morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-28
From: US501, VA130 - Glasgow

To: US501, VA130 - Glasgow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero not taken here but missed zero taken at Dalesville.Will edit in Waynesboro on Sunday.We are in Buena Vista with Deer Hunter from Whiteblaze.net who is yet another fantastic friend.We expect to make Waynesboro on Saturday.We will zero on Sunday and then "aquablaze" (i.e. canoe paddle) down the South Fork of the Shenandoah River until almost Harpers Ferry the following Monday.
Date: 2013-06-21
From: Boiling springs PA

To: Doyle Hotel Duncannon
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: broken clouds

Only comments I wish to make at this point is that a post in my guest book without a valid email address will be treated with the disdain it deserves.Also Lone Wolf is my friend and I will not give any negative comments on him credence of any kindI have stated I will return and hike SNP or not claim accreditation.I just repeat that posting nameless antagnostic comments on a womans journal is the actions of someone wiho warrants no respect.Your actions actually demean the rightness of your argument.You are a very sad person and I feel sorry for you.Please make a complaint to USA authorities about me as you will have to identify yourself ( to a lot of angry US citizens) to do so.
Date: 2013-06-29
From: Port Clinton/Hamburg

To: Allentown Hiking Club Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: few clouds

A hard day but a wonderful night. Pennsylvania revealed the true nature of why it has the name Rocksylvania. On a plus note the views from Pulpit Rock, The Pinnacle and Dan's Pulpit were excellent. IM couldn't resist a sermon from Dan's Pulpit (on the teachings of the Great Vague Blaze of course).At the shelter was a family group in for one night - grandfather, two sons and a son-in-law and three grandsons. They were excellent company and shared some fantastic meat they barbecued. A great night highlighted by fireworks that had been carried on foot since Pearisburg.
Date: 2013-07-01
From: Palmerton

To: Smith Gap Rd 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Great start to the day as we hiked out of Palmerton and up the infamous Lehigh Gap climb.While it makes for great and dramatic pictures Lehigh Gap was much easier than I expected.Okay so due to the mixture of rain and rocks we decided to make a short day of it and went to the garage of the "Mechanical Man" John Stempa.Massive mistake.When the garage was opened I made the mistake of thinking the damp in there was due to having washed the floor or his dogs or something.He made no comment on the damp or the places we set out our sleeping pads despite talking pretty much nonstop about everything.When I woke up in a puddle from the rain that had seeped in under his garage door I was unimpressed.He seemed keen when he eventually dropped us back at the trail that we mention the place in any journals we may be keeping so I will.DON'T STAY THERE!
Date: 2013-07-06
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: Unionville
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Unionville ranks as one of my top three towns on the trail.The welcome from everyone in town was as good as anywhere else we have been so far. The town allows hikers to pitch their tent for free in the memorial park behind the village office and the cleanliness of everything was first rate.Pitched my tent and shortly after joined by Violet and we had a great night at the pub.
Date: 2013-08-12
From: Franconia Notch

To: Mt Washington/Gorham NH
Miles today: 40.2
Weather: broken clouds

Thanks to Army's partner Kris, we were able to slackpack to Mt Washington from Crawford Notch. She drove up the Mt Washington Auto Road and collected us from the top. We are waiting for the weather to clear before returning for the descent.As the traverse of the "Presidentials" in the White Mountains is always considered by thruhikers as one of the highlights of their hike we all feel that we want to make the most of this section.Slackpacking and waiting for the best of the weather is part of this.Mt Washington labels itself as the home of the "world's worst weather".A wind speed of over 230mph has been recorded here. Only something like 60 days a year are clear on the summit and we enjoyed clear views after our climb although the top was obscured by cloud for much of the way up.Thanks to the lack of pack weight we all enjoyed the climb, with Invisible even doing the side trails to the summits of Mt Eisenhower and Mt Monroe. The top was chaotic from the point of view of a hiker with people regularly arriving by car or minibus on the auto road or in crowds at a time on the cog railway.It is difficult to not feel a bit superior when taking your photo at the summit sign with the people who have ascended about 30 feet by foot for the same photo.But there is no doubting that the views above the tree line are beautiful however you get here. The crowds at least mean you can enjoy the top with a soft drink or coffee in a warm cafeteria.We have been staying nights at the "Barn" hostel in Gorham for a very reasonable $22 per night.
Date: 2013-08-15
From: Mt Washington/Gorham NH

