morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-12-18
From: Dick's Creek Gap - Hiawassee

To: Unicoi Gap - Hiawassee
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

Beautiful day again today! And it warmed up nicely. Tray Mountain was really quite neat - cool views! But, I started hurting pretty early this morning, and even though Tray was supposed to be the "hard part" of our day - the last, small looking mountain we had was BRUTAL! It wore both of us out, but we were able to get to the road right at 5:30 when we had arranged with the Fullers to come pick us up. They are such a nice couple - they visited my dad's church in Jackson, GA one Sunday back in June or July and spoke with my parents. I guess somehow they talked about me and what I was doing, and the Fullers, who live here in Hiawassee, offered to help out if we needed it. Mrs. Fuller called me when we were back in Franklin and offered a ride, or a warm place to stay, or anything they could help us out with which is so very kind of them! Of course, we took them up on their offer. Mrs. Fuller picked us up and we went to church with her. We met Mr. Fuller there along with the rest of their "small group" that was meeting at the Church of the Nazarene in Blairsville. It was really enjoyable! The people there were so incredibly welcoming! Afterwards, we went to dinner with the Fullers, then they took us back to their home for a warm night. I could not be more grateful for their hospitality! Tonight is supposed to be really cold again, so I'm glad to be here. They let us do laundry, we got warm showers, and warm beds for the night. I really enjoyed hearing their stories of past hikers they've taken in! They are such great people! Tomorrow, we have a short day, so we are planning to sleep in - Mr. Fuller is taking us back to trail and encouraged us to sleep in and go back once it had time to warm up =) yes sir, will do!
Date: 2013-12-19
From: Unicoi Gap - Hiawassee

To: Wolf Laurel Campground
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

That was absolutely the best sleep I've had on the trail. I don't think I woke up at all until seven, when I fell back asleep for two more hours! Doc and I both slept in pretty late. We chatted with Mr. Fuller while we ate breakfast, and then packed up slowly. Mr. Fuller showed us the projects he's working on - some remodeling stuff on the house. Then, we somewhat reluctantly decided we'd better leave before we ended up zeroing here. Today was super chill, really flat, and pretty warm! Beautiful day =) We night hiked the last 3 miles or so which was really cool because we could see some town off the ridgeline. We also saw an owl watching us from a tree - we've heard a ton of them this whole time, so it was cool to actually see one! We set up camp at Wolf Laurel Campsite, tonight is actually supposed to be much warmer than the last couple nights, so we've made great decisions with where to be at night! While setting up camp, I got an eerie view of a giant orange moon glowing through a thin veil of clouds. Pretty neat. In other news, Doc accused me of not placing Ducky withing my 72 hour window...he's been carrying him since the Budget Inn! So, between that mileage and his ten mile penalty AND he loses his turn, I am now only 15 miles behind him, with 35 miles total to go, and it's my turn =) What a big comeback! I could win this! Can't get too cocky though - with the competition this tight, I have to be strategic and sneaky, Doc won't let his pack out of sight now probably. Wish me luck! =)
Date: 2013-12-20
From: Wolf Laurel Campground

To: Woody Gap - Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 14.3

We slept in this morning a little bit, but not much. Short day today, decent mileage tomorrow, then super short day Sunday to finish! In some supposed thunderstorms. Rain is supposed to start tonight. We hikied to the outfitter at Neel's Gap where NOBOs often stop to get a gear shakedown to lose weight and stuff they don't actually need. Obviously that would be pointless for us, so we stopped in just to look around. The guys there are super cool except for when they told me I was too clean to be a SOBO...in their defense, I have been in town like, 5 out of the last 7 nights or something like that. We left there to start climbing up Blood Mountain - a beautiful, rocky mountain, and our last big one of the trip. We ate lunch looking out at a good view and it really hit me that we're about done. So weird. The rest of the hike was pretty! We saw a lot of people today, lots of weekenders and sectioners and dayhikers out. We were picked up at Woody Gap and taken back to the hiker hostel. Super nice place, especially for how cheap it is!It started raining as soon as we got in the car - good timing! Not that it matters, it's supposed to rain all tomorrow and Sunday pretty much nonstop anyway, so we'll get wet no matter what! At least it's supposed to stay warm!
Date: 2013-12-22
To: Civilization
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I won the Ducky War - by 8 miles! So that was awesome. What a comeback, I was 90 behind at some point! Thank all y'all for your prayers, support, and words of encouragement. I could not have done this without any of that! This is kind of cliche - but I came out hoping that I could do something awesome. But it was never a "me" thing and always a "we" thing. I had no clue how much of a team sport thru-hiking is. The views are amazing, the experiences-I can't even describe, but it's the people I've met and the people who helped me out, my hiker family, the trail community, the people who were supporting me, and even, maybe especially, the couple of people who caught me on a tough day and asked Doc "do you think she'll make it?" who really made this experience the best thing I've ever done and my proudest accomplishment. Thank you all for you support and prayers - I could not have done this without you!
Date: 2013-08-13
To: 2013 Plans
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I am preparing for another section hike this fall. I will be leaving Indy on Oct. 7 and arriving in Harpers Ferry the morning of the 8th. Not sure as of now if I will rehike the miles through Maryland or get a shuttle back to PA 233 where I got off sick last fall.
Date: 2013-09-06
To: Prepp'in up
Miles today: 0.0

