morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-09-13
From: Cable Gap shelter 

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

Dave and I got up early and hiked 6 miles to Fontana Marina where Dave¢s truck was parked. I had left my next resupply in the truck. We went to the Fontana Inn to get my Smokies permit. Said goodbye to Dave and hiked toward the Smokies. Before crossing Fontana Dam I checked out the visitor center. They had free showers so I left clean. A road leads across the dam and to the trailhead. The Smokies welcomes hikers with a 3000¢ climb. I arrived at Mollies Ridge shelter at 5:30 and planned to hike on but met four interesting people there including two Brits and a young lady who is an Uber hiker. She will finish the trail in less than 3 months. so I stayed the night
Date: 2022-09-14
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Left at 7:30. Lots of up and down. Weather was perfect. Got to shelter at 5:30. They had listed a privy but no. I used the cat hole method instead A SOBO thru hiker was my only company. He is a fast hiker and will finish the trail in 112 days-10 days faster then me.During the day I eat trail mix and bars. At night I cook noodles and/or potatoes with olive oil and beef jerky on the side
Date: 2022-09-15
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Tricorner Gap Shelter
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: clear sky

Up early and on the trail by 7:00. Hiked hard all day. Stopped at Clingmans Dome for a great view. An Amish guy gave me water without me asking. Very kind. On to Newfound Gap-another place with tourists. They had nice bathrooms but no drinking water. I called Katherine and mentioned I was low on water. A guy behind me overhead and offered me 3 bottles. It was a day of odd trail magic. I had several trail conversations and still got to the shelter by 7:00. 26 miles and over 6000¢ of climbing in 12 hours. My 3 shelter mates are trying to hike all 900 miles of trails in the Smokies. One grew up in Memphis and played basketball for the Vols
Date: 2022-09-16
From: Tricorner Gap Shelter

To: Hostel
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

Slept late and hit the trail at 8:00. Planned to get a ride to a small hostel at 5:00. Great weather and easy hiking. Broke another pole when it lodged in a rock. That makes 6 or 7 in my trek. This break was only the bottom 4¢ so I¢m still using it. Stopped for a long lunch at a shelter and met 3 hikers. I was ahead of schedule and Stripper was able to adjust and pick me up at 3:45. Stripper?  The trail name freaked me out a bit until I learned that she had hiked the trail twice, was a 60 yo grandmother who is happily married and got the name from stripping bark on trees. We got a good laugh when I asked for more info by text. She took me to Walmart for resupply. I got toenail clippers that I had forgotten. Her grandson was along and the first thing he said was ¢this guy smells bad¢ After a shower I was invited to the family dinner and time around their campfire. Their son-in-law is a Vols fan who is taking his five year old son to his first game tomorrow. I stayed in a travel trailer that was nice. Having Wi-Fi and power is great
Date: 2022-09-17
From: Davenport Gap

To: Walnut Mountain shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: few clouds

Nice hike in a section that is new to me. Met a few SOBOs. Max Patch is amazing. I met Flying Squirrel on the way up. He is starting a two week section. I had a long lunch on top of Max Patch Later I caught up with FS. I past him and he was about 100¢ behind me when he got swarmed by hundreds of bees. He was hollering, running, falling, running more. I stopped and swatted bees like crazy. They were all over him. He got stung about 50 times. I only got one sting. He was in pain but did not have a reaction. He dropped his pole right next to the nest and bees were swirling around it. Over time it got down to 15 or so and I was able to retrieve it with much running. He was grateful as he did not want more stings. I hiked with him for a few hours and he was okay. We stayed in the same shelter that night with another 60 something from TX. We laid in the shelter and discussed theology. Both are believers
Date: 2022-09-18
From: Walnut Mountain shelter

To: Laughing Heart Hostel in Hot Springs 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

I decided to have a short day. I left the shelter at 8:00 and got to the hostel at 1:00. I chilled out all afternoon including a trip to Family Dollar and a shower. Caught up on email and news. Rested. Even watched football. Flying Squirrel arrived at 6:30. He hikes slowly. Interestingly he is fasting during his hike. I can¢t imagine. Enjoyed a campfire and lots of trail talk. The hostel owner has hiked a bunch
Date: 2022-09-19
From: Laughing Heart Hostel in Hot Springs 

