morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-11
From: Stealth Picnic Area

To: Waynesboro 
Miles today: 13.1

Saturday Day 83 Stealth Site to Waynesboro 13.1 miles. Day 84  Sunday Zero Day!¢So I just did me some talking to the sun and I said I didn't like the way he got things done, Sleeping on the job...¢Actually the rain let up and allowed us to strike our tents. However it wasn¢t long into our hike that the rain kicked back in. No worries because we are heading into Waynesboro for a resupply, maildrop and Zero and will be staying under a dry roof sleeping in a warm bed tonight!But first we had to make it over Humpback mountain in one piece. Sure enough as I was rock hopping along ,my feet slipped out from under me and I sat down forcefully on a not so smooth rock. Fortunately no one was around to see a tear of pain as I evaluated the damage . My tailbone hurt, I was mad at myself and mad at the stupid rock but other than a slight cut on my hand I was good to hike on. Shortly after that incident I caught up with the guys and they were talking with a section hiker ¢Duke¢ a Marine and former Thru hiker OohRah.He surprised us with donuts and offered to give us a ride into town once we got to the gap. Such unexpected trail magic! When we finally got to the road it was pouring rain and true to his word Duke was there to give us a ride into town.That night we went to the famous Ming AYCE Chinese restaurant and it truly was phenomenal.Tomorrow we will go to church, resupply, fix our equipment , and celebrate RG¢s Birthday !Hard to believe but it¢s time to replace my shoes I bought in Damascus about 400 plus miles ago,they are shredded from the Virginia rocks . I will try the Altra Timp 1.5 this time and see how they hold up. Town trips and resupplies are expensive but necessary. I want to thank everyone that responded to my plant question and let me know that the  plant is the squaw root or cancer root. I also appreciate the recommendations on the powdered milk I will pack some out on the trail Monday. If you are not aware you can access my guest book by clicking on the horizontal lines in the upper right hand corner of my page. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to write it in the guest book and I will answer as soon as I can.On a very sad serious note,The trail is buzzing with the news story of a lunatic attacking two hikers on the AT with a machete. We just heard one of the victims died and we are sick, sick, sick to our stomachs. It¢s incomprehensible pure evil, I only wish we could have been able to help those poor victims.Please keep their families in your prayers. Thank you all for your support and Happy Mother¢s Day!
Date: 2019-05-13
From: Waynesboro 

To: Calf Mountain Shelter Shenandoah SNP
Miles today: 7.7

Monday Day 85, Waynesboro to Calf Mountain Shelter area 7.7 miles.If I fall one more time my crew ( they are too motley to be called a tramily) is going to change my trail name. ¢Sir Falls a lot¢, ¢Legends of the falls¢ are a couple they are considering among other less than flattering names. Today I was almost standing still on a wet rock when my feet slipped out from under me. I¢ll blame it on my new shoes or lack of coordination but whatever it is it needs to stop ouch!!!Today we left town right after lunch in the rain. Tom Brown a local trail angel shuttled us back to the trailhead, thank you for your kindness Tom! We entered the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) and they were going to charge us 15.00 per person to thru hike the SNP but wound up only charging Q 20.00 for some senior discount and he could bring three guests in. We appreciate the break but we thought the park was free for Thru Hikers?Coach our friend that put us up in his lovely home a couple of weeks ago joined us and will hike a few days with us. We are excited to have a native Virginian with us to guide us along, especially to lead us to the local waysides that have blackberry milkshakes!We reached our camp and set up our tents and ate our sandwiches we had brought in from town. We spoke to the very nice section hikers in the shelter,  hung our bear bags and headed to sleep. Tonight it¢s getting down to the low forties.Chilly!  We are very excited to be in this park , let¢s see if we can find a bear!PS : Craig mentioned in my guestbook that the trail name of the murder suspect is Sovereign and he remembered I stayed in a shelter with Sovereign back in March. Great catch!! But it was a different Sovereign the one I met was a girl. I really do appreciate all your comments and encouragement!
Date: 2019-05-14
From: Calf Mountain Shelter Shenandoah SNP

