morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-24
From: DUNCANNON PA

To: KINTER ROCKS
Miles today: 14.0

From: Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PATo: Kinter Rocks, stealth campingToday Miles: 14.0Total Miles: 1149.3We had two breakfasts today. As we walked out of the Doyle Hotel to over to Goodies, Trail Angel, Mary, was cooking on the porch for the thru hikers. She had made an egg casserole and a vegetable cheese casserole with biscuits and drinks. So we sat down and ate some and then went over to Goodies, as I had been dreaming of those blueberry pancakes.We hiked out of Duncannon around 9:00 AM. We crossed over the Juniata River and then the Clarks Ferry Bridge across the Susquehanna River. It is the longest river we have crossed on the AT and was very wide but also very shallow. We could see some kind of big fish swimming around below us.The hike up and the rock climb out of Duncannon were pretty hard for me. At one point I had to take my pack off to climb down and then put it back on. I was just too afraid of falling with a fully loaded pack on my back. I am not out here to prove anything except to finish!We got to Clarks Ferry Shelter and took a break. This shelter has had so much gypsy moth damage there was no leaf cover and you had to go into the shelter to get out of the hot sun. Besides the moths are flying everywhere and seem to attack your eyes and try and get into your mouth, ARGGGG!.For a few weeks we have been almost hiking alone but today the trail was packed with thru hikers. At the this shelter was Zip Lock and Nitro (I have not seen them since Front Royal) (Zip Lock had been sick and so he had stayed put for a few days), Uncle Tom, Grasshopper and his friend who is hiking with him for awhile, Reno, and few more who I can't remember. We all started out together but I quickly become the last hiker. The afternoon trial was fairly level and rock free so we made good time. Uncle Tom caught up to us and hiked behind me for awhile as he has hurt his ankle. He is also on TrailJournals so check him out. Calamity and I took a break at Table Rock and decided to go past the next shelter and stealth camp. That means you just pick a spot off the trail and pitch your tent. We are doing this for two reasons, one there is someone sick at Peters Mtn Shelter (there must be something going around) and we do not want to catch it and two we would like to not have to do 17 miles tomorrow so going further would cut those miles down. We checked our water and then hiked on for another 3 miles. So we did a total of 14 today.The site we found to camp was perfect. It was even blue blazed to a rock cliff called Kinter Rocks. It had some flat spots and it was obvious that others have camped there before. Calamity Jane eating dinnerWe set up our tents and took our cooking stuff to the cliffs and had dinner with the best view of the next mountain ridge. We then hung our food and are again sitting on the cliffs writing. It was a great way to end a day. We think it will be a wonderful sunrise spot in the morning.
Date: 2007-06-25
From: KINTER ROCKS

To: RAUSCH CREEK
Miles today: 15.5

From: View Point at Kinter RockTo: Rausch CreekToday Miles: 15.5Total Miles: 1162.4It rained in the night so it was a little harder to get up as we were comfortable in our tents. But we finally crawled from our tents and started walking by 8:00. After about a mile, we crossed the Shikellimy Rocks. We found four notes written by fellow thru hikers telling us to watch out for the rattlesnakes and the copperheads. Calamity and I clanged our sticks together and made a lot of noise as we walked over the rocks and we did not encounter any snakes. Later we ran into Hemlock (he was the one sick at the last shelter) and he had seen two rattlers just after we had gone across! I have no desire to snakes on the rocks as I am walking.We later came upon Uncle Tom as we were getting water from a spring and his ankle was hurting worse than yesterday. We stayed behind him but we came across this note pinned to a tree that said if you were a thru hiker and needed a night off the trail to go to this house. He asked our advice and we said go for it and maybe he could get someone to look at his ankle. It was a good thing Uncle Tom did that as we then had a long rocky climb up to Stony Mtn (aptly named). I thought it would take forever and you had to watch each step because of the rocks. We passed by the remains of old mining villages and at Yellow Springs you could see foundations both of which date back to the 1800's. We stopped at the Horseshoe trail and Yellow Springs Village site for breaks today. The Horseshoe Trail goes all the way to Valley Forge and the Yellow Springs site had a mailbox and register. It was a long day but we finally made it to Rausch Gap Shelter. I had heard that there were a lot of snakes there but we decided to check it out. I think it was one of the worst shelters I have seen so far. It had a good spring so we cooked our dinner but quickly decided to move on to camp. Dog's Life came by and we all had dinner together. It was good to talk to him and find out a little more about him. He is a lawyer who is going to change careers to become a teacher. I thought it was a wonderful idea and think he will make a super teacher.After dinner we walked another .5 miles and found a great camp site next to the Haystack Creek. So once again Calamity Jane and I are snug in our tents and away from the bugs. Tomorrow we do a long day so we need to be in bed early and up early.
Date: 2007-06-26
From: RAUSCH CREEK

