morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-04-17
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The moon turned out to be incredible last night.  It was so bright, it cast shadows from the trees against the side of my tent.  It was as though there was a light on outside.  But I slept like a rock!Today was a long day and a lot of up hill; slow, steady and painful.  Painful in that I¢ve yet to gain my breathing seems labored again due to the altitude but this time around it¢s the humidity, and I¢m sure it will get tougher as the miles pass.  There was a good 9-10 mile stretch that had no stated water sources on any of the hiking guides.  Fortunately I was standing in the middle of the trail catching my breath and noticed vegetation to my left, about 50 feet off the trail. While looking for a place to drop my pack, a previous hiker built a small cairen and made a ¢W¢ with an arrow pointing to the source, thank you!  The Mayor and I each had about 1/2 liter left and 6 miles to go so the refill was certainly welcome. We each drank a liter before we stocked up and continued on.  A 2 mile down hill approach to the shelter took a toll on the Mayor, but the switch-backs made it a bit easier for both of us.We arrived at the shelter around 6 pm and with no quality camp sites available, we ended up in the shelter for the night with 6 others, only two of whom we¢d met before...Pa, who retired three weeks ago and a 23 year college student from FL and Ottawa who got her name Crock Pot because she hikes slow and steady.  Most of the people were meeting out here are in their 20¢s and 30¢s and are logging some serious miles. Starting in March, they¢re already 600 plus miles into the trail.  That¢s anywhere from 15-30 miles a day!  They develop their Tramilies and will likely stay together the entire way.
Date: 2019-04-18
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: BaileyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.25

After two rather hot sunny days of hiking, you know that the weather will turn, and this morning it did.  Pretty impressive thunder and lightning rolled in around 7 or so and lasted a couple of hours.  Not certain how long it would last, we sported our rain gear but quickly removed it because the temperatures started to rise as soon as the sun came out.  It did rain hard enough to move the leaves and twigs to the side of the trail in places and create some mud holes that we had to work through.  Today¢s hike was up as soon as we put foot to trail, Six hundred feet in in about a mile and half.  The trail of course was soft, cover in hardwood and rhododendron leaves.  The living rhododendrons that lined the trail are healthy with very tight blooms expected to make an appearance in mid-May.  But the leaves captured water droplets that looked like little gem stones of various colors as I moved past and the sun shown through the canopy.  The small spruce trees presented in a like manor.  Every once in awhile the breeze would blow just enough to knock some droplets from their perch and down the back of my hot, sun soaked neck.Neither the Mayor or I had much energy today and that resulted in a 4 mile day.  We settled into Bailey¢s Gap Shelter sometime mid-afternoon and set up camp in said shelter because again, no quality camp sites.  We were eventually joined by 3 other hikers, JuJu and his father, Mosey and a SOBO without a trail name...Allen, I think.  We¢ve all been in bed since 730 with a strong cool breeze and a promising sunset over our shoulders.
Date: 2019-04-19
From: BaileyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter 
Miles today: 8.85

Good Friday.  Last year at this time I was climbing Tray Mountain, further south on the AT.  Today wasn¢t as pleasant as weather goes, but I¢ll get to that.It was quite breezy all night but not too cold.  The moon, still looking full was lightly covered by hazy clouds, though not enough to block its light.  We awoke to a quick rain shower around 5am just as JuJu and Mosey we¢re heading out.  The rest of us stayed tucked away for another two hours.  It wasn¢t raining but we¢d heard that storms were predicted for much of the day so our rain gear was handy, and it wasn¢t long before we needed it.  Hiking in the rain for me is tricky in that I¢m going to get wet from perspiration anyway.  But the wind can make it even colder, so I¢ll wear my rain jacket and just deal with it.  Whether it was raining or not, the wind blew strong and cold all day long.  When we crossed Wind¢s Knob at 4100 ft, gusts had to be approaching 40 knots. That¢s the time to get back into the woods as quickly as possible, though bare trees provide little shelter.The condition of the trail today varied.  Parts well worn and smooth, but mostly rocks.  Big rocks. And they were wet.  It was virtually all up hill until a very fast, steep downhill to the shelter.  A reasonable amount of rain would have turned this trail in flowing river, making it unimaginable to navigate safely.  Fortunately, the Mayor and I beat the rain that would turn the trails into such a nightmare, but it did rain quite hard for the last 2 miles.  We arrived in camp at 230 or so after logging 12.5 miles and we were soaked.  We were greeted by two young brothers, Rosebud, a 23 yr. old teacher and his little brother Peewee, a recent high school grad, both warm and cozy playing cards.  Over the next couple of hours the rain became relentless and two more gents rolled in looking cold and relieved to find shelter.  Lone Star (not the one from earlier this week) and Space Rock are now dry watching the rain pour down with the rest of us.  Wow, is it ever raining hard!
Date: 2019-04-21
From: War Spur Shelter 

