water and privy available, couldn't find a trash can. Hiked the rest of the day with Next Year which was great as it took my mind off my wet, tired legs and feet. He hikes slower than me but it was worth slowing down for the company on a chilly, wet trail. We stopped at Darlington shelter and while neither of us wanted to stop yet neither of us wanted to hike on alone to Cove Mtn. shelter in the rain. We decided to continue on together and got there just at dark. We found a father and his son already there and had a nice dry evening. The wooden bunks in the shelter had been chewed over pretty good by porcupines. About 1 AM the skies opened up and the rain fell with a roar (no wind). I was glad to be in the shelter. I got some blisters today from hiking in wet socks. I should have brought my gaiters. I removed them from my pack just before leaving home.
Date: 2012-05-09
From: Cove Mtn. Shelter

To: Peters Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 15.3

Put some moleskin on 3 blisters and got to Duncannon at 10 AM. Had a hard hike off Cove Mtn. with Next Year. Bought supplies and had lunch at the Doyle. Great cheeseburger and fries! Continued on to Peters Mtn. Shelter. Tough hike today, hot spots from yesterday turned into new blisters, 6 Blisters on right foot, 5 on left. OUCH! Slight pain in lower right shin when hiking. Hiked ahead of Next Year today but will slow down and hike with him tomorrow. 48 degrees overnight with cold wind. Next Year said someone came into the shelter about 11:30 PM, looked around and left. They didn't use a light and left quietly. I didn't see them but at 11:50 PM we were both awakened by a loud gnawing sound. We switched on our lights but didn't see anything. I heard a swish of something slipping out the door. Since I was awake I decided to go out to answer a call of nature and while there heard a scratching sound high on a nearby tree. I turned my light on the tree and saw a porcupine about 15 feet off the ground climbing up the tree. No doubt he was our visitor.
Date: 2012-05-10
From: Peters Mtn. Shelter

To: Rausch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked a slower pace today and let Next Year lead. Cold wind on ridge (48 degrees). Blisters are OK but must walk carefully to avoid pain. Feet ache most of the time. Found a tick on the back of my head that had just settled in for dinner. Right shin had no pain today so that's good news. It rained lightly off & on all day. Rausch Gap shelter is different with it's stainless steel table and water trough, but the water source couldn't be more convenient. 50 degrees at 8 PM.
Date: 2012-05-11
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: Lickdale
Miles today: 6.1

44 degrees overnight at Rausch Gap. Next Year and I were the only ones there. I took the side trail into Lickdale because of pain from hiking on my blisters while descending the mountain. Next Year wanted to push longer days to be sure of meeting his friend in a few days and I need shorter miles and rest to let the blisters heal. We said goodbye at Swatara Gap and I went 2.1 miles into Lickdale and got a room at the Days Inn. My original plan was to rest from midday Friday until Sunday morning and then head back out at a slower pace. Saturday morning I examined my blisters and realized they were worse than I had thought so I decided to head home and end this section of my hike. Got a shuttle Saturday morning from Gary Griffen to the Harrisburg airport and flew home. Gary was great! He did everything he could to help me. Thanks Gary!
Date: 2012-06-19
From: Swatara Gap

To: Hertlein Campsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Gary picked me up at my Harrisburg hotel and took me to Swatara Gap. I started hiking at 8:45 AM. Only had 5 hours sleep because my flight got in at at 11:30 and I had to rearrange my pack from airplane mode to trail mode. It was supposed to be sunny with temps in the 80s. It was raining when I hit the trail and 65 degrees. Another day hiking in wet boots. Met Cookie and her dog right after starting on the trail. She's almost done with her section hike in PA. Met Not Bad as I left Wm. Penn shelter after lunch. He's doing a section hike to NY. Hiked to 501 shelter with him. Also saw Cookie at 501 shelter. I was temted to stay at 501 shelter but it was only 2:30 PM and too early to stop for the day. Went on to Hertlein Campsite. Met thru hikers Progress and Joiner, Not Bad also came in. Today was first real taste of PA rocks and I didn't care for them.
Date: 2012-06-20
From: Hertlein Campsite

