morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-16
From: US11 footbridge

To: Duncannon, PA
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: moderate rain

¢Three laps¢ today. I was up at 5:30 am and at the Middlesex Diner by 5:50 am (it is open 24 hours a day). I ordered their hearty breakfast: 3 eggs, ham, cheese, pepper, onion, hash browns and toast. It was huge and I ended up leaving a little on the plate because I wanted to get hiking in order to make it to the Duncannon post office before it closed at 4:30 pm. I checked out of the motel, did the 0.2-mile walk, and was back on the Trail hiking at 6:55 am. Shortly after, it started raining and I put on my raincoat. The trails in the morning were mostly through farmers' fields that were flat, smooth and easy. I made good time. At around noon, the sky brightened and I took off my rain jacket. It was a good decision - it didn¢t rain the rest of the hike. The trail conditions changed for the second half of the day. The Trail became quite rocky and great mental concentration was required to maintain a reasonable pace so I could get to the post office before it closed. On the way, I met Patch (who hiked in 2000) and his dog. I told him I had to make the PO before it closed and he said ok and hiked off on another trail. I reached the PO at 4:00 pm, in plenty of time, assembled my journal pages and photo annotations and sent them off to my faithful Transcriber. Then Patch showed up and offered to take me to the grocery store for resupply. I took him up on it. We went to the Doyle where I registered and got a room for the night. Then he took me to the grocery store where I tracked down the other thru hikers to be sure I could get a ride back to the Doyle in the shuttle. I thanked him and he was off. I purchased 5-days worth of supplies, enough to reach Palmerton. We will see how much this slows me down. I returned to my room, took a shower, packed my food bag, went out and had pizza and a beer for dinner where I am now writing this journal. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-17
From: Duncannon, PA

To: On Trail up Stony Mountain
Miles today: 20.0

¢Two laps¢ today. It was a very long hiking day today, over 13 h. I covered 20.0 miles but it was slow going. There was a 1000 ft climb after I got out of town, followed by hiking on rock-impregnated trails. In addition, I was carrying food for 5.5 days ¢ enough to get me to Palmerton for the next resupply. We will see how that works out. I think with a lighter pack I could have gone further today. To help lighten my pack weight, I took the 4.6 oz tube of toothpaste, squeezed 0.5 oz into a Ziploc bag and threw the rest away. Now there is a toothpaste smell though the bag and it must be hung with my food bag. Thanks to Tony and Karen for Trail Magic at PA225 park area today. It is 10:20 pm so time to wrap up. - Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-18
From: On Trail up Stony Mountain

To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: clear sky

¢Three laps¢ today. Today I hiked on rock-encrusted trails lined with poison ivy. At times it was up to my elbows and shoulders and it felt like tentacles reaching to drag me into the poison ivy patch. At other times the trail was smooth and lined with ferns and spring beauties. I enjoyed two Trail Magic experiences today ¢ a cooler with root beer, and Trail Magic from Apple Man. Today I also saw a doe and a fawn on the trail in front of me. I stopped and got out my camera while they slowly meandered off into the woods. The fireflies were out tonight and looked pretty neat, flashing here and there. Dinner tonight was late (9 pm ¢ in the dark) and I had both the fireflies and the mosquitoes keeping me company. It is 10:30 pm and 69 °F in the tent. Definitely time to go to sleep. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-19
From: William Penn Shelter

To: Eagle Nest Shelter
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: broken clouds

¢Three laps¢. I crossed a major milestone today ¢ less than 1000 miles to go. Today was Trail Magic Day. Trail Magic 1: Jason gave me a Sprite and an apple at 7:30 am. Trail Magic 2: I had 2 20-oz Cokes at 6:45 pm. I saved one for dinner. Lab Rat hiked down 200 yds and got both his and mine. The water spring was very slow tonight. It took patience to collect enough water (2 L) for cooking and tomorrow. I met Pony, Lady and the Tramp today. My goal was to get to bed at 9 pm, and it is already 9:37 pm so time to wrap up. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-20
From: Eagle Nest Shelter