To: Rocky Gap
Miles today: 2.8

Happy Easter everybody!  Yes, I missed yesterday, but here¢s an update...The weather was still threatening on Saturday morning with the temperatures expected to drop.  Given that Sunday was Easter and we wanted to go to church, and we wouldn't have a chance to get off the trail for another 4 days after today, we decided to come into town and regroup.  Unfortunately there has been no cell service for week and in the gap where we exited the trail, it was no different.  We walked down the road a piece and found a country gent at his hunting lodge who let us use his phone.  (The sign above his door read ¢empty weapons before entering¢...but it didn¢t say how!). After an hour or so, our shuttle driver picked us up and brought us back to the same town, Pearisburg, where we started earlier in the week.  The rest of Saturday included laundry, resupply and Chinese buffet...pretty much like any trip to a town.This morning, Easter, and like hikers do, we walked into town to go to church at the most popular denomination in the south, Baptist.  On our way up the driveway we passed a bus that we assumed to be the church bus. As we approached, the Mayor struck up a conversation with the man in the drivers seat. He and another man eventually got off the bus and were telling us about this ministry, Ambassadors of Heaven.  This group of 14 men are recovering addicts, alcoholics and recently released convicts that travel this area of Virginia ministering to men of their kind.  They were visiting this church today as well.  After talking with the drive and the minister for a while, we were invited on the bus to meet the men and hear some of their stories.  Now some of you might be thinking "not a good idea, what's the matter with you guys?" but The Mayor and I boarded the bus and met the guys who were all receptive to what we are doing on the trail.  We sat down for about 20 minutes and listened to a couple of the men¢s stories and I was pretty touched with how low a man can get and what faith in God can do in his life.  When we got off the bus, these guys were singing a song and hugging each other.  We got a picture and fist bumped everyone before heading into the building and once inside, the singing didn¢t stop.  They were standing up, raising their hands and sometimes talking back to the preacher as he spoke, which I don't believe is common Southern Baptist protocol.  Every once in a while the preacher looked over at them with a little smile but never missed a beat.  Anyway, today was a good day and like everyday on the trail, you never know who you¢re going to meet, what their story is or what brings that person to where they are in life.  Tomorrow they could be sitting on a rock or a fallen tree, but today they were on a bus.We¢ll be back at it tomorrow morning as the weather is expected to warm up again and we've got a nice mountain to climb right out of the gate.
Date: 2019-04-23
From: Sarver Narrows Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Early this morning the moon showed up for the late shift and and was hard at work fading out the starlight by 330. And that whistling creature showed up again around 5. This time it sang for even longer periods though still a total of 5 or 6 minutes. One of the campers, Dharma, told us it was a young whippoorwill that really didn¢t have the song down yet. Once learned, she said they can go on for up to 45 minutes. The Mayor named her Whippoorwill and she gladly accepted.The climb out of last night¢s shelter was everything it promised when we went in. Eight switchbacks, 400¢ and 15 minutes later we were out and on our way. The guide made it look like a pretty simple hike, 3 miles of ridge line and a 3 mile descent to the next campsite. Well the ridge was beautiful as we hiked pretty much due north along the Jefferson National Forest boundary. Every once and a while we¢d see survey markers which up there are 3 inch pipes driven into the ground with a mushroom type cap on top. To the east was the forest, all trees clear over to the parallel ridge line a couple of miles away and beyond, as yesterday's featured photo showed. To the west were farmlands with the occasional wooded plot here and there.The ridge was basically a series rock faces laid on top of one another at every angle imaginable, but mostly vertical. Often my poles were stashed under my arm as I used my hands to help pull me up and stabilize the climb. This type of hiking takes its toll on the ankles, feet, knees, hips and everything in between because of the angles at which the foot is planted. In addition, it was hot today with no breeze and no shade. We were fortunate that we crossed in the morning when it was only in the 70¢s, other hikers crossed in the mid-afternoon and had even worse temperatures. I can¢t imagine climbing these rocks in mid summer when the temps are consistently 80+ degrees and heat is be dissipating from them as well. The guide book also states this ridge as the Eastern Continental Divide, you can Google that.We finally arrived into camp mid-afternoon, retrieved water, fixed dinner and decided to just settle in for the night. This six miles was pretty tough on us. Throughout the afternoon/evening 14 other hikers and 2 dogs showed up, all young people in the their 20¢s and all doing between 18-30 miles a day. All but 5 moved on.It¢s just after 8, everyone¢s in bed and the sun has gone down as expected. It¢s still quite warm and not much breeze, I hope I don¢t have too much trouble sleeping. No sign of the moon yet but plenty of stars and it appears this gap has a number of singing night birds, including the whippoorwill; they¢re whooping it up from every direction and they¢re adults too, so they¢re getting the song right.
Date: 2019-04-24
From: Niday Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