To: NH2/Gorham NH
Miles today: 34.6
Weather: few clouds

Tomorrow we leave Gorham and by the weekend will be in Maine our 14th and final state.We completed our climb over the presidentials today after doing the first half on Monday. Due to their "special" nature we did not want to spoil our traverse of them by going when they were socked in with low cloud.Despite that when we left Mt Washington this morning the wind speed was 38.9mph with gusts to 43.2 in the last 15 minutes. The temperature was 38F with wind chill estimated to bring that to 24F. It was also officially zero visibility (actually about 40 yards).Halfway to Mt Jefferson we dropped out of cloud and never returned to it although the summit of Washington was covered for quite a while longer (I think all day).Regarding the mooning of the cog railway (an AT tradition) I will plead the fifth. I will only state that not being a purist doesn't preclude me from being a traditionalist. Nice of the railway people to make the first train of the day the steam engine to enhance tradition. ;-)Tomorrow morning Kris returns home and this means our slackpacking days are over unless we can score some more in Maine somewhere.My PC will also be going home so the last upload of pics will be it until the hike is over. I will caption them all eventually but probably not until I get home.We are hoping to summit Katahdin somewhere close to 7th September to allow plenty of time to get ready for our flight home on the 14th.I feel that I am in the closing stages of this amazing journey and would like to say that I will return to see as many of my friends here as possible (but not to hike the AT again).I would also like to thank those who have supported me in my guest book. I will respond to all that have included a valid email address when the hike is over and apologise for not doing so during the hike.And now all that is left is the Maine event.... :-)
Date: 2013-08-18
From: NH2/Gorham NH

To: MA26/The Cabin Andover
Miles today: 31.1
Weather: overcast clouds

left Gorham Friday morning.rewarded at gentian pond with fantastic views of moose mother and calf.i have good photos to post.rolling r has mindblowing ones.mahoosuc notch was crazy but sort of enjoyable. mahoosuc arm (the climb afterwards) was v. hard.i have re-injured my right foot - i suspect it may have had a slight fracture in PA which i have banged again.my knees are agony on downhills and i got caught up on some rocks just before end of friday that have me with sore shoulders.we are at "the cabin" hostel in andover and i may zero a day or two whilte invisible hikes on.
Date: 2013-08-31
From: MA26/The Cabin Andover

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 267.2
Weather: broken clouds

KATAHDIN!As anyone who has followed Army Ant's journal is aware we summited Saturday 31st August just before 10:00 am.I have uploaded probably my last photos and will caption them and add further entries to summarise my trip over the next 2-3 weeks as I get my head around things.Invisible and I are currently staying with Army and Kris in Rhode Island and have changed our flight home date to Tuesday 10th September and will arrive home Thursday 12th September. HooRoo is sleeping a lot.We have had an incredible journey in more ways than one. I will detail our hike more later but for the record I hiked over 1800 miles, paddled over 100 more. Invisible did at least 100 more than me and probably would have done it all but for his commitment to staying with his increasingly aging father with his sore knees.We were labelled LASH'rs by some other hikers in Monson. Long Ass Section Hikers. We like the title. After some down moments following our aqua blaze I decided to "revel" in the fact that I was no longer committed to following all the white blazes. We then began to try and find new types of "blaze". The culmination of this was our "aero blaze" from Monson to White House Landing. Like the aqua blaze this was one of the highlights of our trip.Many thanks to all who supported us along the way. I will follow up with as many as possible on my return to Oz with individual contacts.Anyone thinking of coming to Western Australia to do the Bibbulmun, drop a message in my guest book with your email. I will respond by email and endeavour to help with info and "magic" as payback back for all the wonderful trail magic we received along the way.I cannot say how strongly I feel about my fellow hikers with whom I have made this journey. As well as the very real bond I now have with Army Ant and Rolling R, there are Mother Teresa, Wilson, Milkman, HikerBoy, Lost, Violet, Little SAS and a host of others that now hold a special place in my heart.Lastly, he may not be my favourite child, but I now have a rare shared experience with my youngest child Daniel.
Date: 2013-03-03
To: 3 weeks!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Three weeks from today, the cuzzies and I will be arriving at the Hiker Hostel ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime!Today, I'm nursing some aches and pains from a 7 mile walk with a fully loaded backpack (can't wait until 7 miles seems laughable...) and deep into taste testing all kinds of snacks and meals to see what will make its way into my pack. Life. Is. Good.
Date: 2013-03-10
To: Quittin' Time
Miles today: 0.0

