morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-06-28
From: PA 850

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Once I got in bed last night, I did not get up unless to use the bathroom. I laid in bed all day today. I turned my phone on silent and closed the blinds so I could sleep. I did take a long shower in the middle of the day to loosen up all the crap inside my lungs. It helped for sure. I checked my phone and everyone was getting into Duncannon. They are all staying at the Doyle and hanging out at the bar. I don't even feel like moving to get out of bed let alone hang out at a bar. They tried though. I got a bunch if texts saying "come have a drink with us!" I took some NyQuil pills Willy Wonka gave me a few days ago and fell asleep at 7pm. I set my phone alarm for 10am so I made sure to wake up and get out before checkout time at 11am. This is the sickest I have been in a long time. Hopefully the z pak start working quickly.
Date: 2014-06-29
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

I got up at 10am and felt a lot better. I was not even close to normal but certainly better then yesterday. I checked out of the motel and Trail Angle Mary gave me a ride back to the Doyle. Everyone was there. Doc was still hanging around and I wanted to see how I felt hiking. He ran me back up to PA 850. I left my stuff at the Doyle. It was a simple 9 miles in but felt like 30. I didn't even want to drink water and was dead after the 2nd mile. Some of the little rocks challenged me worse then they should. When I got back I was starving so I ate lunch with Weather Man. He says he was getting a room where I stayed for a night. I bought him lunch to stay with him. I was killed. Annerrrr, Rock, and Swamp Donkey are staying too. Doc have us all a ride back up to the motel. I took a quick shower, couldn't even eat dinner, and was asleep before everyone by 8pm. I hate being sick! I'll be hiking out in the morning but I have no idea how far I'll make it. Hopefully I feel a lot better by then. Wednesday we are all planning on renting a car and driving to my dad's camp in Maine for the 4th of July. It will be a blast and I cannot wait to see everyone up there. I really hope I feel better by then.
Date: 2014-06-30
From: Duncannon, PA

To: Portland, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I was up at 7am as I heard everyone starting to pack up. I was feeling a little better but that's how I felt in the mornings while being sick. I was not yet close to 100% yet. Swamp Donkey jokingly said "let's go to Maine now!" I laughed and said "I wish!" Then, Annerrrr, Weather Man, and Rock said "why not? We're in!" So, that is how it started. I called Enterprise to see what the difference in price was. I had the weekly rate picking it up Wednesday. Therefore, if I picked it up today, it was literally the same exact price. Perfect! I asked if they could pick me up in Duncannon, PA. They said they would be there in 3 hours after they found a truck at a close by location. We called Ponds, Boucher, and Willy Wonka and told them not to hike out. We're going to Maine! They were paying their bill at the Doyle and were about to leave. We caught them just in time. 4-5 hours later I showed up in a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500. It is a 4 door 2wd truck with the 6 foot bed. We loaded up all 8 of us and hit the road towards my dads house. We arrived around 2am and left Duncannon around 5pm so the drive was not that bad at all. Two slept in the bed the whole way so we had six in the cab. Hiker trash road trip. We all piled in the basement of my dads house and called it a night.
Date: 2014-07-01
From: Portland, ME

To: Freeport, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

We all slept in, took showers, and then headed into Freeport. Everyone loved it. Lots of new boots and shoes purchased at L.L. Bean along with all the other outlets. A then went with my dad and step brother Jon to Sea Side Grill at the Handy Boat Yatch Club in Falmouth where my dad and step mom Beth keep their boat. We had a few drinks and watched the soccer game. It was awesome to be hanging out with my dad.
Date: 2014-07-02
From: Freeport, ME

To: Belgrade Lakes, ME
Miles today: 0.0

We were all packed up abs headed to camp around 11am. Annerrrr decided she was done and went to Portland to be with a friend. It was already sunny and hot. We hit Hannaford in Yarmouth for beer and good before getting on 295 and going North. We all hung out in the lake all day. It was a blast. A few thunderstorms during the evening. It's so great to be here. Everyone is having a blast!
Date: 2014-07-03
From: Belgrade Lakes, ME