To: Stealth Camping 
Miles today: 17.3

Today I crossed the 1200-mile mark. Friday it was 72 °F with 10-20 mph wind ¢ very pleasant hiking. Yesterday it was 78 °F and mostly no wind ¢ it was hot. Today it was 85 °F, very humid with variable wind which made for very hot hiking. Tomorrow the weather people are predicting record high temperatures in the low 90¢s. Today I ate lunch at the Port Clinton Hotel in Port Clinton. I had the fish and chips. The portion of fries was huge and I could not finish them. I also paid $5 to take a shower. Same old dirty clothes but I feel less grimy. It is clammy in the tent tonight. My gauge reads 75 °F in here and it feels warm. Hopefully it will cool down. There is a gentle breeze, but it does not flow through the tent. I am stealth camping on a ridge that is riddled with rocks, so I will be sleeping around rocks tonight. You might say I will be cuddled up with rocks. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-21
From: Stealth Camping 

To: Trail past PA309
Miles today: 18.0

It was a hot one again today, but not as hot as predicted. I only saw it hit 85 °F, not the 91 °F that was in the forecast. There were also no thunderstorms. Looks like we are headed into a few more days of sun. Hiking was slow again mainly due to having to pick my way through rocks and of course the heat also slows me down. It is 8:57 pm and 79 °F in the tent. My goal is to be in bed by 9 pm. Soon I will be Just Trogging Along.
Date: 2010-06-22
From: Trail past PA309

To: Lehigh Gap/Palmerton
Miles today: 13.6

It is 7:50 pm and I am in a Palmerton, PA Laundromat. My laundry should be done by around 8 pm and then it will be time to get some dinner. I already have groceries and only need to pack them up. Hopefully the 4.5 days of food will fit in my pack. I was up at 5 am and hiking at 6 am this morning. Some trails were smooth but many of them were rocks of various forms including large boulder fields along ridge walks. Water was precious and I made it through the almost 13 mile without resupply. I started with a liter and a 20 oz Coke bottle with water. It was just enough. There were a few moments today when the trail was very hard to follow. On Bake Oven Knob which had boulder fields all around I spent 15-20 min before I could determine where the real trail was. I reached Lehigh Gap (after a 1000 ft descent) at 2 pm and it only took 5 min to get a ride into town. I am staying at the Jail Hostel provided free of charge by the town to thru-hikers. ¢ Just Trogging Along Note from Transcriber: updates are complete (pictures and written entries) for 6/16-6/22. Enjoy!
Date: 2010-06-23
From: Lehigh Gap/Palmerton

To: Leroy A Smith Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I got up at 6 am, packed up, and was at Bert¢s Steakhouse (across the street) at 6:45 am for breakfast with Popeye, Lab Rat and Shorts. I had a 3-egg farmer¢s omelet with toast, OJ and coffee and it was excellent. We were finished at 7:45 am and stood outside, discussing how we would get back to the Trail. Two were in favor of hiking; two were in favor of hitching. I suggested we call some numbers we had been given (there is no taxi service in Palmerton). The phone calls yielded no results so we asked our waitress who they normally get for rides. She said sometimes someone in the restaurant would give a ride. She went back inside and a few minutes later Tracie came out and offered to give us a ride to the Trail. As it turns out, she has owned Bert¢s Steakhouse since 2000. She was our Trail Angel first thing in the morning. Thank you Tracie. We were hiking at 8:10 am with a steep, exposed 1000 ft climb out of Lehigh Gap. There was some rock scrambling and Lab Rat hiked up with me. They re-routed the Trail along the side instead of straight over the Superfund Hazard Waste site but the devastation was still evident from the side view. The rest of the day was hot and humid and the hike was difficult in many places because of the Pennsylvania rocks. This made progress slow and I completed the 15.9-mile day at 6:30 pm at the Leroy A. Smith shelter where Lab Rat and Shorts were already set up. We cooked dinner. I had shrimp ramen noodles augmented with rice and a tablespoon of butter. It tasted good after a long day of hiking. For dessert ¢ two Little Debbie cr me-filled oatmeal sandwich cookies. We all decided to go to bed by 9 pm, get up at 5 am, and be hiking at 6 am, with the goal of making 20 miles to get to the Blue Mountain Church Hostel for their Thursday dinner for thru-hikers. At 8 pm, just as we were beginning to write our journal entries, Crash arrived. He is in charge of maintaining this shelter and has hiked portions of the Trail. He brought a 6-pack of beer, our second Trail Magic of the day. He talked with us and left around 9 pm to pitch his hammock. To bed¢¦ - Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-24
From: Leroy A Smith Shelter

