morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-11-07
From: Skyland Lodge

To: Elkwallow Wayside
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Yet another beautiful day. A little cooler, but still very comfortable. More key swapping (sometimes I lose track of where I¢m supposed to park or find the car). But anyway, it worked great. We had better views today, especially along the western slope north of Skyland. There are a number of overlooks along the bluffs on Little Stony Man and to the north. They give great vistas to the west. Then it was down and back up to the Pinnacles. The picnic area at the Pinnacles was busier than I expected, especially the restrooms. I passed Bird¢s Nest #3 Shelter ¢ we met the maintainer here a couple of years ago. This time it was empty.I approached Mary¢s Rock from the south and it was good to finally get there after a long climb. For the first time, I took the side trail up to Mary¢s Rock. Several families got there ahead of me and the last scramble up the rock was crowded with youngsters, so I took some photos at the Shenandoah Valley view point and headed back down. The AT was very crowded with hikers up to the rock even though it was Monday (lots of kids weren¢t in school) and I even passed several groups on the way down. Nice to see so many hikers out. After a couple of road crossings (211 and Skyline) at Thornton Cap, it was a long chug up Pass Mountain. This is mostly a woods climb without many features along the way. After that, and an up and down, our end was Elkwallow Wayside. The wayside was closed for the winter, but there were still a number of visitors using the picnic tables and the restrooms. We saw a few southbound backpackers who looked like thru-hikers, but they didn¢t seem interested in stopping to chat. It¢s getting late in the year. Tomorrow we hit the trail section south of Skyland.
Date: 2016-11-08
From: Skyland Lodge

To: South River Picnic Area
Miles today: 0.0

We got one more beautiful hiking day before the rains arrive tomorrow. It was really cold when we left the Mimslyn Inn in Luray, VA. It took a while to melt the frost on the windshielf. But, strangely, the temperature climbed as we headed up the mountain toward Skyline Drive. It was actually mid-40¢s when we got to Skyland and we were both able to hike without gloves and jackets. More key swapping today with several places to park along Skyline Drive. We¢re pretty familiar with this section and lots of places looked familiar as we passed through them. South out of Skyland there are views, but the trail turns rocky in places. I saw a bear on Skyline Drive in the Hawksbill area, but we didn¢t see any bears on the trail today. Eventually the trail climbs and passes around the edge of Big Meadows. We camped here several years ago when we were prepping for our first AT hike and we always recognize our original campsite. It was really cold that year. Beyond Big Meadows there are several hills to climb, Hazeltop, Bearfence and Baldface, but the climbs are long and gradual (not like the Smokys). This year I skipped the rock scramble at the top of Bearfence. Lewis Campground has already closed for the year and was deserted.We wrapped up the day at the South River picnic area and headed down Rt. 33 into Harrisonburg, VA. We expect to stay here 2 nights while we finish up Shenandoah. There are some good breweries in Harrisonburg that I plan to visit. Rain is scheduled tomorrow so we¢ll have to adjust our gear.
Date: 2016-11-09
From: Browns Gap

To: South River Picnic Area
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We were in a funky mood this morning after the election didn¢t go our way. Plus it rained overnight and threatened to continue. We did have a good time last night at Three Notch¢d Brewing Co. They served up a free pint for anyone who voted and they had a sizeable crowd.The forecaster weenies said rain was likely and they were right. The drizzle started about an hour after we did and it continued on-and-off for the rest of our hike. The temp never got above the mid-40¢s and there was considerable wind near the mountaintops which made it pretty chilly. Our Zpack ponchos came into play and they protected us from the rain and from the wind. My hands did get cold later in the hike and a pair of waterproof shells over my bike gloves worked fine.We saw very few hikers on the trail, not a surprise considering the weather, a weekday, and the fact that the Park Service is in the process of closing the waysides, picnic areas, and other facilities. Starting on Nov. 27, Skyline Drive will be closed from 5 pm to 8am until Jan. 5. But we did see three backpackers, so the trail is still active. There were a few outlook points on the trail today, but the weather precluded any good long-range views. Highlights today included the Loft Mountain area (although the facilities were not open), Weaver Mountain and Hightop Mountain. The trail crossed Rt. 33 a few miles south of the South River area. Most of the trail was through woods, pretty ¢ but not picturesque. This was the first rain that we¢ve encountered in a while and done thing I noticed was the wet, dank odor prevalent along the trail.We headed back to Harrisonburg for a second night at the Stonewall Jackson B&B. There are several other breweries in town that I¢d like to try tonight.
Date: 2016-11-10
From: Browns Gap