To: 510 SHELTER
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

From: Haystack Creek CampsiteTo: 501 ShelterToday Miles: 16.8Total Miles: 1179.2Today the temperature and the humidity played a big factor in our hike. We got up and were walking by 7:30. It always seems when we have a good morning for walking that the afternoon is hard and visa versa and today was no exception. It started out up but not too rocky and then it was a pleasant hike. We walked across Swatara Creek Waterville Iron Bridge which was just for walkers and very neat. We went under I-81 for the fourth and last time. But we got confused with the white blazes and got a little lost and it took us about 30 minutes to figure out where to go. Once we figured it out we went straight up for over a mile. I was so hot that I think I almost had heat exhaustion by the time I reached the top, but there was no place to stop as the trail was totally overgrown with poison ivy and so we had to just keep walking. We finally found a small clearing and dropped our packs right on the trail for a few minutes. The trail stayed like that for a long time before it was somewhat clear of the stuff. Thank goodness for Tecnu. I sure hope it works. We heard tonight that some thru hiker ate poison ivy to try to become immune and then had to be taken to the hospital! We had a lot of rocks again today and they say it doesn't get bad until Port Clinton. I can't wait! These are like rock fields you have to get across with huge boulders covering them and many of the rocks move when you step on them.We reached William Penn Shelter around 3:00 and were glad to fill up on water. There has not been much water on the trail lately. We celebrated when we got there because we went under 1,000 miles to go mark. As of tonight, we have 994.8 more miles to hike. Piece of cake HA! We arrived at the 501 Shelter at 5:30 and were very glad to be there. There is a caretaker there, Ron, who came in and greeted us. He works for the State Forest service and carries a big gun! The shelter has 12 bunks and is totally enclosed, but because the doors are opened it was full of bugs and flies so once again Calamity and I set up our tents. When we got to the shelter, Dog's Life was there and he was just leaving but had written us a note and left us some chips as he was moving on up the trail. There was a menu from a local restaurant to order food. So Calamity and I ordered cold subs and sodas! Then Ishmel, Thunder, and Blue showed up. We haven't seen them since Duncannon. We kept thinking they would come up behind us but they never did. We were glad to see them and had sort of a party with food and sodas inside the shelter. Also Lowbranch, and Trail Dancer and Willie Goat (who are a couple). I had never met any of them before.The shelter also had a cold shower and it felt good to wash all the poison ivy and dirt off at the end of the day. It was along hot day and I hope things cool down a bit but we are coming into July so I doubt that will happen.
Date: 2007-06-27
From: 510 SHELTER

To: EAGLES NEST SHELTER
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: few clouds

