morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Byrd's Nest Shelter

To: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter
Miles today: 28.0
Weather: broken clouds

All last night there was the pitter patter of rain dripping off the trees onto the roof of the shelter, but when I awoke the rain had stopped and the skies were clearing. The sun was poking out in the east, but it was very cold. I was shivering most of the time as I packed up and put on the wet clothes of the day before. I headed out at 7:00 am. The weather cleared out by the time I arrived at Elkwallow Gap where there is a little store and grill. I got a soda, hotdog, fries, and ice cream. I paid tourist prices but it did really taste good. I was able to get my gear out in the sun and dry my rain gear, tent, and sleeping bag. I then hiked on. I had planned on camping at 25-26 miles but the skies looked threatening and the forecast calls for rain for the rest of the week. It's not clear if it is supposed to rain tomorrow. I ended up at the Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter which was 2-2.5 miles beyond where I intended on going but I arrived at 6:30 pm which is not too late. I saw 5 deer this afternoon and 1 this evening while hiking. I also saw one while getting water at the shelter. I saw another male Scarlet Tanager at no further than 10 yards this afternoon. 28 miles today to the Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter.
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up and hiked out at 6:15 am this morning. I got to the road to Linden at 10:30 am but ended up walking the mile to town. I wasn't able to get a ride quickly and it was faster walking. I got my packages from the post office with the replacement trekking pole (from home). The old one was wearing where the buttons go through the outside sleeve of the pole (tracks pole). I also got my replacement maps, etc, and some goodies from home. I packed up the return boxes and was able to get them sent out before the post office closed for lunch at noon. I then called Mountainsmith to get a replacement hip belt for my pack. They were happy to replace the belt but said if I wanted overnight shipping I'd have to pay for it myself. I also told them about repairing one of the shoulder straps where the stitching was pulling out. They didn't offer to send replacements. I guess I was wrong to choose a Mountainsmith pack for my thru hike. The pack works pretty well, but I would give their customer service a C-/D+. No more Mountainsmith packs for me (I have 4). 27.0 miles to Rod Hollow Shelter.
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Camp near Keys Gap
Miles today: 24.0

The forecast said it was supposed to rain all night and then through the weekend. Every time I woke up during the night there was no sound of rain on the roof. I hoped for the umpteenth time that the weathermen were wrong. They weren't... It started sprinkling when I began hiking at 6:45 am. That continued on and off until around 10 am when it just rained and rained. I stopped for dinner at the Blackburn AT Center (a hostel) at 3:30 pm, and it was still raining. When I headed back out to push out another 6 miles, the rain had essentially stopped. At least my rain gear is semi-dry now. Hiking is much less miserable in the fog. It's even better when your shoes, socks, and feet are dry - I guess I just have to be satisfied with no rain... I did see two deer during the last 6 miles. They just stood 20 yards from the trail and watched me go past. Unlike the other deer I've seen, these had their summer coats (a reddish-brown color) as opposed to their winter coats (a greyish-brown color). The hike today is what is termed the "roller coaster", a 13.6 mile section of trail which has 10 ascents and descents. Most are 500 feet or more. I would much rather go up 3000 feet and down 3000 feet than go up and down, up and down, etc. It's done now, so there is little point in writing more about it. Also, I am officially done with Virginia. I crossed into West Virginia at around 1 pm today. The longest state is now complete. 24 miles to camp near Keys Gap.
Date: 2003-05-22
From: Camp near Keys Gap

