morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-04-14
From: Newfound Gap

To: Silers Bald shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I heard Christine in the kitchen around 5:20am and I lingered in bed a bit longer before getting up and ready to go. Michael was sitting at the counter fueling himself with caffeine and talking to Christine while she cooked up bacon, potatoes and eggs for us accompanied by toast and fresh fruit. She's so very kind, thoughtful and generous. We left a little after 7 headed to Newfound Gap and arrived around 8. The weather was chilly and windy with off and on rain. We hugged Christine goodbye and set off across the street and down the trail. Before long the rain became steady and the wind continued blowing as we passed many hikers heading to the nearest shelter. We climbed up to Clingman's Dome and while it was shrouded in clouds we still climbed up on the observation tower for a selfie, the wind blowing us sideways and almost costing Michael his hat on the way. After we left the dome and continued south we were hoping to garner some protection from the wind and rain by the forest itself and our expected orientation with the ridge but we were disapointed. The wind direction from the East and our walk along the ridge never allowed us cover. We were soaked and the trail was full of water and mud, just as our boots now were. My waterproof socks were an epic fail and I felt like my feet were wearing small aquariums. We stopped at double spring Gap shelter briefly. It was nearly ful of hikers who'd been there most of the day huddled in their sleeping bags staying warm with the tarp across the entry flapping loudly in the wind. We pushed on the 1.7 miles to Silers Bald shelter where we planned to stay. We arrived soaked to the bone and chilly to find the only space the hikers would make available to Michael who had a reservation was under the leaking roof. Charming. I put my tyvex down on the dirt floor and made my bed in front of the torn and flapping tarp that Michael tied his shoes to in order to try to hold it a bit by wedging them between a rock and the stone shelter wall. It wouldn't hold up against the powerful determined wind. We cooked and ate in the shelter with the other hikers even though it is not advised but there was no way to cook or eat outside. Late arrivals wandered in and some chose to hike on to Spring Gap shelter while one party tented and another man took the floor space by me. Michael hung my skirt back up outside after it blew off once landing in a puddle and we thought the wind might dry it overnight since the rain was intermittent now. With our dry clothes and puffy jackets on we got warm in our beds and finally with the howling wind and intermittent rain we fell asleep to the flapping tarp and wind. I wondered if Michael had regret already but I didn't ask. He soldiered through the 12.5 miles today never once complaining. I'm happy he's here with me because I'm less miserable with his company.
Date: 2018-05-02
To: Portland, OR
Miles today: 0.0

So this is my first post. I am not typically a blogger, so I will warn you now, spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors will happen!5 weeks until we get on the plane for Baltimore. My daughter and I plan to hike the Appalachian trail southbound from Harpers Ferry WV to Bristol TN, roughly 600 mi. We are planning to do this over 2 months. I am so excited I cannot stand myself. But before we can leave, Jessica¢s graduation from highschool has to happen. She is also excited and has so much to do before we leave.. me too.
Date: 2018-05-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Less than 2 weeks left. Tuesday, we have guests arriving and and Jessica graduates on Friday. Lots going on this week!Today I was looking at the pile of gear. I know what I need, but I don't know how to fit it all in the backpack! I am switching to an internal frame from an external frame, and needless to say, it's lots smaller. I also decided to carry a bear can. I know that lots of hikers say that this is silly and unnecessary, but the only way to stop bears from frequenting shelters is to make sure there is no food they can access. There are already 2 shelters closed on the route that are closed due to problem bears. I already know that I am terrible at hanging bear bags, so I'll carry the can. Besides, it doubles as a chair.That said, I takes up tons of room in the pack, so I guess I'm playing Tetris with round blocks!
Date: 2018-05-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Who knew that socks were so hard to choose and purchase? I started decades ago with liners and scratchy wool socks. then I changed to Smartwool socks. Those were ok until they got stretched out. Last year I tried Darn Tough. I love those socks! Unfortunately, they wore out quickly. Not holes per se, but the wool wore off in a few spots, mostly where the arches of my Smartfeet insoles rub. However, Darn Tough honored the warranty and sent me new socks! I'm going to keep using Darn Tough. I feel bad, because I feel that I will probably wear more holes in more of their socks, but they fit the best.
Date: 2018-06-02
From: Mountain House, CA

