morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-09-14
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-To

To: Hurd Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 19.6

Tenting was good. I made the rookie mistake of setting up my tent on the path between the shelter and the water source. So just about everyone came clomping by at some point this morning.The first stop was Nesabunt Mountain, where I got great cell service and was able to handle a little business from home, and reconfirm all travel plans were still a go. I stopped for a break and then again at Rainbow Stream Lean-To for water. I hiked a little bit with Stormtrooper who is from Washington D.C. His pace was too quick for me and he lost me eventually.The views of Katahdin today were great. I had to stop and take a photo both at Nesabunt Mountain and the Rainbow Ledges. It rained a little bit, but the forecast had everyone in panic mode with threats of thunderstorms. It turned out to be brief light rain showers that the trees mostly absorbed with their leaves and needles.I made it to Hurd Brook Lean-To. I'm here with The Count, Dodger, and Little Joe. I set up my tent and cooked dinner by headlamp. I have one Hershey Bar left for breakfast tomorrow. Thankfully, the store is only 3.5 miles from here. I'm nearly out of the wilderness! 19.6 miles were hiked: 2150.9 (Wadleigh Stream Lean-To) to 2170.5 (Hurd Brook Lean-To).
Date: 2016-09-15
From: Hurd Brook Lean-To

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I got an uncharacteristically early start this morning, packing up and even typing up a couple journal entries before the sun was up. I filtered water from the creek as the rising sun turned everything to a grayish hue and then restored the colors.I was energized by some significant "lasts" this morning. Last time in a tent this trip, last time filtering water, etc... 3.5 miles into the day I reached the Abol Bridge Campground Store. Selection wasn't as vast as I had dreamed, but it had Mountain Dew and various shelf pastries. I had eaten my last food (A Hershey Bar) for breakfast, and it was great to make it out of the 100 mile wilderness.I loaded up on candy bars to keep me going today and tomorrow, and after a good breakfast with The Count, Tink, Wolfpine, Gung-Ho, Thin Mint, Pyro, Gigglefritz, and Badger, I headed out. I hiked a bit with a hiker named Tandy. The trail was about as flat and smooth as it gets. I reached Katahdin Stream Campground and saw several hikers with a tell-tale Katahdin glow on their face.I registered to complete my thru-hike tomorrow, hitched a ride to Millinocket with Hamster Ball and Tick Tock, and am currently enjoying the luxury of the Katahdin Inn.Subway provided my first real meal in a week. Karie flew in and made it here successfully. 13.4 miles were hiked: 2170.5 (Hurd Brook Lean-To) to 2183.9 (Katahdin Stream Campground).
Date: 2016-09-16
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin, Baxter Peak
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: few clouds

It was an early wake-up call at 4:00am for Karie and me. We organized our packs and sorted out food and were on our way by 5:30. We reached Baxter State Park as they opened the gates at 6:00am.We purchased a daily parking pass and had no trouble finding a spot. I signed the trail registers and we officially hit the trail at 7:07am. The trail started out at a very gradual incline but got steeper and more difficult the further we went. The obstacles were as challenging as anything in the White Mountains.We made it above treeline with absolutely beautiful views, and then encountered a rebar obstacle that required some more advanced climbing skills to get past.I continued on and worked very hard getting up the rocks to The Tableland. As it flattened out I was so charged with adrenaline I was half fast walking, half leaping from rock to rock. Another 600 feet of climbing and I did it! I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain to Katahdin!I got The Count to take my photo, I ate some food, and I took in the beautiful views before heading down. I ate again with Karie and we made it down the mountain.At the end of a long day I found my parents at the base of the mountain. We all went to Saw Mill Bar and Grill to celebrate. It was the perfect way to end a long journey. 5.2 miles were hiked: 2183.9 (Katahdin Stream Campground) to 2189.1 (Katahdin, Baxter Peak).
Date: 2016-06-22
From: Burnsville, Minnesota