To: Little Laurel shelter 
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Great weather and nice trail today. Mucho up and down. Had some nice trail magic at a cabin near the trail. They had a sign offering unfiltered spring water on the front porch. When I showed up they also offered nice conversation and two homemade cookies Got to the shelter at 5:30. Hermes and Mantis showed up soon after. Mantis is mid-twenties and hiked the same 20 miles that took me almost 10 hours in just 7. The girl can hike. The two became buddies and we will stay at the same shelter tomorrow
Date: 2022-09-20
From: Little Laurel shelter 

To: Hog Back Ridge shelter 
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

Again great weather. Trail had a few challenging rocky sections. They offer a bypass but hey I¢m a thru hiker. I had been texting Tyvek, a hiker a met up north who is now finishing southbound. Today our paths crossed and we hung out for almost an hour catching up and giving each other tips on the trail aheadLong day with a big climb at the end. Still feeling strong. All day and especially at night I hear large nuts falling . When they hit the shelter tin roof it sounds like a gunshot
Date: 2022-09-22
From: No business knob shelter

To: Cherry Gap shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: few clouds

it has been sunny for several days but today was overcast and the rain came. I walked with a retired teacher most of the day. At a road crossing we hit pay dirt- trail magic. An angel cooked up macaroni and cheese with sausage. So nice even in the rain I shared the hostel with a father/son team. The son is a Boy Scout and was working on camping merit badge
Date: 2022-09-23
From: Cherry Gap shelter

To: Overmountain campsite
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: few clouds

Hiked up Roan Mountain, my last big mountain of the trek. Today was also my last big day. Tomorrow I will hike 10 miles and take a rest at Mountain Harbor Hostel. They are reputed to have the best breakfast on the trail. After that I will be with the Mountain Men and they choose shorter daysMost nights there are not campfires. Tonight there were two. I met a gal who was part of a group camping at the same place. One of her group is planning a thru hike next year. I hung out at their fire and scored a half a sub sandwich. I shared the Wilberforce story with them. The other fire  was a group of 6 guys who are section hiking. They asked many questions about thru hiking and also enjoyed the Wilberforce story.
Date: 2022-09-24
From: Overmountain campsite

To: Mountain Harbor 
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Half day of hiking was nice with beautiful views and cool temps. Met several hikers on the trail with only casual conversations Got to Mountain Harbor at noon and chilled the rest of the day. My batteries are charged, my clothes and body are cleanI watched the Vols beat the Gators and Texas Tech beat Texas. Serious veging Tomorrow a big breakfast then the Mountain Men start the final 75 mile trek. It will be fun to finish with these guys
Date: 2022-09-25
From: Mountain Harbor 

To: Mountaineer Shelter Tent
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Up at 7:00 and packed upThe Mountain Men are a group of guys I hike with each September. This year 14 guys plus me will hike 75 miles to Damascus. That will complete my thru hike. Some of the MM had arrived late last night and joined me for an incredible breakfast at Mountain Harbor. Others arrived at 9:00 and had a surprise. They had made a T-shirt to commemorate the occasion. The women at MH who watched our greetings started to cry. She said she had never seen such a groupAfter shuttling cars we got hiking at 1:00. We hit rain by 2:00 and were soaked by the time we got to the shelter at 5:30. They had a fire going and the rain stopped long enough for us to eat and hang out. A thunderstorm rolled in at 7:30 and broke up the party. I slept in my tent with rain pounding down. Great day
Date: 2022-09-26
From: Mountaineer Shelter Tent