To: Stealth Site
Miles today: 17.6

Tuesday Day 86, Calf Mountain Shelter area to Stealth Site 17.6 Miles.We planned to hike around 15 miles today but the camping area we were aiming for was closed . Fortunately we found a nice stealth spot a couple of miles down the road. Coach who has joined us for a few days is a real trooper and if you recall from our last hike ,he is a powerful hiker and had no issues hiking as many miles as needed. 17.6 miles is no joke for someone who hasn¢t been hiking everyday for the past few months. Tonight the temperature may drop to 39 degrees. I¢m now using a 50 degree Marmot hybrid quilt 650 fill with a Sea to Summit Silk Liner. I¢ll be sleeping in my puffy for the first time tonight so I shouldn¢t freeze.An update on my new shoes , yesterday was my first day on the trail 7.7 miles and guess what,this morning when I was attaching my gaiters one of the gaiter traps broke. Altras are unique to most shoes and have four points of connection for their specially made gaiters. Come on Altra you are better than this!!! I caution everyone considering Altras and you know I absolutely loved my Altras 3.5 but the 4.0 and now the 1.5 Timps have serious quality control issues in my personal use and opinion. I¢m not alone ,Sunday Another hiker was complaining about the 4.0s he had bought in Damascus to the owner of the Waynesboro outfitter . The owner said the shoes were not originally designed to be used as a thru hiker shoe but as a trail runner. I agree with that statement, however they are stocking and selling these shoes everyday to thru hikers .... I just don¢t know , it is indeed a great trail shoe just not very durable so buy at your own risk. If anyone out there in the hiker community has a better recommendation please let me know. I¢ve heard Brooks Cascadia are nice but no one seems to carry them out here. Thank you for the recommendation on my Guest book page , you are correct I have not seen the Altra Olympus, a few hikers are using the Hokas and seem to love them. I should plan ahead and order online , I just like to try shoes on and kick the wall and stuff.Tomorrow we will hit our first wayside in the Shenandoah Park.I¢m not exactly sure what a wayside is but they sell blueberry milkshakes and hamburgers!!Tonight we are all hunkered down in our tents the wind is howling and temperature is dropping.  8 minutes till hiker midnight ( 8:00 pm) we are safe and happy to be here!Ps; So great to hear from all of you, I appreciate you signing my guest book it raises my spirits at the end of each day!
Date: 2019-05-15
From: Stealth Site

To: High top shelter 
Miles today: 16.8

Wednesday Day 87 Stealth Site to Hightower Shelter Area 16.8 miles.What a great day we had today.The Shenandoah National Park is wonderful. This morning when I went to retrieve my food bag I was greeted by a deer grazing 10 yards away and she didn¢t seem to mind us camping in her back yard. Q was able to sneak up and get several close up pictures. When we started up the trail RG was able to see the tail end of a bear as he ran away into the woods. The rest of us did not get to see him but Q saw the bushes move which unfortunately does not count as a siting.I discovered what a wayside is today , it¢s a cool little souvenir and resupply store on one side and a nice little restaurant on the other. Coach surprised us and bought us all breakfast , unbelievable thank you Coach!!! Usually they serve blackberry milkshakes but the machine was broken however they did serve blackberry ice cream which was fantastic. Later on in the day we hit 900 miles Ooh Rah! But the coolest thing that happened today , I got to see my first bear  see the pic and I also have a video. The bear was pretty big and was not aggressive at all. I was alone up a hill so the rest of the fellas did not get to see him. We are all camped in the woods around the shelter and the weather is a lot warmer than last night. I actually slept very well last night even though it dipped in the high 30s.  We are safe and sound in the comforts of our tents.
Date: 2019-05-16
From: High top shelter 

To: Lewis Mountain Campsite Shenandoah NP
Miles today: 12.7

Thursday Day 88 Hightower Shelter 12.7 miles Lewis Mountain Campsite.We slept in an extra hour as we only planned to do 12.7 miles today . Lately we¢ve been getting up around 5 AM to get a few miles done before the heat of the day. Unfortunately Coach had to leave us today , he is such a great addition to our crew, a Virginia mountain goat tough as nails!After Coach left we sat at a picnic table near one of the entrances to the park and a very nice ranger lady brought us a bag of blueberry donuts. That was such an amazing unexpected treat! Our destination today was Lewis Mountain Campsite which has showers and a Camp Store for resupplies. On the way I ran into two extremely friendly deer , the animals here at the park are so chilled.The trees however are not, I was hiking up the trail when a huge limb came crashing down about 10 feet away from me. I was very fortunate to not have been hit.Tonight we are all camped out next to camper vehicles and glampers which in my opinion is by far the best way to rough it. Yeupp they are the smart ones. I¢ll show them, we are heading to the lodge tomorrow for our own glamping
Date: 2019-05-17
From: Lewis Mountain Campsite Shenandoah NP