To: Baltimore MD
Miles today: 0.0

This morning we left for the trail. At 3:30 am we left the house and drove to San Francisco Airport. When we went to check in we realized that we were supposed to go to Oakland Airport! So after calling my my husband, he came back and picked us up for the ride over to Oakland. Luckily we didn¢t miss our flight.So now we are in Baltimore. It is too late to catch the train to Harpers Ferry, so that you s in tomorrow¢s agenda.
Date: 2018-06-03
From: Baltimore MD

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0

So we finally made it to Harpers Ferry. What an adventure! This afternoon we took the train to Washington DC to catch the train here. About 30 minutes before our train headed out, they cancelled it due to water and trees on the track. Anyone going to locations between DC and PIttsburg PA had to find their own alternate transportation. We checked the bus, and it was sold out. We ended up getting one of the last rental cars for a ridiculous price. Then we battled the train and traffic out of DC to get here. Now tomorrow, we got to drop off the car in the next town and catch the bus back to the trail, before starting our 8 mile day. I hope things get easier away from civilization!
Date: 2018-06-04
From: Harpers Ferry

To: David Lesser Shelter
Miles today: 8.4

Today was our first trail day! We got a very late start due to having to return the rental car. We arrived at the trail around 10:15.The trail southbound out of Harpers Ferry is very steep. It is nicely switch backed, but it is very rocky and full of roots compared to the PCT. it seriously takes a toll on your feet. This year I am trying a hoot that is very similar to a trail runner. The brand is Hoka One One. They have lots of padding. But, Unlike my old boots, you can feel the rocks under these. I may have to switch back to my old ones. If anyone knows of a good boot that has a stiff sole and is good for metatarsal issues, please let me know. I will keep using these to see if it gets any better. The trail is beautiful. Very lush with new plants and so green! We only had one view today, but it was great. We passed at least 30 thru hikers also. Most of the other hikers are very friendly.We saw an odd thing today. We saw 4 caterpillars following each other end to end so closely, we thought it was one caterpillar. Then we saw a slug following them, as if it was chasing them. Run caterpillars run! Do slugs eat caterpillars?Tonight we are at the shelter, which is the fanciest one I have ever seen. It has a deck, benches, a separate covered eating area, and a horseshoe pit. Pretty nice! We did the camp chores and cooked dinner. After dinner we went through the food and realized how little we had eaten throughout the day. So we had a big dessert. Granola bars, dried fruit, and brownies!
Date: 2018-06-06
From: Communication Tower Tentsite

To: Bear Den Hostel
Miles today: 3.6

Today was a short day. I thought that we may need to start slow, so I planned for us to stay at the Bears Den Hostel run by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. We also sent a mail drop to the Hostel for a resupply. We got there at about lunch time. Jessica wade looking forward to non dairy ice cream and pizza. We met lots of interesting hikersthere - Nome, ET, Train Wreck, and a couple of others. It was very nice and comfortable. Unfortunately, the combination of pizza and hiking was not a good thing for Jessica, and she got sick.We both got trail names though. I am solar powered because of the large solar panel I carry. Jessica is Pop because she pops her jaw in her sleep and all the hikers were wondering what th noise was.
Date: 2018-06-08
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Whisky Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 9.0