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: mist

Up at 7:00, ate and packed up. Didn¢t leave until after 8:30. Great weather so we dried out.Hiked with Dave Buss all morning. Stopped for lunch beside the trail and several other MM joined us. My trail family in the 100 mile wilderness in Maine had included a young gal from PA named Clydesdale. As we ate she walked past and I almost missed her. It was a nice 20 minute reunion. She is headed south so I won¢t see her again. I hiked with Brian and by myself in the afternoon. We arrived at the shelter at 4:00 and enjoyed a fire and laughter until 7:30. We played Two Truths and a Lie.
Date: 2022-09-27
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Black Bear hostel 
Miles today: 6.0

We had a leisurely day hiking only 6 miles. We arrived at the hostel at 11:30 and hung out all afternoon. We helped unload some furniture for Tia, the owner¢s daughter. We showered and ate Subway sandwiches. Tonight we had a great fire and heard stories from Richard, Ray and Austin. Austin¢s story was from January when he almost died in the Oregon woods when he got lost hiking in deep snow. He called 911 and got rescued at 3:00am. He was close to freezing to deathWe had marshmallows and popcorn and laughed. I did not sleep well
Date: 2022-09-28
From: Black Bear hostel 

To: Boots off hostel 
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Another short day. I hiked with the Buuck brothers and we made good time. A runner coming the opposite direction was the big surprise. It was Kepler, my son. He hike the rest of the way with us and stayed until 7:30pm. He and I went to the store and bought dinner for the gang. We also got food from the hostel freezer. The group ate almost everything and we shared with other hikers. We had another big campfire. I had a good conversation with on of the staff who has thru hiked twice Only 42 miles to go. We are expecting hard rain from hurricane Ian on Friday and Saturday but tomorrow looks good. We plan to hike 16 miles starting at 7:15
Date: 2022-09-30
From: Iron Mountain shelter

To: Damascus 
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We finished strong today. I hiked with Austin and we kept a fast pace. We met Dave Riner after 11 miles. He is also a fast hiker and the trail was smooth and mostly downhill. We made it into Damascus before 3:00 averaging more than 3 mph. The rest of the gang arrived by 6:00 and we had a bit of a ceremony for my finish of the thru hike. It was great to have Dave and the MM with me at the end. Dave gave me a ride to Knoxville and I drove home arriving at 2:00am. A long dayThe adventure is over. 2200 miles in 121 days. It changed me in some ways. I am more accepting of others.  I am even less enamored with stuff. I learned about listening to God. I do not think I will do another long hike but I¢m glad I finished. I will continue to backpack as long as I am able. I¢m not tired of that but I want to be home more and I miss work. I am thankful that I was never seriously injured, never fearful, never lonely, and never so sick I couldn¢t continue. God presence was felt often. I told the Wilberforce story over 200 times and it inspires me each time. God can use each of us to change the worldThanks for your prayers and for reading my journal Wilberforce
Date: 2022-03-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Getting ready to try another hike.With so many relatives wanting to join me, it's a lot of work to figure out where I might be at a given time, & what's the best way to get them there.We still have a foot of snow here in Northern Wisconsin, which is unlikely to be melting the next 2 weeks; but if there is any snow in Maryland, 50-60 degree temperatures should take care of it before I get there.Time to patch an air mattress.
Date: 2022-03-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Snow is suddenly melting fast here; I assume there is none left in Virginia.It's difficult to practice hiking when it's still difficult walking on the trail & not slipping in the icy spots. The next step here is mud ¢ I hope the AT is fairly dry by the end of next week.Still getting equipment ready & coordinating with people who want to hike with me.
Date: 2022-03-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

About 4 more inches of snow today, but it won't last long, & I'll be leaving soon anyway.I spent some time getting my gear ready.  I think I have everything I need, & I've done this enough times that it shouldn't take much last-minute effort.I still have arrangements to make for shuttles & mail drops.  Only a week to go!
Date: 2022-03-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Since I have to leave so early tomorrow morning, & Susan is coming home late from a trip to the Caribbean with a daughter & granddaughter, we agreed to meet at a motel in Wausau.I ended up not being as organized as I thought, so I dumped a bunch of stuff in my truck & sorted after I got to the motel.  I wasn't done with that till she arrived around 2:00 am.Unfortunately, we didn't have much chance to visit before getting some sleep to prepare for an early departure in the morning.
Date: 2022-03-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

