morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-30
From: Quarry Gap shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace Store
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

Last night was the coldiest night ever on the AT. My silk liner and bivy was not enough to keep me warm. That was surprising because I had on my boggin hat, pants,and 2 shirts. At 2:30 I got out of my bag and realized it wan't much colder otside than inside my bivy. I saw a light in the shelter and found Warren Doyle writing in the log. He said he was meeting his daughter in Boiling SSprings. He noted in the log that Hot Springs was hotter than Boiling Spring. I got back in my sack but got up at 5 AM but decided after a half hour to just pack up and hike. I told Coyote i'd meet him for lunch at the next shelter (Birch Run) which is 7 miles away. I felt bad leaving Coyote like that but I felt hiking would warm me up. I worried he might rush to catch up so I walked slowly and took several long breaks. Finally, just before 9 AM I saw Coyote come out of the woods. WE stopped and had breakfast. Coyot made coffee and I had some fig newtons. Got to Birch Run at 10:35. Sweet Tea from Alabama and Power Nap stopped by. At 3:09 Coyote started clapping. A sign announced I had completed half of the AT. Only 1089 miles to go. I did the first half in 93 days, hopefully the second half will be faster. TRadition says thru hikers should eat a 1/2 gallon of ice cream at Pine Grove Furnace Store. I am not a traditionalist and I have too much respect for ice cream and I am not really doing a thru hike so I just had a pint of chocolate ice cream. WE decided to book a room at the Mt. Holly Motel. We had a Subway sandwhich for dinner 80 miles in 6 days
Date: 2010-07-01
From: Pine Grove Furnace Store

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: scattered clouds

One year ago today I got off the trail. Seems long ago. Marie, the shuttle driver, drove us to Pine Furnace Grove Store where I had another pint of ice cream, this time vanilla. I heard someone say, My name is McGyver 99" It was the same McGyver Recom and I had hiked with last year. He had his dog Oakie with him as well. We hiked to the first shelter where we planned to stay but decided to push on when we found 8-10 young campers there. It was a mistake. /WE had 4 hours to do 8.3 miles but it was very rocky and had boulders we had to negotiate. Needless to say we were night hiking again and thru horrible rocks. Very scarry.. Got to Alec Kennedy but there was no room so I had to sleep on a rocky hillside sliding downward constantly. It was a cold sleepless night.
Date: 2010-07-02
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: The Allenberry 
Miles today: 3.9

Heard coyotes yipping last night. Real coyotes not Coyote Clair. WE threw our gear in our packs and were on our way at 5:45. Being cold in the woods is miserable, so hiking was a better idea. Boiling Springs was only 4 miles away and figured to be there by 8 AM. Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn down a very steep embankment. WE couldn't climb back up. I had seen what I thought were whikte blazes but turned out to be white splotches PA uses to alert hunters to hunting areas. SOOOOOO... we followed a trail into what appeared to be a militia camp. I told Coyote, "I hope this isn't a shoot first, ask questions later camp!" We walked to the road and pindered which way to go when a vehicle pulled up. The camp cook asked, "Do you realize you are on private property?" I laughed and said, "Do you realize we are lost!" She smiled and pointed us in the right direction. We had to walk the road for several miles making it to the Appalachian Trail Conservency building in Boiling Springs at 8:45. John, the ATC employee, was very friendly and helpful. We were tired and hungry so we went to the ALLENBERRY resort and had a $6.00 AYCE breakfast. 3 glasses of OJ, large plate of eggs, sausage, bacon, & taters. WOW!!! We had to wait until 2:30 to check into our room. The Allenberry also loaned me a pair of swim trunks so I took a swim. I ordered a hommock from REI while we were waiting. I decided I was tired of sleeping on rocks. I'll pick it up in Unionville, NY in 2 weeks.
Date: 2010-07-03
From: The allenberry 

