morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-01
From: The Browns

To: The Dutch House
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Bev & Bey were up early to take me to the trail. It had rained during the night and the morning was damp and cool. I had a special "BeveggMcmuffin" and coffee for breakfast. We drove to Hog Camp Gap where the AT crosses, in the middle of no where. We found the spot, stopped the car, unloaded my stuff, hugged each other and I started off into the fog. The last thing i heard Bev say was "I couldn't do that, aren't you scared?". The sky was darkand I stayed dry for about 1 hour before the rain came. It poured for about 2 hours. I wore my rain pants and poncho so I stayed relatively dry. I hiked hard and fast to get to the Dutch House B&B. Earl and Lois are wonderful hosts. I am in the bunk house. A small remote building with 6 beds. As usual I am the 1st to go to bed as Solo and Miles are still talking at the big house. We had major storms come though during the afternoon, and I was glad I was already here. Becky and Sandy called to make sure I was OK. That was nice!.
Date: 2012-06-02
From: The Dutch House

To: Tyre River
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

What a great idea. slack packing. You leave everything you do not need for the day at the B&B. You use a small pack to carry just water and snacks. You hike for the day, we did 10 tough miles, then met a driver to take us back to the B&B. Solo, K2, Passion Flower and Sherpa started out together but quickly became a a group of 3. Passion, Sherpa and me are the slow ones. We did a couple of side trails to see Crabtree Falls and Spy rock. Unfortunately for me when I ask Sherpa to take my picture my camera batteries were dead, (Note to self: Put extra batteries in same case as camera. DUH!) The 10 miles included a 2200 ft drop in just 3 miles. I don't think my knees will ever be the same. It was good to see Earl with the pick-up. The B&B is full of hikers tonight, 14 for dinner. I was again the first one to go to bed while the rest stayed at the big house and talked.
Date: 2012-06-03
From: Tyre River

To: Dripping Rock
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

We decided to slack pack again today. Earl dropped Passion and me off at the Tyre River at 8:15 and we started the last big climb (4000ft) until New England. It is called 3 Ridges because you go up then down then up then down and finally way up to the top. Then the book says you start down, that is not really accurate, to Waynesboro. It is a difficult hike but slack packing makes it easier. In the morning we had to forecast our arrival time at Dripping Rock parking area, 4:30. Fifteen miles later at 4:25 we walked up to the parking area and there sat Earl. We exchanged our light packs for our regular heavy ones and started up Humpback Mountain. We met Voltron at a campsite about 2 miles up the mountain. He had built a campfire and had his tent already set up. Believe me I was really happy to see his face. After 17 hard up-miles I was really tired. I sat my tent, fixed dinner and lights out at 8pm.
Date: 2012-06-04
From: Dripping Rock

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I was up early,6am, and ready to hit the trail by 7. I now have my camp activities down to a science. I am able to cook breakfast, do my dishes, breakdown and pack my tent and pack my backpack in about 30 min. Pretty good I think. Anyway, I hiked all day by myself over pretty rough terrain and arrived at Rockfish Gap at 2 o'clock. There is a list of names and phone numbers of trail angels who will take you to Waynesboro (and back) for free. Walter was my angel. I had to stop at an outfitters store to buy a new spork (fork-spoon combination).The store does not treat the hikers well. The same spork I bought at Walmart for $1.98 costs $4.50. Captive audience I guess. Anyway, I broke mine this morning trying to spread peanut butter on a tortilla. I know a strange breakfast combination but you eat what you have. I also went to CVS to get some more Advil. My right knee and left shin are hurting. The good thing about both hurting... I don't limp! We are going to Ming's Chinese Restaurant (buffet) for dinner. It is a hiker's tradition to stop there ... all you can eat for few dollars... Perfect! Budda Jim, Passion Flower and Voltron and others will join me. A real party, of course I will be in bed by 8 o'clock.
Date: 2012-06-05
From: Waynesboro