I had a rough time sleeping last night, it was warm but that¢s probably not the reason. Oh well, there¢s always tonight.I was last out of camp today, the Mayor was gone 10 or 15 minutes before and I didn¢t see him for the next 3+ hours. It was a pretty easy hike out of the campsite this morning, relatively flat and basically a dirt path through a nice section of pine trees. I thought I¢d do the 2 miles in about 40 minutes but it took 55...I just don¢t understand how people are doing 3-3.5 MPH. I know I¢ll get better, my legs are coming along, but come on, this was the easiest terrain I¢ve seen yet.The climb up Brushy Mountain was slow and steady, yet still quite warm. I¢m trying to hydrate some every 15-20 minutes, which means I go through the water pretty fast. On top of the mountain I caught up the Mayor sitting at the Audie Murphy monument talking with Trout Lilley. Ironically, she and I met last summer on Chestnut Knob, further south in VA. She¢s section hiking and currently piecing together VA. Audie Murphy by the way, died in a plane crash near that site.The hike down Brushy Mountain was pretty easy, it was 5 miles of long gradual switchbacks through recently burned and newly green forest.  It's been roughly 9 miles without a water source and I was out by the time I reached the bottom.  fortunately there was a stream and I was able to refill before starting the next 1.5 miles up the next mountain to Pickle Branch Shelter where we set up camp for the night.Once in camp we met a couple of other guys, Paris and Scooch who camped with us.  And around 930 pm two other hikers rolled in showing little concern for lights out, using their outside voices, banging things around at the shelter and using the phone as a flashlight. Trail etiquette says use a red light in camp which all hiking headlamps have and every single hiker I¢ve met uses.  Now fully awake, I'm laying here waiting to fall back asleep.  It appears that one of these guys will be sleeping on the picnic table under the stars and he is snoring quite loudly, adding to my inability of going back to sleep.
Date: 2018-03-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I was working on a home I am updating for resale, and slipped on laminate floor and sprained my ankle quite severely.I went in and had it xrayed and the good news is that it is not broken. However I have been hobbling around for about 3 days and it is stillpainful and hard to mobilize and somewhat swollen. This is concerning with a start date on the AT northbound tentative at end of March.Moral is : If the Lord Will's we will do this or that.
Date: 2018-04-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We were originally going to start in Georgia and hike to Maine beginning in the end of March 2018.But. I severally sprained my ankle working on a flip house we bought to help fund this extravaganza inearly March at it is now just finally coming around to healthy use. Researching the start times and seeing thata lot of flip-flop hikes begin in Harper's Ferry WV about the beginning of May it made sense for us to switch tothat style of Thru hike. We liked the idea of attending the flip-flop festival on 4/28 and 29th, also the first 200-300miles of easier terrain will be welcome with an ankle still recovering to full strength.This week we begin in Earnest to sew, and plan. I feel blessed to be with my Son doing these things, and am excitedto meet with God out there and see what happens. Fears yes of course, but with a supporting wife and home teamhow can we lose. I appreciate the many friends praying and following our adventure it is very encouraging to know we are notalone. Why hike this long and far? I cannot answer that now .Maybe it is appropriate for a house flipper to do a flip/flop hike too?
Date: 2018-04-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