To: Country Inn, Georgetown Kentucky
Miles today: 0.0

Today me and my dad left our house in Burnsville MN, at around two AM. We spent around 13 hours on the road, switching off driving. We stopped at an Illinois and Indiana to take pictures. The thing about me and my dad is that when we are in the same car we get deep into conversation. This factor made the drive seem hotel, and made it more enjoyable. After getting to the hotel we ate dinner, hung out and started going through our packs again, preparing for Friday when we start the trail.
Date: 2016-06-23
From: Damascus Virginia

To: The Hikers Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today, we woke up around 6:30 and enjoyed a nice hot breakfast at the Country Inn and Suites in Georgetown Virginia. We left the hotel aroun 7:30 and headed to the TRI-Cities airport in Kingsport I believe. Once we got there, which was around 12 we grabbed a bite and waited for our shuttle. Our shuttle was just a car, just us and a older man named Matt. Matt was super nice and somewhat the highlight of my day. He took us the back way to Damascus through the mountains. It was so beautiful I couldn't take my our of the window. The dips, the trees and the creeks. We actually went by a part of the trail which was pretty cool. We got to Damascus around 2 ish and walked around a little. We grabbed our packs and checked in at the Hikers Inn. The Hikers Inn is somewhat like a house, that was just turned into an Inn. The guy who ran it was named Paul, we was absent most of the time but when he was there we was very friendly. We sat outside for a while and we got to meet this couple Buzz and Ingrid. They were very friendly and we spoke for about an hour and then another hour or so after dinner. Buzz thru hiked last year, and his wife Ingrid joined in for a day or two, a couple times. Meeting them made our stay a lot more delightful. After a nice, last shower, me and my dad were off to bed. We had to get to bed, because we start the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2016-06-24
From: The Hikers Inn

To: Camp
Miles today: 13.0

This morning we started our day out by eating breakfast at Mojos in Damascus. That was really good. I highly recommend it. When we started on the trail it seemed quite calm at first but we very quickly ran into uphill. Lots and lots of uphill. I have to admit, I wasn't ready and I was going slow. The whole hike was pretty hard personally, mostly because I'm not as in shape as I should be. We stopped for a break around 6 miles at this really pretty creek and that was a nice sight. About 4 miles later we stopped at Saunders mountain shelter and ate lunch. That was nice, we laid back on the shelter and just kind of stood at the ceiling because why not. It was also interesting to see what people wrote on the walls, and in the log book. After that, we hiked about 3 ish miles to our last stop for the night. We first just sat down and rested because we aren't really used to this yet. We have been camping so so much, but the hiking treacherous mountains with a 28 pound pack.... Not so much. We were hoping to get to lost mountain shelter but I told my dad that I wanted to stop for the night. Both my legs and my feet hurt. Although I do have to say, despite the tiredness and pain I would do it again just for the beautiful views. Hoping for a better day tomorrow as we plan to hike 16 miles.
Date: 2016-06-25
From: Camp

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started out pretty rough, for some odd reason my motivation went away. I didn't wanna hike and I hated it. Around 11 ish I got that motivation back which was really nice. In the morning, both me and my dad didn't think we would make it to the shelter because I was tired and hurting. We had hike about 5 use miles at this point. We then got to this huge (what felt like never ending) uphill. No breaks, just hill. Now that was hard, we took it slowly with small, quick stops. We took a longer break after a good mile of that. Two more miles to go. We hiked and hiked and finally we got to a less treacherous area. That was nice, and by that time we were pretty close, about a quarter mile later, we could see it. White top. A massive rock at the top of this mountain/hill over looking beautiful landscape. Once we could see it though, the climb got steeper than it had been yet, but this time it was shorter. The view was amazing and about 7/10 of a mile later was a nice spring. We sat at the campsite for the spring and ate lunch. I even fell asleep for a good 5 ish minutes. We then made our way to the shelter, which was six more miles. This part was probably the easiest, it was almost all downhill or flat. We then got to a parking lot for Elk Garden, I believe it was called. That was after two miles. There was a bathroom there. Kind of like a privy but not as smelly and a lot cleaner. We both stopped there and took a little break there. We then started our four mile ascent to the shelter. This wasn't as bad as I presumed but I was already sore and tired so that didn't help. But after what felt like forever we made it, around 6. We got there pretty late but that's okay. We got camp set up, ate, washed up and now I'm off to bed. It was a rough, but also good day. Tomorrow we get to see the horses.
Date: 2016-06-26
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Hurricane Shelter
Miles today: 16.0