To: Calf Mountain
Miles today: 7.0

Today was a really good day. I had breakfast at the motel and updated my journal before 9am. I then walked to the post office and mailed home some stuff I didn't need. You find out what is needed and what is not needed when you have to carry everything. I had lunch at a local restaurant before Walter drove Passion, Budda Jim and me back to the trail at noon. After an easy 7 miles we reached the shelter and tent site. I had my water filled, my tent set up and dinner over by 5:30. That was a good thing as rain started about 6 o'clock. I went into my tent for the night then. I can tell you there are really only 4 subjects of conversation that happen around a shelter. No, it is not politics, or the economy. Nor is religion or you home town or what you did or do for a living very important. Not where you went to or currently go to school or what part of the country are you from interesting. What is important is: The weather (is it going to rain or not); Other hikers (people you are looking for or who are looking for you); Equipment (what type of backpack, water purifier, stove or rain gear); Food (either what you just had in town or type of trail magic... or what you are currently fixing or what you wish you had... like ice cream or water melon). A limited number of subjects but always a spirited conversation... Another reason I go to bed early.
Date: 2012-06-06
From: Calf Mountain

To: Black Rock
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

What a terrible night last night was. As I said it started to rain early last evening and rained all night long. This included a couple of severe thunder storms. That means the tent is put away wet (additional weight)and gets everything else in the backpack wet. The going was extremely muddy and slippery. My socks and shoes are soaked and filthy. I hiked 13 miles to Black Rock shelter dug out all my stuff dried it out. The fixed supper and put my bear bag up then found out I left out my dinner food so had to get the bag down and repack it then rehang it. I hate redoing things. We have a full house in the shelter area tonight and I am snug in my tent. It is good to be one of the early ones in camp.
Date: 2012-06-07
From: Black Rock

To: Pinefield
Miles today: 0.0

It was another cold night. It has been going down into the 40s and my 50 degree sleeping bag is not enough. So I have been sleeping in all my clothes and with my rain poncho over the sleeping bag. That seems to work and it only took me three weeks to figure that out. Man, some of these lessons are hard on old bones. We also had a whip-a-will serenade us all night long. Very disturbing! I was up at 5:45 and left camp at 6:30 right behind "Talks-a-lot". I passed her at one of the gaps. I know I am getting stronger because the climbs do not seem as depressing as before. The sky finally cleared today and the temperature is in the low 70s. A great day to hike. Budda Jim caught up with me at the camp store at Big Meadows and we hike together to the wayside restaurant. This area is famous for it's blackberry shakes... It is good! I also had a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich and fries... Hmmmm trail food! Budda and I hiked together to Simmons Gap and hitch-hiked into Elkton. I need to go to a grocery store as the camp store did not have what I needed. It carries stuff for weekend campers not hikers. The folks at the motel let us use their washer and dryer, nice! I have clean clothes. The simple pleasures of hiking... I sat on the front porch rocker and wrote my journal then walked down to the local deli (about a mile) and had dinner. I want an early start tomorrow so an early bed time ... AGAIN!
Date: 2012-06-08
From: Pinefield

To: Rock Springs
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

Motel owner Bob and I went to to the local general store for coffee and donuts before he dropped me off at the trail head. I started hiking at 7am and it was a beautiful day. I wanted to get in a full day hiking and I did! The trail was rolling with only moderate ups and downs. I felt like I was flying as I did 20 miles by 4:30. I am tired but I fell good about my day. My first 20 mile day!! It is a warm evening so I will not need to worry about the temperature tonight. Just when I figure it all out the temperature warms up. The shelter is full of older hikers tonight and all of them are complainers: Fire is causing too much smoke; the water is too far away; the trail to the water is too steep; the shelter is dirty; yadda yadda yadda, Boy am I glad I have a tent!
Date: 2012-06-09
From: Rock Springs