I have one more week of work left. 5 itty bitty days. And then nothing but Trail!This is the first time since age 16 that I don¢t have a job, nor am I actively pursuing one. It feels at once foreign and absolutely liberating. For nearly 30 years, I¢ve ¢done the right thing,¢ going straight from high school into undergrad, taking one year off to figure things out once I moved to Colorado, then working two jobs while attacking pre-reqs for grad school, then grad school, then my fellowship year, then my first year out as a certified clinician¢¦whew. And that pattern could have continued¢¦until retirement? What a big decision to finally stop and step away from the career train for a moment to pursue a dream rather than my perception of what¢s right. The AT is something that¢s been on my mind for years and the truth is, it will never totally make sense. It¢s nearly impossible to rationalize the time spent away from work and the money that will no longer accumulate, but will dwindle instead. I also know for the sake of my sanity, for the sake of my career that¢s still very much in its infancy, I need this experience NOW in order to keep moving forward. A time to reset all my switches and clear my brain.Leaving my job as a speech language pathologist has meant not only putting in my notice with my boss and co-workers. It has meant putting in my notice with over twenty families and all of their children. At least living in Maine means that the AT is more or less on everyone¢s radar. Yet responses from parents and kids alike have been a mixed bag; the news has been both warmly received and coolly dismissed (¢You¢re leaving to¢¦sleep in the woods?¢)I thought I¢d recap a few interactions collected over the course of one day last week. A group of 3 middle school boys:The first: a true Mainer and into all things camping/hunting/four wheeling. I assumed he would be on my side. Instead: ¢That¢s stupid! Why would you want to do that? It sounds hard. I¢ll think of you when I¢m hanging out at the lake next summer.¢The second: (I¢m still trying to figure out if this was some form of a compliment) ¢Are we gonna get another Speech Teacher? She better not be old. I¢m not working with any old Speech Teachers.¢ The third: A kid I¢ve worked with all year long and have had perhaps a handful of meaningful exchanges. Since September, my appearance in the classroom has resulted in heavy eye rolling, active avoidance, and often a silent treatment of sorts. He said, and I quote, ¢I think it¢s cool.¢ I almost fell out of my chair. And then, as he headed out the door, ¢I¢m gonna to miss you.¢ Cue: double take. Say, WHAT?My day was capped off working with a preschooler. He entered the clinic with a big grin and held out a Thank You card. He made sure to show off the B he had written for his name and then thrust a pair of blue shoelaces into my hand, ¢It¢s for your boots!¢ The best part? He got a matching pair for his own shoes.Never a dull day at work Kids typically tell it like it is, and I¢ve particularly appreciated their candidness in response to my AT adventure.
Date: 2013-03-18
To: Preschool Fame
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Few people have the ability to make one feel like a rockstar quite like a group of preschoolers. My last week of work was, simply put: amazing.On Monday, I brought in a map of the AT and showed it to the kids. I started the conversation by asking who had walked in the woods before, then asked who had ever slept in a tent or a sleeping bag. Arms, legs, and mouths flailed about as they tried to share their stories. Then came the questions:What are you going to eat for dinner? Hot dogs? Marshmallows? S'mores??Where are you going to sleep?What do you do if it gets cold? Will you bring hot chocolate?What animals are you going to see?They were most interested in the animals, of course. We often listen and act out "Going on a Bear Hunt," so they were eager to know if I would meet a bear...and naturally, if I'd kill it. I assured them I would only take a picture, just like the song.I didn't return to the preschool until Thursday morning and a little guy ran up to me immediately, grabbed my hand, and said, "You're back from your trip already???" When I let him know that I hadn't yet left, he said, "Good - because I can't tell you about the surprise for when we see you again!" On Friday morning, he came bounding up to me on four separate occasions to let me know he couldn't tell me about the surprise Although I'd been given a clear heads up about the pending 'surprise,' I was still nearly brought to tears when the class presented me with a book they'd made that week. All the kids had written and drawn pictures about what I would see on the trail (items included, bears, snakes, a moose with makeup, rainbows, an abominable snowman, etc.). We read the story aloud, I got a pig pile hug from the group, and then we all chowed down on ice cream sundaes by 10:30 a.m. As I chatted with a grandparent when the kids got picked up, she remarked that her granddaughter had been talking about camping all week long. She'd even asked if she could sleep outside in the yard despite the snow that's still on the ground. If I'm lucky, I may have just inspired a new generation of AT hikers.
Date: 2013-03-18
To: ONE WEEK!!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Also, one week from today, Kev, Moose, and I will be sound asleep somewhere in the woods of Georgia!!!First, we must drive 10 hours to drop my car off in DC, then board a plane to take us the rest of the way down south...and from there, we'll walk home. How crazy is THAT?!?!
Date: 2013-03-24
To: Anticipation!!!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