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was far nicer than yesterday: sunny and dry, but cooler. We had a great breakfast at the Stonewall Jackson Inn ¢ I loved the eggs Benedict and the potatoes with saut©ed veggies were outstanding. It was a good start to a good day. It felt cold at the start of the hike, low 40¢s with some wind at the tops. We started out with our Zpack windbreakers. But they weren¢t necessary after the first climb and especially on the sunny sides of the hills. An early feature today was the rockfall (skree) in the Blackrock area. I remember this section from previous years. Last year there were more visitors here and it appears that the maintainers have added more pebbles to smooth the trail. There were a few souls out on the trail today, more as the morning wore on and nearer to the Rockfish Gap end of the trail. There were 4 day hikers sitting on a log having lunch and enjoying the park. We probably met 15 along the way, but only a few were backpacking and most were heading north.There were plenty of sights along the rest of the trail that I remembered. A long climb up Calf and Little Calf mountains, then down and back up Bears Den Mountain. The antennae on top of Bears Den were easy to see from Little Calf, but it was a short but tough uphill trek to get to them. One unmistakable feature at the top are the 4 ¢tractor seats¢ mounted near the antenna site. The last section of the hike from a Skyline Drive crossing, over a stile, up a steep hill and over to the south end of the park was much longer than I remembered. I think this is the 4th time I¢ve done this section. It¢s not terribly hard, but there are a lot of rocks and I was ready for the end long before I got to it. We¢ve decided to take a break and head back to Washington, DC for a couple of days. We plan to return, but not sure just where or when or which direction.
Date: 2016-11-18
From: Fish Hatchery Road

