morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-04-20
From: Stealth site @ MM 297.0

To: Flint Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 23 was a good day at 11.5 miles hiked with 4900¢ ups/downs.  Started out 34 degrees but was sunny all day warming up to the 60¢s.  Like most days we encountered lots of switchbacks and skirts, both for reducing climbing or descending rates.  Skirts go around mountains like spirals, like garland on a Christmas tree. Continue Klangin¢ On!
Date: 2022-04-21
From: Flint Mountain Shelter 

To: Stealth campsite @ MM 320.1
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 24 was a good day in that we hiked 11.6 miles with 5900¢ ups/downs, and have 24.0 miles left to reach our hiking endpoint, south of Erwin, TN.  We think we can do this in 2 days.  Weather was nice- mostly sunny with a few sprinkles.  Continue Klangin¢ On!
Date: 2022-04-22
From: Stealth campsite @ MM 320.1

To: Stealth campsite @ MM 333.0
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 25 was a great day - longest distance hiked @ 12.9 miles and most ups/downs @ 7300¢ ups/downs.  We climbed Big Bald and Little Bald Mountains, 5500¢ and 5200¢ elevation, and the only over 5000¢ mountains since the Smokies.  And we came across 2 coolers of trail Magic - cookies, fruit, Cokes, and other goodies!  Weather was nice and sunny and it was a great 2nd to last day on the AT!Continue Klangin¢ On!
Date: 2022-04-23
From: Stealth campsite @ MM 333.0

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 26 was a nice ending to our section hike.  We hiked 11.1 miles with 5300¢ of ups/downs, mostly down, to Erwin, TN.  It was our hottest day so far, in the 80¢s. We picked up Wicked¢s truck at Uncle Johnny¢s hostel and drove into Erwin to stay at a hotel.  Shower felt great and clean clothes were appreciated!  About to enjoy a nice dinner!  Tomorrow we will drive north to Martinsburg, WV, where I will catch a train home to Ohio and Wicked will drive him to Mass. My new and old knees did well and proved that we can tackle challenging goals despite arthritis, 5 month young knee, etc!So once again, as I did last year, I challenge you to accomplish challenging goals!  You can do it, if you set your mind to it!Thanks for following me in this journey andKeep Klangin¢ On!!!
Date: 2022-04-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Ready to pick up the trail in Duncannon, PA for a few weeks. Gear is ready, backpack is loaded and been around the neighborhood plenty of times. Fly into Harrisburg, PA, catch an Uber to Duncannon, PA and start walking. This will be my 5th long section hike of the AT with the goal of completing it next year. 2020 was a bust due to Covid. 2021 was better and hike about 920 miles. I'm ready to get moving in 2022.
Date: 2022-05-03
From: Duncannon, PA

To: PeterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: scattered clouds

May 3 - Duncannon, PA to Peters Mountain Shelter - 11.5 miles (11.5 trip miles) - 28569 stepsUp early at 4am to catch the flight from FL to Harrisburg, PA. Got an Uber to Duncannon, PA and a fuel canister at the local outfitter. At 145 I was walking the trail through town. It¢s about a 2 mile road walk through town, including bridges over the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers. From there the trail headed up for 2 miles to get to the ridge. There were rocky spots on the climb but overall not bad. The next 7 miles went along the ride line. Again, there were some rocky sections but not as bad as I expected. Pennsylvania is notorious for its rocks so I expect it to get much worse. Views were limited due to low hazy clouds. I arrived at the shelter just before 7. I only saw 2 hikers today but there are about 15 here. This is a big shelter with a loft. The weather was nice today but overcast. The forecast for tonight is some light showers. Dinner was a freeze dried meal of chicken pasta in a white sauce. Quite good. The water for this shelter is a quarter mile down steep stone steps. When I asked another hiker, trail name Bread, how long it takes, he offered me some of his already filtered water. Many thanks. Tomorrow I hope to go 18 miles to a shelter. I think most hikers here tonight will do the same. That¢s a long ways for my day 2 but there¢s only 1 climb and it doesn¢t look steep. It may depend on the rocks. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-04
From: PeterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Mountain Shelter 