David and I have been at this for the last 4 days. this week we have sewn a bugnet for under tarp, headnets for bugs,Fleece for hats, lightweight taffeta sleeping top quilts. We also sealed seams on sleeping tarp with silicone sealant thinnedwith mineral spirits and added lifter patches for treeless tarp applications.We hope to sew wind pants, wind jackets, and waterproof breathable noon rain coats.We also made a nylon groundsheet and sprayed with poly spar type.We work 5-6 hours then train as well.
Date: 2018-04-29
To: Maine flop to Georgia end from HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Ferry WV
Miles today: 0.0

Harper¢s Ferry greeted us with spring flowers and new friends.We enjoyed an early morning send off atThe AT cons. Headquarters . There are new photo in the library. We hope to seeThese nice people further on down the road. God was good last night as we had to adjust due to a delayed flight. We flew in Reagan airport in Washington DCInstead but lost our rental car and another would cost double. So we had a pleasant Taxi Ride with Sultan a TurkishCabbie. Price same as our first car rental even though 69 miles to Wv.We are fired up and ready to go inAm to begin hiking.Keep us in prayer we need it
Date: 2018-04-30
From: Harper's Ferry

To: Maine flop from Harper's Ferry to end in Georgia
Miles today: 20.0

First day of hiking we took our first step about 7:45, leaving Harper¢s Ferry in beautiful, sunny weather with a high of 67 degrees. Met many nice folks along the way from New York, Louisiana, Vermont, Alaska. Flowers starting to bloom on forest floor, leaves starting to bud out. We accomplished about 20 miles and stayed at a little campground with a shower and drinking water.
Date: 2018-05-01
From: 20 miles north of HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Ferry WV

To: Maine flop from Harper's Ferry to end in Georgia
Miles today: 14.8

Only slept about 2 hours last night.  Exhausted! Ground was rock hard. Son slept fitfully, too. Hoping it will get better and recalling the book Hiking Thru, which described the first 2 weeks being hard to sleep.  Hit the trail at 6:45 a.m., leaving West Virginia, on into Maryland that will stretch about 41 miles.  Put on about 14.8 miles in the scorching sun that was probably pushing 80 degrees.  Leaves are not on the trees yet so really gave us a direct hit from the sun.  Too hot for me.  Hilly, rocky terrain.  TOUGH day!  Glad it¢s over.  Two small blisters for me.  (Wanted to quit.  Tried to get a shuttle to town but no one could come.)  Eager to leave behind the sweat from Maryland & W. Virginia and cross into Pennsylvania tomorrow afternoon.  Projected 83 degrees tomorrow and 86 the day after so we¢ll take a zero that day to stay out of heat -- put feet up and watch a baseball game.  Learned of others planning to rent rooms in Waynesburough, too.  Son is our lead dog.  Let me tell you, when he says, ¢Mush!¢  I hike!  Problem is he has this old dog on his team, who has spent too much time by his bowl.  Met up with Sugarfoot, check out his blog .:-)  You know, they talk about how many steps you take on the AT. Another question I¢d add is, ¢How many beads of sweat are shed?¢  or ¢How many negative thoughts come into your head that you have to rebuke?¢  Just questions you think about as you take each of the 5 million steps.
Date: 2018-05-02
From: Maine flop to Georgia end from HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Ferry WV