Needless to say when we woke up this morning, everything hurt. By 7am, everyone in the shelter had pretty much left. So we were able to slowly pack up, eat breakfast (oatmeal), stretch, and leave. Today didn¢t seem like too hard a day on the map, The climb out of the shelter area was tough only because of how sore we were. The day¢s climbs were fairly gradual, just long. The trail passed through dense deciduous forest and then emerged into a mountain top meadow. We climbed gradually through the meadow, full of plants such as grasses, mayapple, blackberries, wild strawberries. Butterflies were flying around chasing each other.  The meadow gave way to a shrubby forested section where honeysuckle vines were climbing up many of the bushes and trees. There were so many song birds singing too. I wish I knew the types of birds singing. After reaching the top of the mountain, we descended into a gap to the shelter. The new shelter is great. However, there is no functional privy. I hope they fix that soon for other hikers. Tomorrow we are thinking of taking a short day. Jessica¢s foot hurts and she needs a day to baby it. We have plenty of time and food, so we will probably stay the night at Manassas Shelter.
Date: 2018-06-09
From: Whisky Hollow Shelter

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 10.0

Today as a beautiful day on the trail. We climbed through deciduous forests and ran across the top of a ridge line for half the day. We had lunch at Manassas Shelter. There was a nice sunny spot for the solar panel, so I took advantage of it. There was a black racer  snake in the rafters. I guess it was a resident because someone wrote a warning on the side of the shelter. At least that shelter doesn¢t have a mouse problem! As we were getting ready to leave, we met 3 women, my age, who were hiking together. They were doing the same miles as us. Way to go!The second half of the day was a tough climb. Not really, but it felt like it. There was a beautiful meadow at the top with a bench, so we sat and talked for a few minutes. It¢s funny, because Jessica asked me a question about a movie that led to talking about the Ten Commandments. That¢s when we heard the thunder. We had 2 miles left to travel so we started racing down the trail. We had to climb at the end and I wasn¢t sure we were going to make the shelter. I kept praying for the rain to hold off. In the end we walked into the shelter 20 seconds before the rain. Wow! I guess I did something right in that conversation at the bench. Another hiker was not so lucky and got here just as the torrential rain started. We had a cold dinner and went to bed.
Date: 2018-06-10
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Mountain Home B&B
Miles today: 4.9

We had a big climb today and then a downhill walk to the Mountain Home B&B. We decided to do our resupply and look for some replacement gear. My water hose broke where it attached to my hydration bladder and I needed another pair of sock liners.The owners of the B&B had us sleep in the main house instead of the hostel cabin. It was wonderful! We ended up with a room to ourselves the first night. The House was under construction as Scott and Lisa are renovating it. But they welcomed us into their home and we had access to laundry, showers, beds, breakfast, and they shutled us to town anytime we wanted it. They also told us where all the good shops and burger joints were.
Date: 2018-06-12
From: Mountain Home B&B

To: Compton Peak Camp
Miles today: 7.1

Left the best Hostel I have ever stayed at. Scott and Lisa open their home and make you feel welcome. It so comfortable!We passed by the Smithsonian conservation area. It has fences all around. Jessica thinks it¢s Jurassic Park. There were some beautiful views of Front Royal area and conservation grounds.Climb wasn¢t too bad. Feeling energized by the zero day.Scott told us how to ford one of the streams using the road and culvert. The trail was as he described, as well as the campsite. All his advise has been spot on.Climb up wasn¢t bad. Lots of switchbacks to ease the way. Also, very few rocks.When we got close to Tom Floyd Wayside, we saw a blue blaze for the spring. Unlike the actual AT, it was a lot of straight up, but we managed. The spring was so deep into the rocks, you needed a scoop to get the water out.The climb up to the shelter was very steep. The shelter had a big sign warning about norovirus (stomach flu from hell) and to wash your hands frequently. The thought of the illness made me less than comfortable. So we left.We found out campsite by 4:30 pm. We set up the tent and had dinner. By 8:00 8 more thru hikes had arrived. So we have a full camp tonight.
Date: 2018-06-14
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