Today started out pretty good. We entered Gracen Highlands state park pretty quickly. Which meant that we got to see the ponies fairly quickly too. We hiked up and over this ridge, it was up and down with lots of rocks. We had a good amount of fog so that made it cool, but because of it we couldn't see the view. At one point we finally got to see some ponies which was actually too far in. They were super sweet and we fed them apples, but one of the fillys kicked my dad. It got on its front legs and started kicking and whining, it kicked me too. Thankfully we got out of the way fast so it didn't hurt so bad. The beginning of today was nice, out in the open, cool, got to see horses. But once we got back in warm weather and in hilly area it wasn't quite so fun anymore. We went up and down a couple hills and stopped at Wise Shelter which was nice. We took a break and we got to meet to nice ladies. Alison and Kate. They were super nice and we had good conversation. We then proceeded to got up then back down to a Coral. We were gonna stopped for lunch on stone mountain but started descending it before we realized we passed out stop. So we ate lunch at the coral. We met two nice folks there who were on the horse trail. We then proceeded to get to Old Orchard shelter which we also took a break there. Not long after we got there Kate and Alison got there, that was nice because we got to know them. After leaving Old Orchard it was pretty much downhill to the fox creek parking lot. Then we started our 1.5 mile of huge uphill. That was not very fun. Both our feet hurt and such, but after a while we finally got to the shelter. YIPPE! Haha. Once we ate dinner, I threw up a whole bunch, so piece of advice don't over work yourself the first couple days like we did.
Date: 2016-06-27
From: Hurricane Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Today started and ended at a good pace. It was some down, some up and some flat. It was a nice easier hike. It was cool cause we got to nine miles around 2:30 (we started at 9:30) which was pretty slow but we had a long lunch too. For some odd reason going into town and sleeping in a hotel sounds amazing right now. Probably because I'm sleeping in a tent every night and eating food from a bag. Although the food is pretty good. Anyways, we go into town in two days and I'm kinda hoping we can stay somewhere. I'm not sure my dad would want us to though. We will be able to get laundry and showers, and a breakfast which would be super nice. Either way going into town will be nice. We stayed in a shelter tonight and it's kinda loud cause it's raining and the roof for the shelter is metal. But it's a nice shelter and we don't have to set up or take down a tent which is nice. Not much to say about today, it was pretty calm.
Date: 2016-06-28
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

This morning started okay, I woke up to a mouse chewing something under the floor boards. It wouldn't go near me but I still couldn't sleep until the noise went away. Once it did I got a couple more hours. We were a little slow getting up today. Mostly because we have both been mentally and physically exhausted for the past couples days. The hike started out with a good amount of down and flat, then about two miles in started to go up, up, and up. It wasn't that horrible though. We just weren't expecting it. For lunch we stopped on the side of this gravel road close to the top of a ridge. Our lunch was quite a bit longer than normal because we had service for the first time in days. That was a nice break, and we got to catch up with our social life. We then proceeded to hike 4 miles which actually went by pretty quickly. There was a good amount of uphill, but we were farther along then we thought we were which made getting to the shelter a surprise. We thought we still had a good mile and a half to go and boom, we hit the shelter. That was a good thing that happened. When we got in, we met Snail and his dog Izzy and got to talking to him. We then went to Mount Rogers Visitor Center, which was right around the corner. They had pop and candy bars so that was a really nice treat. When we came back Evenflow was there and that was cool since we met him yesterday. The four of us made good conversation and even ordered a pizza. Again, another nice treat for the day, plus partnership has showers. Our night was very delightful. It was dryer than most nights and we got to have a campfire which was pretty cool. I'm hoping tomorrow is as good.
Date: 2016-06-29
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Relax Inn
Miles today: 11.0