To: Belgrade Lakes, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

It was a beautiful morning and afternoon. Young Gun ended up coming to camp since he only lived a few miles away and is now off trail. We had beers on the water, took the boat out, went swimming, and had a great fire. Another awesome day! So thankful to be here. Everyone loved hanging out with my dad and he had a blast too. My brother Steve was up too and had a good time with all of us.
Date: 2014-07-04
From: Belgrade Lakes, ME

To: Belgrade Lakes, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a rainy 4th, but no complaints from anyone. Everyone needed a good rest day. We all slept in, hung out, took nap, watched movies, had a few beers, another great meal cooked by my dad, and just enjoyed everyone's company. It wasn't your average 4th, but it was a great one. Just spending time with my family is awesome! Not to mention my trail family is here too, making one big family.
Date: 2014-07-05
From: Belgrade Lakes, ME

To: Gloucester, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We woke up to pouring rain and decided to leave camp. We all helped my dad clean. I dropped Young Gum off at his house then we all went back to my dads house. Rock is going home for a few weeks to make some money and figure a few things out. So, we decided we would all go to his place for a few nights before heading back. We said goodbye to my family and hit the road to MA. Everyone had such a good time at my dads. It was so good to see everyone. I'll see then again in a few months. We got to Rock's. He lives in a little town called Lanesville and literally knows everyone. I set my tent up in his yard. We all went down to the cove on the ocean to have a few bees. Then we went to the quarries to jump off some cliffs. 40ft, 60ft, and 80ft. Very cool places and nice water. We had a party and fire that night. Then hit a bar called Prattys.
Date: 2014-07-06
From: Gloucester, MA

To: Gloucester, MA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We all slept in before heading to the quarries again. After that we hang out at the cove before having at cook out at Rocks. Early to bed. Leaving at 6am to head back to PA tomorrow. By far the best AT side trip yet. Fortunate to have the time and availability to do things like this. Thank you dad! Thank you Mr Nick!
Date: 2014-07-07
From: Gloucester, MA

To: Rattling Run
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: light rain

I was up by 4:30am this morning. I packed my stuff, took a quick shower, cleaned up the yard, and loaded up the truck. We said goodbye to Rock and his family then hit the road back to PA by 6am. We hit a lot of traffic around Boston and then again in Hartford, CT. It was a smooth abs easy drive after that. We went up with 8 and are coming back with 6. I dropped everyone back off and they hiked out after resupplying. Swamp Donkey and I took the truck back to Enterprise after resupplying at WalMart. Might as well use the truck while we have it. Plus the AC was nice while packing out packs. They had no one to give us a ride back so Miss Janet picked us up and dropped us off since she wasn't far away. We left as soon as we got back. The climb out killed me as I was work out. I thought we were only doing 5-10 miles today. I was wrong. It was not bad though after the climb up. The normal easy ups and down along with every size rock in between. There was no water for a while but then it was like we walked into a spring every few miles. We made a pretty good day out of it but hiked until after dark. The group was already at a site not listed in the guide near Rattling Run. There was good water which was perfect for the night. I can't believe I made it today. I was in bed as soon as I set up. I'm sleeping in tomorrow. I think everyone is pretty with out as well. I had such a great week! It did make me miss home and being in Maine for the summer but I know I will be able to once again next year. I cannot wait to get up north closer to family. It's nice just knowing they're only a few hours away. The same thing for the south with my moms only being a few hours away. I guess it's like a comfort piece of mind. I have enough food to hike for a long time. I probably bought too much but that's fine. That means we can put some miles down. I good to do a bigger day tomorrow. I like hiking early in the morning and late at night. Taking a big break in the middle if the day helps with the heat. Off to get some sleep. It's weird how a week of the trail makes you have to adjust to being back in the woods again. Big thunderstorms rolled in late tonight.
Date: 2014-07-08
From: Rattling Run

