morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-24
From: Harpers Ferry WV

To: TeaHorse Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I woke up about 6:00 and enjoyed a hot shower and breakfast at the hotel. I caught the city bus to a nearby WalMart to do some shopping. I got the the supplies I needed as well as a personal size watermelon and a subway sandwich for lunch and caught the bus back to Harpers Ferry. I checked out of the hotel and hiked along with all my stuff up to the TeaHorse Hostel, where I was to meet Iris and Janet. I repackaged extra stuff to send home and walked to post office to mail it. Iris and Janet called to say they were in town and we met at the ATC and had pictures taken there. We all did our laundry at the hostel then met Steve and Erik for a steak dinner. BHiker was also staying at the hostel and went to dinner with us. After delicious dinners, we all enjoyed the showers and real beds.
Date: 2016-05-25
From: Harpers Ferry WV

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

After waffles and orange juice for breakfast at the hostel, we walked through Harpers Ferry, by Jefferson Rock, across the Potomac River, and along the C & O Canal Towpath. We stopped for an early lunch at a parking area and met a Maryland Ridge Runner "Miss America". She kindly took our trash and saved us from carrying those few ounces with us down the trail. We stopped again at Gathland State Park, the home of the War Correspondents Memorial,  for a second lunch with several other hikers. After another five miles, we were at the Rocky Run Shelter for the night.
Date: 2016-05-26
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

We got to see the Washington Monument State Park today. We had planned to stop at the Pogo Memorial campsite but we were not impressed at all with it, so we kept hiking another 5 miles to Ensign Cowell Shelter. Evidently everyone in the area made the same decision, because the place was packed. The shelter was full, and almost  every level tent spot was taken. It looked like it might rain any moment, so we picked the best available spots that were left and set our tents up quickly, then made dinner and talked a long time, because it never did rain. This was our last night on the trail, and as hard as it is sometimes, I always hate for it to end.
Date: 2016-05-27
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Pen Mar County Park
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

Iris and Janet and I left before Steve and Erik but we leap frogged with them during the day.  We had a nice stop at Raven Rock Cliff with great views. We all ended up being at Pen Mar Park about the same time in the afternoon. Janet met her caving friends there and left with them. Iris took Steve and Erik to a local WalMart and then left to join the cavers.  Natalie met me there. I cleaned up as well as I could in the park restroom, changed into my relatively clean sleep clothes, and got in the car with her. We located a Longhorn along the way and called in an order. I shared my steak dinner with her as she drove us through the Memorial Day traffic back to her home in Maryland.
Date: 2016-08-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I am getting ready for my next hike. I need to finish the Smokies since I quit halfway in October 2014 when I was not prepared for the temperatures to be below freezing. I don't think I'll have to worry about that in August! There is a chance of rain all four days of the hike though.   My shelter reservations are made, my backpack is packed, my clothes are laid out, my daypack for the first day is packed, my clean up bag for after the hike is packed; I think I'm ready.    Carolyn and Linda will meet at my house at 7:00am tomorrow. Carolyn and Linda will drive in Carolyn's car and John and I will drive our car to Fontana Dam. We will leave Carolyn's car there where we will end our hike. We all will leave a bag in the car with clean clothes and toiletries so that we can use the showers there when we finish hiking before we drive home.            Then John will drive us all to Newfound Gap where Linda and I quit hiking last time. We will hike from there 7.7 miles to Clngman's Dome with day packs and meet John there. Then we'll get our backpacks and continue on.   I guess I will watch some Olympic coverage tonight and then get a good night's sleep.
Date: 2016-08-11
From: Clingman's Dome

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 3.1
Weather: broken clouds

We had some major GPS issues getting to Fontana Dam and were a couple hours late getting to Newfound Gap. We didn't get there to start hiking until almost 3:00. We knew it was going to be tough to make the planned shelter before dark. We turned back and called John to meet us back at Newfound Gap so he could drive us to Clingman's Dome and let us start hiking there instead. That way, we would only have 3.1 miles, instead of 10.8 miles, to hike to the shelter. During that time, Linda decided that she was not going to be able to keep up with us and she decided to drive back home with John. Carolyn and I quickly rearranged our day packs and backpacks. It was almost 4:00 before we set off down the trail. It was more downhill than uphill hiking and we covered the three miles to Double Spring Gap Shelter in good time. We had a leisurely dinner and raspberry dessert. I showed Carolyn how to set up her sleeping area. We shared my stove for dinner and hung our bear bag. There was a nice spring very close to the shelter and the privy was one of the nicer ones I have seen. There were already three young guys at the shelter when we arrived. They were two brothers and a friend, all from Key West. It was windy and rained some in the night, There was some sort of fruit tree next to the shelter that dropped fruit on the roof periodically during the night, but we managed to get a good night's sleep.
Date: 2016-08-12
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: broken clouds