What a whirlwind, amazing, fuzzy heartwarming week it has been since work ended. My last week in Portland included the following: happy hour with some wonderful co-workers, a weekend full of family from around New England, dinner dates with Portland peeps, a video chat with my surrogate family across the big pond, many late night phone calls with friends near and far, a pedicure date (so I can hit the trail with sparkly purple toes!), and a final haul up to Pittsfield with the last of my belongings. Dad brought out a special treat for my final dessert: Mt. Katahdin ice cream he had procured at the local grocery store!! It seemed most fitting for the occasion. Of course, I also had to stuff myself with some local goods --> Moxie and an entire bag of Little Lad's popcorn.I left Portland bursting with the love and support of family and friends, full of excitement/anticipation and a dash of anxiety for what's to come. My eyes welled with tears on several occasions, but only a few real tears fell with the realization of the magnitude of this adventure and leaving the relative safety net of family to which I've only recently returned.With one final breakfast sendoff at Hot Suppa (eggs benny over fried green tomatoes with a side of cheesy grits...yummmmm), the cuzzies and I were off. It was, admittedly, a pretty horrendous drive down the east coast to DC. What should have been an 8.5 hour trip morphed into a 12+ hour trip due to traffic, construction, and the general state of New Jersey. We rolled into DC well past midnight and more or less collapsed. The trip was salvaged by good company, a healthy dose of sarcasm, and the fact that I was woken up this morning by Max running into the living room and diving on top of me saying, "Auntie Kate!!" over and over. I'm pretty sure nephew snuggles can solve all of the world's problems...or at least my own.We spent the day sight seeing in DC, capping the evening off with pizza and some good beer.Tomorrow...or really, later today...we're off to Atlanta, where we'll get a shuttle to the Hiker Hostel for our final night before life in the woods officially gets started.Prep is DONE...all that's left is the Trail. One foot in front of the other. HERE WE GO!!!!!!
Date: 2013-03-25
From: Hiker Hostel