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: broken clouds

II got up at 5 am today and it was already 75 °F. As planned, I was hiking by 6 am. Lab Rat passed me shortly thereafter and then Shorts passed me. Lab Rat and I both got water at the Gateway Motel at 8:30 am but their office was not open yet so we could not get a morning soda. I got enough water (2.5L) to take me all the way to Delaware Water Gap. The first hills of the day we encountered while hiking through mist on trails dotted with rocks. Needless to say, going up was slow. Because of this, I did not stop for lunch because I wanted to get to the hostel in time for their Thursday potluck dinner for thru-hikers. Fortunately the afternoon part of the hike featured less tedious trails and I arrived at the hostel at 5:30 pm, giving me time for a shower and shave before 6 pm dinner. Once again, I had trouble following the PA blazes that mark the AT coming down the mountain into Delaware Water Gap, but this only cost me about 30 minutes. The PA Trail Maintainers that blaze the Trail need to improve on their technique, especially at the critical decision points. This has been a continuous problem for me in PA. Tomorrow starts another state ¢ hopefully the blazes will be better. The dinner provided by the church was great: hot dogs plus a whole array of potluck dishes provided by church members. The dinner was in fact a potluck dinner for church members, with thru-hikers invited. One of the many dishes was delicious, homemade black raspberry ice cream. I was glad I am not on a diet. My weight on the hostel scale after dinner was 164 lb and that is about where I want to be. Tomorrow it¢s into New Jersey. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-25
From: Deleware Water Gap

To: Stealth Camping 
Miles today: 19.6

Goodbye Pennsylvania, hello New Jersey. Today I passed the 1300-mile mark. I was up at 5:30 am, packed up, and went for breakfast with Popeye and Lab Rat at the Water Gap diner down the street. I ate a 3-egg omelet with cheese, ham, peppers and mushrooms, home fries, toast, OJ and coffee. It tasted great and started the day off right. I was back on the Trail at 7:20 am and climbed the 1100 ft out of the Gap over about 1.5 h. The trails were good most of the day except near the end where PA-like rocks appeared for about an hour of hiking. Popeye hiked with me most of the morning and we stopped at the AMC Mohegan Center for lunch around noon where I got 2 12-oz cans of Coke. I also cooked my dinner (beef-flavored ramen augmented with rice, a slice of Spam chopped up, and a tablespoon of butter ¢ it almost filled by pot and was good) so I could just hike the rest of the day. This lunch stop took nearly 2 h. I hiked the rest of the day ending up at a stealth campsite on a mountain overlooking a lake. I ate my lunch (peanut butter on hamburger buns) sitting on a rock ledge watching the sunset. I saw 2 bears and 8 deer today. Now I am in my tent watching a full moon rise over the mountains, listening to bull frogs in the lake and a whippoorwill in the distance. It doesn¢t get much better than this. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-26
From: Stealth Camping 

To: Stealth Camping 
Miles today: 21.5

It was 63 °F in the tent when I got up at 5:30 am this morning. The sky was clear and it promised to be a good hiking day. I had breakfast (2 Pop-Tarts and 2 sticky buns), packed up and was hiking at 6:30 am. I made it to Wind Gap by 11:30 am, ate a cheeseburger and French fries and drank 2 20-oz Cokes for lunch. I also purchased a ham and cheese sub and packed it for my dinner later in the day. Lunch took almost 2 h (between the walk from the Trail and the slow service) and put me back on the Trail hiking at 12:20 pm. The trails are better with fewer rocks and fewer pointed rocks. I nearly stepped on a snake that was lying on the Trail but saw it just in time. When I prodded it with my hiking pole (to get it off the path so I could pass) it struck at my pole. I finally encouraged it to get off the Trail and made it past. The afternoon hike had a few sections with PA-type nasty rocks for which I had to slow way down. Overall, though, I made good time (for me), 21.5 miles in 10:55 of hiking time. There was some nice Trail Magic today: an orange and water from Peanut, South Shore, and Fresh Vegetables who hiked in 2005. Also, Morning & Lansie of International Gymnastics Camp helped me find a tent site. I am in my tent now; it is 74 °F in here with mosquitoes buzzing around outside. The inside of the tent is bug free.
Date: 2010-06-27
From: Stealth Camping 

To: Camp by trail
Miles today: 19.1

This morning I was up at 5 am and hiking by 6:10 am. I saw 2 deer today. I resupplied in Unionville, NY (enough food for another 3 days) and also had lunch there. It took about 2 hours for the lunch stop and resupply. The trails were mostly good although there were stretches that were like a flashback to PA. Also there were 5 laps (ups and downs). I hiked a total of 19.1 miles in a hiking time of 10:50. It was slow because it was so hot. It is late (9:40 pm). The tent is 81 °F and the air is very humid. I am ready to call it a day.
Date: 2010-06-28
From: Camp by trail