It's about a 3-hour drive to Milwaukee, but the bus contracted to AMTRAK takes more than 5 hours; so I had to be at the bus station in Wausau at 7:15.  After all my sorting last night, I still had too much to carry on the trail ¢ I'll have to mail some of it ahead when I get to Harpers Ferry.  [Actually, one bag with some food got left in my truck by mistake. When I got home in June, I discovered that the cheese had some mold, but seemed edible, the jelly had fermented, but the Peanut butter seemed OK.]Not very many people on the bus, so I got to sit with my pack & a couple of bags instead of having to put some underneath.  It still wasn't a good situation for doing any more sorting, & besides, I wanted to get some sleep on the bus.  Not much wait time in Milwaukee to get the train to Chicago, then several hours there.  One man sitting near me wanted to talk abut his military service.  Another walked by &, seeing my backpack, told me he has done a thru-hike several years ago.  It's sometimes amazing to be reminded how many people have.At a large station like this, there seems to always be some doubt as to which track a train will be going out on.  While I was trying to find out, quite a line formed.  I had learned that people with roomettes go to the head of the line, so I did. I was comfortably in my little space before very many others were even walking toward their car.  Not only did I feel safer from COVID, but I had space to do the sorting I still had to do. I like taking the train, even tho it takes longer than a plane.  The seats are more comfortable, & you can get up & walk around more freely. I slept thru a number of stops in the dark, including Cleveland [As with Spokane & Oakland, AMTRAK always goes thru Cleveland at night].
Date: 2022-04-01
From: Raven Rocks Shelter

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

I was the first one out of the shelter in the morning, tho everyone was up. No one going my way. I did meet a few hikers in the first 5 miles, coming from Ensign Cowall Shelter.Down past the lookout at Raven Rocks, then ups & downs thru open woods with no leaves: a great day to be hiking.  Warm while hiking, yet when I got to the shelter there was a cool wind blowing right into it; so I didn't stay long [ I remember a cold night there almost exactly 6 years ago ¢ I think the shelter just faces the wrong direction].  As I left, an Outward Bound group arrived; it might soon have felt crowded. From there, the Trail continues along the escarpment, mostly a smooth, level, former roadway, with enough rocky spots to impress on hikers the fact that Pennsylvania doesn't have a monopoly.Well, it's April fools Day!  I should have expected some weird weather.  4 or 5 times, I had snow!  It would come during the sunshine, blanket the ground for 5-10 minutes, then be gone in another 5. I'd rather have that than rain; nothing much got wet. This was not flaky snow but what I called "granulated snow" & others called "micro-hail": tiny white balls that were more entertaining than troublesome.When I got to Pogo Memorial Campground, I spoke briefly with a local day-hiker, who told me about growing up with "Pogo" Rheinheimer, a member of the trail club who died quite young about 50 years ago.Pretty uneventful Trail from there to Pine Knob Shelter, where I arrived in full daylight.  It's an old log shelter [older than I am!!]. I never did find out how many guys were in there, because they had a plastic tarp over the entrance ¢ another shelter built facing the prevailing wind.  It seemed full enough, & I didn't like their music, so I camped in a space nearby.  A couple of women were camped a short ways beyond me & some other people 0.1 farther down.  It was getting cool as I fixed & ate my supper. Then around dusk a Boy Scout troop came in & filled most of the remaining space.  They were well-behaved, quieter than the guys in the shelter.  No moon.
Date: 2022-04-02
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: scattered clouds