To: Skyland Resort
Miles today: 15.6

Day 89 , Friday 15.6 miles to Skyland Resort SNP. I was the first one to leave camp this morning. I tried to hike as quietly as I could in hopes to see another bear. I saw a rabbit, woodpecker and two deer but no bears. Later on in the morning RG, Q and Stingray showed up and guess what they saw? Yeupp a bear. Very cool, I guess the early bird doesn¢t always catch the worm.Our day ended at the historic Skyland Resort area established in 1888. The rooms are all modernized of course but the mountains remain intact. https://www.nationalparkreserv...The food is outstanding at the restaurant , truly a great place to vacation if you have the opportunity . Tonight we are staying in comfortable beds at the lodge and we will be back on the trail in the morning. Sad news I developed my very first blister on the tip of my second toe of my left foot. I believe it¢s the new shoes and fit. I pierced and taped it up with Leukotape and I should be good to go in the morning.  Also I¢m looking forward to a wonderful breakfast buffet in the morning.Did I tell you I saw a lioness on the trail today?
Date: 2019-05-18
From: Skyland Resort

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 90 , Skyland Park to Pass Mnt Hut 10.9 miles. After a great nights rest in our rooms we had to climb up the trail to the lodge for breakfast.RG, StingRay and I saw a bear and two deer on our way up. We had a phenomenal breakfast buffet and headed back down the trail this time Q was with us and we saw what we believe to be the same bear again. We had a super lazy Saturday morning enjoying the resort property and finally hit the trail around 11 am. The SNP is quite busy on the weekend and we saw tons of day hikers all over the trail. When we got to Mary¢s Rock a beautiful rock overlook it was covered up with little boys perched precariously on every nook and cranny of the cliffs. I would have been a nervous wreck if I were in charge of those young-uns. Turns out they are part of a church based organization called Trail Life ,fantastic to see the little fellas enjoying the great outdoors! We made a short afternoon of it and camped at the Pass Mountain Hut area. We are actually way down the hill from the shelter as most of the tent sites were taken by a Boy Scout troop. Great weekend for families and kids. The SNP is wonderful ,similar to the Smokies but more old school not so commercialized if that makes sense? I love Virginia it¢s truly the best part of my hike so far,but it¢s tough , let¢s not tell the AT freshmen of 2020 and let them think Virginia is flat...
Date: 2019-05-19
From: Pass Mountain 

To: Gravel Springs Hut area
Miles today: 13.1

Day 91 Pass Mountain Hut to Gravel Springs Hut area 13.1 miles.Ok I know I said the Smokies is a bit more commercialized than the Shenandoah NP but really that only refers to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The backcountry in the Smokies is more remote. In the SNP the trails are very close to the famous Skyline Drive parkway and very accessible to the public. We saw lots of day hikers in the ¢back country¢ today. Again It was great to see so many enjoying the great outdoors. RG, Stingray,Q and I are now known as the FreeRange Crew. I guess because we roam freely outdoors? Like a bunch of chickens I suppose...So today we roamed 13 miles in the backcountry and indeed we took our time stopping to climb rocks and enjoy the views. We stopped in at the Elkwallow Wayside and ordered cheeseburgers and blackberry milkshakes these shakes are to die for! You can¢t get milkshakes in the Smokies backcountry I assure you. Tonight we are all set up in our tents and we should be out of the SNP by tomorrow afternoon. I¢ll miss this great historical park and wonderful wildlife. Virginia has so much to offer I can¢t even begin to comprehend why some hikers suffer with the Virginia blues?
Date: 2019-05-20
From: Gravel Springs Hut area