I'm not sure that it will help much but I have finally got back to doing some walking. Hopefully that and some stretching of the old muscles will get me back to decent hiking shape 33 days. Copied all the MD & PA pages from Awol's guide tonight and printed them. 18 days until our annual trip up Mt. LeConte in TN then home for a week and off to the A.T.
Date: 2013-10-03
To: 5 More Days
Miles today: 0.0

Enjoyed last week in the Smokies although it rained most of the time I was in the mountains. Back to getting ready to go back to PA next week. Canceled my Amtrak ticket and will drive to a friends house and leave my car. She will take me back to PA 233 to start my section hike. Hope the bull headed people in Washington get their heads out of the sand (that is not what I really wanted to say) before I get to the Delaware Water Gap and reopen that area. Four days food is packed and most everything else ready to go into pack. I am ready to do some miles.
Date: 2013-10-08
From: PA 233

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.3

I had a nice drive from Indiana to Zig Zag's home in Maryland yesterday. After a yummy dinner, a good nights sleep, and a tasty breakfast she drove me to the PA233 trail crossing just north of the MD/PA line. I had a good hike over to Quarry Gap Shelter. On trail at 9:30 at shelter at 2:30. 7.6 miles today. I had intended to go 5 more miles but was feeling tired as it is my first day back. I met 14 SoBo's today. Two are at the shelter tonight so I will tent so they don't have to listen to my snoring. 2 section hikers, Mike & Richard, dropped by and chatted . This is a very nice shelter with a bear box, covered table, and hanging flower pots. Saw a lot of squirrels and chipmunks today, also numerous robins.
Date: 2013-10-09
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Tom's Run Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

I didn't sleep well last night but my new sleeping pad did well as my hip bones never bothered me. I was on the trail at 8:50 and arrived at Tom's Run Shelter at 4:08 for 13.6 miles today. One of the two shelters here burned to the ground yesterday. I saw Mike & Richard a couple of times today but they got off at Shippensburg Rd. ahead of the rain. I only saw 2 SoBo's and 2 day hikers today. Trail was 80% good today, meaning that you could walk half watt normal. Looks like I will get wet tomorrow. Not much in the way of wildlife today. No one but me here tonight so I am in the shelter.
Date: 2013-10-10
From: Tom's Run Shelter

To: James Fry Shelter
Miles today: 10.9

Another night of tossing and turning but I did get "some" sleep. It started raining lightly at 7 a.m. as I was getting up. It rained lightly all day until I was about 1/4 mile from the shelter and then it poured. I hiked 10.9 miles today, from 8:30 until 2:30. I saw 1 SoBo today, 2 day hikers, and 2 section hikers. I spent some time at Pine Grove Furnace State Park but everything was closed including the A.T. Museum. At least the Coke machine worked. It is 6 p.m. and still raining. The animals knew better than to get out today. Looks like I will be by myself again tonight.
Date: 2013-10-11
From: James Fry Shelter