To: Round Head View Campsite
Miles today: 27.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Yeah, I'm dead. It was a long day with big miles. That is what we all wanted to do though to make up for the week we spent in Maine. The terrain was actually a cake walk with two minor climbs. I passed two towns. Lickdale and Pine Grove. I'm not sure I've ever done that in one day. I crossed under I-81 yet again. It feels like I've been next to this interstate for months. The little ankle rolling rocks are what get the best of my feet. They're absolutely killed. Also, the flat road type walking really hurts them too. Maybe it's because I pound my feet. Swamp Donkey, Ponds, and I were the first ones out this morning and we hiked together almost all day. I consume two liters of water at almost every water source I found. I tried to take only a few breaks today so I could hike slow and easy. I was tempted to go into Pine Grove for some food but decided against it since I just resupplied and need to eat the food I have. We all camped at an awesome site that had a view. All of us were saddened by some news we got today. While we were in Maine, a guy we have all been hiking with named Mocha Pot had an accident. He fell of The Pinnacle on July 4th around 8pm. He did not fall off the trail. He was climbing on some rocks. It is a big out drop with a major over hanging cliff. He feel nearly 40ft, landed on his back, and then rolled down the hill a pretty good ways. He was conscious and Pope had to hold his head for hours while search and rescue located him and then air lifted him out. He is now out if the ICU but still in critical condition. They are unsure if he will walk again. It is very, very sad to hear this news. He has 4 broken vertebraes, 6 broken ribs, a punctured spleen, and a major concussion. His mom flew in from CO to be with him and they're still currently at the hospital. THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR MOCHA POT! Severe storms rolled in later tonight. The rain fly on my tent was about to take off. I turned my phone on and my dad had text me "how are those storms?" I knew he was watching them on the weather chancel. I'm off to sleep by 10pm. Hopefully another good day tomorrow. Possibly into Port Clinton, PA.
Date: 2014-07-09
From: Round Head View Campsite

To: Port Clinton Pavilion 
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: broken clouds

Storms continued until 2am last night so I did not sleep much. I was up by 5am again but did not feel very rested. My feet and knees are pretty stiff in the mornings which is not fun at all. I packed up my soaking wet tent from the rain last night and ate a quick breakfast. I was the 2nd one out of camp by 6am this morning. The profile of the terrain is fairly flat. But guess what? More rocks; everywhere. I rather the massive boulder jumping over the tiny ankle rollers any day of the week. I have to feel every step with my right ankle before taking it to make sure it isn't going to roll again. One more accident with it, and my hike could be over. I'm taking shorter and fewer breaks to be able to cover miles since I'm going so slow over some of this terrain. I'm feel great health wise though which is very nice. I've been taking Juice Plus that my mom sent us all while in Maine. All your fruits and veggies in a few pills. That's always great to have out here. I'm still getting dehydrated during the day from the heat and loosing so much water. I filled up water just before he Eagle Nest Shelter then cruised into Port Clinton, PA. I pulled off three deer ticks right before I got to town. Along with two big ticks. I hate ticks! I hiked from almost sun up to sun down today. I was the last one to town. The trail goes right through which is nice. I'm sleeping in the free Pavilion for hikers. It has a old privy here too. Cavey was out for a few days and we ran into him here so that was cool to see him. A guy in town let's you fill up water from his hose so I did that after I set up my stuff. Across the street a lady lets you charger your phone on her porch so I took advantage of that as well. She also runs the lo do museum for the canal and rail road. She give us a private late night tour which was very nice of her. I had a few bars for dinner and called it a night. Another massive storm rolled in later tonight. It was cool to watch since I was cowboy camping. High winds too. Looks like another hot day tomorrow. Pushing for NJ! Not liking the rocks.
Date: 2014-07-10
From: Port Clinton Pavilion 