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

May 4 - Peter¢s Mountain Shelter to Rausch Gap Shelter - 18.0 miles (29.5 trip miles) - 41662 steps It was a noisy night in the shelter last night. Plus, one hiker had a dog that growled at everyone that went to the privy during the night. It rained lightly at midnight for about an hour. In the shelter it sounds loud like it¢s pouring but there were no puddles in the morning. Most people were stirring by 6 as its light at about 530. It was a bit chilly and I didn¢t really want to get out of the sleeping bag. At 615, I got up, packed up, took out 2 breakfast bars to eat while hiking and some snacks, and was hiking at 630. The trail today was great throughout. It started with a relatively flat 5 miles. Unfortunately, everything was socked in again. The forecast called for showers at 8 and that¢s what happened. Only 5 minutes. And, I already had my rain jacket on for warmth. After the 5 miles the trail dropped about 800 feet to PA 325. There was a former thru hiker and his wife giving out trail magic. I grabbed a banana and a root beer (odd combination and, no, they don¢t taste good together). I chatted with them and some other hikers and moved on. Thank you. The trail then climbed about 1100 feet over 3.3 miles. It wasn¢t a bad climb. From there, it was 8.5 miles of some of the flattest and easiest trail of the 1180 I have hiked. There were plenty of rocks but they were spaced far enough apart to keep up a decent pace. With about 2 miles to camp my energy began crashing. I had a snack but it didn¢t help much. I rolled in to the shelter at 315. This shelter is small, holding maybe 6. I had hoped it was a larger shelter and I would stay in it. I think most of the folks from last night planned to reach this shelter. It will be packed. So, I set up my tent on a nice bluff 100 yards back up the shelter trail. I went back to the shelter to get water and eat my first dinner, tuna pack on a tortilla. I needed that. Later I¢ll make a freeze dried meal. It¢s just me tented so far in this spot but it¢s early. There was a great campsite just before the shelter turnoff next to a creek with a small waterfall. Tempting, but I¢ll stay where I am. Tomorrow is supposed to be perfect weather. Maybe I¢ll get some views. I plan to go 17.5 miles with only 2 moderate climbs. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-05
From: Rausch Gap Shelter 

To: 501 Shelter 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

May 5 - Rausch Gap Shelter to 501 Shelter - 18.0 miles (47.5 trip miles) - 42272 steps An uneventful night last night. I slept in my tent and got good sleep. Asleep by 830 pm since I was told in the morning a couple showed up at 9, set up their tent, then took it down and moved. I never heard them. I was up at 6, packed up and headed out at 645. There were only 2 climbs today. An easy 400 footer then later a 1000 foot steep climb. The morning was easy with a gradual descent. At the bottom was a beaver dam. Some boards and sticks had been laid out to make it passable. I got across without getting wet. But, I could see how someone could slip in and get soaked. Luckily the creek was low.From there it was up the smaller hill. There were a few views through the trees on this mostly sunny day. Then a long down into Swatara Gap on over Swatara Creek. Then up a dirt road and under I-81 to the big climb. It was tough and rocky and took over an hour. After the climb the rocks continued in force. Some sections were large rocks and you could step from rock to rock. Most were small and pointy. I¢ve now got blisters on the back outside of each heel. I think as my foot rolls on the rocks my feet are rubbing on the shoes. One blister is taped and stopped hurting and the other is starting. I¢ll have to tape them up in the morning. After the rocks, the trail became a speedway. No rocks and basically flat. Awesome. A few views at the end.For the last 4 miles I walked with Ness and G Money who I¢ve passed a few times. We talked most of the way. Good guys. When we made it to the road near the shelter, G Money was done with his hike and had to wait for his buddy so he took Ness to his hotel in Pine Grove and I got a McDonalds milk shake and a Gatorade. He then took me back to the trailhead. Trail magic #1.  The 501 shelter for tonight is more like a cabin, enclosed and a caretaker.  There¢s a few hikers here. After a bit a young couple came by and said there was trail magic at the parking area. Random Adventure 2.0 had a whole setup and made grilled cheeses, had sodas and packets of food for hikers to take. He has a YouTube channel if you¢re interested. Thank you Random, it was awesome. Trail magic #2. Theres 4 staying here (so far). I have a lower bunk an expect to be out early. It was a good but tough, long day. The next 2 days call for rain. Hopefully it¢s not heavy when going over the rocks. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-06
From: 501 Shelter 

