morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-06-08
From: Dripping Rock Parking Lot

To: VA-56/Renaissance Inn
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: haze

So today started with correcting a screw up on my part from yesterday. Since I basically ran the last few miles, I got to the shuttle pickup point about 20 minutes ahead of Jelly Bean and right when the shuttle driver arrived. I decided to do some stretching, so I stuck my hiking poles in the ground next to a tree.Well, 20 minutes later, we left with my poles still stuck in the ground under the tree. I didn't realize I'd forgotten them until we were already back at the hotel.Fortunately it was only about a 20 minute detour this morning to swing by there. And they were right were I had left them the day before. So, we got started a little bit later than I intended, but not by much. And the drive ended up being fairly interesting because it required going along some of the back roads of Virginia.Just a side note. I felt a little like a minor celebrity this morning at breakfast. A few people found out Jelly Bean and I were thru-hikers and couldn't stop asking us questions about it. I thought one guy was on the verge of asking for my autograph. It was entertaining, but a little surreal. The 15 mile hike itself was good, but I'm glad it was only 15 because my legs were still a little fatigued from the 25 yesterday. I'm also glad that we slackpacked SOBO (southbound, as opposed to NOBO or northbound) because if we had come the other way, there was a 6 mile, 3000 foot elevation change that was bad enough going down. I saw a few people near the top coming up and they all looked pretty spent. Not only was it a long climb, but there were sections that were very rocky as well.There was a point about 6 miles in where we could have taken a blue blaze trail that would have cut our total milage from about 15 to around 11. It was called the Mau-Har trail. It's supposedly still pretty tough but many of the FarOut comments said it was worth doing because of the springs along the trail. We did entertain the idea, but ultimately decided to stick to the white blazes.Breakfast: An egg white frittata, which was basically the same thing as the western omelet from yesterday. Some smoked sausages, an apple danish, two glasses of orange juice and two glasses of strawberry-kiwi water from the hotel.Snack: A bag of cheesy gold fishLunch: A peanut butter, banana, and honey bagel.Dinner: A sirloin steak, a half rack of ribs, a loaf of bread and a bowl of potato soup from Outback Steakhouse.
Date: 2023-06-09
From: Dripping Rock Parking Lot

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

Yesterday Pacer wasn't feeling well, so she took a zero at Stanimals in Waynesboro. Since she was only about a day ahead, that allowed Jelly Bean and I to catch back up with her. So, we all hiked together today.The hike itself, at least for Pacer and I was very easy. We only did about 14 miles and there weren't any real big climbs. We started at about 7am and were done before 1pm. We did see a pretty large black snake on the trail, but it slithered into the grass before I could get a picture. Unfortunately this will be the last day, at least for the foreseeable future, that I'll be hiking with Jelly Bean. While Pacer and I only did 14 miles, JB did about 19. She is trying to get as far as she can before next Friday because she has to get off trail for a few days for a wedding.Pacer and I stopped when we did because tomorrow we are also sort of getting off trail as well. Tomorrow we are going to start our aqua-blaze adventure. Instead of hiking the normal AT, we are "buying" a used canoe and we are going to canoe down the Shenandoah River. We're going to start with three days to see how we like it. If it's fun, then we plan on going all the way to Harper's Ferry in West Virginia. We are kind of winging the whole thing, but basically we'll go a certain distance each day, hopefully get to an established camp site, spend the night in our tents, and do the same thing the next day. If there are no established sites, then I've read that there are places one can stealth camp if needed.Earlier I said we are buying a canoe, and technically that is true. As of tomorrow I will officially own a canoe. However, once we are finished, the place we bought it from will buy it back, for a reduced price of course, so once we're done aqua-blazing, I don't have to worry about what I'm now supposed to do with a boat.I admit I'm both excited and a little nervous. Right now there are quite a few unknowns and that makes me slightly uncomfortable, but the thought of getting off my feet for even a few days is very enticing. It'll be nice to use a different set of muscles for a bit. Plus, just the change itself I think will be refreshing. It's sort of like how I felt at the very beginning of this thru-hike. It's new, so there's the novelty of it that makes it exciting.Breakfast: Some kind of egg dish (I can't remember), an apple muffin, and two glasses of orange juice.Lunch 1: A peanut butter and jelly bagel sandwich.Lunch 2: Golden Corral. I'm pretty sure I ate close to 4,000 calories worth of food.Dinner: A market salad, a chicken sandwich, fries, and a cookies and cream milkshake from Chick-fil-A.
Date: 2023-06-10
From: Port Republic