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

Made it to the shelter by 2:45. A very easy 14.3 miles. WEll, the last 2 miles we climbed 800 feet but that was OK. Coyote made a MT House Chili Mac and shared it with me. It was delicious. Earlier in the day we had some trail magic from hikers named Sculler and Idgie. Iced cokes, Little Debbie oatmeal cakes, oranges, bananas, etc. Thanks!!!
Date: 2010-07-04
From: Darlington Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Last night I was sitting in front of the shelter when a young shirtless hiker came bouncing into camp, threw down his pack, and started gathering wood shavings, etc. to build a fire. Within minutes he had a nice fire going in the fire pit and had gathered enough wood to cook his dinner. Beaver Chief had already hiked 25 miles and had a kind of crazed look about him, although he certainly seemed nice enough. His hands and barefeet were filthy from messing with the fire pit and he was sweating profusely from hiking all day. After eating a huge pot of pasta with tomato sauce, he decide he was still hungry so he dug a new fire pit (he didn't like the old one) and cooked some more. He was anxious to meet some friends for Fourth of July fireworks, but after eating so much he just crashed. I laid on my bivy at 8:30 and didn't move. It was a warm night and I got some sleep. Woke up later than I wanted and left camp at 7:23. It seemed like it was a long day. We got to Duncannon at about 2:30. Jeff, the ridge runner, was relaxing in a park so I bought a couple cokes at a convenience store and Coyote and I chatted with jeff for a few minutes. Checked in to the Doyle Hotel. Llano, a lady hiker we first met at Pine Grove Furnace Store finishing her 1/2 gallon of ice cream, was already there. The 3 of us went to Mutzaballs Store to restock for a very hard week. A south bounder told us some of the springs had dried up. Makes me nervous about hiking on the AT when there is no wster and it is soooooo...HOT!!!!.
Date: 2010-07-05
From: Duncannon

To: Clarks Creek
Miles today: 17.3

The Doyle Hotel was definitely an experience. The good news is I'll never have to stay there again. It is an old Budweiser Hotel that is in need of updating and general cleaning. It was like staying in a shelter, except it did have beds. Left town at 5:23 trying to beat the heat, but of course, leaving town meant climbing out of town. Made it to Peters MT. shelter by 12:30 and hung out for a couple hours to stay out of the heat, but pushed on because of no water. We walked in to the Clarks Creek parking lot and HURRAY, Deetz's mom and dad were there with trail magic. Food and water and camp lounge chairs. Life is good. WE camped near the creek but skeeter chased me into my bivy which was too warm. Ghetto Sheep put her hammock up in the pine trees not too far from us. She asked if we would save her if attacked by bears. I jokingly told her she was on her own if a bear attacked. (I'd like to think I'd come to her rescue if she really was attacked.)
Date: 2010-07-06
From: Clarks Creek

To: Rausch Gap
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: scattered clouds

 Coyote left first today. I didn't notice which way he left and when I didn't catch up with him within an hour, I figured he must have gone the wrong way so I sat down and waited. Another hiker came by and told me he was behind. He had taken the wrong trail out of camp. I thought I was the only one that did that. Made it to Rausch Gap Shelter but SURPRISE!!! NO WATER!!! We hung out there for almost 4 hours then moved to a creek where we found a well to pump water. I got my best night's sleep yet. I was able to take a dip in the creek to cool off and my sleep area was actuallly level.
Date: 2010-07-07
From: Rausch Gap Shelter

To: 501 Shelter plus 1.8 miles
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Coyote and I had talked to several people that had said the temp could reach 100 degrees. It is very hot and humid. I tried to camel up before leaving at 6:05. By 6:30 I was dripping with sweat from climbing 500 ft., by 7:30 I had slipped twice and fallen, and by 9:22 Coyote had decided to leave the trail. Wise man. Fortunately there were several coolers of trail magic awaitng me with cold beverages. A guy named Slick had lounge chairs, sliced cold oranges, and all the cold drinks a thirsty hiker could want at one road crossing. I got to 501 Shelter at 5:00 and ordered a pizza that was delivered to hwy 501. Fortunaltely, another hiker showed up to share it with me so I could get back on the trail by 7:00 PM. I hiked mostly uphill for an hour and a half and of course it was over rocks and more rocks. I was afraid I might not find a place to lay down but found a small area to lay my sleep bag down on just off the trail. At 10:30 PM 3 hikers cruised by with head lamps on. The 1st said, "Sorry Dude" when he put his light on me. Said they were doing 9 miles to hwy 183. Good Luck on these rocks in the dark!
Date: 2010-07-08
From: 501 Shelter plus 1.8 miles