To: EagleÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Nest Shelter 
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

May 6 - 501 Shelter to Eagle¢s Nest Shelter - 15.3 miles (62.8 trip miles) - 33068 steps The weatherman got it right again. The rain started at 5am and continued all day. Never too hard, just a steady cold rain. I was up at 6, packed up, had a breakfast bar, stuffed a snack in my pocket and was on the trail by 645. There were only 2 small climbs today. With the low clouds and rain there was nothing to see. Didn¢t take a single picture. It was a ¢Put your head down and walk¢ kind of day. So that¢s what I did. Also, with the rain, I wanted a spot in the shelter in 15 miles. The trail was about 60/40 of rocky areas versus smooth cruising areas. I was fast on all of them. The pointy rocks are getting to my feet and causing blisters. I arrived at the shelter at 1245. By far my fastest day averaging 2.5 mph. There was a .3 mile side trail to the shelter which sucks, but it is what it is. No one was here when I arrived so my plan worked. I got into dry clothes and hung up the wet stuff. I doubt it will dry much. I¢m now in my sleeping bag trying to stay warm. I had hoped to get a room for Saturday night in Hamburg, PA but that does not look like it¢s going to happen. Who knew Hamburg was such a happening place? Instead I will try to get a bunk at a hostel on Sunday night. I hope that works out or I¢ll have to get creative. The current plan is to go to the next shelter tomorrow, about 15 miles, in the all day rain. There is a nearly vertical drop into Port Clinton, PA which should be interesting in the rain. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-07
From: EagleÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Nest Shelter 

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: moderate rain

May 7 - 501 Shelter to Port Clinton, PA - 8.7 miles (71.5 trip miles) - 22667 steps Wet. Cold. Miserable. That¢s the story of the day. It rained all night, hard some of the time. The temperature dropped to the mid forties and the wind picked up. I was able to stay warm in my sleeping bag, luckily. I stayed in the shelter with 2 guys from the previous night. We were all up and packing at 6. Putting on my damp cold clothes was an unpleasant experience. I was moving before 7. It was raining hard and was cold. It was under 9 miles to Port Clinton, PA. Once I got there I would evaluate my situation. I really don¢t have clothing appropriate for these conditions and I was so wet my clothes would not have dried at all in the next shelter. Other than one steep but short climb, the first 7+ miles were flat, with the usual Rocksylvania rock fields. However, the trail in many places was a lake or river. I tried to avoid the deep spots but after a while it just didn¢t matter. Due to the weather, I never stopped for more than a minute or I would have frozen. I did get cold a few times but had a snack while walking and that helped. I then got to the big 1000 foot drop into town. It was about 30% grade and we were warned it would be a slippery muddy mess. It wasn¢t bad at all and I breezed down, across the railroad yard and into the metropolis of Port Clinton. Other than a candy store, there¢s not much here. I had decided I would find a place to stay and was able to get a motel room in Shartlesville. Hamburg, which is close, has one hotel always booked up. I¢m sharing the room with Lost Man, one of the guys at the shelter last night. He couldn¢t stop shivering and had to get out of the cold. I had the taxi driver stop at Walmart so I could get some resupply items. I moved my hostel stay from Sunday to Monday. We ate at the only restaurant in Shartlesville. Home style foods that was quite good. We now have the heat on and our wet clothes stacked on the vents to dry. We hope to get back to the trail before 9 and go about 16 miles to an enclosed shelter. The weather is supposed to be cool but dry and sunny in the afternoon. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-08
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Eckville Shelter 
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