To: Pass Mountain
Miles today: 16.0

I had an interesting night in my tent. There was no level ground to set my tent on. There are designated tent sites near every shelter so you would think they would make them level. Well at this particular shelter, NOT! I had to sleep on my left side. If I rolled over to my right side I would roll of my mat and into the tent side. I know this for a fact since I did this a number of times over the course of the night. At least it was not cold and I was very tired so I did sleep. I was up at 6 but took a long time to pack up my stuff. I was only going 11 miles and if I timed it right I could get breakfast at a park lodge. I mean hiking the Shenandoah National Park is kinda like city hiking, restaurant to restaurant. Well except for the trees and hills and wildlife. I was having eggs- hash browns- toast and coffee at 11 o'clock. After that meal I decided to go 16 miles instead of the 11 I had planned. It was too nice a day to stop early and there are thunder storms in the forecast. Shenandoah has many beautiful overlooks and the mountain laurel is still in bloom so the hiking is beautiful. I am lucky to be here this time of year. Two of the hikers I am around are having major foot problems (blisters). Boy am I glad I am not in that fix!
Date: 2012-06-10
From: Pass Mountain

To: Gravel Springs
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

As I said yesterday, hiking in the Shenny is awesome. I have had 2 regular meals in two days. I mean I stilled smelled like a hiker so they always sat me in an area where no one else was sitting. The weekend campers stay away from us. The hike today was easy, only 13 miles with small ups and downs. But the temperature has definitely changed. It is now hot, into the 90s with lots of sun. I drank plenty of water and had a number of energy bars to keep me fueled. It felt good to get into camp by 3:30. I had plenty of time to set up my tent, fix dinner and get ready for bed before all the later hikers rolled in. By the time I went to bed the shelter and the tent sites were full. I must be in the middle of a bubble of hikers as there were probably 20 hikers in camp.
Date: 2012-06-11
From: Gravel Springs

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 13.0

I was up early this morning. When there is a town destination it is easy to get up and get motivated. I hit the trail early with Miles and Sunshine. They are not quite as focused as I am so they are going slower. I am flying! This is another easy hike today and I am excited to get to town. I need to get enough food to last 3 1/2 more days. That is when I should reach Harpers Ferry. That is my final goal. I sat Harpers at the beginning and it finally seems attainable. My plan is 16 miles tomorrow, 15 on Wednesday, 14 on Thursday and 8 on Friday. I am going to share a room tonight with another hiker, Mike Gray. He is about my age, OK he is in his early 50s but that is close. I arrived at 2:30 ate at an Italian restaurant, shopped at Food Lion, did my laundry and finished my journal update by 5pm. Mike just showed up from the trail. I am now going to rest then have dinner. Another early night then back on the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2012-06-12
From: Front Royal

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

My first "zero" day. That means I did not hike at all. I did take the 8 o'clock motel shuttle to the trail head. All the way there it was sprinkling and the forecast was for rain all day. When I stepped out of the truck the sky opened up and it started to pour. And I mean pour!. I thought what am I doing? I told the driver to take me back to the motel. I sat in the lobby until time for the 10 o'clock shuttle, reloaded my pack and again rode to the trail head.(I was the only hiker in the shuttle; that should have told me something!) On the way there (about 6 miles) the sky turned black and a big thunder storm hit. Again I told the driver to take me back to the motel. I mean I am committed to the trail but if I started out today I think I would be "committed" to a home. I spent the day doing nothing (which I am good at) but watching the weather channel on TV and finishing my paperback. I have been carrying that for the past 3 1/2 weeks. I should have brought a Kindle or my IPad. Many of the hikers have them in their packs. They are lighter than a book and carry more data. There seems to be many different options to keep them powered so I will explore that for my next time. I am sharing a room with a fellow hiker, Turtle,(Mike Gray) so we went to a steakhouse for dinner. The early bird special. We then went to a movie. We were back in our room and lights out by half past hiker mid-night 9:30.
Date: 2012-06-13
From: Front Royal