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: moderate rain

It rained hard all night and all day. I left the shelter at 9:25 and arrived at the Alec Kennedy Shelter at 1:45. I could have walked on into Boiling Springs but was not sure if I could get a place to stay that I could afford, anyway it works better if you get to town in the morning hours so you have time to do resupply, laundry, and EAT! I never took more than a 30 sec. break all day because of the rain. At the end of 8.1 miles I was drenched all the way through. I had to ford 2 streams about 10 ft. wide and 2 ft. deep and very swift. I climbed through 2 rock mazes which would have been fun on a dry day. There was one SoBo at the shelter when I arrived but she left. So I am here by myself again tonight catching water off the roof to drink. The stream is too muddy. On to Boiling Springs tomorrow to dry out. Hope to stay at the Allenberry Resort.
Date: 2013-10-12
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Boiling Springs Allenberry Resort
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at day break and skipped cooking oats, just heating water for coffee. Ate some raisins, a peanut bar, and a bite size Snickers to get me the four miles into town. It quit raining about 9 last night and I actually saw the sun briefly this morning.I reached Boiling Springs about 10 a.m. and went to the Cafee 101 for breakfast. Then I hitched a ride with a man that works part time at the A.T. office here to Karn's Foods for a small resupply. I had to walk the mile+ back to town and sat in the park drying my boots until time to walk the .6 miles to Allenberry Resort. I cleaned myself up, did laundry, had a wonderful buffet dinner, caught up my journal, and settled in to watch the NASCAR race. Breakfast buffet in the morning and 14.3 to Darlington Shelter. This is a recommended stay.
Date: 2013-10-13
From: Boiling Springs Allenberry Resort

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

I had a good breakfast at Allenberry and was packed up and on the trail at 9:00. The trail was 90% good today with just one hard climb up to the Darlington Shelter. Arrived at 4:30, a little later than I anticipated. A sign at the bottom of the climb said to bring water from the spring to the shelter so I carried 218 oz. of water the last mile up the mountain. That brought my pack weight up to about 44 lb. It was a tough climb. There were a lot of people on the trail today, runners, day hikers, and section hikers. The biggest hazard today were walnuts. They were everywhere. I twisted my knee on one before I even reached the trail. The squirrels were everywhere also, I must have seen 200 today. The trail stayed mostly in a wooded corridor although I did walk through some open fields. I finally had a good view over the valley as I neared the shelter. I also met up with a porcupine too. I have a wonderful campsite tonight in a wooded area on a hill. The moon is shining through the trees. Will from CT is also here and a young guy walked in just before dark. Will is doing a six day SoBo from Duncannon. I was sitting at the picnic table trying to write my journal but the young guy was talking nonstop so I had to go to my tent to write. You meet all kinds of people out here.
Date: 2013-10-14
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 11.3

I slept well in my tent last night. The best of this hike. I cooked breakfast and was on the trail at 8:50. I had about 50% good trail today and 50% rocks. My feet hurt. The rocks were mostly small ankle turners and heel bruisers. I met 1 bowhunter today and we had a nice chat. I met 2 thru hikers and 3 section hikers and 13 day hikers. There were 2 nice views into the valley today but the one from Hawk Rock was great. Duncannon and the Susquehanna River were below me. I got into Duncannon at 3:30 and walked over to the Doyle. Baltimore Jack was sitting on the porch and AWOL was inside. Vickie checked me in and I took a nice shower then went down to the bar and enjoyed a 1/2 lb. cheeseburger and home cut fries. Washed it down with a beer. Root beer actually. This place is old and run down but you can tell it had a lot of charm in its heyday. I hiked 11.3 miles today about half on rocks. I'm trying to decide if I want to take a zero tomorrow. My feet hurt.
Date: 2013-10-16
From: Duncannon

To: Peters Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

I spent another night at the Doyle. I didn¢t sleep well at all. The fire siren went off at 2 A.M. and after that I never got any meaningful sleep. I finally got up at 5:45 and went across the street for breakfast. After getting filled up I went back to the hotel and got my pack. At 7:10 I was back on the trail (street). I walked 45 min. before my poles hit dirt. I saw an eagle soaring over the Susquehanna River on my walk out of town. I thought that might be a good sign. Later I saw a buzzard circling overhead. I canceled that good luck thought. Actually the trail wasn¢t that bad today, about 60/40 good/bad. I had a lot of good views into the valley. The trail stuck to the spine of the mountain, but there were not as many rocks that stood on edge hurting feet and turning ankles. I reached the shelter about 2 P.M. for 11.3 miles today. I took several breaks, my energy level was very low , I guess from little sleep. I¢m tenting outside the shelter because it is full of stink bugs. Rongway is in the shelter with the bugs. He said they were his friends. Another reason I am in my tent.
Date: 2013-10-17
From: Peters Mtn. Shelter