Today was a really nice, relaxing day. We woke up a little earlier, packed things up with Snail and Evenflow and went on our way. The trail started with some ups and we realized we didn't have much energy so after about and hour we cooked up some food. I had spaghetti and Sherpa had breakfast skillet. We then went on our way with three hills left. The first one was about .5 miles from our brunch and that one wasn't too bad. It wasn't very long but it was steep. The next one was a bit bigger, but again not very long just more steep. Our last hill was the biggest of all where we climbed up to this ridge. We were expecting that one to be the hardest but it wasn't. It was a lot longer, but it went up more gradually, and had some flat spots. We then proceeded to go down a good amount and then it got really flat. This made the last 6 miles very pleasant and I got to see a kitty once we got into farmland (: It ran off though so I couldn't pet it haha but that's okay. We then finally got into town and arrived at the inn around 2:30. It was a little later then we expected but that's okay. We laid in bed and watched tv and it was such a treat. We also got to have a hot shower, laundry, and eat dinner at a restaurant! It was such a wonderful night. Good day.
Date: 2016-06-30
From: Relax Inn

To: Off trail Campsite
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Not much to write about today, got to sleep in an actual bed, and had some wifi too! I got to eat lucky charms for breakfast and that was awesome. We packed out packs, which are way heavier because we resupplied, and checked out at 11. We then went up to the Barn restaurant and sat outside waiting for Snail and Evenflow. Snail had his car there and offered us a ride back to the trail. We then camped right where we got dropped off. We had a nice fire, ate some poptarts and went to bed.
Date: 2016-07-01
From: Off trail Campsite

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we slept in and didn't get out until 9. I was okay with that though, it was hard to get out of bed because I didn't sleep that great last night. Was up coughing, I think being out her gave me a little bug. Anyways, we started out with a heck of a climb. I guess it wasn't horrible but we weren't really expecting it. Once we got to what we would call the top... It was a fairly easy hike. We then proceeded to go down to this parking lot which was about 7 miles in. That downhill hurt my right knee a lot. Which was a bit surprising but at the same time I guess I saw that coming. I started to take that trek a little slower. After the parking lot we stopped for a break. Got some water and had some start burst. I even had some shut eye for like 4 minutes. That was pretty nice haha. After that there was a good mike of uphill, which I have to say was a bit difficult considering we took a 0 day yesterday. Once we got to the top of that it was mostly flat with small ups and downs. The last stretch to the shelter was all down, so by the time we got there my knee was really sore. I spent most of the rest of the night with a brace on it. After we got there we just sat for a good while. We had met Cha Cha and Ducky earlier and they stopped at the shelter. We got to talk to them and a few other people. I ate Nutella and crackers for a snack and that was quite a treat. Then for dinner I had spaghetti and Sherpa had chili mac. We sat for a while and talked to two older men who were at the shelter. I cannot remember there names. One told us all about his shop as a fisherman, which e did for one season a long time ago. This was very interesting and we talked about it for a good half hour. Finally after washing up, brushing hair and teeth I went to bed. Even though it's only quarter after nine. We are hiking to Dismal Falls tomorrow and I hear they are very pretty.
Date: 2016-07-02
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Dismal Falls
Miles today: 8.0