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 29.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Although I thought it was going to rain last night, it did not. The tent fly was wet on the inside from condensation but not on the outside. I started hiking at 6:45 am and reached the ATC main office just before 9 am. I resupplied with fuel and found some powdered milk and granola in the hiker box which I took. I got my photo taken. I am #95 northbound thru-hiker for 2003. I bought some ATC stuff to have sent home before I left. I resumed hiking on the AT at about 9:30 am. The day was pretty easy with only 2 1000 ft climbs and 2-3 500 ft climbs. I've been targeting doing about 25 miles per day but Maryland has a "no camping except at designated sites" rule. I try my best to obey all the regulations. It was early when I hit the 25 mile mark, so I pushed on to where I am now, Pine Knob Shelter. I got here at 8:30 pm. I saw some deer this evening as I walked through MD. Again, some just stood 20 yards to the side of the trail and watched me. All of them had their summer coats. I'm the only one at the shelter, which is a surprise. I think I might be getting ahead of the crowds. 29.4 miles to Pine Knob Shelter.
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 25.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up this morning at around 5:30 am. The rain/drizzle had stopped and the area was covered in fog. I have no idea what time I hiked out, but it was probably between 6:30 and 7 am. It was a cold morning but, because of the lack of rain, the hiking was pleasant. The rain/drizzle started when I reached the Antietam Shelter in PA. It was only 1.2 miles to the Tumbling Run Shelter where I'm staying. I made it here quickly. It seems at least in this part of PA that the shelters are constructed in pairs, each of which hold 4 people (but in the rain they could each hold about 6-8). I crossed the Mason-Dixon Line today and into Pennsylvania. I've finished 6 states as of today. The hiking was pretty easy today except for a few rocky sections which were aggravated by the mist/drizzle wetting the rocks down. The wetness makes the going much slower than usual. I arrived here at 5:30 pm which should give me plenty of time to catch up on some things I've been putting off due to lack of time, like doing an interim repair on my pack hip belt. 25.9 miles to Tumbling Run Shelter.
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Tumbling Run Shelter

To: Tom's Run Shelters
Miles today: 25.9
Weather: light rain

It rained all last night and was still raining when I awoke. I grudgingly packed up and headed out into the heavy rain at 6:50 am. I was in quite a foul mood. All of my gear is between damp and soaking wet. I need about 2 hours of full sun to dry it out and "recharge" it for the next battle with rain/fog. I had gone just about 12 miles when I encountered a group of cheerful Boy Scouts hiking up the hill. There were only about 4 Scouts and 2 adult leaders, but for some reason seeing these kids out hiking in the rain cheered me up immensely. I know they probably started the morning dry, unlike me, but just the fact that they'd come out hiking/camping in this stuff made me smile. Maybe there is a future thru-hiker among them. I got to Rt. 30 and walked to the small but adequate grocery store. I loaded up on snacks and a few extra dinners. Only a thru-hiker buys $35 worth of junk food for one person to last 2-4 days. (I know there were a few dinners, a can of fruit to eat now, some oatmeal, and raisins and peanuts for gorp, but at least $25-28 worth was just junk food). I then joined Patch and Crumb Snatcher at the pizza place back down Rt. 30 toward the trail. The pizza wasn't very good and the service was horrible. After dawdling around for a while I got hiking again and cruised to the Tom's Run Shelters where I'm staying for the night. On the way, I passed a PATC crew building a new Birch Run Shelter. They had about 10-15 people there working and 2 pickup trucks, a generator, and power tools. They had upgraded the trail to barely a woods road to get the trucks and materials down to the site. Neat! 25.9 miles to the Tom's Run Shelters today.
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Tom's Run Shelters

To: Super8 Hotel at US11, Carlisle, PA
Miles today: 31.1

As I dozed at different times of the night, I could hear rain dripping from the shelter roof, but by morning it had stopped. There was still a little fog but otherwise it was a good day. I began hiking at 6:50 am. I was on a mission to hit the hotel 0.3 miles off the trail at Rt 11. I averaged about 3 miles per hour the whole day and arrived at the hotel at 5:30 pm. I got to Boiling Springs, PA, at 3 pm and really pushed to get to Rt 11. The trail was really flat but a good portion of it was a slick 1/2" of clay mud. This made some of the going slower and slippery. I showered, shaved, and did laundry. I'm now sitting at the Middlesex Diner where I just finished 2 rolls, a salad, 2 pieces of garlic bread, a huge plate of veal parmesan, and a side of spaghetti with red sauce. I'm hoping I can find some room for dessert. I'm surprised this place isn't hyped up more in the books. The hotels and diner are only 0.3 miles from the trail, and the portions at dinner are truly hiker portions. Maybe stuff tasted good just because I was really hungry. The price of the meal without dessert should be around $10 - that seems like quite a deal to me. I don't think I need to walk down to the convenience store after all for more food. 31.1 miles to the Super8 Hotel at US 11, Carlisle, PA today.
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Super8 Hotel at US11, Carlisle, PA