To: Shenandoah River Park
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

Aqua-blaze day one was a success. We started a little bit later than the 8am time we were supposed to because the canoes were a little late to arrive. I think it was around 8:30-8:45 before we actually got in the water and got going.It was definitely fun, but there were also some pretty frustrating parts. Since it hasn't rained a lot, the river water level is pretty low. This led to a lot of areas where our canoe got caught on rocks and we either had to push ourselves out with our paddles, or one of us had to actually get out of the canoe and push or pull it as needed.There were also just a lot of instances where we would get up to a decent pace only to run over a rock and not stop, but completely kill the boats forward momentum. There was also a section with a relatively swift rapid (for being in a canoe, nothing that would equal something on a white water rafting trip) where a kayak in front ofnus got stuck. The channel the water flowed through was very narrow and there was a good chance that we'd hit him if we tried going past him. Fortunately our canoe kind of got stuck on a different rock. So, we just sat for about 15 minutes or so hoping he'd get his kayak unstuck. He did not. Some of the other guys he was kayaking with attempted to help, but eventually we couldn't wait any longer and just had to hope we wouldn't hit anyone when we went through the rapid. We got to today's final destination at the Shenandoah River Park at about 5:30pm. We are going to have our canoe transfered around a dam and we'll continue down the river tomorrow morning. Tonight we are going to tent at the Shenandoah River Adventure HQ, which is where we got the canoe from.Breakfast: Two small cartons of chocolate milk, a apple muffin, a small sugar waffle, and two glasses of orange juice. Snack: A clementine orangeLunch: Since we were in a canoe, when we were ready for lunch we found a small landing area, pulled off, and had lunch at what turned out to be a potential campsite for canoeers. I had half a italian sub and some harvest cheddar Sun Chips.Dinner: Good To-Go Pasta Marinara and some chocolate milk.
Date: 2023-06-11
From: Shenandoah River Adventure HQ

To: 211 Bridge
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Our starting point today was just on the other side of dam near the Shenandoah River Park which was just a few feet from where we camped for the night.It's been a while since I had to tent camp on the trail. It was pleasant for the most part. The only issue that I had was that in the evening it was hot enough that I woke up sweating quite a bit in my quilt so I got out of it, but by early morning the temperature had dropped enough that I woke up again because I was cold.I also woke up because of some kind of noise that I can only describe as a train being loaded with something. It happened a few times in the very early morning, but then stopped. I have no idea what it actually was.Today's canoe trip was pretty similar to yesterday. There were several sections that we had to get out because of low water and our boat getting stuck. It's supposed to rain tonight and into tomorrow, so hopefully that helps out somewhat with the water level. The only real difference today was that we did come to a dam that we had to self portage around. And it sucked.We ended up having to drag the canoe about 300 yards, partly uphill, to get around the dam. That's after getting the heavier stuff out of the canoe and walking it to where we'd get back in the water. I think total I walked the path 3 times, once dragging the canoe.The other thing that I noticed today that I didn't yesterday was that there was a pretty long section before the dam where it almost felt like we were paddling upriver. Maybe it was just a mind trick, but it just felt like I had to put in twice the effort to go half the speed.But, we still ended up getting to our port spot by 5:30pm. Tonight I'm staying at the Quality Inn in Luray, VA. Pacer and I had to walk through their historic downtown to get to the laundromat and it's a pretty nice looking town, at least the little part I saw.Depending on how the weather plays out, tomorrow might be a short day. The forecast is showing thunderstorms and/or rain showers until about 2pm. We definitely won't go canoeing if it's thunderstorming, but even the rain might pose an issue because the temperature is supposed to drop. It might not be a good idea to be on the water if it's raining and it gets to cold. We're going to wait until morning and decide what to do.Breakfast: A bagel with honey pecan cream cheese.Lunch: Mini ham and cheese sandwiches on kings hawaiian buns and harvest cheddar Sun Chips.Snacks: I had a bag of Starburst jellybeans for a while that I was snacking on while paddling, but they ended up getting a bunch of water in the bag and got ruined. I also had a couple clementines and some crackers with fake cheese in a can.Dinner: A bacon gouda chicken sandwich, with fries and two glasses of lemonade at Watch & Warrent in Luray. It was decent, but the chicken was a little rubbery.Dessert: A maple bacon cinnamon roll. This was delicious, but also huge. I only ate half and will have the other half for breakfast.
Date: 2023-06-12
From: 211 Bridge

