morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-11-08
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter

To: Three Ridges Mountain
Miles today: 15.8

I was on the trail at 6:15 am, about 30 minutes before sunrise. Today unlike the previous two days started with gentle ups and downs which continued for 5 miles and made a pleasant start to the day. Then I had a short climb up the The Priest, a 4063' peak. Nice views from on top. The descent off The Priest is very steep, 3000' over 4 miles. I reached VA 56 and the Tye River around 1 pm. There is a suspension bridge across the river. I had originally planned to camp here but it was too early to stop. Heading up from the river there is a 3000' ascent over 6 miles to Three Rivers Mountain (3959'). This is not quite as steep as coming down The Priest but I wanted to get as much of this behind me as I could so I wouldn't have so much climbing in the morning. It was 2.5 miles to Harper's Creek Shelter. I got there around 3:30 pm, refilled with water and once again decided to keep going. I got in another 1.5 miles before it started getting dark, crossing a couple of boulder fields and found a place to stealth camp just before Chimney Rock. This put me about 2/3 the way up so I will only have 1000' over 2 miles starting tomorrow. The Priest was the last 4000 footer going north until New Hampshire and the trail gets easier through the Shenandoah. I made a fire, had my dinner, and got in my hammock around 8 pm. I was pleased with my 15.8 miles today. The uphills seem to getting a little easier. After 7 days and 100 miles, I feel like I am getting trail legs again. There are still SOBO-ers coming through. Ones I talked to today: Oakie (M) from NY, Dude (M) and dog Kai from CT, and Lost & Found (F) from MD.
Date: 2016-11-09
From: Three Ridges Mountain

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 20.6

I got on the trail at 6:45 am. I only had 1000' over two miles to the top of Three Ridges Mountain (3959') since I had come 2/3 the way up last night. I had good views to the west and to the east at Chimney Rock on the way up. I was happy with my decision to stop where I did last night as there were few other spots to camp and none were as good. I stopped at Hanging Rock Overlook on the way down Three Ridges and saw a rainbow which I took a picture of. A light rain started and I hurried to Maupin Field Shelter and cooked my breakfast. There I talked to a retired Army black hawk helicopter pilot who flew missions in Afghanistan. His name was Billie Bob and his dog, a Corgey, was named Bowson. Some guys day hiking came past the shelter and we asked who won the election and that's how we found out Trump won. It was cold, windy, drizzling, and rocky most of the afternoon. I decided to try to make it to Paul C. Wolfe Shelter, which would make 20.6 miles for the day and leave only 5 miles into Waynesboro tomorrow where I am picking up my next food drop and meeting up with Steve Toth, who will hike north with me for the next 5 days / 100 miles through the Shenandoah National Park. It got dark around 5:30 pm and I still had two miles to go to the shelter. I put on my headlamp and night hiked to the shelter, arriving around 6:45 pm. I cooked dinner and promptly went to bed, staying in the shelter. It was a long day but a good day. I only met one SOBO thru-hiker today: Wifi (M) from Buffalo. There was one thru-hiker at the shelter but he wasn't very talkative. He was asleep when I got there and asleep when I left in the morning. I'm not sure if he is going to make it!
Date: 2016-11-11
From: Waynesboro Trailhead

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Dubose "Yellow Truck" Egleston (Trail Angel) picked us up at the Quality Inn at 8 am as promised and took us to the trailhead. We were walking at 8:15 am. I had to get a permit to hike the 100 miles of the AT through the Shenandoah National Park. That took a few minutes and we were on our way. We walked 8 mi to Calf Mountain Shelter and had lunch. We walked 13 mi in the pm and arrived at Blackrock Shelter at 6:15 pm. We had to use our headlamps the last 45 min. We only talked to a few SOBO thru-hikers today: Grizzly (F) - IL and Harold - (F) - WV.
Date: 2016-11-12
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