To: Camp past NY17A
Miles today: 18.4

Goodbye New Jersey, hello New York. 8 states are now complete. Today was a 2-icecream day. I was up at 5:45 am in a 77 °F tent. At 7 am I was hiking and by 7:30 am the temperature was 85 °F. Then I did a boardwalk of approximately 1 mile and by 8:30 am the temperature was up to 88 °F. It was hot. At 8:35 am I stopped for water and ice cream at a store but the sign said the hours were 9 to 9. While I waited, I did some planning. They opened early, at 8:45 am, so the wait was short. I had 2 20-oz Cokes, 1 pint of chocolate ice cream, and a cup of coffee. I finished, got water, and was hiking by 9:30 am. The hiking was routine until later in the afternoon when I left NJ and got into NY on a long ridge walk with extended stretches of rock including sections requiring scrambling in between. The poles were useless and, in fact, just got in the way. I made it to the second ice cream place at 7:45 pm where I drank 3 bottles of root beer and ate a banana split ¢ my dinner. I left at 8:30 pm, got back to the Trail and started looking for a campsite. At about 0.3 mi into the woods I came across Rest Stop, Orbit, and Skippy where they already had their tents. I joined them. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-29
From: Camp past NY17A

To: Fingerbeard Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was another long day as I was trying to make miles for a Friday Special Delivery mail drop. I was up at 5 am and hiking at 6 am, finishing up at Fingerbeard Shelter at 7 pm, for a total of 12 hrs of hiking time and 16.1 miles. This was really slow going today ¢ there were many steep climbs and steep descents. Most required use of hands while attempting to keep the hiking poles out of the way. Among these climbs/descents were several ridge walks on pseudo-knife edge rocks. As I said¢¦ the going was quite slow, averaging less than 1.5 mph. Hopefully tomorrow will go a little bit faster. Dinner tonight was a freeze-dried package of mashed potatoes with bacon and cheddar. I added in a cup of minute rice to add some extra calories. It might sound a little weird, but it tasted good to me. For dessert I ate about 10 Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies. The day started hot at 85 °F this morning but cooled off slightly this afternoon. It is now 75 °F in the shelter with a light wind. I am hoping there will be no bugs. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler, and that will also help my mileage. It is 9:15 pm ¢ past hiker midnight. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-06-30
From: Fingerbeard Shelter

To: Graymoor Ball Field
Miles today: 20.5

I crossed the Hudson River today. This was a VERY long day today ¢ 14.5 h from start-to-end and 13 h of hiking time to complete 20.5 miles. There were a lot of ups and downs as indicated by the 8 laps my log registered. These always slow me down as I continue to try to protect my body. I saw a big buck shortly after I left the shelter this morning, then a doe and a fawn this afternoon, and another buck as I was nearing Graymoor where I am camped tonight. It is on a large ball field and a very smooth tenting surface. It is now 10:20 pm and already down to 60 °F in the tent - long past hiker midnight. Sleepy time. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-07-01
From: Graymoor Ball Field

To: RPH Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Today I crossed the 1400-mile mark. There are less than 800 miles to go. I was up at 5 am, hiking at 6 am in 58 °F temperatures under blue skies with dry air. The trails were friendlier today but there were still many ups and downs that made progress slow. I cooked a freeze-dried bacon, cheddar and mashed potato dinner for lunch to use up an extra dinner and to help satiate my hunger. I arrived at the shelter at 7 pm and ordered pizza and Sprite for dinner ¢ it was delivered and tasted great. It is 8:55 pm and time for bed. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-07-02
From: RPH Shelter