To: Waynesboro, PA
Miles today: 14.1

We praise God for a safe arrival through some HOT but sunny weather. 87 in the shade and 100 in the sun.  I was amazed at how much we drank yet the need to go number 1 stopped.  Lesson learned: drink way more than 2-3 liters in hot weather!  Knowing the forecast, we left early at 6 a.m. and ended at 2 pm.  Met up two whitetail deer as we crossed a field from 200 yards and were pleasantly surprised that they stayed there.  We also met another father/son duo, Mud & Strider, on the trail who remind us of ourselves. Then later discovered they were staying at the same hotel!As we came out on a road near the Mason/Dixon Line (Maryland/Pennsylvania), there was a parking lot with a couple cars, people visiting, and two German Shepherds sitting. David walked by and not a bark out of them.  Then I came, and WOW! Or make that "BOW WOW!!!" -- Did they let me have it!I told them I really don¢t have any drugs, which brought out a laugh and smile.  One dog was a 3 year old.  Made me think of our 7 year old Daisy-doo, who starts to lag after a 4 mile walk back home.  No way could she have handled this.The final stretch of the day was climbing a brutal small mountain.  After that David asked, "Now what do we do?"  I explained how I'd read that folks in these parts are accustomed to seeing hikers and helping them.  So I went up on the road and stuck out my thumb.  ZOOM, Zoom, zoom...... etc.  I was ready to lay down on the side of the road and play dead as could not imagine standing there for possibly an hour in this heat!  David decided it was time to get a shuttle so we called the hotel who put us in touch with their driver, Roger.  My phone had only 1 bar plus couldn't hear Roger as he said he was outside with the chickens and would call us back.  All we could do was wait and hope.  He called shortly and his wife drove up in a gray Hyundai about 10 min. later.  She only charged us $7 for the 7 mi. ride.  We gave her $10... how could she make anything?Ate at Waynesburgers Restaurant - cool 50's type diner with plenty of vegan options as well.  Satisfying Mediterranean meals for us both but ordered David a chocolate malt.  We will resupply now, clean up, while hopefully it will cool down some.
Date: 2018-05-03
From: Appalachian Trail

To: Waynesboro, PA
Miles today: 0.0

David and I enjoyed a good rest day and as did some of the fellow flip-flop hikers with whom we visited during breakfast today at the motel, including Mud & Stryder and Atticus, who greeted us kindly.  We hadn't seen each other since the kickoff. We exchanged our first battle stories with Steady, a pleasant gal named by Mud, who stated she is "steady".  We talked of blisters and other foot ailments and gear and methods.  Stryker has an ingrown toe nail. The athletic tape on the hot spots on David's heel is working but has a bright sunburn on his legs.  I thank the Lord for these hikers who are sources of real encouragement!We hiked 2.5 miles (that seemed like nothing) to the big grocery store that reminded me of a HyVee with its gigantic salad bar that we found very enjoyable.  We picked up supplies and re-packed, getting rid of some of the bags of food we'd packed from home that we realize now we don't need.  Packs are definitely lighter!  David needs to eat more so he'll carry more.  He is learning the need to not just take a sip of water but really drink more along the way.We'll start again first thing tomorrow about 6:00 a.m., by taking a shuttle to the AT.  Going on 16 then north to our next resupply at Boiling Springs, PA, which is about 54.5 miles. Goal is Boiling Springs, PA, by Sunday night.  Rain in forecast then. Excited!  Rested now and energy restored so can¢t wait to see more of this trail and spend time with my son while also getting to know new trail mates. Also want to thank my wife, Lee, for her encouragement.  Also Bob & Nancy, Tim, and many other supportive people -- you've been great!  Your prayers have gotten us through the tough stuff at the outset!  I am all the more aware of how we so cannot do this without the good Lord's helping hands.