It got below freezing and was very windy last night but I managed to stay warm. We were on the trail at 6:15 am. We had a good view to the west at Blackrock after the sun was up. Mid morning we needed water and took a side trail 0.3 miles west to a piped spring at the Potomac ATC's maintenance hut. We met the caretakers of that facility, Mark & Stephanie who live in Picosin, VA. The thermometer there read 32F. We noticed ice had started forming in our water bottles while we were hiking. It was cold! Stephanie had some water boiling in the hut and offered us a cup of instant coffee. That was the best cup of instant coffee I have ever had! We continued on and reached Pinefield Hut after walking 13 miles in the am and had lunch. We walked 8 miles in the pm and arrived at Hightop Hut around 5 pm. We talked to several more SOBO thru-hikers today: Tonic (M) - MA, Spark'em (M) - ME, Gonzo (M) - Johnson City, TN & Splash (F) - MO, Mitten Man (M) & Socko (F) - MI, and Speedy (M) - SC. Mitten Man just retired and his daughter Socko just graduated from high school. They were slackpacking and the wife / mother was meeting them at the end of the day.
Date: 2016-11-13
From: Hightop Hut

To: Big Meadow Campground
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: overcast clouds

It was near freezing last night but not as cold as we heard it was supposed to get (low 20s). There was no wind so that helped. We were on the trail at 6:15 am about 30 minutes before sunrise. We caught a glimpse of the sunrise as the trail looped to the east. We walked 12 miles and arrived at Bearfence Mountain Hut around 12:30 pm and had lunch. We walked another 8 miles and took a side trail to Big Meadows Lodge around 4 pm where they have a restaurant. Today was the last day of operation for the season and they were closing at 5:30 pm. We got the last two burgers & fries of the season. It sure tasted good after hiking 20 miles. We got back on the trail and walked another mile and stealth camped near Big Meadows Campground next to an overlook to the west where we saw a great sunset. Today was the first day we didn't pass any SOBO thru-hikers.
Date: 2016-11-14
From: Big Meadow Campground

To: Pass Mtn. Hut
Miles today: 18.4

We had a full moon last night that illuminated the ridge where we camped. The overnight temperature wasn't too bad...low 40s. I fixed breakfast while I was packing my gear. We were on the trail at 6:30 am. We were trying to cover the 7 miles to Skyland Resort by 10:30 am so we could make the breakfast seating. We got there at 10 am had had a great breakfast with a great view overlooking the mountains. I had an egg white omelette loaded with everything in the vegetable bin that took up half the plate and was 2 inches thick, potatoes, a fruit cup, and coffee. I ate it all and did not get up hungry. That was a great late breakfast that served as my lunch for the day. We started walking again at 11.30 am. We walked 7 miles and passed Mary's Summit Rock around 3 pm and a light rain began to fall. We walked another 7 miles in the drizzle and arrived at our destination for the day, Pass Mountain Hut. A couple of miles before the hut we saw our second bear of the trip. We decided to stay in the hut since it was raining. We gathered enough firewood for a short fire which helped get the chill off, had dinner, and called it a day.We only passed two SOBO thru-hikers today: Mountain Man Jim in his mid 60s front the FL Panhandle and Horizon (M) from Dallas, TX. Mountain Man Jim's daughter got married 8/6. He started hiking from Maine on 8/11. He was hiking in Chaco Classic sandals and swears by them. He has a Bare Butt Hammock and -5 down bag. He doesn't carry a stove and all his meals are cold. This looks like the last of the South bounders for the season.
Date: 2016-11-15
From: Pass Mtn. Hut