To: Riverside Campsite
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Since we don't have detailed maps for much of the Shenandoah River, it's difficult to give a precise distance traveled sometimes.We didn't start on the water today until close to 2:30pm or so. We decided that since the forecast was calling for rain starting yesterday night and possibly into the morning, that we would just take a half day and hopefully wait it out. We also hoped that it would rain enough to raise the water level a little bit. Unfortunately none of those things happened. It did rain, but it didn't start until about noon and it wasn't really all that much. It was nice to have the morning to just relax, but I would have rather had the time to get some extra miles in instead. Or, if we were going to do a half day, I'd rather have it after putting in some work rather than before.But we still made the most of it. We got some breakfast, lounged around for a little while, got some lunch, then got on the water. We were supposed to get picked up at the hotel by the company that was holding onto our canoe by 1:30pm, but he was running late and it was closer to 2pm before he showed up. I think he was waiting for some other canoers or kayaker at one of the pick up points, but they didn't show up when they said they would. On the upside though, we're pretty sure that he dropped us off about 5 miles past where we thought we were going to start. This saved us from having to do a self portage (which is taking the canoe out of the water and moving it over land around whatever is blocking your forward progress) around a hydro dam, which we were told was pretty difficult. The canoeing itself was more of the same, though there did seem to be a lot more shallow sections than previously. I think towards the end of the day, it was starting to get to both Pacer and I because there was definitely some misdirected frustrations on both our parts I think. It just gets to be irritating when you have to constantly either get out of the boat because your stuck on some rocks or even just maneuver back and forth across the river because it's the only path available.Finally around 6:30pm, we'd decided we had had enough for the day so we found a spot along the river where we could setup camp. It is actually a pretty decent campsite. It has a fire ring already, so I just found a big tree branch, dragged it over by the ring, and we had ourselves a nice place to sit. We got a fire going, had some dinner, and got to just relax and unwind for a little bit before bedtime. So, overall I think it was a good day in spite of, or perhaps even because of some of the challenges we faced today.Breakfast: French toast with strawberries and whipped cream, two sausage patties, a glass of orange juice and a glass of chocolate milk from Alexander's, which is the breakfast restaurant attached to the hotel we stayed at.Lunch: Chicken Alfredo with broccoli from an Italian restaurant next to the hotel.Snacks: Some crackers with cheeseDinner: Ham mixed with some Velveeta mac and cheese.
Date: 2023-06-15
From: Morgan Ford Bridge