To: US 60/Lexington Turnpike
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We had a good breakfast start at 502 S. Main and the weather was really good. The temp in Lexington was chilly in the 30¢s, but the temp climbed as we drove up to the BRP and was into the mid-40¢s when we made it to the trail. It was a great start, but the first part of the hike was not very dramatic. While there were a few good views of the Priest behind us, much of the trail was up and down through the woods. Some appealing spots near streams, otherwise a long walk.After Salt Log Gap, the trail started changing character. It opened out to meadows and balds with some good long-range views. With the good weather the meadows were really fun. Tar Jacket ridge provided a good view to the east. A hiker was reclining there and writing on a pad. She was self-absorbed and ignored our greeting as we passed. Beyond the ridge the AT turned down toward Hog Camp Gap. I distinctly remember this open area, plenty of good campsites with nice shade trees. A gravel road, USFS 48 crossed this gap and provides good access. Two hikers had driven up and were preparing to set off northbound as I crossed the road.The remaining challenge was climbing up and across Bald Knob. This climb was a bit sharper than the previous hills and the top was more like a rocky knob, I couldn¢t identify the bald. The downhill to US 60 was pretty steep, dropping about 2,000 feet in a little less than 2 miles. There were several good views to the west from rock outcrops along the way.After the hike, we headed back to 502 S. Main for another evening in Lexington.
Date: 2016-04-23
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We are Spider and ET (Energizer Turtle). We are hiking the AT in ~500 mile sections. We have been called LASHers by the thru-hikers we have met on the trail (Long Ass Section Hikers!!). We have completed 3 sections starting in 2012 in Georgia. We had to skip our hike last year due to one elderly parent falling and breaking her hip and another one's death.So we are anxious to get back to our hiking. We will start in southern New York state and finish in New Hampshire, if everything goes as planned. We will be heading for the trail in mid-June.More to come!!
Date: 2016-04-24
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We began to "dust off" last year's plans. Spider laid out a detailed plan for miles/day, food drops, town stops etc. last year. We are now applying these plans to this year's hike. We have to refresh the food and test the equipment, but it should be easier than starting fresh. Spider usually walks the trail vicariously as he prepares the detail of the hike, so he is going to need refresh his memory of the trail again.
Date: 2016-05-03
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Took down all our hiking gear from the attic yesterday. Also printed out my packing list that I have developed over the years (so I don't forget anything!!). Amped up the exercise a little at the gym today too. Will get my pack packed over the next couple of days and add in some hiking with pack and trekking poles as part of the exercise program.I've contacted friends we have made along the AT in previous years to see if we can reconnect. Unfortunately most have plans that will prohibit us from reconnecting this year...maybe next year!!
Date: 2016-05-07
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We have made a first pass on our gear. With having to cancel our hike at the last minute last year, everything is pretty much still ready to go. Refreshing some of the food means a trip to Costco, Trader Joe's etc. We have upped our exercise program by including a 5 mile hike around one of our local reservoirs. Spider packed his pack (see picture) to make it more realistic. Without water and food, the pack is just under 30 lbs. We both are on diets trying to lose more weight to take pressure off our knees, but with a wedding, a vacation in Mazatlan and a get-together with old friends...it's going to be a challenge!!
Date: 2016-05-18
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We are home from a week in Mazatlan. Spider gained 4 lbs that he now has to re-lose!! We both hit the fitness center at the resort so hopefully didn't lose any muscle..we just need to get rid of the fat!! Spider is working on the detail of our hike like he does every year... camping and water sources, trail condition and Zero Day accommodations. He's about half-way through the hike. ET is accumulating the food. She is about done, so we will begin boxing everything up in about a week. Only 27 days to go before we climb on a plane to Newark!!
Date: 2016-06-01
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Less than 2 weeks to go. We have collected all our food and will start packing our boxes to be shipped out...starting next week. Before then, we will be marrying off our youngest son this weekend. Talk about packing our life!! The training and weight-loss programs are becoming hit-and-miss. We may have to let the trail be our training/diet plan.I've been confirming the details of our hike and our transportation to the AT. Since we can't fly with stove fuel, I'm planning on making a quick trip to an outfitter to pick up fuel in New York City as we wait for our bus to Greenwood Lake. We are planning on hitting the trail the same day we arrive at Newark. Dinner will be at Bud Whitt's Hot Dog Plus stand on NY 17A and dessert at the Creamery down the road. Looking forward to getting back on the AT....current weather forecast looks okay for our first day...Hope it holds.
Date: 2016-06-06
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light intensity drizzle