To: US 522 / Mountain Home Cabbin
Miles today: 26.8

The rain continued through most of the night, finally stopping around 3 am. We fixed breakfast and were on the trail at 6:30 am. We were about 27 miles from Mountain Home Cabbin in Front Royal where Steve parked his truck and where I had a reservation to stay Wednesday night. We looked at the terrain and it looked like we might be able to make it in tonight. This would allow Steve to get home sooner and set me up better for the final four days of the hike (53 mile to go to Harper's Ferry from there). We started hiking and by noon had walked a half marathon (over 13 miles) to Gravel Springs Hut at mile 955.7. We both felt good and it looked like we just might walk the full marathon into Mountain Home Cabbin. We exited the Shenandoah National Park around 4:30 pm. We kept walking and around 5:20 pm we had to put our headlamps on with about 2 miles to go. We arrived at MHC shortly after 6 pm. As soon as we got there we sorted out our dirty clothes and headed into town in Steve's truck to a laundromat to do our laundry. We hit a Burger King on the way back where I got a "burger on a platter" (no bun) and a salad. We took showers when we got back to MHC and hit the rack exhausted. Tomorrow am Steve will head back to Cleveland and I will continue on to Harper's Ferry.
Date: 2016-11-16
From: US 522 / Mountain Home Cabbin

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

We had a nice nights rest at Mountain Home Cabbin after yesterday's marathon. Scott, the owner, had breakfast ready for us at 7:30 am. For me he had steel cut oats, cantaloupe and honey dew melon, apple cider, and coffee...all very good. He gave us a little history on the cabin. It is pre-1840 and served as slave quarters on a 3000 acre horse and cattle farm. It has also been a surveyor's office and tri-county seat. The cabin is logs underneath and has a brick veneer on it. Scott also gave us a tour of the pre-1840 home that he and his wife Lisa are restoring and turning into a B&B, which will open in June 2018. Steve ran me into town to get a few resupply items, we both got packed up, and we said good-bye. He was driving back to Cleveland and I was heading back out on the trail for the last 4 days / 53 miles of my trip to Harper's Ferry, WV. I was on the trail at 10 am and walked 5 miles to Jim & Molly Denton Shelter, arriving at noon and having lunch. From there I walked 5.5 miles to Manassas Gap Shelter, arriving at 3 pm. I walked another 4.5 miles to Dick's Dome Shelter, arriving at 5 pm where I spent the night. I covered about 15 miles today, not bad considering the 10 am start and the long day yesterday.
Date: 2016-11-17
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: clear sky

I decided I would try to do 18 miles today and make it to Bears Den Hostel. That will leave me 21 miles Friday into Harper's Ferry. I got on the trail at 6:15 am. I had a good early morning hike and had 9 miles in when I reached Rod Hollow Shelter at 10 am. The Roller Coaster starts right after that. The RC is a 13.5 mile long stretch of continuous ups and downs that crosses several peaks and has long stretches of rocks to navigate that are tough on the feet. The RC really slowed me down. It took me 7 hours to do the next 9 miles. I crossed the 1000 mile marker on the AT about 3 pm. I arrived at Bears Den Hostel at 5 pm. It is a stone, castle looking structure that is owned by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and operated by the Potomac ATC. Glen, the caretaker showed me around. Nice place, very hiker friendly, and only $20 to stay the night...highly recommended. It can accommodate about a dozen hikers. I had the place to myself. It has a large kitchen hikers can use, a large dining area, and a large living area with lots of AT / hiking books and memorabilia. Tomorrow I will get an early start and finish the last third of the Roller Coaster (4.5 miles) and the last 15 miles into Harper's Ferry. One more long day and the Northern VA section of the AT will be in the log book.
Date: 2016-11-18
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 20.5

I had a great stay at the Bears Den Hostel. I was up at 5 am getting packed and then went to the kitchen to make coffee and my breakfast. I was on the trail at 6:15 am. I crossed the VA/WV state line at 8:15 am. I finished the last third (4.5 miles) of the Roller Coaster at 9:15 am. What a difference a fresh pair of legs makes. The final third didn't seem nearly as hard as the first two thirds. That left me with 16.6 miles to Harper's Ferry. I wanted to get to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Visitor Center before it closed at 5 pm to get my picture taken and included in the 2016 hiker yearbook. I stopped for lunch at noon after 11 miles total at the David Lesser Memorial Shelter. I had 10 miles to go from there and could smell the finish line. The last part of the hike for NOBOs is crossing the Shenandoah River, which l did around 4 pm. I finally arrived at the ATC about 4:30 pm and got all my business done. I am staying at the Towns Inn Hostel in Harper's Ferry tonight. No reason to get up early tomorrow. I will pick up a rental car here tomorrow and drive to Kingsport, TN to meet up with my brother and sister for a couple of days before flying back to Houston on Tuesday. I'll be home just in time to smoke the Thanksgiving turkey. This hike is in the log book. 295.6 miles in 17 days for an average of 17.4 mpd and 3 days ahead of plan. Not bad for a 60 year old! Stu Monteith, if you're still following this, just like our last days at Huntsman in Performance Products - ahead of schedule, ahead of plan. This combined with the 727. 5 miles I hiked from GA to VA in March and April brings me to 1023.1 miles in 2016, the official 2016 mileage from Springer Mtn. to Harper's Ferry. I think I will call it a hiking season.
Date: 2017-05-19
To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0