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

All humility aside today I was AWESOME!!! I did 24.5 miles over difficult terrain to make up for my zero day. I hiked almost non-stop for 10 hours to make my goal. This makes Harpers Ferry by Friday still a possibility. I didn't get to my camping site until after 6 o'clock and by the time I set up my tent and fixed dinner it was after 7pm. I must say I was moving pretty slowly around the shelter. My hips, knees and ankles are killing me tonight. I am hoping a good nights rest will revitalize me. I will have to do another big day tomorrow, 17 miles. I face the "roller coaster" in the morning. All I can say is "feet don't fail me now".
Date: 2012-06-14
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

And I thought yesterday was hard. Today was my most difficult day on the trail. My legs were dead from yesterday's 24 miler. And as I said today was the "roller coaster" a section with 10 ascents and 10 descents in 13 miles. One of the hikers has an altimeter and checked our efforts for the 17.5 mile day; we gained 5110 feet in elevation; we lost 4400 feet in elevation; for a total of 9510 feet in elevation change in 17.5 miles. It took me 9 1/2 hours to do the miles. The last half of the day was brutal but I knew if I just kept going I would eventually get to Blackburn. Around 11:30 I stopped at the "Bears Den Hostel" to charge my phone and have a quick bite of lunch. I called Becky and told her I would see her tomorrow at Harpers Ferry around noon. On my way out of there I did get to see Passion Flower one more time. She had skipped ahead and was hiking south back to Front Royal. She is a really good kid and I hope she makes it all the way. Here at Backburn there are 12 of us for the night. And there was also a big surprise... a free spaghetti dinner with fresh salad and home made bread. Everything is free at this hostel because it is funded by the Potomic Appalchain Trail Club. They do accept donations and since this was my last night on the trail I did support them. I mean a free meal, WOW!
Date: 2012-06-15
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0

I was up before 6 o'clock excited to reach Harpers Ferry. Compared to the last 2 days this is an easy 13 mile hike. I fixed a light breakfast; a cup of tea and an energy bar. At 7am I headed up the side trail from the hostel and turned towards HF at 7:15. I covered the 13 miles in 5 hours and 15 minutes. It was really good to see Becky (and Mali) waiting for me at the Appalachain Trail Center in Harpers Ferry. This building marks the unofficial half-way point of the trail, 1017 miles from Springer Mountain, Ga. (The real half way is in the middle of no-where)I signed in as a section hiker, had my picture taken and added my comments in the log book. That makes my hike "official". I just completed 386 miles in 28 days and moved out of Virginia into West Virginia. My next section and timing is still to be determined... Stay Tuned! Oh, and thanks to all of you for your interest and support.... 4 Trees
Date: 2012-08-04
From: Harpers Ferry

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, I am back at the planning stages for my next section of the trail. This time Sticks (Hal Commerson) will be joining me. We have spent the last few days getting our supplies in order, checking our equipment and confirming our logistics. We are going to take a bus to Toledo, Ohio then an Amtrak train to Harpers Ferry. We will be starting sometime around the 10th of August. I am looking forward to being back on the trail and finding out what it is like to hike in Maryland, Penn, NJ & NY.
Date: 2012-08-11
To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Becky and Gale dropped us off at the train station in Detroit on the 10th. We took a bus to Toledo to catch the train heading east.The train was 1 1/2 hours late in Toledo and was late arriving in HF as there were many maintenance operations on the rails over the weekend. However the train was clean and comfortable and well organized. After arriving in HF on the 11th we hiked up a steep hill to the AT center. Hal signed in the log book (he is now official) had his picture taken and we confirmed our hike. We started hiking along the the C&O tow path. This is the same path we plan to bike next year. It is excellent! After a pretty significant climb we reached the Shelter area. We pitched our tent fixed our 1st trail meal cleaned up and hit the sleeping bags at 8:30.
Date: 2012-08-12
From: Pine Knob