To: Blue Mountain B&B
Miles today: 26.7
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a very long and rocky day today. The climb out of Port Clinton was not bad, but it was already really hot. I stopped by the Windsor Furnace Shelter for a snack and to fill up with water. After that, we hit some very cool spots! The Pulpit, then the Pinnacle (where Mocha Pot fell from). Both had outstanding views. I stopped by the really awesome Eckville Shelter. It is right next to a guys house. It's a bunkhouse where he lets hikers stay for free. It also has a flushable toilet and a sun shower. Swamp Donkey, Beruit, and I hitched to the gas station down the road. It was very cool to see. Amish country every where. After that, we did the pretty steep climb back up to the ridge line. Dans Pulpit had another amazing view. I got a picture of Weather a Man and Willy Wonka hanging out on the rocks. Everyone stopped at the Allentown Shelter for a snack. There was a nice spring right after that we all filled up water at. It was like an old road bed all the way to PA 309. The rest of the group stopped at a campsite about two miles back. Maverick, Beruit, and I are camping in the back yard of Blue Mountain Summit B&B. The three of us hitched into a plaza down the road and got a pizza from a local place. We got back a little after dark right before it started to pour. The rain and wind were intense. The temps dropped into the high 60s which made for perfect sleeping. Tomorrow we are shooting for Palmerton, PA. Going to check it out then hike on. Wind Gap has free camping behind a bar so we are trying for there in a day or two. My body is definitely feeling the days we have been pushing. The Rock boulder fields are unreal. Another great day on the AT!
Date: 2014-07-11
From: Blue Mountain B&B

To: Little Gap Road
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was just like every other day on the AT, and it did not go as expected. I thought the group would stop by where I was this morning, but they hiked right by. It wasn't until they were 3 miles ahead that I found out via a text from Ponds. I was already packed so I put my pack on and flew to try and catch them. I caught them at the Knife Edge which is stubbing. Long views while hiking across massive boulders. Rocky ridge line if always fun. Farmland below for miles. It was already very hot and the open rocks in the sun didn't help. Almost every little stream we come across is dried up. The first shelter had water, but it was .5 miles down a steep hill. No thanks. I did not stop walking after that besides at the best and only trail magic in PA this far; gallons of water sitting right on the trail. I had a liter there and filled up another to make it into Palmerton. We got a hitch into town in less then five minutes. We took a quick shower at the "Jail House" hostel and had lunch at the Palmerton hotel. After that came the steepest and best climb in PA yet. One mile straight up the side of mountain with huge boulders. Hands and knees. It was soooo cool! 360 degree view from the top of the ridge. It was a lot of fun. The ridge line was easy walking. It was during this 4 mile walk I got a guy feeling to get tested for Lyme Disease after hearing about all the cases from others. So, when I got to Little Gap Road, I hitched into Wind Gap, PA. It took me about 15 minutes. A group of ladies that have been hiking with Red Hat for a day picked me up. The dropped me off at the Urgent Care just before closing. After showing the rash under my arm pit that I could barely see, she said take a picture and look at it. The so typical "bullseye!" I'll be damned. She took blood to run the blood test as well and I also got a tetnis (spelling?) shot since I haven't had one in a while. Sure enough I have Lyme, but I caught it early enough. I have 30 days off Doxycycling. Back to a doctor in 20 days to see if it's gone. If not, 2 days of IV drugs wipes it out. No one else is here yet and I was worn out. I picked up my prescription at CVS then got a room at the Red Carpet Inn. I took a shower and called it a night. It has been a long and rough day. I am glad I caught it early enough. It is still a little depressing. Off to bed early tonight. Slack packing into Wind Gap tomorrow. I received great medical care on the AT once again.
Date: 2014-07-12
From: Little Gap Road