With a little over a week to go we are watching the weather forecast for the day we hit the trail, June 15. Each morning we take a look at it and each day it has changed...so we have no idea whether it will be raining or not, hot or not, humid or not. Guess we need to get into the "trail" frame of mind...What will be, will be.ET and I both have our long to-do lists put together of things that need to get done before leaving. Each day we knock off a few...unfortunately a few are also added each day. I have about 40 items on my list so may have to sacrifice some days of golf to get everything done...Oh No!!I stopped by Walmart today and picked up some Permithrin spray. We sprayed our hiking clothes with it when we hiked our last section of the AT in 2014 and had very little tick problems. So will do it again this year.The first two week's trail food is sorted out and Week 2 is boxed up and ready to be sent out tomorrow. We will ship one more box the day we leave next week, then ET's sister, Sally, will mail one each week we are gone.
Date: 2016-06-10
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Only 5 days left to get everything ready for a 6 week hike. We are getting the clothes by spraying with Permithrin insecticide. It supposedly harmless to humans but deadly to ticks...which is why we do it. It seemed to work in 2014 when we did the same thing...only had a couple of ticks on us. Given the prevalence of Lyme Disease in the East, we want to do everything we can to prevent the little "critters" invading our bodies. We also put a waterproofing on our boots. It works for the "casual" wetness from dew and drizzle, but when it really gets wet, especially when the trail is flooded, no amount of waterproof will keep your feet dry.I checked with the Countryside Motel in Cold Springs, NY today and confirmed our box of food for week 2 has arrived...Now all we have to do is get there!!
Date: 2016-06-12
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Our living room is full of boxes being filled with freeze dried food, jerky, M&Ms, Tang and so on. We will mail our next box on Tuesday before we head for the airport. Spider still has 28 items on his to-do list and ET has an equivalent amount...may be some late nights coming up!! We are actually looking forward to getting on the trail. In many ways, life is easier...all you have to do is to get from Point A to Point B..the complications are weather and terrain.We took a day off of hike preparation to attend the celebration of Spider's graduation from High School 50 years ago!! He couldn't understand where all those old people came from!! We are now back to working on our to-do lists.
Date: 2016-06-14
From: Home

To: SFO
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 0: We finished what we needed to get done for the hike by about 5pm. Since we have a midnight flight, we had the whole day to work on the last to-dos...even had time to do a little weeding and trimming in the yard, so we won't come back to a jungle. We finished packing our boxes of food and got Box 2 to the Post Office.ET's sister, Sally, is house sitting for us while we are on the AT. She will ship the remaining boxes about 2 weeks before we reach each destination. She also gave us a ride to our rapid transit system, BART, rather than us having to take a bus.BART efficiently whisked us to SFO. We checked our packs, but are carrying a few things: books, jacket, etc., in paper bags as carry-ons. It's interesting to travel knowing that whatever we bring will have to be carried on the trail for 6 weeks. Thus the paper bags...they are easily disposed of before we hit the trail.We arrived at the airport around 7:30pm...plenty of cushion...This is ET's preference. We ate dinner in an airport sports bar while watching a SF Giants game. Now we wait...that is why we also brought books to read and crossword puzzles in our paper bags. The attached picture is of ET, patiently waiting at the airport.We hope to get some sleep on our cross-country flight...Otherwise tomorrow is going to be a long day!
Date: 2016-06-16
From: Wildcat

To: Island Pond
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 2 - I do believe this was the toughest day of hiking I have ever experienced!! It took us over 12 hours to go 11.6 miles... less than one mile per hour.Things started out normal. After our long day yesterday, we slept in later than normal, so we didn't hit the trail until 8:10 am. It had rained overnight but was only sprinkling when we got up. The trail followed a ridge until turning right and dropping into a nearby valley. After crossing the valley we climbed to Fitzgerald Falls where the attached picture was taken. It was a relatively easy climb to the top of the falls where we had breakfast. Then the fun began!! The map showed a series of ups and downs of about 500ft. What it didn't show was that these where hand-over-hand vertical rock climbs and descents. Every time we finished one, another was around the corner. These ups and downs used up lots of energy and slowed us down significantly. We were beginning to wonder if we were going to make it to our planned destination¢¦ then it started to rain!! Now all the rocks got slippery and we had to slow down even more!! Even with that, Spider slipped and fell once¢¦ nothing broken but a skinned elbow and an injured pride.Our last mile to Island Pond was a fairly steep trail...at least it wasn't hand-over-hand and it had stopped raining!! We trudged that last mile with our last bit of energy. We arrived at 8:20pm just as the sun was setting. ET started putting up the tent while Spider went for water from the pond. It took him forever to get the water and as it got darker and darker ET started to get worried. However when she called out he immediately answered because he was already headed back. The problem was the new filter we are carrying. It works on gravity and is painfully slow.As the time was already passed 9pm, we decided to eat a couple of Cliff Bars we had instead of firing up the stove. Finally to bed at 10pm... It had been a long day!!Animal Sightings: Rabbit and BeaverPlant Sightings: Poison Ivy and Wild Rose
Date: 2016-06-17
From: Island Pond