We slept until 7:00 am. After breakfast, I helped Carolyn rearrange her gear in her backpack. We were hiking by 8:30. We stopped at Silers Bald Shelter for a short break and got to Derrick Knob Shelter by 1:00. There was not much elevation change, just short ups and downs. There were no good views or interesting landmarks either, but it was good to be back on the AT. While having lunch there, we contemplated pushing on to the next shelter, Spence Field. Then a northbound guy arrived and told us about a bear encounter he had had there the previous night. He said he had been at the shelter alone and a bear had wandered in. It wasn't aggressive, but it wasn't intimidated by his presence at all. He said he shot a few stones with his slingshot at the bear's feet and it left the shelter, but circled around and came back in again. He said at that point he shot a stone right at the bears forehead and it ran off. We decided to stay where we were, even though it was early. Carolyn took a nap and I talked to this young man for awhile. We figured that being younger, he would have plenty of energy and he would move on . It began to rain though and he announced that he was going to stay at the shelter with us. Something about him was making us uneasy, so we were really glad to see another couple of northbounders stroll in. They let us know that there were two more coming behind them too. We were glad not to be the only ones with this guy. I think this is the only person I have encountered in my hiking so far that has given me bad vibes and I was glad we would not be the only ones in the shelter with him for the night. Around dinner time, a couple we had spoken to briefly at Newfound Gap also joined us at the shelter.
Date: 2016-08-13
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up and left earlier today than yesterday. We climbed Thunderhead Mountain and Rocky Top and had some great views and some powerful winds. A Dad and two teens clad in Tennessee gear were there on Rocky Top and took some pictures of us. They said they were there in honor of Pat Summitt, Tennessee's basketball coach who passed away earlier this year due to complications of Alzheimers. I told them I had lived in CT for years and was a UConn and Geno Auriemma fan, but even so I had to admire someone like Pat Summitt.We stopped at the turnoff to Spence Field Shelter for lunch. Mothership and her friend caught up with us there. They continued down the cutoff to the shelter for their lunch break, and we continued on toward Mollies Ridge where we planned to stay for the night.There was no one at Mollies Ridge when we arrived, but there was an inflated air mattress in the shelter. Carolyn is now its proud owner. Mothership and her friend arrived shortly after us. Later a group of four northbounders joined us, two fathers with their teens. The fathers said they were boyhood friends who had been spending time in the woods together for 40+ years. As we were all finishing dinner, a young woman joined us. She had been thru-hiking southbound last year and had an injury which stopped her. She was out here this year to finish her thru-hike. She only has about two weeks to go to get to Springer Mountain.
Date: 2016-08-14
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Visitor Center
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

We were up early and on the trail by 8:00. I always have mixed feelings on the last day of a hike. Part of me wants to hike slowly so it won't end, and part of me is ready for it to be over so I can be clean again. The closer I get to the end, the more I switch to the "want it to be over" side. There was a lot more uphill than the trail guide looked like, but the downhills were longer and we descended about 3000 feet. There were no water sources, views or interesting landmarks today. When we finally left the woods, we still had a mile road walk to the Visitor Center. It was extremely hot crossing the dam in the blazing sun, especially after being under tree cover in the woods for three days. We filled our water bottles in the bathrooms and enjoyed unlimited water that didn't have to be treated. After showering and dressing in clean clothes, we were in the car speeding along the curvy, mountain roads. After a late lunch at Dillard House where we had more than enough to eat, we were ready to head back to civilization.
Date: 2016-10-13
From: Clingmans Dome