To: Front Royal 
Miles today: 13.4

Day 92 Gravel Springs Hut to Highway 522 (Front Royal) 13.4 miles.We all went to bed early last night, however some section hikers came into camp late and had no regard for everyone that was asleep. Lots of loud talking etc. No big deal , however when we got up at 5 am to leave we were super quiet . It¢s just good etiquette oh well ...On a different note Jimmy interviewed us again a few miles back here is the link if you would like to watch it. https://youtu.be/c4DAKqtGu68So today was our last day in the Shenandoah National Park. Bittersweet it was so much fun in the park but it¢s great to achieve another milestone toward our ultimate goal. We saw three bears today, one was a baby cub which was alone and did not look very healthy, it¢s sad hopefully he will find his mom and will be fine. We made it thru the park and caught a shuttle into Front Royal where we resupplied and checked in to the Quality Inn. We will head back on the trail tomorrow morning. Heading to Harper¢s Ferry.
Date: 2019-05-21
From: Front Royal 

To: Whiskey Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 15.2

Day 93 Front Royal to Whiskey Hollow Shelter 15.2 Miles. We had a wonderful meal and good nights rest in the town of Front Royal. We received an amazing trail magic package from Q¢s parents;Apples, cow tail candy, Amish sesame sticks, dried fruit and other goodies.  Earlier that day I told Stingray that I was craving an apple and behold there were five beautiful apples for us to share. They had sent an apple  for coach so Q said I could have his as well. Thank you so very much Mr. and Mrs. Simpson, I can tell you we all appreciate the edible treasures you sent us!!!The day was especially beautiful today around 70 degrees, we had several steady climbs but the elevation was manageable. No bears today we are actually out of the Shenandoah NP however still bear country. Our first stop of the day was at the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter for lunch. This shelter is by far the nicest I¢ve seen on the trail. It has an extended deck with comfortable wooden chairs , a separate covered picnic area, a spring fed shower and a horseshoe pit! It was a great place to hang out but we still had around 10 miles more to go. When we finally got to our target shelter we met up with our dear friend Pushing 60, it was great to see her again as she is getting off for good at Harpers Ferry and we didn¢t know if we would have a chance to see her again. We have been hiking in the same hiker circles since Hot Springs.Once again the Free Range Crew is tenting up on a hill above the shelter. We hope to do another 15 tomorrow and that will put us over the 1,000 mile mark.
Date: 2019-05-22
From: Whiskey Hollow Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter VA
Miles today: 15.3

Day 94 Whiskey Hollow Shelter to Sam Moore Shelter area 15.3 miles.We left our camping area fairly early   It was great to be able to hike with Pushing 60 one last time before she heads home. She has turned into a hiking machine and outpaced most of us today! On our way to our target camping spot we met up with Cushy Life and Dodger Dog slack packing south bound. You remember Cushy Life (Sarah Hikes on YouTube) she drove Q to get his leg checked out a week or so ago. It was great to see her again . Today we started the ¢Roller Coaster¢ this section of the trail has extreme ups and downs , torture I call it and sadly I used to like roller coasters but not anymore.When we got to the shelter area we set up our tents , Pushing 60 headed 3 miles further to the Bears Den Hostel, I told you she¢s turned into a hiking machine! But the most amazing surprise today was a visit from the wondering women who were camped a little ahead of us and backtracked just to say hello.These ladies are awesome and if you don¢t know they have a you tube channel documenting their trip. Check them out.1,000 Miles!!! OOH RAH..... and just think I¢m not even half way done, as Q would say the best is yet to come.
Date: 2019-05-23
From: Sam Moore Shelter VA

To: Bear Feet Retreat 
Miles today: 16.0

Day 95, 16 miles, Sam Moore Shelter to Bears Feet Retreat. I beat everyone to the trail this morning, I¢m pretty much sick of oatmeal and believe it or not I¢m not enjoying coffee in the morning so my morning routine has drastically sped up.  So I hiked the first three miles or so by myself busting cobwebs on the ¢Roller Coaster¢ say what??..Ohio Players for us old timers you know the tune. RG was the first to catch me , he¢s super fast his pace is like a torturous speed walk but he likes it. I¢m not coordinated enough to walk that fast as I¢m stumping my toe on every third rock as it is. When everyone got to the rock overlook I had stopped at,we decided to venture off trail and check out the Bears Den Hostel which sits right on top of the mountain. The building was built in 1933 out of stone and looks like a medieval castle. http://www.bearsdencenter.org/This is where P60 and the wandering women crashed last night. The building was very historic but most importantly sold soft drinks and snacks. P60 was still there when we got there and hiked out with us she was not traveling as far as us today and would get off at the David Lesser Memorial shelter. The hike was strenuous but lightened up considerably after we exited the Roller Coaster. However we got caught in a wicked thunderstorm, thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening. I chose not to don on my rain-gear as I was already sweat soaked and the cool water actually felt great. The rain was intense but did not last that long .Another milestone we officially crossed into West Virginia today Another state down Ooh Rah. Remember we have 14 states total to traverse this is number 5.Tonight the Free Range Crew is staying in a beautiful home we have the downstairs all to ourselves , once again Jimmy helped us by finding these accommodations for us. Thank you Jimmy!
Date: 2019-05-24
From: Bear Feet Retreat 