May 8 - Port Clinton to Eckville Shelter - 15.1 miles (86.6 trip miles) - 34152 steps What a difference a day makes. We were able to get everything dry, or close enough on the shoes. I slept great in the bed at the lovely Motel 6.  Back to the Blue Mountain Restaurant for breakfast. It was the usual breakfast fare but lots of it for a good price. Our ride showed up at 815 to get us back to Port Clinton and I was walking by 830.As always coming out of town, the trail went up. About 950 feet in 2.2 miles. It was not a bad climb. Once at the top the trail got rocky but it didn¢t last long. It was then some ups and downs for a while until reaching Windsor Furnace. This is an area that was the site of a furnace of some kind in the late 1700s. I thought about going to the shelter for a rest but it was .2 off trail. Nope. Lost Man caught me while I was resting and we climbed to Pulpit Rock together. Finally, on the 6th day there was a good view. We could see to the NE where we¢ll be in 4 days, Delaware Water Gap. Leaving there it was across the extremely rocky ridge line to The Pinnacle. The views here were even better. We could see well into NJ. After the views it was 5.4 easy miles mostly on old service roads. The only issue was there was a lot of water on the road coming off the mountain or right out of the ground. I guess 2 days of heavy rain will do that. I managed to stay dry.I rolled into Eckville Shelter just before 4. This is an enclosed bunkhouse ¢shed¢ with a caretaker¢s house. Water and toilets on site. It¢s a nice setup. Since there¢s water, I made my Chicken Pho dinner. It uses 3.3 cups of water that I don¢t have to filter. Things feel good overall except the blisters on both heels. I¢ve never had blisters except on my 2 hikes in PA. All the foot rolling on the rocks must be doing the damage. Tomorrow I¢ll try my other pair of socks and moleskin. Lukotape and duct tape have not worked. The plan for tomorrow is to go 11+ miles to a hostel. Light resupply and laundry are needed. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-09
From: Eckville Shelter 

To: PA 309, The Shanty at Blue Mountain Hostel 
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

May 9 - Eckville Shelter to PA 309, The Shanty at Blue Mountain Hostel - 11.5 miles (98.1 trip miles) - 26660 steps Weather today was provided by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce. Perfect. The Eckville shelter worked out. Just Lost Man, Silva and me. I¢ve now been hiking with them for 4 days. We were up early because we were going to be picked up at noon for a ride to the hostel. I taped up my blisters, packed up and left first and was on trail by 610. The blisters are becoming an issue. More on that later. The trail leaves the road and meanders in a low area that still has lots of water from a few days ago. I made it through dry and headed up. It was about a 900 foot climb. It was mostly on an old rocky forest road so the grade wasn¢t terrible. Not quite to the high point was Dan¢s Pulpit, a very nice overlook with views to the SE. After that came the @&$¢@?! rocks. I knew they were due to get worse but today was rough. All shapes and sizes for about 4 miles. They really beat up my feet and enlarged the blisters. At one point it looked like the trail would turn up onto a massive rock ridge with views but that didn¢t happen. Finally, the rocks subsided and we entered a flat forest service road. That went on for 5 miles and got us to our pickup place. Lynn, the hostel proprietor, picked us up at noon and took us to her place. The hostel is her home with an outbuilding and a few rooms upstairs. Very nice place in the middle of wheat fields. She took us to the Wannamakers General Store for light resupply and the New Tripoli Hotel for takeout dinner. She makes breakfast in the morning and will then take us back to the trail. The blisters felt better today but one got much bigger. I was able to get some Neosporin ointment, some band aides and a big moleskin pad. Maybe with better treatment I can get them under control. It¢s very frustrating since my usual aches and pains feel great. If I can keep them from getting infected I think I¢ll be ok. I need to make it to Delaware Water Gap before the Post Office closes on Thursday to get my resupply box. I have a reservation at a hotel by the trail for that night as well. So, I hope to go about 20 miles tomorrow. There¢s a few gotchas in there. After about 14 miles, there will be a 20 mile dry stretch. The area after Palmerton, PA, particularly the underground water, is polluted from past zinc smelting. So we are not supposed to drink it due to heavy metal content. It shouldn¢t be a big issue but needs to be considered. I expect most of those miles to be rocky. Yay!Until tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-10
From: PA 309, The Shanty at Blue Mountain Hostel 