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today is "Get the Smokies done, for crying out loud!" day. I originally had planned to hike the entire Smokies in October of 2014. Because of the freezing temperatures, I quit at Newfound Gap. I planned to do from Newfound Gap into the Fontana Visitors Center earlier this summer with Carolyn and Linda.  Because our GPS gave us problems on the way there, we did not begin as early in the day as we had planned and we ended up starting at Clingmans Dome instead and hiking to Fontana.  Today I made a special trip to hike the remaining 7.7 miles between Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap, which completes my trek through the Smokies, once and for all. I left home early and drove to Clingmans Dome, parked my car and began hiking north. It was a gorgeous fall day. I hiked alone for 4 hours to Newfound Gap. No big views, a very uneventful day. The parking lot at Newfound Gap was full and there were tourists everywhere,  but I didn't find anyone leaving there to drive up to Clingmans Dome. I started walking along the road. I have never hitchhiked before, but I figured this road only lead to one place and I would be safe. I stuck out my thumb. After a few cars passed me, a van of Middle Easterners stopped and picked me up. I tried to explain what I was doing out there on the road.  They spoke limited English, but they picked me up. After a ten minute ride of odd silence, we arrived at the parking lot for Clingmans Dome. I thanked them profusely, got out of the van, took a few pictures of myself at the scenic view, got in my car, and drove back home, the Smokies finally completed.
Date: 2017-04-14
To: Riverfront Campground in Duncannon PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We planned this hike last fall and I have been looking forward to completing another section of the AT. For some reason, I have had a hard time getting ready mentally and gathering my food and gear this time. I felt like I had ADD. I just haven't been able to get things done. I got a warmer sleeping bag and some warmer hiking clothes since we will be in PA in April. I just didn't have my usual enthusiasm for the hike, partly because I was expecting my next grandchild's birth. She was due April 30, and I was selfishly hoping she was a little late so I could finish my hike before she came. I got up at 5:00am to load the truck and leave home. After navigating through Atlanta, I went through a Chick-fil-A drive-thru for breakfast and a large sweet tea. I met Iris in Waynesville right at 9:00 and we continued north to Duncannon PA. The long drive gave us time to catch up and talk about our plans for this hike.  We snacked all day as we drove and 8 hours later, we were checking in at the Riverfront Campground in Duncannon. There was a small special area reserved for hikers, right next to the bathhouse and a water spigot, for only $5 a night per person. We set up our tents and talked with thru-hiker Early Riser who was also staying there for the night. He told us about his youtube videos and we signed up to follow him. What a surprise to learn his mom and sister live in Snellville and Lilburn near me and that they all like to come to the Steak and Shake about 5 minutes from my home. After a dinner at the Ranch House Diner, we were in bed by 9:00.
Date: 2017-04-15
From: Pen Mar County Park

To: Tumbling Run Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

True to his name, Early Riser was up and gone by about 5:30. We had made plans with John from the campground to shuttle us to Pen Mar Park at the MD/PA state line in the morning. We left about 9:30 and listened to an oldies station in his van as we drove, reliving the high school memories that the music brought to mind.    By the time we arrived at the park, I was carsick from the windy roads and did not feel like hiking. We chatted with "Gibson", a thru-hiking guitar enthusiast who was waiting for a ride to the post office to get his monthly check so he could continue hiking. This was our third time at the park and the bathrooms were locked again. Only once have they been open when we have been there. What a pain that must be for local parents at the park with their kids!We finally started down the trail about noon, stopped to take pictures at the Mason Dixon line, and had to find a suitable place for our bathroom break. I was still feeling queasy and dizzy and had a hard time hiking. After stopping for lunch at a footbridge by a nice stream at PA 16, I began to feel better and was able to pick up my pace a bit. Since it was a weekend, there were many day hikers out on the trail, several with their dogs. We talked extensively with a woman from Dover, DE who was out scouting the area for the next excursion that she would be planning for the servicemen at the base. We passed two nice shelters and several streams, crossed several roads, and stopped at Old Forge Picnic Area for water from a spigot. Another mile later, we were at Tumbling Run Shelters. There were two separate shelters here, one marked "snoring" and one marked "non-snoring." There were two younger couples here already eating under the pavilion, but they had tents set up so we did not have any company in the shelters.  This area had a really nice privy that even had hand sanitizer and 4 filled toilet paper holders. There was a nice graveled walkway leading down to the beautiful stream.  What luxury! It is always great to have water near the shelter, both for drinking and cooking, but also to listen to as I am falling asleep!Many thanks to the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club for the many freshly painted white blazes along the trail and the nicely maintained shelters and privies on this leg of our hike!
Date: 2017-04-16
From: Tumbling Tun Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: few clouds