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: few clouds

I did not sleep well. I was alone in the woods, and hot beyond belief. No air to be found on that mountain. It was noisy with bugs that forced me into my bivy till 10:00. I was very concerned about hiking 22 miles in this heat. At 4:15 Beaver Chief zoomed by as I lay there in my under wear. Finally I got up at 4:45 and by 5:05 I was on the trail. I was happy that Coyote had made it safely to Lickdale, and Linda would pick him up on Friday. I hadn't talked to Molly so I called her from Shikelimy Overlook at 6:48. Sorry Sweetie! I walked and walked and walked. hopping over rock after rock after rock. I imagined how the AT must have blazed this trail. "Hey,let's route them over as many rocks as possible. Fan out and find a miserable area of rocks and we'll send them there." And, they did that for miles and miles. I can't begin to tell you how much I loathe the rocks of PA. Perhaps if I had hiked them last year with my trail hardened legs and more sleek body, and if it weren't so sweltering hot, and if the humidity weren't so high and if all the springs weren't dry, I'd enjoy this more. Big IFs.I wanted to make it 15 miles to Eagles Nest Shelter by noon but I was staggering so badly at 11:15 I stopped to eat. The 1/2 pizza I shared with the hiker named Popcorn last night and a Fiber One bar this morning wasn't enough to get me to the shelter. My plan was to lay down at the shelter for a few but it was .3 miles off the trail, so I hiked what I thought was .6 miles and found an area to lay down. I stripped down to my skivvies and rested for 20 minutes but the flies would not let me sleep, so I dressed and hiked on. Power Pack and Deetz had left water at PA 183 so I had an extra liter of water. I met them heading south and thanked them for their thoughtfulness. a young man named Compass was hiking injured and said he was getting off so I gave him directions. He gave me a half liter he didn't want to carry. I have to say there were times I felt nauseaus and drinking warm water did not help. I set the timer on my watch so I would stop every 45 minutes to rest, but sometimes I couldn't make it that long. I had been warned that the final mile down into Port Clinton was very treacherous. It was. Fortunately my hiking poles held up. I actually considered sliding down on my back side. You could see spots where hikers must have lost control and crashed. i really don't know how my wobbly old legs made it down to Port Clinton but somehow they did. I tried to find the pavillion provided by the town, but finally gave up and walked in to the hotel. The owner was less than hospitable but gave me a room. I did laundry before dinner so I'd have clean clothes. On my way to my room Ghetto Sheep met me at the door saying, "Thank God another hiker is here. These people keep announcing I'm hiking alone." She had hiked from 501 as well, but get this, came down w/o hiking poles. Unbelievable. The bar closed at 9 PM so I went to my room and crashed. No dinner. 22 miles of hell today.
Date: 2010-07-09
From: Port Clinton

To: Bennington, VT.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I had called Wingaard and Doris to whine about my day and they invited me to join them in VT to hike north with them. PA was hot, humid, and dry. Vermont seemed like a better plan so I gave Recom a call and asked if he would like to go on a road trip. He thought that was a good idea so hopefully I'll be in VT sometime tomorrow. Wingaard and Doris are taking a zero day in Bennington so we'll meet them there. I left the Port Clinton Hotel and hitched to the CAbella's 3 miles away. A young man that had hiked the trail before (Huey was his trail name) picked me up and 10 minutes later I was eating a Cabella's breakfast buffet. Life is good. There is some saddness that I won't be hiking north all the way from Springer GA to Katahdin, ME but I think the odds of me making it in this heat are not very good. So I'll hike from VT to ME and come back to finish the 414 miles from Bennington to Port ClintonPA in September.   Recom got to Cabella's at 1 PM and Coyote Clair and his wife, Linda, arrived 40 minutes later. Marifaith had sent my winter sleeping bag and some other items like my stove. Recom and I were on our way to Unionville, NY to pick up my hammock. I called ahead and the post office said they would leave my hammock out back if we were late. I walked in 2 minutes before closing and got my new hammock. The drive to Walton, NY was very scenic. I didn't know NJ and NY were so beautiful.
Date: 2010-07-10
From: Walton, NY

To: Bennington, VT.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Left Walton NY and drove to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. I had never been there it is on my bucket list. I had hoped to see Al Kaline's and George Kell's displays and I found them. It was a very nice stop and I could have stayed all day but I was anxious to get to VT and continue my AT adventure. WE met Bill and Doris at a motel in Bennington. It was great to see them again. Had dinner at the PepperMill.
Date: 2010-07-11
From: Benninton, VT USFS Rd. 71