First one out again.  A bit cool this morning, but I hiked in my shorts again anyway.  Just a short distance to the foot-bridge over I-70, then between some people's yards before getting into the woods again.  Only a few more miles to Washington Monument State Park, the first monument to the first president, built by local groups decades before the one in D.C.  Of course, I had to climb up the stone steps [stiff as my legs were], tho the view wasn't so great today. Besides, the views of farmed fields of Maryland & Pennsylvania all begin to look the same anyway. This being Saturday, there ware lots of visitors to the park today, & I got to take the picture of one large family group. One note about this park: it has electrical outlets in the picnic pavilion[along the Trail].From here to the Potomac, it is generally downhill, altho I feel I'm noticing the rocks more than on previous trips.  There are a couple of state parks & monuments, plus a lot of Civil War monuments.  The passes over this Mtn were hotly contested ground, especially leading up to the Battle of Antietam.  Lots of interesting stuff, but I've read most of it before.  Gathland State Park, with the war correspondents' monument, is also interesting, at least the first time.Dahlgren Campground is a good place to stop for lunch.  It even has showers, if you need one. There were lots of people going by, including a group training for some event.  "Old Blue" was sitting there talking about his thru-hike a few years ago.  He lives in this area & just keeps coming back to the Trail.  Others I met on the Trail included "Mr. Bone","Chip & Dale", "Mr. Blue",              This afternoon, I saw my first wildflowers: cut-leaf toothwort.10 more miles got me to the end of a long day, at Ed Garvey Shelter, a new structure with two stories & imaginative design.  Ed was the person who measured & blazed most of the original AT in the 1930s. It's high time to have a shelter named after him, & the location is great for thru-hikers, since accommodations in Harpers Ferry are inadequate; however, it's far too convenient for week-enders.  And this was a Saturday night! Besides a Girl Scout group occupying the shelter, there were about 40 tents to the North & South; so I set up mine as well. Nobody bothered me, & after a long day, I slept well.
Date: 2022-04-03
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Campsite on Loudoun Heights
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

I had been concerned last night about smoke from the Girl Scouts' campfire.  The leaders had kept it going long after the girls were in the shelter, but the smoke didn't come my way, & they were up bright & early, getting breakfast about the time I was ready to leave.  Easy Trail most of the morning; yet I remembered an easier downhill after the Potomac River over-look at Weverton Cliffs, & this time those switch-backs seemed harder. I met several people coming up who were just starting their flip-flop hikes, coming North out of Harper's Ferry.  Very few SOBO backpackers [I hadn't seen any in the past 2 days].  One shirtless young man passed me twice going down the Mtn.  He must have stopped somewhere along the way. Just as I got to the tow-path, I met a NOBO named Jedi ¢proud of having done 3 miles already!  Hope she makes it.Lots of day-hikers ¢ their dogs ¢ on the towpath.  Also bicycles to look out for.  A lot of people going faster than I.  Several trains passed too ¢ it's a busy line. Nevertheless, AMTRAK seemed to be on time today. I also passed by below the youth Hostel in Knoxville.  It used to have easy access to the Trail, but I guess now they don't want people going across the old canal & the busy railroad.I had seen my first wild-flowers yesterday; now there were loads of them.  Lots of sun on the tow-path, with protection by the cliffs.  Dutchman's Breeches, May-Apples, Box Elder trees, even 1 marigold [plus some dandelions].Altho I was up early & thought I was going fast, I got to town too late for church.  So I did my sabbath rest in a restaurant, working my way thru a big burrito while charging up all my devices.  They were really nice to me & even refilled my drink for free.  I also bought a waterproof notebook for the Trail.  Then I loafed around HF for a while, with lots of other sight-seers. ATC HQ was closed again; so I returned to the Trail thru the Storer College area.  From 1865 - 1955, this was a historically Black school, known for the meeting place of the Niagara Movement, predecessor of the NAACP. It had turned to a pretty cloudy afternoon as I crossed the long Shenandoah River bridge & then headed up toward Virginia. Not very difficult Trail, & I was able to listen to the National Cathedral service as I hiked. After all the people in town, it was nice to be on the Trail by myself.  After a few miles, I crossed the state line, & a couple of miles later, reached the campsite. Will, the young man who had passed me coming down from Weverton Cliffs, had already set up his hammock & started a fire. I was able to situate my tent so that I didn't get smoked out. Actually, he kept it from being very smoky.  As I was setting up, a woman hiker came by, who I thought was going to join us. She talked a lot, sounding like she had some official position with the AT ¢ I didn't find out more because she said she had to continue on a little ways, for a pick-up at Keys Gap.