To: Hamburg
Miles today: 18.8

Day started well in wet boots and socks. Weatherman says we're supposed to have record heat/humidity. He was right: 96 degrees with 91 percent humidity. Felt hotspots on my feet and stopped every few hours to check them and get water. Feet seemed OK at stops but by the end of the day I acquired a couple of blisters. I drank 5.5 liters of water today, usual is 2-3. Trail wasn't well marked in a couple of spots. At one place hikers made an arrow shape out of small stones to direct fellow hikers. By the end of the day I was tired of the rocks and heat. The heat/humidity just sucked the energy from me as the day went on. Got to Port Clinton after a very steep descent. Fell once but landed on my back and my pack made a nice cushion. No harm done. The heat seemed to increase throughout the descent and it was much warmer in town. Just after crossing the RR tracks I met a guy in the parking lot just ready to leave and he readily agreed to take me to Hamburg. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! This saved me hiking a couple of miles in the brutal heat. When I walked into the airconditioned hotel I actually felt sick for a few minutes until my body adjusted. More record heat forecast for tomorrow, even hotter than today. Think I'll take a zero day as Friday is supposed to be cooler.
Date: 2012-06-22
From: Zero day at Microtel

To: Eckville shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

Night clerk just getting off duty agreed to shuttle me back to the trail.This saved me 2.5 miles of road walking. Thanks to both great guys that shuttled me in Hamburg. I lost my sunglasses as I entered Port Clinton so I bought new ones on my zero day. Not long after starting the first climb of the day in deep shade I noticed I'd lost the new ones. I got mad! I put down my pack and went looking for them. After descending about 100 yards I found them on the trail. It was a steep climb back up to my pack but I felt better. I hate to lose gear like that! There were lots of clothes scattered on the trail the first couple of miles. Somebody must have taken hike naked day seriously. Good trail and fun hike until Pulpit Rock. Had lunch and it started to rain. It rained all afternoon and I just didn't feel comfortable hiking after that.Gold Spring was a great stop. Cold water when I needed it. Stopped at Eckville shelter. I took a shower and decided to stay even though it was only a little before 3PM. Six other hikers came in. They were pleasant company. After dinner the caretaker brought out a cold watermelon for us.Thanks, it was great! The bunk room smelled like a root cellar so since it was turning into a nice evening after the rain I decided to check out the tent area. It was very nice. Like camping on a mowed lawn. I set up my tent and a couple of the other hikers brought their tent and joined me. The T-Storms that were forecast missed us and I slept cool and bug free, loved it.
Date: 2012-06-23
From: Eckville shelter

To: Bake Oven Knob shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: few clouds

Leaving Eckville shelter I missed the trail turnoff. I walked a long way up a steep hill before I turned around and came back down feeling like a dummy the whole time. Found the trail without further problem and had a good morning of hiking.Had lunch at the Allentown Hiking Club shelter then later a prime rib sandwich & beer at Blue Mountain Summit restaurant. Pennsylvania rocks were tough from there on. The trail on Bake Oven Knob was poorly marked and I spent 20 minutes on the back side looking for blazes. Finally made it to the shelter with a new blister on each heel. It was Saturday and the whole ridge was crawling with weekenders. The shelter area was filling up and there were a couple of unfriendly thru hikers there so I went to the top of the ridge looking for a place to put my tent. There was a great area just above the shelter but there was already a father and young son camped there. There was room for about 8 campers among the trees but these two had spread out and taken up all the space. Nearby just on the other side of some bushes was room for one tent. It was so close to their campsite I asked if they minded my being there. They were OK with it so I set up camp. Not long after I got set up two young guys with their girlfriends and a very active 5 month old pitbull puppy walked into the father and son's camp and plopped down right in the middle of it. They were friendly but pushy as they setup their tents one on either side of the father/son's tent. Then one of the girls unleashed the dog which proceed to get into everything while the girl chased it around yelling NO. If I was the father I would have been PO'd but he didn't say anything. The dog was friendly, goofy excited and untrained. The dog headed through the bushes for my camp but the girl caught him and leashed him up again mainly so he wouldn't bother them while they cooked. I guess the saving grace to it all was they were all friendly people and everyone just made the best of being together in close proximity. The whole ridge was packed with people by dark. There was not a single open space to put a tent and long after I went to bed I could hear the murmur of voices from the various campsites. No solitude on this part of the AT tonight.
Date: 2012-06-24
From: Bake Oven Knob shelter