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 1 started early - up at 5:30 although the sun didn't rise until 7.  Despite growing nerves, I forced down some hot breakfast, weighed my pack (nearly 36 lbs...yikes, gotta work on that!), and everything went into the van.  It was hovering around 30 degrees and starting to snow as we left the Hiker Hostel, and as we ascended further into the mountains, the snow got heavier and was accumulating on the ground. About halfway up the back roads and hairpin turns, we passed a pulled over van with a carsick woman puking in the road.  If you know me, I do not take lightly to this sight. I averted my eyes and tried to tell myself this was not an ominous sign to our start...When we got to the parking lot, the owner of the Hiker Hostel got out of the van and took pictures of the snow.  When the man who has owned a hostel up here for ten years and run countless shuttles starts taking pictures of the weather conditions, you know this is unusual. Regardless, we were off. We scooted to the top of Springer, stood long enough to snap a few pictures, and started to make our way north.  By the second shelter, Moose opted to turn back and spend the next couple nights in town and meet up with us when the weather warmed.  Kev and I decided to keep heading toward Hawk Mountain Shelter to get some miles under our belts.  It never fully stopped snowing, but we warmed as we walked and the hiking itself was pleasant - mostly downhill or even with a gentle incline heading to the shelter.  As we turned toward the shelter, we saw smoke rising in the distance...fire!!! Yes, please. Kev set up his tent and I managed to squeeze my way into the shelter. There had to have been 20-30 of us - tons of people tenting and probably 15+ of us in the 12 person shelter. My toes refused to warm, but sitting around the fire gave some semblance of comfort.  Comfort ended once we moved toward sleep.  We put a tarp up to cover the front of the shelter and tarps underneath us to block from wind coming up through the cracks.  There was some snoring and I know there were a few hours I didn't check my watch, so some sleep must have happened...but not much.  There was also a lot of rolling, jumping jacks in sleeping bags, spooning, and indiglo lights popping up to check the time.  By 7:30, everyone was up, getting packed, and ready to move on.  How cold was it? Cold enough to freeze a good portion of my two liter platypus rock solid. Section hikers and spring breakers were ready for another cold night in the woods, but the rest of us had studied the map and realized hoofing 13.1 miles (including our walk out from the shelter) would bring us to Woody Gap and near motels and hostels.  The decision was easy (the hiking was not): let's get out of here!!!
Date: 2013-03-26
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: scattered clouds

The weather went from bad to worse for the better part of the second morning.  We woke to a good inch of snow on the ground, frozen water bottles, and frozen food bags.  Kev and I shoved cold, hard Clif Bars down while others made hot breakfasts and pushed off early.We spent the day leap frogging with Elizabeth, Guru, and Dyer Straights.  The elements were (again) not on our side.  The wind howled, the snow came and went and came back, and every time the sun attempted to peek through the clouds, it was swallowed almost  immediately.  By the time we reached Gooch Mountain Shelter, we'd hiked the 7.3 miles originally planned and had to push another 5 miles to reach town.  Over the course of 2 days, I'd consumed less than 3 liters of water and had been force feeding myself meager amounts of food and Kev started to show signs of hypothermia.  For our final miles, every time we stopped for a break, Kev would start to nod off...standing or sitting his head would drop and eyes would close.  He kept talking about just wanting to stop and sleep.  Granted, neither of us have slept well since DC with anticipation and then a cold night in the woods...but I've taken enough first aid and CPR classes to be freaked out and goad Kev to keep moving and get another layer on his body.  So - day 2 was pretty rough.  I've never been happier to hear traffic and come upon a parking lot!  Our three buddies were hopping into a car with locals as we came out of the woods.  It was 4:15 and the hostel's pickup wasn't coming until 5.  We hunkered down in the wind, but within five minutes a family on spring break had welcomed us into their car.  The dad had section hiked with a friend a few years earlier and was excited to swap stories.  He refused gas money and said he was happy to give back.  I'll call that our first dose of trail magic and ohhhh man did we need it!We rolled into Dahlonega to meet up with Moose, took long hotttt showers, drank a billion glasses of water, ordered pizza, and ate dinner in bed.  Kev has promised to be on my case about drinking more water and I'll make sure he's got appropriate layers! Good to be hanging out with Moose again too - so, so thankful to have the comfort of family right now!! Spirits are up, bodies are warm, and we are hydrated and full of food.