morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-06-05
From: Little Rock Pond

To: Clarendon Shelter 
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

Had my earliest start so far as I left Shelter at 6:30am knowing we had some challenging terrain and my blisters are still bad so I¢m not moving as fast. Trail continues to have lots of roots and rocks but only occasional stretches of mud. Passed by a big ¢rock garden¢ where there must have been over 50 people or gnome-built 50 sculptures (rock cairns).  Bully Brook was a raging stream and I ended up throwing my shoes across to the other side and walking barefoot instead of trying to balance on the not too thick birch logs that were in the Brook. Spent some time on Airport Lookout Rock (overlooking Rutland, VT Airport) as there was good cellphone coverage so I could update my journal. As we were there we saw a big storm cloud in the distance put it looked like it would pass north. As I walked over the bridge over Clarendon Gorge (a popular local swimming area) the rain hit for a few minutes. We then did a rocky climb up to Clarendon Shelter and I¢m not sure whether my rain coat was wetter on the outside from the rain or on the inside from sweat from the climb. Because of the downpour the stream (our water supply) was very muddy but it cleared up after an hour. Birch (the Long Trail Hiker) built a fire and five thru hikers tented here. This was the first shelter without a metal bear box so we had to hang our food from branches. The one thru hiker had a sketchbook and she had done some amazing drawings from her time on the AT.
Date: 2021-06-06
From: Clarendon Shelter 

To: The Inn at Long Trail (Killington, Vermont)
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

Completed my section hike!Started early again as we knew we were going over Killington Mountain (a 4K peak and 2nd tallest mountain in Vermont) but of course we were passed by the twenty-something hikers who didn¢t leave camp until at least an hour after us when we took a break at the first shelter. About 8:30AM I looked up and could see Killington looming in the distance and we started the ascent. Once we got to the shelter at Killington we did a .2 mile rock climb up (the rocks at my feet in the photo above were the path up to the view)and the view was absolutely worth it. I¢ll try to post a video as a single photo doesn¢t do it justice. Note: I¢ll also post more photos in the next day or so. Ended my hike at the perfect place- The Inn at Long Trail! Includes everything hikers appreciate including an Irish Pub with excellent food and Long Trail Ale. Two other hikers that we knew joined us at the pub for dinner and later we all did the ¢hiker hobble¢ using the railings on the stairs to get up to our rooms!I¢ll do a post-hike entry tomorrow but thank you for sharing my adventure by reading my journal and your comments in the Guest Book. By the numbers¢¦ This hike: 243 miles, 53K¢ vertical ascent, 51K descentCumulative miles: 1,114 miles from Bland, Virginia in 4 section hikes (2014, 2015, 2020, 2021)
Date: 2021-06-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Relaxing in the lobby of the Inn at Long Trail in Killington with its old time birch/pine mountain decor catching up on a few things before our friends Al & Cathy and my wife pick me up this afternoon and we head to Maine for a weeklong vacation. (I¢m loading more photos and videos this afternoon. Video from Killington Mountain at bottom of this page) Had nice breakfast with Juice and Koivu (Means ¢birch tree¢ in Finnish). The Long Trail and Appalachian Trail are the same trail up to this point in Vermont but now Koivu heads north on the Long Trail to the Canadian border and Juice heads east towards New Hampshire and Maine. Had a chance to meet Punisher who is working on a ¢Triple Crown Plus¢ hike. A Triple Crown consists of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (2,600 miles), Continental Divide Trail (3,100 miles from Montana to New Mexico) and the Appalachian Trail (2,200 miles). PLUS he hiked from Key West, Florida to Springer Mountain, Georgia (the Southern Terminus of the AT). As you can see from the photo above Punisher is an ultralight hiker. The base weight of his pack (without food in water is 9 lbs; my base weight is 19 lbs!). It¢s always difficult to summarize a section hike. This one was probably more challenging than others..I fell down more (but never hurt myself) due to slippery rocks, mud and roots, never took a ¢zero¢ (full day off from hiking) and endured some cold and wet weather but I look at it as a boot camp for body and soul. I feel in really good physical shape, spent almost 3 weeks outside in nature and each day my only goals involved water, food, shelter and enjoying myself. Each day I met really interesting and nice people from all over the country and learned about their hike and their lives. Of course meeting Juice just a few days into my hike was my most fortunate moment. Having someone to hike with when the conditions are tough makes it easier but also hiking with someone who is in agreement when you cut your hiking day a little short when you find a beautiful lake or unique shelter to stop. As another saying goes ¢it¢s not the miles, it¢s the smiles¢. This trip had plenty of both! Thanks to the Trail Angels, Appalachian Trail Conservancy & their volunteers and to the Green Mountain Club for all they do to enable long distance hiking. Thank you to my wife and family for supporting me in this adventure and thank you for reading my journal!
Date: 2014-07-15
From: US 58, footbridge over stream