To: Palmerton- Jailhouse Hostel
Miles today: 7.7

Left tent site at 8AM. Fell flat on my face ten minutes later. Gotta love these PA rocks. No harm done except I've got a big dent in the metal eyeglass case in the side pocket of my cargo pants. Good trail except for rocky sections, big rocks in a jumble. Took scenic blue blaze trail south of Outerbridge shelter. Nice views! Got back on AT at shelter. Stopped at shelter but on leaving couldn't figure out which trail was the AT. Couldn't find any blazes so I took the one that seemed to have the most use. WRONG! Wound up at bottom of mountain walking down the street in a suburban neighborhood with no idea how to get to the hostel. People were driving past and waving. I decided since everyone seemed so friendly I'd stick out my thumb for a ride. The second car stopped and took me right to the hostel. Everyone I met in Palmerton was helpful and friendly. It was Sunday so I couldn't find anyone at the police station to sign in with as it was locked up. I met some hikers on the street who showed me how to get into the hostel by the back door. At the hostel I saw some hikers, Miss Maggie and DumbMe, who I first met back at Eckville shelter when we tented next to each other. I met them at the Palmerton Hotel bar for a beer. I was only going to have one but some local was excited about meeting hikers and insisted on buying us shots and beer together. I couldn't get out of having more with out insulting him so I reluctantly had two more (actually I didn't really mind but I wanted to be fresh when I started in the morning). I did draw the line at the shots, I flat refused them. Miss Maggie and DumbMe were still putting beer/shots away when I left and were obviously enjoying themselves. I don't know what time they got back to the hostel but they paid the price for their fun the next morning. They were two sick puppies! I enjoyed staying in Palmerton and was able to get resupplied from stores near the hostel. Overnight the weatherman was calling for rain and thunderstorms. We got them.
Date: 2012-06-25
From: Palmerton- Jailhouse Hostel

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

In the morning the T-storms were still there and four thru hikers that started early for the climb out of Lehigh Gap were back within an hour saying the rain and lightening made the climb unsafe. Everyone decided to wait for the weather to clear.I sat around with nothing to do and after awhile I just felt like I was tired of the trail. I was only two days from my goal of Delaware Water Gap but I just couldn't shake my feeling of wanting to go home. I have a love/hate relationship with the trail and on this morning I was not feeling the love. One of the pluses about section hiking is you can come and go from the trail when you want. I called Enterprise car rental in a nearby town and they came and got me, took me to their office, and an hour later I was on the highway headed for KC in a rental car.
Date: 2014-05-19
From: Palmerton- Jailhouse Hostel