To: NY55
Miles today: 12.3

Happiness on the AT is a visit from my daughter (my Faithful Transcriber). This morning I was up at 5 am to chilly 51 °F temperatures ¢ I wore my rain jacket and liner gloves to keep warm. It was cool but felt good after all the hot days. By 7 am I removed the jacket and gloves as the temperature inched up to a comfortable 60 °F. The sky was clear and the air was dry ¢ very comfortable hiking weather. The trails today were mostly smooth but, as expected, the parts that were rocky slowed down my progress. At 9 am I hiked off the Trail 0.3 mi to a deli shop where I got a ham, cheese and egg sandwich. It really hit the spot, especially when washed down with a 20-oz Pepsi. I purchased two, one to drink with my second breakfast and one to carry on the Trail. I met my Faithful Transcriber at NY55 at 1:50 pm where she had been waiting less than 10 min. There was a convenient AT sign at the trailhead that made the location easy to find. We found the hotel, checked in, and I had a much-needed shower. I checked out all the special deliveries from Mrs. Trog (thank you, thank you!!) including new hiking shoes, a new pack, a fresh shirt and socks, cooking fuel, medicines, and various other special requests. FT drove me to Kent, CT, where I caught up on my email while she did my laundry. This saved about an hour of time by doing both things at once. After a snack (bowls of steaming spicy gumbo ¢ mmmmmm) and a trip to the grocery store to resupply, we returned to the motel to assess my remaining grocery needs. I was in good shape. I talked to Highlander II on the phone about possibly connecting with him next weekend, and other suggestions about water (he strongly suggested I carry an extra bottle) and upcoming places for resupply. FT and I had dinner at the Pawling Tavern in nearby Pawling, NY. It looked like a hole-in-the-wall but served an excellent meal, and the service was impeccable. I ordered a steak with steamed vegetables and a baked potato. The steak was cooked perfectly and I savored every bite. FT shared a few forkfulls of my NY cheesecake dessert before we headed back to the room where I packed up my backpack. It is now 10:30 pm ¢ well past my bedtime, but it has been a great day. I¢m looking forward to a hearty breakfast tomorrow morning with FT before she brings me back to the Trail for the next leg of my journey. ¢ Just Trogging Along.
Date: 2010-07-03
From: NY55

To: 10 Mile River Lean-to
Miles today: 17.2

Goodbye NY, hello CT. FT and I were up at 6 am this morning. I took another shower, finished packing, checked out of the motel and we went to breakfast at Karen¢s Restaurant. I had 3 eggs over easy with 2 orders of hash browns, toast, OJ, and 3 cups of coffee. It was a true hiker¢s breakfast. (Note from Transcriber: the food was great as was the service. I highly recommend it!) I also got a 20 oz Coke to go in order to give me another water bottle ¢ I might need this extra bottle next week if it gets into the 90s as predicted. FT took me back to the AT where she left cans of orange soda and lemonade on the Trail as Trail Magic. She is truly a Trail Angel. She left and I was hiking at 8:40 am in shorts and a T-shirt. I hiked off the Trail at 12:45 pm to Tony¢s Deli for lunch where I got a large Italian sub and a 20 oz Pepsi. I was hiking again at 1:45 pm. The trails today were good for hiking but it was hot. In the open field the temperature hit 90 °F and in the woods it was up to 85 °F. There was not a cloud in the sky. I arrived at the 10 Mile River Lean-to at 7:30 pm, giving me 17.2 miles for the day and a net hiking time of 9 h 50 min. I set up my tent and took a dip in the 10 Mile River. The river was too low to swim in but deep enough to get totally under water in a prone position. I was able to rinse off the salt and sweat and it gave me a chance to rinse out my shirt and socks. It was quite refreshing. I made dinner, a freeze-dried package of spaghetti and meat sauce ¢ tasty. ¢ Just Trogging Along
Date: 2010-07-04
From: 10 Mile River Lean-to

To: Stewart Hollow Lean-to
Miles today: 15.7

My alarm went off at 5 am but it was tough getting up. I finally was out of my sleeping bag at 5:15 am. It was slow getting started but I was hiking at 6:45 am. The weather intially was pleasant with cloudless skies but it heated up rapidly. By mid-afternoon the temperature reached 93 °F in the woods ¢ hotter in the direct sunlight. The hike started out with a level walk for several miles but then came to a 1000 ft climb. In the heat it was particularly difficult. By 1:45 pm I was at the road to Kent, CT, and decided to walk the 0.5 mi into town so I could have a cold soda with my peanut butter on bagel lunch. In total, I ended up eating 2 bagels with PB (1150 cal & 25 g protein), 3 Cokes (420 cal) and a hot fudge sundae with 3 scoops of ice cream and 2 brownies that FT left yesterday (>1000 cal). All in all, a real hiker¢s lunch. I was back on the Trail at 2:45 pm. It was really really hot. I made it to the Stewart Hollow Lean-to at 8:00 pm and was beat. As a result, I set my alarm for 6 am (instead of 5 am). I set up my tent, rinsed off in the Housitonic River which was close by, and cooked dinner in the dark. Tonight I ate freeze-dried beef stew (it was just OK). It is 10:40 pm and a tent temperature of 72 °F. Lights out. ¢ Just Trogging Along.