To: Riverside Campsite
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was our best day yet. I don't know the exact mileage, but based off a map I was able to get a few days ago, I think we did at least 26 miles. This means we only have about 16 miles left to Harper's Ferry and the end of our aqua-blaze adventure.Not to brag, but after five straight days of canoeing, Pacer and I have gotten pretty good at reading the river and being able to follow the flow of it through the shallow areas without getting caught on rocks. I think we only had to get out twice. We still got stuck a few times, but we were always able to just use our paddles to push us in a different direction without having to actually get out.Our campsite tonight is also probably the best one yet. It's fairly large, has a firering, plenty of wood laying around, and some decent tent spots. We're going to cook up the rest of our food tonight, get some rest, and hopefully we'll be in Harper's Ferry tomorrow pretty earlyBreakfast: Scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, hashbrown casserole, some grapes, and orange juice that Was part of the Stumble Inn breakfast. Lunch: Leftover fried riceSnack: A bag of turtle Chex mixDinner: Beans and weiners made over a campfire
Date: 2023-06-17
To: Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Pacer had family in town today, so we took a zero day so she could spend it with them.While she did that, I walked around Harper's Ferry. It's a small town, but there's a lot of history here. Mostly involving the period around the Civil War.I saw the area where John Brown raided an armory in an attempt to start a slave revolt. It failed and he was tried and executed for treason.I also went into what used to be Storer College, which was setup after the Civil War to help educate former slaves.Overall I only took me a few hours to see most everything. So, the rest of the day I spent in the hotel relaxing.Breakfast: A waffle, banana strawberry yogurt, and a bowl of fruit loops at the hotel.Lunch: A chicken parmesan sub, chips, and a side salad at Cannonball Deli. It was good. Hard to mess up a chicken parm sandwich.Dessert: A strawberry milkshake Dinner: Shepherd's Pie with vegetables from Rossy's Place. Everything was very good.
Date: 2023-06-18
From: I-70 Parking Lot

To: Harper's Ferry 
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was the first day back on the trail in over a week. All in all it was a pretty easy hike, but I could definitely tell that my legs are going to need a few days to readjust to being used so much again.Not really much else to the hike today. We did pass by a monument to George Washington which was pretty nice. It was a stone tower, probably about 25 or 30 feet high, that had steps that took you to the top. It had a nice view of the surrounding area, which I think included the town of Boonsboro, MD. It was built in 1827, 60 years before the one in D.C.Though this happened yesterday, I'm now officially out of Virginia and today we are officially done with West Virginia (not a big accomplishment, I think the trail only runs through WV for like 4 miles in this section).Breakfast: A biscuit with gravy, an apple danish, a bowl of fruit loops, and a strawberry banana yogurt.Snack: Two smores Pop-Tarts. Lunch: Yesterday Pacer bought a loaf of country bread and a variety pack of spreadable Fromage Blanc cheese. So we had that for lunch. The cheeses were plain, maple, garlic and herb, and honey sriracha. I also had an apple and some fresh picked black raspberries from the trail.Dinner: Four cheese mac and cheese with honey pepper chicken, a mango lemonade, and a triple chocolate meltdown from Applebee's.
Date: 2023-06-19
From: I-70 Parking Lot