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

41500. That¢s about how many steps I took today. It was 18 mi. between shelters and it started raining this afternoon so my plans to maybe not walk this far and tent somewhere changed. I left the shelter this morning at 8:40 and arrived here at 6:20, barely beating darkness. The good thing was the trail wasn¢t that bad today. There were a lot of rocks to walk over but they not the ankle twisting kind. There were only a couple of spots to look out over the valley, so I mostly just walked. I saw a garter snake today and I saw two deer about a mile before the shelter, the first I have seen in PA. It¢s time to check my guidebook and see what¢s in store for tomorrow. I¢m at Rausch Gap Shelter. Dave from Allentown is also here tonight. Bed time and it¢s still raining.
Date: 2013-10-18
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today wasn¢t a very good day for me. Dave said the trail wasn¢t going to be too bad today so I didn¢t try to get an early start. I left the shelter (which I didn¢t sleep well in) at 9:10. Dave said I snored a lot last night and seemed to be having some trouble breathing. The old sleep apnea problem I guess. I know I dreamed a lot of silly dreams, something I never do on the trail. The first 6 mi. were pretty good, although I couldn¢t get up any speed. After crossing under I81 (again) the trail got rocky again. I mean those ankle twisting, toe stumping, pole grabbing kind of rocks. Where they were not so many rocks there was some kind of grass along the trail that would grab your poles not letting you get into any kind of rhythm. I fell once while crossing a boulder field when my pole slipped throwing my off balance. No harm done. I saw another garter snake today. I finally staggered into camp near the William Penn Shelter at 5:10. 8 hrs. to walk 13.4 mi. That¢s lame even for me. I¢m in my tent tonight so I hope to sleep better. I¢ve two days to get to Port Clinton or go hungry.
Date: 2013-10-19
From: William Penn Shelter

To: Black Swatera Spring
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept fairly well last night. The moon was bright all night and cast shadows of leaves on the tent. I was on the trail at 8:30. The first 4 miles were very good trail out to PA 501. The next 10.7 were 90% walking on rocks. I seemed to handle it better today. The rocks are my friends. The rocks are my friends. I was tired yesterday from the 18 the day before. Also my left foot hurt yesterday from the get-go. I loosen the lower laces on my boots today and that seemed to help a lot. There were a lot of people on the trail today. Most were day hikers or out for the weekend. I could not make it to the Eagles Nest Shelter because that would have been a 19.2 mi. day so I am tented at Black Swatera Spring. It is raining but I got my tent up in just a light rain shower and cooked supper before the hard rain arrived. A search party came down the trail looking for someone reported lost in the woods. I told them I had not seen anyone. They went on up the trail and later I heard a fire siren go off three times. Then I heard 3 gun shots off in the distance. Later the search party came back by and wanted to know if I heard any shots. I pointed them in the direction of the shots and off they went into the woods. The next hour I heard several shots then the hard rain set in and I heard even more shots. It is now 8:30 and I haven¢t heard anything since about 8:00. I hope they found the person they were looking for. 14.7 miles today.
Date: 2013-10-20
From: Black Swatera Spring

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

At 10:30 last night I noticed it was getting lighter in the tent. I looked out and the moon was shining brightly. The cold front was through. It was 40 degrees this morning. I got out of the tent and wiped the water off then went back to bed. When I took it down at 7:00 it had mostly dried out. After breakfast I walked the 4.5 miles over to the Eagles Nest Shelter. It is a nice shelter but a little far off the trail. The first 8 miles of trail were very good. By 12:00 I had covered the 8 miles plus the side trip to the shelter.Then the rocks reappeared again for most of the remaining 5.5 miles to Port Clinton. I didn¢t get into town until 4:00. The descent down into town was the steepest I have seen on the trail all the way from Springer Mtn. GA. I worked up a sweat and even had to sit down for a rest coming down hill. Reaching town I checked into the Port Clinton Hotel for two nights. I have a lot of town chores to do tomorrow, Walmart, Cabella¢s, laundry, library, etc. All these places are 2 to 4 miles from away from the hotel so I will be doing some walking tomorrow. 13.5 miles today.
Date: 2013-10-21
From: Port Clinton