From: 501 ShelterTo: Eagles Nest ShelterToday started out warm and humid again and we were sweating buckets early in the morning. The rocks were bad for most of the day. We did get a reprieve every once in awhile. The morning was the worst with a few boulder fields to walk through. All day we played tag with Ishmel and Thunder. They would pass us and take a break and then we would pass them and visa versa. It was nice to have other hikers that we know to talk to today. Blue was behind us and we never saw him until we got to the shelter at the end of the day. We took a break at Hertlein Campsite. It was a great place with a picnic table right on the trail and tent site with tent platform and a very good water source. Thunder, Ishmel, Calamity ad I all sat and visited for awhile and then we went on up the trail. The afternoon was not too bad except for the rocks at times. We stopped at the Fort Dietrich Snyder Marker. It was the site of a fort built to protect the settlers from the Indians in 1755. Around 2:00 we took another break with four miles to go. When we started out again, the thunder started and we shifted into high gear. We did four miles in one and a half hours. About 2.5 miles hour and that was over some big rocks at times. I had to slow way down at the end because all my energy had left, and we still went that fast. It is amazing what a little thunder will do to your walking speed. We beat the rain, in fact, it did not rain until 7:30 at night and we were all snug in our tents by then.When we arrived at the shelter there about 12 cans of beer stacked up on the picnic table. We have been hearing stories of a very partying group ahead of us! Thunder, Ishmel, and Blue showed up as we were cooking dinner (CJ tired to burn the shelter down as she is still learning my stove!) and decided not to do the eight miles to Port Clinton until tomorrow. Also a father and son came in as we were going to our tents and they are also thru hiking.As we were walking into the shelter, we met Silver going out. She was heading to Port Clinton. I don't think I would have headed out at 4:15 to hike 8 miles with the thunder all around us. I hope she is safe.
Date: 2007-06-28
From: EAGLES NEST SHELTER

To: PORT CLINTON
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: light rain

From: Eagles Nest ShelterTo: Port ClintonToday Miles: 8.5Total Miles: 1202.9The whole shelter and all the campers were up early as we had only eight miles into town and hot showers and real food. It is amazing out here now how hungry we all are all the time. We eat something but then in just a short time you are hungry again. And we still continue to lose weight. The guys have lost more than the women. Some of them have lost over fifty pounds! We were looking at Ishmael¢s and Thunder's licenses and they did not even look like their pictures.The trail into Port Clinton was good most of the way but still had a lot of rocks and my feet were glad we were only going eight miles. The down hill into town looked very steep on the profile map but it was not as bad as Duncannon as it was not rocky. Blue, Ishmael, and Thunder were sitting at a picnic table at the train station as we walked out of the woods. My friend, Mary Anne, had told them to wait there as she was driving Dog's Life and Hemlock back to the trail. She then arrived and we squeezed five hikers with packs into her Forester and drove to the Microtel for the night.There are some thru hikers at the hotel who think they have come down with Lyme disease. Both are getting off the trail. I will try to be careful, but it is pretty hard out in the woods to avoid getting bitten by things. After showers we went over to Cabela's (a very large outdoor store) for lunch and to get some new equipment for the boys. They had an all you could buffet so we were all content to sit and eat for awhile. All the guys got new poles and as theirs were broken. I have been pleased with my REI poles and hope they last me the whole trip. Cabela's has great exhibits of all the mammals of North America in the center of the store. They also had a whole room of over 100 stuffed deer. I learned what is meant by a typical and a non-typical white tail deer. The typical white tail deer has a standard set of antlers with a certain amount of points and a non-typical white tail deer has antlers that have an unusual shape to them. Calbela's also had an aquarium right in the store. You could spend all day in there and never buy anything.We went grocery shopping and then back to the hotel to do laundry, resupply, and pack again. We ate dinner in the hotel and then went to bed. It was a good day and I feel ready to go back out tomorrow.
Date: 2007-06-29
From: PORT CLINTON

To: ONE MILE SOUTH OF THE PINNACLE
Miles today: 10.0

From: Port ClintonTo: One miles south of the The PinnacleToday Miles: 10.0Total Miles: 1211.8We slept in this morning and then had breakfast at the hotel. We packed and left there at 9:30. Again we had five hikers with full packs in Mary Anne's car and off we went. We drove be the pavilion, which allows hikers to stay there. Brew and Larry were there and they said it was a pretty noisy place as it is right next to a major road so I am glad we had room for the night. Also it had stormed all night.We then drove to the Peanut Shop which was an amazing candy store. We all bought a little something and then headed back to the trail. Calamity and I left at 11:00 but the guys sat back down at the pinic table where we found them yesterday.We had heard that the rocks were very bad after Port Clinton so we had only planned a six-mile day to the first shelter but the trail was great and we were taking our time, just enjoying the hike. We were at the shelter by 2:00. Jakobo, a section hiker we had met at the 501 Shelter was there eating. We got water and Ishmel, Blue, and Thunder showed up. We decided to go a little further and camp and the boys were going to do another nine miles to the next shelter. At first we thought we had made the wrong decision as we hiked into the rocks. Up to the Pulpit was very rocky with huge boulders to climb over. The guys passed us and we said we might have to go on to the shelter. We would not have gotten there until around 8:00 PM and I would have been beat. Then at about 4 miles from the shelter Calamity spotted a camp site and we stopped for the night. We set up camp, had dinner, and are again in our tents writing after having had a really good hiking day!
Date: 2007-06-30
From: ONE MILE SOUTH OF THE PINNACLE