To: Little Gap
Miles today: 5.2

Flew KC to Allentown,PA. Took airport taxi to Jailhouse hostel in Palmerton,PA. Arrived at 12:30 PM and went to store to buy alcohol for stove. Nobody else at the Jailhouse so I repacked my pack from airplane to trail configuration. At 2PM I was ready to hit the trail. Decision time. It's 15.6 miles to the Leroy Smith shelter and it is a 950' climb in 1 mile out of Lehigh Gap. It will be well after dark when I get to the shelter. Should I stay at the Jailhouse and start fresh in the morning? It's a beautiful day and too early to stay at the hostel. I hit the trail. It's a hard climb out of the Gap, a tough beginning for the first day back on the trail. By the time I neared the top a thunderstorm moves in with high winds and rain. By the time I got my rain gear on it was clearing up. I got on top and could finally start hiking rather than climbing. Not bad trail at first but the PA rocks soon made their appearance. After about 3 miles I looked down and my legs were crawling with ticks. I pick 18 off my right leg and 9 off the left. I walked about 25 yards and looked for more. My boots were crawling with ticks. I picked 5-6 ticks off each boot. I went on hoping I'd gotten them all. After another half mile I stumbled in the rocks and went down hard and fast on my face. I'm in an area with many small rocks sticking up in the trail 3-5 inches high. The wind was knocked out of me and as I lay there I was a little disoriented. I was laying on the trail with my right arm and hiking pole underneath me. I raised my head and saw right in front of me a pyramid shaped rock about 4 inches high with blood and hair on the point. I tried to get up by pshing upward but couldn't raise more than a few inches. I was still disoriented and didn't understand that my right wrist was still in the pole strap and the pole was held down by my weight. My head cleared and I rolled off my pole and sat up. I touched my scalp and felt a deep scrape and my hand came away with more blood and hair. Then I noiced a gash on my right elbow that was bleeding. Also midway between wrist and elbow was a half inch gash that was bleeding. I noticed just above my wrist an area starting to swell. It swelled to the size of a ping pong ball. I got up, sat on a rock and considered my situation. The bleeding soon stopped. My right wrist was swollen and sore but I could still use y hiking pole. The head gash looked worse than it was and overall I felt a bit battered from the hard fall. It was a little over an hour until dark. I remembered there was a B&B at Little Gap about a mile and a half ahead. I called for a reservation and road pickup. Kathy at the Filbert B&B said she would pick me up at 6PM. I hiked on and reached the road at 5:30PM. It started to rain so I waited a half hour in the rain for pickup. Kathy was great! At the B&B she helped me clean and bandage my injuries. She let me use her phone to order a pizza since mine had no signal in the gap. Filbert B&B was very nice and there were two other section hikers there while I was.
Date: 2014-05-20
From: Little Gap

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 15.2

One of the section hikers at Filbert B&B was two days behind me on the trail and slackpacking with Kathy. I decided to slackpack as well. Kathy slackpacked me to Wind Gap. It was a good hike with a light pack. I ate dinner in Wind Gap before calling Kathy to pick me up. A thru hiker also ate at the restaurant and went back to the B&B with us.
Date: 2014-05-22
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.3

Nice climb out of Delaware Water Gap of about a thousand feet in 4 miles. Saw several groups of scouts heading for Delaware Water Gap as I hiked north. It was spitting rain all morning so I decided to get a cabin at MOC. Nice cabin, it poured down rain as I fixed dinner on the cabin porch. I was glad to have a dry place to sleep.
Date: 2014-05-23
From: Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Brink Road shelter
Miles today: 14.0

Three other section hikers about my age had the cabin next to me at MOC and started out the next morning when I did. I held back to let them get ahead of me. It rained off and on all day but the hike went well. It was good trail and I was pleasantly surprised how scenic it was in western NJ. I got to the shelter and it was very old and run down with a large mud hole out front. I decided I wouldn't stay there and was considering my options when I heard voices and looking left of the trail and part way up a ridge I spotted a brand new shelter. I went up and met the 3 guys from the MOC the night before. It was a very nice but small shelter. I got the last spot on the sleeping platform. Soon 4 more hikers came in, a couple of young women and a girl and guy. They took up the center floor space. They were all nice and we had a pleasant evening. The picnic table was under the large covered porch which was good because it poured rain while we all fixed dinner. Just after dark two young guys came in soaking wet and set up under the covered porch. The shelter was packed.
Date: 2014-05-24
From: Brink Road shelter

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 15.3

I let everybody else get up and out before I packed up. The weatherman is calling for rain again. I had a nice day of hiking with great views. Good trail. I planned on going to Rutherford shelter but talked to several southbound hikers who said it was only 4.3 miles further to Highpoint shelter and it was much nicer. I decided to go there. In the late afternoon it was pouring rain and I was soaking wet. My new boots were hurting my feet and just weren't working out. I decided to go back to my original plan of stopping at Rutherford shelter. I was totally soaked when I got there and was the only one there. I dried off and got into dry clothes. It was an old shelter but OK, the roof didn't leak. About dark a middle age couple came in, they were southbound section hikers. I was glad to have some company on a dark rainy night. I had stopped for lunch at Joe To Go Deli on US 206. I'd read that the owner could be hard to deal with. He has rules for hikers posted out front and if you follow them there's no problem. Basically he wants all hikers and their gear on benches he's placed on the side of the building instead of the picnic table out front. I followed the rules and was polite, the owner was very nice and the huge ham sandwich was delicious. Great place to stop. I saved half of the sandwich for dinner.