To: Damascus
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

As a young girl, I loved riding bicycles, roaming the woods, playing softball, and being outside with friends. I was a reliable, hard worker and earned money baby-sitting and collecting soda bottles from nearby construction sites and returning them for their deposit money. During my senior year at a small Christian school, my classmates and I pondered what unusual and memorable senior trip we should take.   Someone suggested backpacking on the Appalachian Trail and the idea appealed to us.On May 24, 1976, eleven students, one male teacher, and one student¢s father met at Fontana Lake at the entrance to the Smokey Mountains. Some of us had never been camping. Even fewer had been backpacking. Equipped with slumber-party sleeping bags, borrowed backpacks and tents, and an assortment of freeze-dried foods, we set off on a week-long adventure.After a year of college, I spent a summer working at a youth-camp in Plumtree, NC.  I loved teaching the younger campers how to ride a horse, tube in the creek, cook over a campfire, and many other things. I dreamed of backpacking on the Appalachian Trail again one day.After working my way through college and graduating with a degree in teaching English, I got married and began my teaching career. Soon there were four children in the family. I took my children hiking and camping and tried to instill in them a love for God and for the outdoors and dreamed of backpacking on the Appalachian Trail again one day.I watched my children grow up participating in sports and spending summers outside playing and camping. I saw each of them graduate from high school and head off to college. Two of them graduated from college and got married. I welcomed two grandchildren into the family. I loved being a wife, a mom, a teacher, and a nana. My days were full and rewarding but I wondered if I was getting too old to fulfill my dream of backpacking the Appalachian Trail.One day, I happened to pick up a book written by a middle-aged man who had thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail after he had lost his wife to cancer. For Christmas a few months later, one of my sons gave me a book about another thru-hiker. The dream of backpacking on the Appalachian Trail began to occupy many of my thoughts. My husband eventually told me that I should follow my dream. I began checking out books from the local library and reading trail journals online. I attended Warren Doyle¢s Appalachian Trail Institute and hiked 16.7 miles over the course of three days (467.6-484.3). I made a new friend who also wanted to backpack the Appalachian Trail. I began accumulating gear. I began counting down the days until I would meet my hiking buddy at Springer Mountain in Georgia and my AT dream would become a reality. After so many years, I would finally be backpacking on the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2014-07-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I made one last trip (hopefully) to REI today for some last-minutes odds and ends. I had all the food items I would need (hopefully) for a two-week backpacking trek. We planned to start at Springer Mountain carrying 4 days of food, mail 7 days of resupply to ourselves to be picked up at Neels Gap, and get the last 4 days of supplies at Wayah Bald. I separated my food into three piles and got them packed. It was so hard to know how much I would be eating. I didn't want to pack too little, but I didn't want to be carrying too much either. This two-week trek would teach me a lot and make future preparation lots easier. After all, experience is the best teacher!
Date: 2014-07-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I mailed my first resupply box today. My husband made reservations at Fontana Village for him to meet me there the day I should arrive at the end of our hike. Knowing these things (along with the balance on my REI VISA) should be great motivators for me to keep on hiking if I feel like quitting. I have waited a long time and invested much in preparation for this hike and I want to get my money's worth!!
Date: 2014-07-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This was my last night at home, inside a house, in my own bed, before I would drive to Springer Mountain for my first two-week trek on the Appalachian Trail. So much was going through my head that I could not sleep. For months I had been pondering trail names. I did not want to earn a trail name for something stupid I did on the trail.  I wanted something appropriate, meaningful, and clever; but I was at a loss. I realized that tomorrow would be the day I finally would be backpacking AGAIN after my first backpacking experience 38 years ago. I also realized that I would have to keep coming back to the trail every year for several years AGAIN and AGAIN to complete the entire AT. If I was to reach Fontana Dam by our two-week deadline this trek, I would have to pick up each foot AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN. I would have to get up and get moving AGAIN after each rest stop. I thought of the Disney movie "Miracle" which my family had watched many times and how the coach made his players repeat drills AGAIN so many times. In my mind, I could hear Johnny Cash singing about "The Highwayman" coming back "again and again and again." I decided that my trail name should be AGAIN.
Date: 2014-07-19
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hightower Gap
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up to the sound of rain in the night. When I got up in the morning, it was still raining HARD. Not an auspicious start to a two-week backpacking trip. I savored what I knew would be my last shower for days to come.   My backpack, complete with 4 days of food and two 32 oz. bottles of water, weighed 31.8 pounds when I put it into the car for the trip to Springer Mountain.    My husband and I drove the two hours from home to Dahlonega in pouring rain. Most of the trip, my wipers were on full-blast. We met Iris at the closed Tritt's Grocery Store at US 19 and USFS 42. I said good-bye to my husband there and rode down the forest service road with Iris and her husband to Big Stamp Gap. It was noon and still raining lightly when we arrived there to begin our hike.We put on our backpacks and rain ponchos and began the .9 mile hike to the top of Springer Mountain in light rain. A couple of day-hikers were at the top of Springer and took pictures of us there. In the excitement, we forgot all about signing the trail register there. We hiked back down that .9 mile of the Appalachian Trail and continued with our hike, eating lunch as we went. The rain finally stopped, but the trees continued to drip on us for the rest of the day. Knowing that we were going to be starting around noon, we had planned to stop at Three Forks campsite after 5.7 miles, for an easy first day. When we arrived there, we decided it was too early to make camp and we should push on 2.3 miles to Hawk Mountain Shelter for our first night. Somehow, we missed the shelter and before we knew it, we were at Hightower Gap, the junction of USFS 42 and 69. It seemed pointless to backtrack .5 mile to the shelter, so we set up camp at the crossroads, boiled water for our Mountain House meals, ate dinner, hung our bear bags, and collapsed for the night.We fell asleep listening to what sounded like repeated gunfire in the distance. It was a little disconcerting.   We learned the next day that it was probably from ARMY Ranger training that was taking place nearby.It rained more in the night. I was very thankful for my dry, cozy tent and rainfly. My REI 1 1/2 inch air mattress and ThermaRest pillow were definitely worth their cost and weight; they allowed me to get a good night's rest. I was finally backpacking on the AT again!
Date: 2014-07-20
From: Hightower Gap