To: West Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 3 - We awoke at 5:45am. It had been a fairly noisy night with all the beaver activity and Bullfrog serenade, but we were so tired we slept though most of it. We hit the trail at 6:30am. We hoped we wouldn't face the same challenges as yesterday because the plan was to go about the same distance... not sure our bodies could survive another 'onslaught' like that again!!Within a mile we had to negotiate the ¢Lemon Squeezer¢...the attached picture shows ET going through it, after which, we had to climb a wall of rocks¢¦ Uh Oh!! Fortunately is was mostly trails after that with only a few short rock climbs¢¦ nothing like yesterday. However there were plenty of ups and downs...and we definitely could feel the effect of yesterday...no power in the legs going uphill!! We took one side trip to a park that had water fountains¢¦ where we stocked up on water and vending machines that we each got an ice cream from..Mmmm!!We knew our destination shelter didn't have any water, so we filled up at a stream just before the shelter. Unfortunately it was a steep climb to the shelter and being loaded down with water made it a real slog. On top of that, it was a 0.5 mile side trail walk to the shelter. We finally arrived at 6:45pm¢¦ another 12 hours plus day to go 11plus miles¢¦ we need to get our 'trail legs'!!There were quite a few hikers at the shelter even with the long walk in. The attraction is that you have great view, including the New York City skyline.We ate dinner and talked to some of the other hikers. To bed by 9pm¢¦ much more civilized day of hiking.Animal Sightings: DeerPlant Sightings: Huckleberries (we think!!)?
Date: 2016-06-20
From: Countryside Motel, Cold Spring, NY

To: Countryside Motel, Cold Spring, NY
Miles today: 0.0

Day 6 - Zero in terms of AT miles, but not in terms of feet miles. With no food options nearby, we walked 2 miles down the highway to a delicatessen for breakfast. It's what a hiker does on their day off!!The short hike without a pack felt good - loosened up our tight muscles. The made-to-order breakfast sandwiches were delicious. We bought sandwiches for lunch too, which set us up for the day. (Lasagna ordered the previous night was already stored in our room.)On the way to breakfast we dropped off our dirty clothes for washing, at the front desk. They charged us $10, which we were happy to pay. No trudging to a laundromat, and they had to deal with quite a stink!! Everything came back smelling so nice, we are concerned that bears might come sniffing by.Most of our day off was spent relaxing in our room, catching up with family by phone, reserving our taxi for the next day, studying maps for next week's hike, reading, eating and repacking our packs.Spider usually assesses our health and wellness at each break in our hike. We made it with no injuries...a big plus. Both of us had knees that were talking to us on Day 5, but felt fine on our day off. ET is babying the 4 blisters she got on that first long, full day of hiking rock walls. She doesn't usually get blisters, so this was a surprise. Fortunately, they aren't bothering her much and that is typical. Spider also has a couple of blisters and they are bothering him...which is also typical. No ticks. Few mosquito bites. All is good so far!!The attached photo shows our motel. Its city is Cold Spring, where a lot of people stay, if they are visiting West Point directly across the Hudson. The motel is actually inland a bit, in a light industry area, with a dearth of conveniences, like restaurants. The motel offers a "hiker rate", but expects hikers to drive for coffee in the morning! (No coffee makers in the room.) They seem to take a minimalist approach to other things too like no shampoo and not much toilet paper. If we had it to do over we would go into a hotel in the town of Cold Spring and pay the higher price for the convenience of stores, restaurants etc.Well we got done what we needed to and got some rest...so it's back to the trail tomorrow.