To: ALLENTOWN HIKING CLUB SHELTER
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

From: Campsite near the PinnacleTo: Allentown Hiking Club ShelterToday Miles: 13.0Total Miles: 1225.5We had a very cool night and morning. It was a great way to start a day. We walked to The Pinnacle (someone has plied a mound of rocks up so thanks to who ever did that) and from there you could look down upon the beautiful Pennsylvania country side and the mountain ridges. After the Pinnacle the trail followed an old woods road and then a game land road so all the way to the Eckville Shelter was pleasant walking. Calamity and I were wondering what all the fuss was about the Pennsylvania rocks, but we soon found out!The Eckville Shelter is one that is on a paved road and has a caretaker. It also had a shower and a flush toilet! But the books said it had soda and ice cream, and we were looking forward to that, but they no longer have a refrigerator so none of that was available. But it was a nice break and we watered up at the faucet next to the house. It also has a great front door Next we walked up to Dan's Pulpit. Again that was a steep climb from 500 feet to 1650. Another great view and we could see back all the way to the Pinnacle. There was a section hiker, Neon, at the top who had thru hiked in 2004 and we talked to him for a long time. From the Pulpit on, the trail was either boulder walking or rock walking. It was the real thing with the rocks! Even though it was only four miles, it took me forever and I was very glad to get to the shelter. Calamity and I made a decision to do low mileage until Delaware Water Gap as the high mileage the last few weeks was making the hike very tedious. With the rocks, cliffs, boulder climbs, and knife edges, we think only doing 10 to 13 miles a day was a good way not get injured and to still enjoy the hiking.At this shelter tonight, there are six section hikers, and Calamity and myself. We are tenting again and again it is supposed to be cool!
Date: 2007-07-01
From: ALLENTOWN HIKING CLUB SHELTER

To: GEORGE W OUTBRIDGE SHELTER
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

From: Allentown ShelterTo: George W. Outerbridge ShelterToday Miles: 16.8Total Miles: 1242.3The first day of July and it was cold this morning. Calamity and I were up and walking by 7:15. Again the morning started out very easy. We were mostly walking on old woods roads until we got to PA 309, Blue Mt Summit where we sat and rested for awhile. These two women section hikers came by and talked to us. They asked if we were mother and daughter! I guess we could be as I do have a 35 year-old son.We had to go over The Cliffs Knife Edge today. It was a pretty scary climb up and over these rocks. Your poles were useless and just added another item you had to hold on to. I crossed a lot of the rocks sitting down and sliding along. But I finally got up and over and was okay. I have noticed my poles slipping every time I place them on a rock, so I checked them and found that they have no tips left. So that will need to be something I fix as I really use them and now they are hindering me more than helping.Next we went around Bear Rocks and this group of people were climbing up them. This father was making this young boy go up the rocks and he was so scared he was crying. I felt so bad for him and bet he will be afraid of heights forever. Luckily we did not need to go over those rocks.But we did go over Bake Oven Knob and as we were going up I thought this one is not so bad! Then we had to come down and I thought it was worse than the Knife Edge. There were parts I had to slide down on my stomach until my feet hit another rock. It is hard being short out here. Your legs are needed for every climb and when they are short they just do not make the ups and downs very easy. Sometimes I am convinced a tall man planned out much of the AT!We were to end the day at Bake Oven Knob Shelter as we knew we had a hard day, but even with all the rocks and boulder walks we were there at 2:00 PM, too early to end the day and the shelter was awful as was the water source. We pushed on to the next shelter. We had a few more boulder walks but then walked along a ridge where you could see down into the valley and the Pennsylvania country side. It was beautiful. We also walked over the Pennsylvania Turnpike which was in a tunnel 800 feet below us!We got to the George W. Outerbridge Shelter at 6:00 PM. There was no good place to camp so Calamity is staying in the shelter and because I have a free standing tent I could set it up right in front of the shelter. She can sleep with her bug net over her face but I freak out when I tried to do that so I need to stay in my tent when the bugs are out!  Chef was there as were a few more thru hikers and we passed a pleasant evening before bed. We go into town tomorrow to pick up Calamity's mail drop.
Date: 2007-07-03
From: DELP'S SPRING