To: Camp Near PA225
Miles today: 25.9

It's Memorial Day. To all those who have served or serve defending our freedom, I salute you.At the hotel last night, I was able to watch the weather and it indicated that the same overcast, foggy, misty, drizzly, rainy pattern is going to continue for most of the week. They don't seem to know exactly when it is going to leave but think it should be clear and sunny by the coming weekend. I guess the jet stream has shifted and is blocking all other systems from coming in, so we hikers continue to get wet and stay wet almost every day. I started back hiking on the Trail this morning at 7:15 am and, of course, it was raining. The rain stopped in a half hour or so, but it still had wet my previously dry rain gear. I was dragging most of the day; racing into town, etc, takes more out of me that I think. I didn't arrive in Duncannon until 2-2:30 pm. I bought a small amount of supplies at rip-off convenience stores. I have a new record price for a single candy bar - $0.79 - the previous record was $0.75. I made it to my planned camping location at about 6:30 pm. It took me a while to find a suitable spot as Peters Mountain is very rocky and the top tends to drop off very quickly. This makes it difficult to find a flat, level, smooth spot. I did find one after 20-25 min of hiking and stopping to check out spots. To give a fine finish to the day, it has started raining again. 25.9 miles to camp near PA225.
Date: 2003-05-27
From: Camp Near PA225

To: Swatara Hill
Miles today: 25.0

I found a watch at a Pavilion at one of the South PA parks just setting on a picnic table. I now have a watch with an alarm that works (mine does not), so I got up this morning at 5:10 am. I could have set it earlier, but I need the rest at this point. I ate breakfast in my tent - which is probably a bad thing to do - but I had my food bag in my tent with me. (This keeps it drier than hanging it in a tree in the rain.) When I started hiking, I found a bear track 1 mile down the trail. I hope they are afraid enough of humans not to bother me. When I got out of the tent, it was foggy. After I started hiking at 6:30 am, it started raining again. This got my rain gear wet over again and my feet wet for walking on the wet trail. The rain stopped and the day brightened a bit. I stopped at the Peters Mountain Shelter. The register said Bono had stayed there that night but I only saw a girl (Buttercup, I later found out) sleeping. I signed in and left. I was hiking well until around 11 am, then I started feeling dizzy and started lugging. I stopped, rested, ate, and drank water. One of these seemed to help but I was really quite tired most of the day. This is the first time my body and legs have actually felt tired this trip. I kept plodding along. At about 3 pm, it started sprinkling, then pouring rain. I made it to the Rausch Gap Shelter in the pouring rain. (I had not planned on stopping as the shelter is 0.3 miles off the trail, but a shelter is drier than under a pine tree.) I cooked dinner and while I was eating, Chuck-a-Lucky (a section hiker hiking from Harper's Ferry to Maine) showed up. He said that he and Bono were sleeping in the loft when I arrived to sign the Peters Mountain register. I finished dinner and packed up. Buttercup arrived and said Bono should be along. I couldn't wait so I left to hike to where I'm camped. I really wanted to meet Bono as I had followed his journal on trailjournals.com from Jan to when I left. I'm glad he's still on the Trail, but sorry I missed him. Just before Rt 443, there was a stream crossing, Trout Run. The trail led down some steps into the water and came out the other side. The rocks that I'm sure I was supposed to walk across were covered by 6 inches of rushing water. I was able to find a spot upstream where someone had created a single log bridge (a 5 inch log). I crossed, but needed a second walking stick which I found in the woods. I had to backtrack the trail from the road to the stream to cover all the blazes. I also took a picture. They should really have a bridge or high water trail, as this could be a very dangerous crossing. Darn rain! 25 miles to camp on Swatara Hill.
Date: 2003-05-28
From: Swatara Hill