To: VT Hwy 11
Miles today: 20.0

Wingaard, Doris, Recom and I had a quick McDonald's breakfast. I thanked Recom for helping me out and promised to keep him posted on my progress. Doris dropped us off at USFS road 71 and we hiked to Hwy 11. A total of 20 miles. It was a great day to hike with Wingaard again, but we both agreed it would have been better with Recom along too.
Date: 2010-07-21
From: Mt. Moosilauke

To: Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Moosilauke was the toughest climb since VA, maybe the whole AT and the descent is considerd my many to be the single most dangerous section of the whole AT. The climb was over 3000' with no switch backs. Four hours to the summit (6 miles) The views were worth the climb but some local hikers said a storm may be moving in. Of course, a storm was moving in, of course. A sign greeted us as we started the rocky descent. "This is a very tough trail. Do not attempt unless you are an experienced hiker. Be especially careful near the falls to avoid tragic results. You may want to take another trail." What other trail? The second I put my first step on the first rock it started to rain. Every step seemed like life or death. There was rebar and wooden steps driven into rock along the falls. It is a miracle we made it down in one piece. Every step seemed more dangerous that the one before it. It rained the whole time. I think it would have been a beautiful hike under normal circumstances.
Date: 2010-07-22
From: Chets

To: Chet's
Miles today: 0.0

Will zero at Chet's-One Step at a Time Hostel. My legs took a beating on Moosilaukee. Corny offered me a bowl of Fiber One cereal this AM which i gladly accepted since I had left my food bag in the van and it's still raining. Will try to leave by 7 am tomorrow. The 360 view from Moosilaukee was awesome.
Date: 2010-07-23
From: Chet's

To: Kinsman Ridge
Miles today: 0.0

Very tuff 16 miles over Kinsman Ridge today. My legs felt great for most of the day but by the end, my legs felt totally ruined. Wolf MT was fun and Kinsman was at least a 3000' climb. It was a very dangerous day for me. At times I would throw my poles up ahead, find a foot hold and pull myself up. I don't know how many times I came to spots where I thought there was no way up, but some how I made it.
Date: 2010-07-24
From: Kinsman Ridge

To: Franconia Ridge
Miles today: 8.0

Today the weather was great but we could only do 8 miles. It was all climbing. Franconia Ridge is the most beautiful hike yet. 360 degree views for several grueling miles. There must have been 200 people on this ridge. Had to wait in line to climb some of the time. It reminded me of views of the Andes Mountains and Inca roads along them. finally cleared the hordes and pushed on towards the Garfield shelter but decided we could not make it. We were very low on water,but decided to use 2 cups to make a MT House dinner of beef stew. A young man we had passed earlier stopped and asked if we had any extra water. I gave him a few ounces of Gatorade and pointed him toward the shelter. I hope he made it.
Date: 2010-07-25
From: Franconia ridge

To: Garfield shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm afraid Wingaard may be thinking of getting off the trail This really isn't hiking; it's rock climbing. I've had a few close calls myself, fallen several times. I sometimes find myself in stagger mode. that's where I'm stumbling around unable to find places for my feet or hiking poles. I try to stop, find my center of balance, wait a few seconds and go on. I think it's really a dehydration issue. Last night I was in my hammock by 7:30. I listened to the rain all night. we decided to sleep in because of the rain. Finally left by noon and pushed on to garfield shelter.
Date: 2010-07-26
From: Garfield shelter

To: Zealand Hut
Miles today: 0.0

Took a really hard fall today. My hardest yet. It was very windy 50-70mph and a gust of wind took my pack which I hadn't properly adjusted and down I went back even tho I was climbing up. So far I've done 400 miles this month. Still got 766 to go. My legs felt good most of the day untill the end of course. Last night in the shelter i was cold untill my sleep bag dried and i was fine except no air mattress. We booked a bunk at the Zealand Hut ($101) OUCH !!!!!
Date: 2010-07-27
From: Zealand Hut