To: PA Route 16/Cobblestone Inn
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was really hard.I think it was a combination of several things. It was hot. I think the temperature was in the high 80s to low 90s. It also seemed pretty humid because it didn't take much to start sweating a lot. I also think my legs are still not fully adjusted to being used so much again. But, I think the most significant factor for why today was so difficult was because it felt like 80% of the trail was nothing but rocks.The trail actually started out fairly good, but a few miles in and all of a sudden it felt like all we were doing was stepping on more rocks. I may have said this in another entry, but trying to hike on rocks sucks for a lot of reasons. One, rocks are hard. There is no give when you plant your feet on them, so after a few hours it's like the bottoms of your feet have been hit with a meat tenderizer. Two, many of the rocks are in the ground at odd angles. So, instead of stepping on one of the flat sides, you end up stepping on an edge that's facing up. And three, trying to hike over a trail of rocks is much slower than hiking a nice dirt path. More thought has to be given as to where to step so you don't twist or break an ankle. The path over the rocks might also not be in a straight line, so more thought has to be given about where to step. All of these factors together make forward progress much slower.By the end of the hike, both Pacer and I were pretty spent. But, we did get a little pick me up. Earlier Pacer had said she would pay $20 for a cold Gatorade. Well, with about 3 miles left in our hike we came to Pen Mar Park. FarOut mentioned vending machines in the area, but we didn't know where and it was a pretty big park. We had a shuttle scheduled, so we didn't want to waste a lot of time searching, or walk the extra distance since we were already tired. But we decided to give it a shot and then we spotted a big o' sign at one of the park pavilions that said "trail magic." It was just what we needed at just the right time.A woman named Patchouli was having her birthday and she had setup a pretty nice trail magic station to celebrate. There was pulled pork, hot dogs, macaroni salad, and cold drinks, including cold Gatorade. And Pacer didn't even have to pay $20 for it.We also crossed the Mason-Dixon line towards the end of our hike. So, we are officially out of Maryland and into Pennsylvania. I think Pennsylvania has the second largest section of the AT after Virginia, so we'll be here for a while.Breakfast: A biscuit with gravy, strawberry banana yogurt, a bowl of fruit loops and a glass of orange juice. Snack: A package of Smores Pop-Tarts. Lunch: A bag of California trail mix.Trail Magic: A Gatorade and a root beerDinner: Chicken Pad-Thai and a Lemonade at Masa.
Date: 2023-06-20
From: 5-Way Gravel Road Intersection

To: PA Route 16/Cobblestone Inn
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light intensity drizzle

Today wasn't as bad as yesterday, it wasn't near as hot and there weren't as many rocks. It was still tough and my feet were pretty sore by the end, but only in the normal everyday way.We did get some more trail magic, which means I have now gotten more trail magic within the first 20 miles of Pennsylvania than I did the entire 556 miles of Virginia. Other than that, it was a pretty standard hike.Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, Snack: A double chocolate chip muffin Lunch: Leftover Pad-Thai Trail Magic: A banana and two GatoradesSnack 2: An apple cinnamon bar Dinner: A sweet and spicy crispy chicken sandwich with fries and a strawberry lemonade. Dessert: Cinnabon Mini Swirls
Date: 2023-06-21
To: Shippensburg, PA/Courtyard 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We had a change of plans today. We were going to hike 16 miles to the Pine Grove Furnace General Store, meet my parents, and niece, then do the half gallon ice cream challenge. Since it's just past the half way point, the goal is to eat a half gallon of ice cream in a single sitting.Unfortunately, Pacer is having some kind of issue with her foot. She has a blister on her heel and it's difficult for her to walk on it, so we just got a shuttle to the hotel, we are taking a zero today and tomorrow and we are going to give her heel time to heal.The morning was spent just laying around. We were a little worried that because we arrived at the hotel so early, we wouldn't be able to check in, but we were able to get it squared away and got to our room at around 9:30am.At around 3pm, I got a call from my Mom saying they were about 30 minutes away from the hotel. About 2 minutes later, someone knocks on our room door. Neither Pacer nor I were expecting anyone, so we were both a little confused. I opened the door and then got one of the best hugs I've ever gotten. Instead of being 30 minutes away, my family was already there and my niece gave me a great big hug as soon as I opened the door. It was a great surprise. The rest of the afternoon was spent catching up and also playing a game of Sorry. Avery really took to Pacer and the two of them got along great. We went to dinner and then Avery, Pacer, and I had a dance party in their room. It was a great way to end a really great day. Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, an apple, chocolate milk, and a glass of orange juice Lunch: 10 piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a strawberry lemonade from Wendy's Dinner: Lemon broiled salmon with broccoli and a baked potato. Everything was good, but the baked potato was the smallest potato I've ever been served. It was closer in size to an average red potato.