To: Campsite at MM 1265.4
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

May 10 - PA 309 to Campsite at MM 1265.4 - 18.8 miles (116.9 trip miles) - 41881 steps A big day. Lynn at the hostel had breakfast ready at 7. Pancakes, eggs, bacon and OJ. Hiker staples. This was an excellent stay and I would recommend it to all hikers. We were in her car and dropped off at 745. The trail was mostly level today with one big exception. It started with 2 flat rock free miles. A nice way to begin. Then the rocks started. There was a nice overlook back towards the hostel. The I came up to Knifes Edge. This is a s about 100 yards long of huge granite slabs stacked on each other at 45 degree angles. Really not much to it (as long as you don¢t fall). Good views if you are careful. It was then rocky for miles. Included in that was Bake Oven Knob, a jumble of large rocks I climbed. At the top is another nice overlook. I stopped in to the Bake Oven Knob Shelter for a snack. This was the poorest maintained shelter I have seen on the trail. Even the picnic table was rotted with holes in it. I didn¢t stay long. To make it even more fun, there was only one water source available today. The trail continued to be rocky until the George W. Outerbridge Shelter. This one too was a dump. But it did have the lone spring. I topped off my bottles as well as filled my bag with 2 more untreated liters. From here there is no water for 16 miles due to past zinc smelting in Palmerton. After dinner I have over a liter to get me 11 miles tomorrow.After that shelter, the trail gets interesting. About a mile down we crossed the Lehigh River then a PA highway. Then the climb out of Palmerton. It started very steep on gravel and was hot. It soon turned to rock climbing where hands were needed. In a few places if you leaned back your pack weight momentum may have sent you over the edge. There were boulder and scree fields to cross. Finally a steep climb to reach the summit and ridge. It was a 900 foot climb over 1.3 miles. Some spots were 30% grade. I usually find that comments in journals exaggerate the difficulty of most features. Not this one. It was hard and the real deal. After the summit we had 2 easy miles on old roads. Then the rocks showed up in force for the final mile. I got to the campsite first and there was a couple we¢d seen at Eckville Shelter already set up. Lost Man arrived about 15 minutes later. 3 other thru hikers also arrived. Silva decided to stay at the last shelter. My blisters were good for a while. After all the rocks and constant foot rolling, they really hurt. However, on the bright side, they don¢t infected or to have gotten bigger. In Delaware Water Gap I will get some sock liners. Maybe that, and less rocks, will help. Tomorrow is almost all flat but I expect plenty of rocks. There are few water sources and fewer listed camp spots. I need to get into the Gap as early as possible on Thursday to get my resupply and get to the outfitter. That will partly determine how far to go Wednesday.Until tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-11
From: Campsite at MM 1265.4

To: Campsite at MM 1284.7
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: clear sky

May 11 - Campsite at MM 1265.4 to Campsite at MM 1284.7 - 19.3 miles (136.2 trip miles) - 44597 steps Sometimes you think to yourself ¢Why do I do this?¢ Today was one of those days. The sun starts lightening the sky before 5. I woke at 450 and tried to sleep some more. It was not going to happen. I started packing before 6 and was ready to go by 630. Lost Man wasn¢t ready yet so I headed out. Lack of water would be an issue today.First I headed down into Little Gap. Then up a bit on the other side. The trail was all rocks. I figured like other days there would be rock free stretches. I was wrong. Many times I kept thinking the rocks would abate. I was wrong. The trail leveled off for 15 miles and it was all rock. Mostly pointy, ankle breaking loose rocks. My feet, and particularly the blisters did not like it. We were able to get plenty of water after 13 miles at a shelter. I took 4 (heavy) liters with me. Finally we reached Wind Gap. To our surprise the trail down was more ¢normal¢ than any time today. After a short road walk under a highway we started the climb. It was hot out and the climb faced the sun. I had 3 liters of water left. It was a tough 900 feet but the trail was good. Once at the peak the rocks came back in force. They never stopped for the remaining 3.5 miles. Rocksylvania has shown herself today. Lost Man and I found a campsite. It took us longer than expected to find flat ground. While setting up, we realized there is a spring here. There¢s one task we don¢t have to do tomorrow. The blister situation is about the same. No better no worse. The rocks really wear you down: both physically and mentally. I¢m tired. It¢s 730 and I could fall asleep. Our long day today makes tomorrow that much easier. It¢s 12 miles to town with no big climbs. I know the rocks will be eager to welcome us to their forest. Until tomorrow.