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: moderate rain

Even though the rain had stopped by morning, packing up under the dripping trees was a challenge. Just as we were finishing our packing and breakfast, a truck pulled into "our" campsite and parked. Two guys got out to begin a day-hike. After they left, I took the opportunity to look at myself in the outside mirror of their truck. That was probably a mistake. We didn't get on the trail until almost 10:00am. We met a group of five from Florida calling themselves Dead Men Walking. The three guys had been section hiking together for a few years, and this was the first year that one of them had brought his two sons with him. I really wish I had done this years earlier with my own three sons! They had been going up to Springer when we were on our way down, and they had spent the previous night at the shelter we had passed accidentally. At Horse Gap a trail angel had left three gallons of water, and we all topped off our water bottles. We leapfrogged with this group of hikers the rest of the day. The rain finally stopped, but it was misty all day. Sadly, there were no views anywhere.We met Dead Men Walking again at Justus Creek. They were just finishing filling up with water when we stopped there to fill up ours. Doc, a chef, let us know he was planning No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake for an after-dinner treat that night and offered to share with us if we made it to the same shelter where they were planning to stay. After they continued on and our water bottles were filled again, we peeled off our shoes and socks and soaked our feet in the COLD water. It was refreshing but we could only stand it for about five minutes. Then we hiked another 1.4 miles to Gooch Mountain Shelter. Shortly after we arrived, a father-daughter team, Mike and Morgan, joined us. A little later a solo hiker stumbled into camp. Like Mike and Morgan, he had started at Springer that same morning. He said he had not felt well all day, and he spread out his sleeping bag immediately and collapsed on it. He slept while the rest of us talked, made dinner preparations, ate, and hung our bear bags. True to his word, Doc pulled on latex gloves after dinner and prepared the No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake and shared with us all. It was definitely a treat we all enjoyed.It was nice being in a shelter, with a real roof overhead, but with ten people in the shelter, it was not exactly a restful night. I woke up every time that anyone got up to take a potty break; and I think every single person must have gotten up at least once in the night.
Date: 2014-07-21
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