To: Eagle's Nest Shelter
Miles today: 27.9
Weather: moderate rain

I started hiking at 6:30 am. It was foggy but not raining. It did drizzle a little later in the morning, though. I felt better hiking today. The Trail in PA is pretty boring hiking. The ridge walks are in the middle of the mountains, so you can't see anything. I did see 2 deer today. One was at 10 yards, another was at 100. I had wondered why I wasn't seeing many deer in PA. I think I know now - I'm always looking at the ground in front of my feet because of the rocks. It rained again hard this evening, but it seems like a front has come through. I hope so. Rain really stinks! 27.9 miles to Eagle's Nest Shelter.
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Eagle's Nest Shelter

To: Near Dan's Spring
Miles today: 27.3

I awoke this morning at 4:50 am to the sounds of birds. The birds don't start sounding off until it starts getting light, and that happens earlier when the skies are clear. The birds were right! The skies had cleared. The sun started rising a little later. Finally, a sunny day after almost 2 weeks of cloudy skies and rain/fog/mist/drizzle. I started hiking at 6:30 am. As I was packing, I gave advice to a southbound section hiker, Edward, on tightening his pack. He started with 77 lbs at Port Clinton. He was leaving stuff in the shelter - which I don't condone - but I don't agree with everything people do on the Trail. I'm not the Trail Police. It was cold at the start of the morning - in the 40s I would guess - but warmed up quickly. I got to Port Clinton at 10 am. I just recently rescheduled some of my mail drops because they were landing on Sundays. The replacement hip belt was sent to Delaware Water Gap, but I am not stopping there anymore. I was able to arrange for the package to be forwarded to my CT maildrop by filling out a forwarding card at the Port Clinton Post Office and by making a phone call to the Delaware Gap P.O. I don't think they have to forward boxes on a phone call. It was nice of them to do that. They said the package had arrived in Delaware Water Gap. Good job, Mountainsmith! (But overnight to Harper's Ferry would have made me a much happier customer and would probably have resulted in more sales in the future - from me, at least...) I also mailed home about a pound of maps and companion pages. The N. VA, WV, MD, PA maps cover really short sections of trail. I went through about a map every day. The last map in PA covers much more mileage so that is the only one I'm using right now. I hiked on and stopped at the Eckville Shelter, a totally enclosed shed converted to a bunk house in someone's backyard. Quite a nice place. I got 2 sodas and some cookies for a donation from the onsite refrigerator.   I probably would have stayed at the shelter if I weren't planning on going into Palmerton to resupply and stay at the Police Station Hostel tomorrow. By pushing out a few more miles today, I'll have an easier day tomorrow and hopefully more time in town to do chores (laundry, shower, shave, grocery shopping, mileage planning). So I ate dinner, packed up, and hiked on about another 3.5 miles to camp. The black flies were horrible tonight. I basically got my tent up, ate a little snack, and jumped in the tent. Hopefully they won't come back too early tomorrow. The forecast said thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon and rain Saturday. I hope the rain stays away until I get by most of the PA rocks. I can move much faster and it's much safer when the rocks are dry. I saw 2 deer today - one in the morning before Port Clinton and one this evening. 27.3 miles to camp near Dan's Spring.
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Near Dan's Spring

To: Palmerton Town Hall Hostel
Miles today: 22.4

I was up and hiking this morning at 6:25. I set my alarm for 5:00 am instead of 5:10 am because it is getting light earlier. I cannot go too much earlier as I need enough sleep to recover for another day of hiking. I saw a bear between where I camped and the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter. It ran away before I got a real good look, but it was black and the size of a very large dog on top of a mountain at 7 am. I'm glad the bears in PA fear people because I don't need to be fighting a bear for my food. It's interesting that I saw no bears in the Smokies or Shenandoahs, but did end up seeing one in PA - a state which allows bear hunting. At the Allentown Hiking Club Shelter there were 4 thru-hikers who had spent the night. These are the first Northbounders I've seen in several days. The hike today was pretty easy. I made it to the highway to Palmerton at 2:30 pm. It took me 5 minutes to get a ride the two miles into town. I'm staying in the basement of the town hall. They have bunks and a shower here and it's free. Thanks, town of Palmerton! I've since done laundry, bought groceries, showered, and ate dinner at the Chinese restaurant. I'm just about ready for bed as it is almost 8:30 pm. 22.4 miles to Palmerton Town Hall Hostel.
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Palmerton Town Hall Hostel