To: Wind Gap
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

From: Delp's Spring        To: Wind Gap        Today's Mileage: 10.7        Total Mileage: 1263.6        We had a quiet and cool night camping at Delp's Spring. We were up and walking about 7:30 and knew we only had a little more than 10 miles to go. We are doing low mileage here in Pennsylvania to save our feet and our sanity.        The rocks started right away and lasted most of the 10 miles. There were a few places where the walking was okay but they were few and far between. I know people have told me to get a rhythm going over the rocks and I have tried and can do it if they are not too large but mostly I just need to go slower. I think I have stepped on and/or kicked almost every rock PA has these last few days. It is too bad PA ends with the most rocks as I think that is what people remember and the beginning was very beautiful with just great walking. And I do like that you go up out of a gap and then walk along the ridgeline, but now that we have done that for over 200 miles I am actually ready for some ups and downs (I also know I might regret those words).         There was not much to see today and we only saw one other hiker who was taking down his tent in the morning, so not a lot to write about.   But we did see Grasshoppers briefs hanging in a tree with a note saying do not touch and we got a good chuckle out of that     Yvonne, a friend of mine, who lives near Fox Gap came and picked Calamity Jane and I up at Wind Gap for a night off the trail. We were ready as we have had a few hard days. First we went to this great pizza place for lunch and then went back to her apartment. She lives on the top floor of an old house on the Kirkridge Retreat Facility.        Yvonne did our laundry and cooked us dinner. It was wonderful to be in a home and be taken care of. After you have been on the trail for almost four months a home cooked meal is one of the best things we could get. Yvonne has a downstairs housemate, Mary Ellen, who also cooked part of the meal and brought it upstairs. The four of us sat around and ate and talked for a few hours. It was so different from our routine on the trail and even from the times when we go into a town. I guess you forget what "normal" is like when you are on the trail for so long.        We seem to be in the hiker abyss again as we have not seen any thru hikers that we know in days. We think they are out there but we are just not meeting them.         While Mary Ellen was out walking her dog, Willie, a bear came down into the yard below the house. I was sorry I missed it as I have not seen anything bigger than a chipmunk in days.        Only about 17 more miles in PA!
Date: 2007-07-04
From: Wind Gap

To: Kirkridge Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: light rain

From: Wind Gap        To: Kirkridge Shelter                Today's Mileage: 9.2        Total Mileage: 1272.8        Woke up at Yvonne's with a cat purring and a small dog sniffing around. That was a different sensation than we are used to on the trail. We had breakfast and Mary Ellen drove Yvonne, Calamity Jane, and me to Wind Gap to hike back to Yvonne's house at Fox Gap.        The day was very cool and we never saw the sun. I could not believe it was the 4th of July! It was another rocky hike today but was made easier by the fact that Yvonne hiked behind me and we chatted almost none stop the whole day. We went over Wolf Rocks, which was impressive and fun especially for Yvonne. Of course, we could only see foggy mountains in the distance, but the mountain laurel and rhodendron are still in bloom here.        We got to Fox Gap around 1:00 and walked the 1/2 mile to Yvonne's house. She then took us to Columcille, a spiritual retreat that has been developed over the years into a wonderful, peaceful place. It had many large stones that have been symbolically erected on paths and walkways. Yvonne helps out over there when she has the time. We met Bill, the founder and Fred, a friend, who were feeding the many fish in the pond.         We went back to Yvonne's and repacked our packs and headed out to Kirkridge Shelter, only 1/2 mile away, to spend the 4th of July night!