To: Wind Gap, PA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

I did not end up falling asleep until 1am or close to it because I started to Google Lyme disease. Obviously a bad idea. I woke up around 9am and started looking in my guide for a shuttle this morning. A local actually gave me the number of a man that does local shuttles for anyone. $12 and he took me back up to Little Gap Road. It looked like a smooth 15 miles into Wind Gap. I wanted to see how it was hiking on the medicine. Since it looked flat, I brought only a few snacks and a lot of water. The trail was great today. I felt great too. Very easy hike in, with of course, a bunch of rocks. I consumed every bit of the 4.5 liters I brought. I left my filter in the hotel room but I had plenty of water. I was fine with not getting water today because the first water was .6 off trail and the 2nd was .5. That's a whole two extra miles just for water. No thanks. The 8-10lbs of water for a slack pack was worth it. Everyone was already in Wind Gap as they hiked in this morning and camped just before town last night. I can't drink for 30 days and they're all camping behind a bar called the Beer Stien. I'm happy to hang out along for a few nights. I was back in my room by 5pm after getting some cheap fast food in town. The doctor was definitely right! She said to stay around a bathroom for the first day or so on the medicine. Needless to say I'll be packing out a lot of toilet paper tomorrow. I am 16 miles from the NJ border. That is super exciting! I'll be trying to catch up on journals this evening if I can stop watching Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. I'm hiking out in the morning. NJ tomorrow night! Bring on the northern states. I'm looking forward to New England. Lots of rest tonight. Cannot wait to see what the trail holds ahead of me.
Date: 2014-07-13
From: Wind Gap, PA

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I was up at 9am. It took me a while to get going this morning because the bed and AC felt so good. I talked to Willy Wonka and Boucher. They are staying another night to watch the soccer game today. I took a long shower after taking my Lyme medicine. I forgot to eat with it and felt like puking for a good hour or so. Ponds called me and said he was at the trail head. Swamp Donkey was not too far behind him. I packed my stuff and checked out. I had breakfast and coffee at Dunkin Donuts. Then it took me less then five minutes to get a hitch back up PA 33 to the trail. I started hiking as soon as I got there. The first shelter was about 9 miles away. This was the last shelter in PA thank God. It was a quick and easy hike there. I had a big snack and got water at the pump next to the road. Ponds was there as well. We took it nice and easy from there since it was still early. A great view right after the shelter. Then we crossed a pipeline that marked less then 900 miles to Katahdin. That was followed by some flat walking with minimal rocks. A few nice views of the Delaware River as well. We walked into town and checked in at the Church of the Mountains hiker hostel. It is free! Very, very nice place for us. I claimed a bunk then Ponds, Malibu, Swamp Donkey, and I ate dinner at Doughboys. This is a cool hiker town. I am only .3 miles from the NJ border but I consider myself done with PA.   7 states down! 7 to go! Off to bed around 10pm. It was a great day!
Date: 2014-07-14
From: Delaware Water Gap, PA

To: Delaware Water Gap, PA
Miles today: 0.0

I was up at 7am to people moving around the bunk room. I felt tired since I kept getting woken up by people walking by my head on their way to the bathroom since I was right next to the door. I learned yesterday morning to take my medicine after I eat instead of on an empty stomach. So, I walked to the very cool local diner right down the road. Ponds walked in shortly behind me. I couldn't finish all my food so I brought back the left overs to Malibu and Swamp Donkey. We hung out around the hiker hostel for a few hours. I took a nap but could never really fall asleep. We were planning to hike out around noon. Instead, we all had milkshakes and hot dogs at the cafe down the other side of the road. Everyone left shortly after we got back. Swamp Donkey really needed new shoes. He really wanted Ponds and I to stay. Ponds was the last to leave around 3pm. I said I'd stay as long as we left at 6am and did a big day. Swamp Donkey agreed so I stayed. Around 3:30 we took the Pocono Pony to Stroutsburg, PA. There is a Dicks Sporting Goods around the mall. It took is about a hour and a half and 3 buses to get there. I bought a new pair of town shorts along with a new pair of boxers since I only currently have one. My other pair of shorts were ripped so it was time. We finally got back around 8pm. We decided to have some humus at the local grill so we could have wifi for a bit. I updated journals. It was a nice "bro date" as Swamp Donkey said. We are off for an early morning hike to catch Ponds and them. Marathon day? 26.2 plus? I'm guessing that will happen.