To: Harpers Ferry 
Miles today: 7.8

Day 96, 7.8 Miles Bear Feet Hostel to Harpers Ferry. What an amazing day we had today! We woke up to a wonderful breakfast that Patsy our host at the Bear Feet hostel fixed for us . Her home connects to the trail and we were soon on our way to Harpers Ferry. The trail was relatively easy but rocky thank goodness we left our heavy items at the hostel as Patsy was going to pick us up this evening and bring us back for another comfortable evening. When we got to the AT center at Harpers Ferry we were blown away, my friends from back home at our LakePointe community had coordinated with Rhonda, Jimmy and ¢Trail-boss¢ a wonderful welcome. First there was a custom made yard sign welcoming us as we approached the building , Trail-boss , Tower and Katie were out front to welcome us and made us feel so special. Inside the celebration continued as inside we were presented a HUGE cake and four bags of trail magic goodies. WOW we were so blown away. Thank you , Thank you, Thank you for all that were involved and contributed to the most amazing surprise welcome ever!!!We hung out at the AT welcome center like rock star celebrities sharing our cake and goodies with all of our friends. One young hiker that we had recently camped with ¢Stretchman¢ wants to be part of crew lol. The cake was a very tasty red velvet and one hiker named ¢Cake¢gave his appropriate approval . Balloons and everything,Great surprise party for all!We later walked the historic town enjoying the architecture and greeting other hikers and tourists alike.  Harpers Ferry has a great outfitters and they had the old original Altras Lone peak 3.5 deeply discounted and the blue Superfeet insoles which no one has carried thus far.,Score!! I sent my relatively new Altra Temps back home and I¢ll definitely use them but I¢m more comfortable on the trails with the 3.5s and your feet are so important out here you know. We grabbed dinner at the Anvil restaurant with Pushing 60 and the Wander Women the company was great but the food not so much.We all said our final goodbyes to P60 who is joining her husband on the Camino trail in Spain , sounds like a very cool hiking adventure.After dinner we got back on the trail for a short hike to the Potomac River, tomorrow we will be in Maryland. So long West Virginia.
Date: 2019-05-25
From: Harpers Ferry 

To: Crampton Gap
Miles today: 10.2

Day 97 , Harpers Ferry Potomac River West Virginia to Crampton Gap Shelter Tent Area Maryland. We started our hike today in Harpers Ferry, Patsy dropped us off fairly early but Stingray and I needed to stop by the outfitters and get our carbide tips replaced on our trekking poles. Stingray was completely missing one tip and one of mine was worn down almost flat. Q hardly uses his poles at all he is so nimble and  RG¢s tips seemed fine as well. I also picked up some new gaiters and replaced my seat pad that came up missing. After our gear resupply we stopped in a little restaurant and had some fantastic gyros and salads. Our early morning start had vanished into thin air but who cares! We saw the wonder women and we saw our long lost friend Timber who was way ahead but had taken off for a few days . So cool to have friends all up and down the trail.  We crossed the Potomac River on a footbridge that is adjacent to the railroad bridge that runs thru the mountain. As soon as you cross over the River  you are in Maryland, what is that my 6th state? Funny we could not find a welcome sign.Tons of people are out enjoying the great outdoors this memorial weekend, and what better place than this historic area.Today we passed thru Gathland State Park which has a lot of cool historical buildings and a museum. While we ate at the pavilion the sky¢s opened up and gave us liquid sunshine for about 30 minutes. We finally got to our campsite around 8 pm most all the tent sites were all taken . I¢m way down the hill by myself , and will hopefully find the free rangers in the morning. All is good but I miss my wife. We always take vacation during Memorial Day week, but the good news is I¢ll see her next week. More on that later.