Today was a great day, we woke up a little later (7 a.m.) and ate breakfast and had coffee. Well, Sherpa had coffee, I didn't. We took a long time to get ready but that's because we were talking to Plugger and Grayghost. Plugger had some great stories to tell about work and his life and such. Taking a long time for breakfast was okay since we only had 8 miles to go today. It was a fairly easy hike with only one big uphill. We only took one longish break, and it was like 5 minutes long. The scenery today was absolutely beautiful and we both got some good pictures. We got to Trents grocery which is a bit off trail, around noon which was perfect because they had a tiny little restaurant we could eat lunch at. It wasn't really a restaurant, more just a couple tables and they give you some food on a paper plate. But it was cheap, and it was good homemade food. We thought we were gonna resupply some stuff there, but they didn't exactly have what we needed. After lunch we then proceeded up this gravel road to dismal falls, this trek was up, but still pretty easy. When we got to dismal falls it was really packed. Being a Saturday on 4th of July weekend, it was full of people. We made our towards the more woodsy parts where there were less people. We sat around the falls for a bit then went and set up camp, and got water. When I was getting water, I fell in the river, so I thought that it was getting close to time for a swim. I went and got Sherpa and we went into the freezing cold river. It was kind of like a pool because it was at the bottom of the falls. It was as warm as a pool though, this water was cold. And I mean COLD. Sherpa went in right away but it took me a while before I told him to just pull me in. I then went up to the first level of falls, and just sat there. I let it rain on me and I put my head under it too, to kinda get a shower on my hair. That was still cold but a lot nicer. That was after Sherpa went back to camp. Then I went back to camp, changed, and started dinner. Actually Sherpa started the water. We made cocoa, coffee, teriyaki chicken, and Alfredo pasta. We cleaned up and then sat by a fire until around 8. Then we went back by the falls, took some pictures and sat on a rock ledge. It was very peaceful, we then met two hikers, Anna, and Bean. Anna is only here for the weekend but Bean is doing almost half the trail. I thought that was pretty cool. We then went back to camp and went straight to sleep
Date: 2016-07-03
From: Dismal Falls

To: woods hole hostel 
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Today started out kind of rough for me personally. I didn't really wanna get out of bed and hike. It was all wet and rainy but I kept thinking about the hostel. I finally was able to get out of my sleeping bag and roll it up. I rolled up my pillow and my mattress and got out of the tent. Of course, Sherpa was already up getting things together. I emptied my pack and re packed it neatly and put in the things that I had with me in the night. This is our usually morning routine. He's up before me because I have trouble getting up. We pack our packs, eat a bar, and off we go. I usually am ready before him because he has to take down the tent and I don't. We then set off, it started out with a bunch of cobwebs in my face so I eventually asked Sherpa if he could lead. I said "can you take the cobwebs for a little while". We are kinda used to it because it is like that every morning. I usually lead and go a little faster but then start to wear myself out. This particular morning I didn't really feel like hiking. I just wanted to crawl under the covers like I used to do. After about four miles we stopped at this road, and Sherpa ate a bar and I had a bit of candy. Right about then I suddenly got my motivation back. That was a nice feeling, I actually felt like hiking. I was kinda bored though, so I said "let's play a game" and we started playing guess who. That made the hike go faster. We were quiet once we got to the uphill because it's hard to talk when your short of breath. We hiked that for a good hour or so and ate lunch at the top. After lunch we started hiking and played guess who again. After we got tired of that we played "I'm going on a trip" and then we played a two person version of "the ministers cat". Lastly towards the end we played a no paper version of hangman. Limit was 7 letters since we couldn't write it down. Once we got tired of that we just stopped playing games for the last mile or so. When we finally got to the hostel it was an awesome feeling. The feeling of... "I was struggling before but now I feel great". We got a warm ish shower and we have a bed tonight. Plus laundry and the owners make smoothies for anyone who wants to pay. Tomorrow morning we will wake up to a nice hot breakfast. Hallelujah! Then we will be on our way to Pearisburg, Virginia where we will be spending the Fourth of July. Going to bed now. More tomorrow night.
Date: 2016-07-04
From: woods hole hostel 

To: Angels rest
Miles today: 11.0

Today started out amazing, we woke up in a soft comfy bed. Well rested, and we had a homemade breakfast. That was a nice treat being we haven't slept in an actual bed for a while. This made our hike quite a bit easier. About a mile or two in, it started pouring rain outside. This made our hike kind of irritating but also quick at the same time. Once it got to about noon, it stopped raining for the most part and we sat down for lunch. After that it was mostly flat and downhill which was very nice. The downhill made my knees hurt pretty bad but once we got into down it was alright. We got into town and we starting looking for the hostel, after a while we got there. It was only about two miles off trail. The hostel was nice, we tented but still got a shower and had access to the kitchen. For the the Fourth of July we made mac and cheese with hotdogs and I had Dairy Queen ice cream. It was a good day.