We were up and on the trail before 8:00 Easter morning. It took me some time to get back in my trail routine. We had a tough 1.3 climb up to Chimney Rocks and stopped there for breakfast with a hard-earned view. We got passed on the way by two young French Canadians men; they were the only thru-hikers we saw all day. We spoke for a few minutes and found out they lived not too far from my niece and her husband in Aylmer.Today was short ups and short downs all day. Somehow, we missed the water that was supposed to be just after Rocky Mountain Shelter. Thankfully, a day hiker we met as he was just finishing his hike gave me a liter of his water. It was nice walking through Caledonia State Park. So many people were out with their families. We got water from the fountains, got rid of our trash at the dumpster, used the restrooms, and washed our faces, arms, and hands. What treats! We had a flat mile or so walking on a paved path beside the river through the park and then a long uphill mile to Quarry Gap Shelter.What a treat to come out of a rhododendron tunnel and into Quarry Gap Shelter! It was a idyllic retreat from the hardships of the trail.  A welcoming gate, blooming daffodils, a babbling stream,  hanging flower pots, colorful Amish hex signs, and a wooden swing are a few of the adornments at this shelter. The spring right in front of the shelter is a great water source. The privy was one of the cleanest I've seen on the trail. As we sat marveling at all the little touches the caretaker had added to make this such a pleasant place, an older couple joined us. They were personal friends of the caretaker and were just hiking up from Caledonia and back for the day. Later another couple, Rawhide and Bubble Toes, joined us at the shelter. They had met while thru hiking some years ago and gotten married a couple years later. He worked at an REI. They were out for an overnight to try out their new tent. The weather helped them really test it by pouring on us all night.Iris and I chose one of the two  6-person shelters and were the only two people in either of them. As we started settling in for the night, we found that the side of the shelter she had chosen had very squeaky floorboards. She tried scooting around but it was still squeaky. In the night when she got up for a bathroom run, she just moved to the other shelter by herself where squeaky boards would not be an issue for the rest of the night.
Date: 2017-04-17
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Toms Run Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke early to the sound of rain and had a hard time crawling out of our warm sleeping bags. My bladder finally made me get up. My weather app showed that the showers should be clearing up by about 11:00. Rawhide and Bubble Toes were happy with the performance of their new tent in the rain. They packed up and left before we did. We had breakfast at the shelter and took our time packing up and donning our rain gear. As we were packing, a guy with earbuds jogged past the shelter; later in the day he would pass us heading back the way we all had come in the morning. We finally started hiking about 9:30. We made good time to the PATC Milesburn Cabin and had our lunch on the front porch there, used the privy, and filled up with water at the stream there.We got to Birch Run Shelter and had a second lunch there. We passed two different AT midpoints today. Since the trail is often rerouted slightly, the midpoint varies from year to year. We took pictures at both midpoints. There was a nice stream about a half mile before Toms Run Shelter where we intended to stay for the night. We stopped at the stream and got water and soaked our feet for as long as the cold water allowed. It was refreshing!There was only one another hiker at the shelter with us tonight. He is a SOBO and is tenting so we have the shelter to ourselves again. We have decided that we do not want to tent at the campground when we return to Duncannon so we started trying to call local hotels for that night. Unfortunately there was a car show in nearby Carlisle and all the hotels were full. We finally got a room when we called Gelinas Manor, a bed and breakfast in Boiling Springs. At first we were told she was closed, but I guess I sounded so desperate that she told us she would take us if we had cash and we agreed. My air mattress deflated in the night. I hope that is because I didn't cap it correctly and not because there is a leak.
Date: 2017-04-18
From: Toms Run Shekter

To: Little Dogwood Run Campsite
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: overcast clouds

It was much cooler last night and I was thankful for my new down mummy bag. My heart was warmed in the morning when I read texts that my grandbaby was born just after midnight two weeks early. Mom and baby are doing well and are both beautiful! I can't wait to visit them.Because it was cool and windy, we didn't eat breakfast at the shelter. We bundled up and were hiking by about 8:00. We reached Pine Grove Furnace State Park after 3.7 miles in less than 2 hours. Most thru-hikers indulge in the half-gallon ice cream challenge at the General Store here to celebrate passing the mid-point of the AT. The store wasn't open for the season yet, so we just charged our phones on the outside outlets and ate our breakfast in the sun on the patio. The nearby AT Museum was not officially open either but work was being done to get it ready for the season so we were able to get inside and enjoy its exhibits and use its restroom.I got to talk to a young couple with three young children who were staying at a cabin in the park. The husband mentioned that he would one day thru hike with his son (who was in the baby carrier at the time). Seeing him holding his little baby made me homesick for my new grandbaby.It was a treat to walk through the park under shady trees on crushed gravel walkways beside a river. The weather was gorgeous and there were numerous water sources and road crossings again today. Later there was an endless uphill over stones and countless switchbacks to get us up to the Rock Maze. What an incredible experience navigating through the Rock Maze. I felt proud that I did not have to resort to taking off my pack or sliding on the seat of pants at all to maneuver through this area. This section is a great day hike for those lucky enough to live nearby.After the Rock Maze we still had several miles to go before our intended shelter. We came upon a couple of guys at a campsite and I was ready to stop, but there was no water so we hiked on. We finally reached a campsite by a lovely stream about dusk. There were already three others camping there but there was plenty of room for us to join them. They mentioned twice that we were only .1 from the nearby shelter, but we were too tired to continue.I rinsed off in the stream, got my water, set up my tent, and hung my bear bag. I didn't even eat dinner; I just went to bed. As I drifted off to sleep, I could hear Iris talking to the others as she prepared her dinner.My sleeping pad was flat again in the morning. :(