To: Highway 302
Miles today: 0.0

Last night at Zealand Hut was interesting. The staff made a tasty meal of soup, sala, chicken w/rice, and maccarroon for dessert. The house was full with 36 guests. It has it's own water pump that uses hydro power from the river to pump from a well. It also generates its own electricity.   the staff was a joy to be around.   hiker midnight hit me at 8:30 an hour before lights out . At midnight I went out side to a full moon over White Wall MT. An older woman was doing some kind of strange yoga type moon dance.
Date: 2010-07-28
From: Hwy 302

To: Lakes of the clouds Hut
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Had to deal with a groin problem all day today. took 2 Aleves by noon. We had amazing views all day today. It was amazing to see just how far we had climbed and then look ahead and see just how far we had go. We are in the Presidentials and the 11 miles were very hard. My right knee bothered me most of the afternoon which took my mind off the pain in my groin. Made it to the Lakes of the Clouds hut by 6 PM. The manager offered us work for stay but we wanted to leave early in the morning so we asked to stay in the dungeon. The manager made a funny face so I knew we should check it out. One look and we decided to work for stay. The dungeon is a filthy no frills emergency storage room the AMC charges $15 for people to stay. 333 miles to Katahdin
Date: 2010-07-29
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Lakes of the clouds Hut
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

WOW !!! What a storm last night. Outrageous winds and rain started at lights out (9:30)   The best nights sleep ever on a table in a hut! The highest winds ever were recorded at Mt Washington which is 1.5 miles from the hut. Amazingly, I was wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt when I got here last night. Visibility is only 75 feet (maybe 15') The staff agreed to let us do work for stay another day. Hate to take a zero but better safe than sorry.   In case you are wondering about the work, we swept the entire hut, and did more dishes than you can imagine. but it was worth it and the meals were very good!
Date: 2010-07-30
From: Lakes of the Clouds Hut

To: Osgood Tent site
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

I awoke after my second night of sleeping on the tables at the hut below Mt Washington. I could see my breath in the hut which is why I wore pants long sleeve shirt, and my boggin to sleep in. There is a dark reddish Halo over the mountain as I write this. The weather report is iffy as it probably always is considering it rains about 300 days of the year here. Left the hut at 6:38, the temp was 38 degrees and the winds were 45-60 mph. I wore a short sleeve shirt under my long sleeve shirt & rain pants. Not enough! I made it 0.9 miles beofe stopping to put on my rainjacket. The sign approaching Washington reads, "MT Washington has the worst weather in America. Many have died from exposure even in the summer. Turn back now if the weather is bad." Comforting! The winds almost blew me up the mountain as I climbed the final few feet. Unfortunately there was not much of a view from the Mt. and the cafe was not open for breakfast so we pushed on. The hike down heading north was kind of a fun rock hopping experience. It really is not a trail per se. Just rocks that you climb up or down, looking for cairns ahead to keep you headed in the right direction. Made it to Madison Spring Hut by 2 PM had a bowl of chili and started the .5 mile climb to the top of Madison. It took an hour. The climb down Madison was very, very taxing. It was only 2.5 miles, but it was 2.5 miles of living H..E..L..L.   ON and ON and On down, down, down. Over 4 hours of knee killing down hill. Wingaard made me even more anxious when he said after 3 hours, "Have you seen a blaze lately?" So now I'm worrying that we missed the AT and we're heading the wrong way to who knows where. But, eventually we made to the Osgood tent site. Just as I set my pack down I heard the guy in the next site yell, "No! Bad bear! Go AWAY!" I HEARD his young son giggle so I assumed he was yelling at his dog. But no. a bear comes strutting out of his tent site, ambles on past ours, and disappears into the woods. Overall, not a great day considering I stepped on one of my hiking poles and snapped it in to. I thought I might not sleep well after seeing a bear, but I slept like a baby. I guess the bear did visit the hikers on the other side of us that did not put their food in the bear box. I slept in my Cabella's bivy on a tent platform.
Date: 2010-07-31
From: Osgood Tent site

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

It is totally assinine that we are hiking south again today (the hike down Madison was south yesterday)but that's the AT. Made it to Pinkham Notch for an AMC $1.75 cold shower at Camp Dodge.   I am the only hiker staying at "the Barn" in Gorham, NH. Actually, I was eating my dinner when a man and an older lady came in. Evidently her car had broken down and she needed a place to stay. So she stayed downstairs and I had the entire upstairs bunk house to myself.