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 29.4
Weather: light rain

I got up this morning at 4:45 am as they were calling for rain. I wanted to get on the Trail as early as possible to get as many rocks done as possible before the rain. I attempted to hitch out of town for 30 minutes but no one would pick me up, so I walked the 2 miles to the trail. I hiked out of Lehigh Gap into the Palmerton Superfund area. The area looks much better than it did in 1991. It still doesn't look good - kind of a semi-green version of purgatory, but before it just looked like purgatory. It started raining after 9:30 am and continued for the rest of the day. I walked until 7:20 pm to get to the Kirkridge Shelter. It was nice to be out of the rain. A Northbounder who started April 11, Overshot, was there. He has a pack that weighs about 9 lbs and is doing mileage equal about to mine. I saw one deer today. 29.4 miles to Kirkridge Shelter.
Date: 2003-06-01
From: Kirkridge Shelter

To: Brink Road Shelter
Miles today: 31.2
Weather: moderate rain

It rained all night and was still raining in the morning. Overshot hiked out and I followed 1/2 hour later. It rained until about 4 pm then it dried out but stayed cloudy and windy. I made it my target distance of 31.2 miles by 6:15 pm. I saw 3 deer while hiking and 1 while getting water at the spring. 31.2 miles to Brink Road Shelter.
Date: 2003-06-02
From: Brink Road Shelter

To: Overshot's House
Miles today: 17.9

I got up this morning at 4:30 am and hiked out at 5:45 with Overshot. We hiked the 17.9 miles to NJ23 where Overshot's mother picked us up and took us to his house. We had a large lunch and dinner cooked by Overshot's mother and sisters. The food was great and there was plenty of it. Overshot's whole family was there - they are pretty cool. Overshot took me to the post office in Unionville where I got my mail drop and sent back my second pair of worn New Balance 805's (they have more miles in them, but it makes no sense to take a chance) and some socks, etc. I was also able to stop at the store to pick up a few supplies. During our hike, a southbounder had told us that a doe had just dropped a fawn near the trail 1/4 mile North. We got out our cameras and were able to snap a picture as we walked past. The mother walked off when we hiked up the trail. I hope that she came back to get the fawn on its feet as it wasn't able to walk yet but had been licked clean. I got to bed at a little after 11 pm. 17.9 miles to Overshot's house.
Date: 2003-06-03
From: Overshot's House

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 25.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I got up this morning at 5:30 am, took care of my feet, and had a large breakfast with French toast, sausage, bacon, pineapple, and homemade strawberry jam that Overshot and his mother made. Overshot took me back to the Trail at a little after 7 am. I called my sister to arrange our meeting point in CT and hiked on at 7:45 am. It was a good day until about 5 pm when it started raining again. (For this trip, there have been more than 50% of the days which have been rainy.) The rain is really starting to be a drag... I saw 4 turkeys today: 3 were Toms just walking across the trail and one was a hen (later on) which flew up not more than 10 feet from the trail - maybe she was on a nest? I have eaten and am ready to put my food in the bear box. I have a lot of food and have been eating most of the day to try and reduce my pack weight. 25.9 miles to Wawayanda Shelter.
Date: 2003-06-04
From: Wawayanda Shelter

To: Fingerboard Shelter
Miles today: 26.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained all last night and was raining in the morning. I left the shelter at about 6:30 am and arrived at the Fingerboard Shelter at about 7 pm. My take on NJ - which I finished in the morning - is that they have just as many, if not more, rocks than PA. The ones I dealt with today were especially nasty because they were wet and very slippery. I fell several times but didn't break anything on my body or gear. I passed through the "lemon squeezer" this evening. I scraped up my pack cover a little (the new one which I got in my Unionville mail drop) and broke the watch on my pack. This means I'll send the broken watch home and use the one I found which has a working alarm. I saw one deer today just before the Fingerboard Shelter. It let me walk right by and continued feeding as I did so. I saw no bears in NJ which suits me just fine. 26.3 miles to the Fingerboard Shelter.