It was a little comical in the morning with ten of us trying to get up, get water, eat, pack, and use the privy. Iris and I left first about 9:00am. After about a mile and a half, Dead Men Walking passed us. Then the solo hiker, who was feeling much better, passed us. Then the father/daughter passed us. We never saw any of them again. We only saw a few other day-hikers on the trail. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. All day. Each has its pros and cons. I had to treat some blisters that were developing on both feet today. At Jarrard Gap, still 1.5 all uphill to our shelter, I was going pretty slowly. I asked Iris if she would like to hike ahead of me so she could go at her faster pace and I could take the hill at my pace without worrying about slowing her down so much. She took off, but I was pleased when I saw her sooner than I thought I would, at the blue-blaze trail to the shelter. There were a couple of guys setting up camp at a campsite right on the trail, but we took the supposedly .2 mile trail to the shelter. It sure seemed much longer than .2! We had the Woods Hole Shelter all to ourselves. We also had cell service, so I got to talk to my husband for a few minutes. As soon as we ate, hung our bear bags, and collapsed into sleeping bags, an owl began hooting. I counted 11 times before it finally quit and I was able to fall asleep. Another good day of backpacking on the AT!
Date: 2014-07-22
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Wildcat Mountain
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We got a good night's sleep and were able to leave the shelter by 8:00m. Shortly down the trail, we met Bionic Woman, Frodo, Samwise, and Jake from State Farm filtering water. They pumped water for us too. Thanks friends! Then we started the ascent up Blood Mountain. Because it was raining again, there were no views.  It was a tough mile climb in the rain to a nice stone shelter. There was a group of 7 FAU kids there, still making pancakes for breakfast. Dead Men Walking had spent the night there with them, but were already on the trail. We rested for a half hour, hoping the rain would quit. It was a tough two hours downhill, over large, slippery rock sections, into Neel Gap. On our way down, we passed a large extended family group of about 30 of all ages hiking up Blood Mountain. At Neel Gap, we picked up the re-supply boxes that we had mailed to ourselves the week before -- 7 days worth of food. I bought long pants to replace my shorts. I cut off my camisole into a bra to get rid of the hot, tight portion around my torso. After sorting through all my new food items, I put some of it back in the box, along with my shorts, rain pants, sunglasses, and a deck of cards, to send back home. No sense carrying any extra weight. We ate lunch there and filled up with water and I enjoyed getting a peppermint patty.   We got to see what their hostel was like. It was great getting to wear my Teva sandals the whole time we were there.Eventually, we made ourselves shoulder our newly packed backpacks, which were heavier than ever with 7 days of food. They felt even heavier because the first 1.5 miles were all uphill out of the gap. At least the weather cleared up finally, and we were able to get some pictures of the views from Leveland Mountain, Wolf Laurel Top, and Cowrock Mountain.   Pictures of the hostel at Neel Gap kept floating through my head all afternoon, and we tried to call them from the mountain tops in the afternoon to arrange a shuttle back to stay there for the night. No one ever answered, so we kept hiking on. I had a really rough time making it the last half mile up Wildcat Mountain. It was steep and seemed even harder since it was 7:00pm. I was regretting having spent so much time at Neel Gap by then. We had intended to make it to Whitley Gap Shelter. When realized the shelter was 1.2 off the trail, we decided NO shelter could be wonderful enough to warrant that far of a hike each way to and from it!We stopped at a campsite atop Wildcat Mountain. It didn't take long to rehydrate our dinners, eat, set up tents, hang our bear bags by headlamp light, and collapse into sleeping bags! We woke early, hoping to see a brilliant sunrise. Even though it was clear weather, we were on the west side of the mountaintop so we missed it. It was still great to finally be hiking on the AT!
Date: 2014-07-23
From: Wildcat Mountain

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: clear sky

I took extra time to reorganize my pack with all the new food from yesterday's resupply box. It took valuable time, but made things work better for me. We left camp about 9:00am. We had no water left, but were heading to a water source at Hogpen Gap about .2 from our campsite. We had to adjust our plans for getting water and go farther downstream because when we arrived, we found a four foot long timber rattler stretched out right where we wanted to fill up our water bottles. Upon further scrutiny we saw a little chipmunk which had evidently already been bitten by the snake. The chipmunk was barely alive. We watched, horridly fascinated to see this drama as it unfolded. Each time the snake would flick his tongue near the chipmunk, the chipmunk would muster up what strength it had to move a few inches farther away. The snake would then take its time and close the gap. Several minutes would pass with neither moving. Finally the snake's tongue would flicker against the chipmunk, and the chipmunk would rouse and move a few more inches away. This happened numerous times while we treated our water, and watched and waited. Finally we shouldered our packs and left, wondering how long it would be before the snake finally finished off the little chipmunk. At Hogpen Gap, a section hiker was coming down the mountain and getting into his car. We chatted a few minutes and then asked if he would mind taking our trash bags with him. He agreed and we left with our backpacks a few ounces lighter. He was the first of several total strangers who performed this nice service for us along our trek. Thanks guys! We only crossed paths with two other southbound hikers the rest of the day. We had lunch at Low Gap Shelter, then a gradual uphill climb all afternoon to Tray Mountain Shelter where we would stay the night. The last .6 to the shelter was rocky and rough. It was 7:30pm when we arrived at the shelter. There was a father/son team from Florida already there. They had been hiking with their boy scout troop but the son had pulled a groin muscle, and these two had to let the others go on without them. They planned to rest at the shelter a couple of days and then meet the rest of the troop at Unicoi Gap where their vehicles were parked. They had camped the night before at Whitley Gap 1.2 miles off the AT, where we had originally planned to camp. They warned us that they had heard a snap in the woods near this shelter and turned to see a bear moving through the woods twice already this afternoon, so they had named the bear "Snap". We never heard or saw it ourselves. Thankful for the bear cables at this shelter so we did not have to throw our own bear ropes over a branch tonight. It was nice sharing the shelter and swapping trail stories with new friends after another day of hiking on the AT.