We hiked 13 miles today. Woot! We had a great day. We got up at 5:30 am and packed up camp. After an oatmeal meal breakfast we wee out of camp by 7:30 am. The first two miles went fast and we climbed 1000 ft. There were beautiful views of the valley at Hogback Overlook. Joanne, a trail runner we met yesterday took our picture. She has been the best person we have met up here. She has given us some great info as well as chatting with us and other hikers in the evening. By 11:30 we had completed 5.5 miles and stopped for lunch at the Elkwallow Wayside. The burger and fries were wonderful! We hung out for 2 hours, staying longer because Joanne caught up to us, and eating and chatting with her. We then left and finished the next 7.5 miles by 6 pm.We saw some wildlife today. Lots of millipedes, a buck, a doe, a dung beetle. Last night we heard a fawn get killed by another animal. Very sad.We met Mountain Goat, Prot©g©e, and 21 hikers who were students from an international school.
Date: 2018-06-16
From: ByrdÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Nest #3

To: Rock Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

We slept in the shelter last night. I was happy about that because it is a stone building, and the bears usually hang out behind the shelter because There are blackberry bushes there. Unfortunately, so are the tent sites.We ate our oatmeal in preparation for the long day. We had two big climbs before lunch today, so we wanted to get out early. We left camp at 8 am. The fist climb wasn¢t too bad, but the last one was tough. Today¢s trail was all rocks. Small ones, big ones, ones stuck in the earth pointy side up. It hurts the feet and ankles. Jessica had almost given up when we finally saw the summit with the restaurant on it. We had a burger and soda.For some reason the burger made us sleepy instead of invigorated like the other day. The last 4.5 miles were tough.We got to the shelter and grabbed the last tent spot. We talked to Joanne some and because we shared our water yesterday, she got our water for us today. There is a family from France doing the trail for 4 weeks, two through hikers, and a group of scouts.Unfortunately, the scout troop was on their very first trip. They had no experience and it looked like the leaders didn't do any training either. They didn't give the organization a good look.
Date: 2018-06-17
From: Rock Spring Shelter

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 3.1

5.1 milesAscend 709 ftDescend 578 ftToday we woke up at 7 am and just laid in our sleeping bags until 7:45 am. We knew we only had 3 miles to hike today before reaching our destination of Big Meadows. When we went to get our food this morning we were treated to a nasty surprise, a raccoon had shredded my stuff sack. At night I hung it on the bear pole filled with smellables that won't fit in the bear can. Unfortunately it was my sleeping bag stuff sack. I'll have to find a new one in Waynesboro. All the food was fine as it was in the bear cans.We had eggs and hash browns for breakfast and left camp at 10:30. The trail was better today with less rocks. We descended to some nice viewpoints of the valley and we ascended to the campground. We got here at 12:30 PM. We got a nice campsite by the ranger check - in station which is close to the laundry and showers.We took our showers and spent a few hours doing laundry and playing cards. The campstore supervisor helped me out by giving me a trash bag for my clothes. Now I can use the waterproof stuff sack on my sleeping bag. The lady working here also took pity on us and let us buy two sodas from her car since the soda machine was broken. Thank you Trail Angles!After we walked the mile down to the Wayside and went tho the camp store to price the resupply food and pick up some regular camping food. Tonight we had hotdogs and buns, tomorrow will be pancakes for breakfast, spaghetti and hotdogs for lunch. Tomorrow we will have to go down to the Wayside again to get our resupply.Lots of Northbound thru-hikers have come by to camp for the night and get laundry done. A funny thing, you know who is a thru hiker because they wear the rain pants and jacket while their laundry gets washed because they do not carry extra clothes. Us too. It is strange though, staying at a campground. When we look like long distance hikers, thru hikers are pleasant and say hello. When we are cleaned up and not carrying packs, they just look at us and don't say anything. Strange how we group ourselves, even in the woods.
Date: 2018-06-18
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 0.0