To: View Entry
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

We were up at 6:45 and out on the trail by 7:45. We are still working on our morning routine so it takes awhile. MAryland is to our disappointment full of rocks. Very hard on the feet. Sticks is really feeling the effect of the pack. He is sore and tired tonight. I am feeling ok but I do have a tender spot on the bottom of my right foot. We did have an interesting day, a couple of impressive overlooks and a visit to the original Washington monument at Garthland State Park and a number of trail runners training for the JFK 50 mile trail run... crazy!We also passed the Reno Monument where 2 generals in the civil war died in battle. We are going to bed early tonight after a 17 mile day.
Date: 2012-08-13
To: Ravens Rock
Miles today: 13.0

A very difficult day today. We had lots of rocks and many hills to navigate. We ended on a one mile steep climb, Raven's Rock. But the shelter is new and it is beautiful. Matt Hedglin a fellow hiker is with us tonight. Today on the trail we did meet a mother and daughter doing a weekend hike befroe daughter goes off to college. Annapolis Arock was a great stop, a beautiful view. We met a trail runner there one of only 2 women trail runners. She was working with a guy from the DNR on trail recovery.. At the shelter water was a terrible trek as we had to go down a steep long incline then carry the water back up. Who puts the shelter and spring like that?
Date: 2012-08-14
From: Ravens Rock

To: Tumbling Run
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We made a big mistake last night. We slept in our tent but did not put the rain cover on...it was hot and it was not supposed to rain. Well it did rain hard and fast. By the time we got up, organized and then covered everything up all was wet. We had a terrible climb in the morning over wet rocks and a steep downgrade with wet packs and clothes. We did get to a county park where we tried to dry our stuff. Apparently the custodian did not like out original location for drying and made us move everything to a different location even though NO-ONE was there. When we were fianally leaving a family showed up for a picnic. The little boy (about 7) had been bitten or stung by something. So Grandpa Hal went to work with some cold water and some medicine we had Sticks fixed him up. All in all a pretty good afternoon. We had a major accomplishment as we crossed over the Mason-Dixon Line. I guess we are now officially in the North.... YEA!
Date: 2012-08-15
From: Tumbling Run

To: Fayetteville
Miles today: 11.0

We had a terrible storm last night but this time we were prepared. The site had 2 four person shelters so we took one and set our tent up in the shelter. That kept the bugs off of us in the evening and kept us dry during the rain. It is funny because Sticks has been complaining that he can't sleep but he didn't hear the thunder or see the lightening. And it was a huge storm, go figure! Today we hikes until one and then called the motel owner for a pick-up at a road crossing. This motel is definitely a "hiker motel" as many things are missing in the room and bathroom: no handle on the sink hot water,shower curtain missing many hooks,lamps missing light bulbs but atleast the sheets look clean and the bed is soft. We did go to Gander Mountain and buy new boots as our old ones were not doing the trick. The soles of mine had traveled over 400 miles and were too thin to handle the pointed rocks we were crossing. The ball of my right foot is so bruised I have trouble putting weight on it. So I am hoping my new boots solve that problem. Stick's old boots are causing blisters on his toes, both feet, so the new boots needed to be wider in the toe box. Time and travel will tell if we made good choices. While in town we did our laundry and had a really good italian meal. So early to bed.
Date: 2012-08-16
From: Fayetteville

To: Michner Cabin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well the early start didn't happen. We had a very difficult time getting the motel owner to take us back to the trail. After a number of knocks at the office door and a few "hello's" through the windows she finally appeared. Our plan was to do 11 miles but we ended up doing 14. The new boots are doing ok so far because the trail is not too rocky and the climbs are small. We are staying at a site that does not allow camping but water is scarce and the next site is too far away.
Date: 2012-08-17
From: Michner Cabin

To: James Fry 
Miles today: 0.0

Well a really tough day today. Sticks and his boots are fighting. He has blisters all over both feet. He bought these boots to keep his toes from blistering but now he has them on the bottoms of his feet and heels.He is in bad shape. We took our time and did 12 miles getting into camp (and shelter) right before the rain came. One big (and I mean big) event today.... Passed the half way point 1095 miles. A really nice sign donated by a former thru-hiker, Woodchuck.