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I really got a good nights sleep last night, the best of this trip so far. I walked a couple of miles along a very busy highway to McDonald's and had three breakfast sandwiches and took three more out for tomorrow. I walked down here to the library to catch up on journals and next will be laundry. I will stop at Cabella's and Walmart on the way back to the hotel. Oh yeah, I will stop somewhere for dinner. Maybe Cracker Barrel or Logan's Roadhouse. Back to the trail tomorrow. Checkout time is 9 A.M.
Date: 2013-10-22
From: Port Clinton

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

I had a good day today even if I didn¢t sleep well last night. Woke up at 5:45 and decided to take another shower then had coffee and two sausage McMuffins I bought yesterday. I saved the other one for the trail. I was on trail at 7:40. The climb out of town was not as bad, slabbing up the side of the mountain instead of going straight up. I saw a deer about half way up, a nice size doe. The trail was fairly good over to the Windsor Furnace Shelter and I was there at 11:00. I decided to go for the Eckville Shelter another 9.1 miles farther. This put me hiking past Pulpit Rock and The Pinnacle, both with great views into the valley. There were several day hikers at both places. I had more easy trail this afternoon. Tophat and Jules, SoBo thru hikers, are here tonight. This is a totally enclosed shelter, but no heat. I ended up hiking 14.8 miles today.
Date: 2013-10-23
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Remote campsite
Miles today: 13.4

I didn¢t sleep well again. This is becoming a habit. I lay in my bunk while Tophat and Jules ate and packed up. I didn¢t think I would have a tough day so I never got on trail until 9:10. The first 2.5 miles was good trail. Then near Dan¢s Pulpit the going got rough. I had 3 or 4 miles of really bad rocks. They just wore me out. I reached the Allentown Shelter and took a long shoes off break and ate some cheese, pepperoni, and Fritos. That and the fact that the trail got good again got me 13.4 miles to a remote campsite by a spring. I met a squirrel hunter today and a deer hunter today. I only saw 2 hikers. More big rocks tomorrow then into Palmerton to resupply. I wonder why spiders build their webs exactly the same height as my face. If I was a foot shorter would they lower their webs so they could still hit me in the face? I also wonder why I stub my left toe 90% of the time. The rocks are my friends.
Date: 2013-10-24
From: Remote campsite

To: George W. Overbridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.8

It was chilly when I woke up this morning, 35 degrees. I had been up twice during the night to take a short walk from my tent and it is hard to get out of a warm sleeping bag in the cold. I had some major muscle cramps in my legs overnight. I think I have not been drinking enough water during the day. I have only been carrying 1 12 liters to last 13 or 14 miles to cut down on weight. The first mile of trail was good today but soon became nothing but big rocks as I neared the area called the Knife Edge. It was very challenging for me and dangerous with a 32 lb. pack on your back. It would be fun without the pack. I climbed Bear Rocks for a great view of the valley below. Bake Oven Knob was also dangerous and very tiring. I met a group of 4 day hikers and had a nice chat with them. Later I met 2 more and chatted some more. These little chats offer some need rest. I flushed 2 grouse today. The day was hard even if I only went 10.8 miles. I am in the George W. Overbridge Shelter. Sandman69 showed up shortly after I did. He only has 30 more miles to hike to finish his thru hike. He is excited to finish and ready to go home. I am going into Palmerton in the morning for a good breakfast and stay overnight at the Jailhouse Hostel. I am only three miles out of town.
Date: 2013-10-25
From: George W. Outerbridge Shelter

To: Palmerton
Miles today: 1.2

I woke up and watched the sunrise for the first time this hike. The shelter faced east so I just propped my head up on the logs of the shelter and watched the day become alive. Sandman69 was soon on his way. I didn¢t eat this morning just packed up and headed for town. I reached downtown at 10:00 and enjoyed a great omelet at Burt¢s Restaurant. Then I went across the street and check in at the hostel. I claimed a bunk, no one else there, showered and headed for the library to post. Next will be laundry, then resupply, and later another good meal. Back to the trail tomorrow. 1.1 miles today. Now that¢s a nero.