2 miles (to wayside and back)Today is a zero day, no trail distance done. We had to go back to the Wayside, so we actually got 2 miles in. It is so nice to wake up in the tent and just listen to the birds. At 9 am it is cool and sunny. Our tent is set up under a nice shade tree and we have a bear box to protect all our food and gear.The park has these beautiful song birds that sing all day long. But there is another thing that just yells. I would say it is a "Caw" sound but it is more of a "Yaahhh" sound. I think it is a type of crow or raven?.Got up around 9 am and made pancakes with basic corn syrup style maple syrup. They were very good. It is funny that basic, no frills, normal food that we would normally opt not to eat, for one reason or another, is very good after two weeks of cheese crackers, granola bars, an Lipton side dishes.We then decided how much food we needed to buy for the resupply, so we didn't buy too much like in Front Royal, and went down to the Wayside. We saw a deer jumping on the way. We had lunch and tried to buy what we needed. It was about double the cost it should have been, but that wasn't surprising. We are a captive audience here. We then went back to camp and took a nap.Since we could, we washed the clothes we wore today and took another shower. Bugs are out en mass tonight. Also pretty hot and muggy outside. Jessica's sleeping pad keeps deflating. I'll switch with her tonight so she can sleep well. I try to be good. Another item to replace in Waynesboro.
Date: 2018-06-19
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Lewis Mountain Campground
Miles today: 9.5

Distance: 9.3 miAscent: 1475 ftDescent: 1637 ftWe got up at 5:45 am and quickly broke down camp, ate, and were on our way by 7:20 am. It was a beautiful clear morning with a cool breeze. You could tell that the day would be hot, so the breeze was appreciated. We walked through lots of dense vegetation so I kept looking for a bears, but didn't see any. We did see a tiny ring neck snake, chipmunks, a deer, and heard lots of birds.We have finally reached the southern section of the park. The northern section is dominated by views of the valley containing the town of Luray, but now we are beginning to walk behind another grouping of mountains, so our views are of those. We didn't stop for many breaks due to the persistent bugs, but ate our snacks on the move. Amazingly we didn't feel exhausted or tired and completed the 9.2 miles in 5 hours! We were shocked. This was a first for us!We picked a site at the Lewis Mountain Campground and set up camp. It was hot and sunny, and the bugs were terrible. I bought more bug spray at the store and it was the only ting keeping us sane. At 4:30 pm we went to take a shower at the campstore, and a light summer rain shower started outside. It broke the heat, so it was nice. When it stopped, I began to make dinner. Five minutes later the skies opened up and dropped a deluge! The campers next to us, a Dad and his 2 daughters, waved us over to their site and let us cook under his pop up canopy. They were very nice and even offered us cookies! We made Backpacker Pantry Pasta Primavera. It was delicious. Jessica wasn't impressed with it, too many veggies. When the rain ended about 30 minutes later, we cleaned up, hung our bear cans in empty firewood bags (We were instructed to do this by the campground host) on the bear pole. We went to the tent and played some Cribbage. Jessica won, she was ecstatic! There is no cell service so I have been sending Michael, my husband, update texts via the Garmin Satellite Service. We went to sleep about 8 pm.
Date: 2018-06-20
From: Lewis Mountain Campground

To: High Top Hut
Miles today: 11.7

HDistance: 11.7 miAscend:2434 ftDescend: 2702 ftToday was warm and humid. We left Lewis Mtn Campground at 8am. We had lunch at a Picnic Area, but the water we were depending on was turned off because it was contaminated. Not good. We continued with our day and at mile 9.5 started our climb to High Top Hut. Before we started we took a break. Just as we sat down, it began to rain hard. We were soaked in 3 minutes.It only lasted about 10 minutes so we started our climb. Half way up it rained again. We finally made it to the shelter and it was full. We found a campsite nearby and took that. We met some interesting people and learned a few DIY tips. We also learned what a Ramen Bomb is (Ramen noodles mixed with flavored grits or mashed potatoes).
Date: 2018-06-21
From: High Top Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Distance: 8.4 miAscend: 1498 FTCDescend: 2225 ftIt stormed all night last night and while our tent did great, we are damp.Today we walked in the clouds all day. There were no views at all. We got to the shelter early enough to get a spot in the shelter. This was good because it is supposed to storm heavy all night. It did start raining at dinner time. ¢Sticks¢ decided to take a gutter shower. He put on his rain kilt and stood under the gutter as the water flowed off the roof. He was pretty clean at the end.