On June 1, I will pick up where I left off section hiking last fall (Harper's Ferry, WV) and start hiking the northern sections of the AT. I will be tackling the Maryland / Pennsylvania section with 41 miles in MD and 230 miles in PA for a total of 271 miles. Joining me for the first 10 days or so of my trip will be Jim Beeson (HOOSHR), who I hiked 728 miles with last year from Springer Mountain, GA to Daleville, VA. Jim went on to complete his thru-hike after I came off the trail in Daleville due to my leg infection / cellulitis. I appreciate Jim joining me to help me get back in the swing of things on the AT.
Date: 2017-06-01
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I was up at 3:45 am making one last gear check. Kim and I left for IAH at 4:45 am. My flight to Dulles left at 7:25 am. Jim Beeson (Hooshr) picked me up at 11:30 and we were in Charles Town, WV by 1 pm. We had a quick lunch at Mc Donald's, dropped the rental car off, and got a ride to the trailhead in Harper's Ferry. We were hiking at 2:30 pm. The weather was beautiful....not a cloud in the sky, 80 F and low humidity. We crossed the Potomac River on the footbridge, leaving WV and entering MD. The terrain was friendly along the old C&O Canal Towpath and then we left the Potomac and started heading up. We met a few other hikers along the way, a couple of them thru-hikers. After about 4 miles, we took the side trail to Weverton Cliffs and enjoyed a nice view looking back up the Potomac. We reached the Ed Garvey Shelter at 5:15 after hiking 6 miles. We met "Took" there, the Ridgerunner who covers the 41 mikes of the AT in MD. He is a Marine and going to a local college on the GI bill. After talking, Hooshr and Took realized they met last year on Hooshr's thru-hike. Took thru-hiked SOBO in 2014 when he got out of the Marines. We ate dinner there and decided with the weather so nice and still having a couple of hours of daylight, we would hike on to the next shelter and camp there. We reached the Crampton Gap Shelter at 8 pm. There were a half dozen or so hikers camping there. We got set up and called it a day. Not a bad first day considering the late start. It is supposed to dip into the 50s tonight. The long day and cool temps should make for a good night's sleep..
Date: 2017-06-02
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Annapolis Rocks Campsite
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

We were on the trail just before 7 am. It was another beautiful day to hike. I felt lethargic in the am after the long day yesterday and not sleeping as well as I had hoped. We hiked 9 miles to Washington Monument State Park, arriving there around noon. We took a long lunch break and rest there and then climbed up the Washington Monument. We were back on the trail around 2 pm. I felt better in the pm after the long break. I kept reminding myself it's going to take several more days to get my trail legs back. My rule of thumb is 7 days / 100 miles for this flat lander from Texas. We hiked 5 miles to Annapolis Rocks where there are several nice campsites. It was only 4:30 pm but we decided we would stop here for the day. After I got my hammock up, I got in it and took a nice hour long nap. I felt much better when I got up. We had dinner and watched a beautiful sunset from Annapolis Rocks. A young couple proposed to each other there just before sunset.Note : I have added my total hiking days since starting the AT in the title for what has evolved into a series of long section hikes. 53 days from Springer Mtn. to Daleville, VA in Mar/Apr of 2016, 17 days from Daleville to Harper's Ferry, WV in  Nov 2016, and 2 days on this current trip heading north from Harper's Ferry for a total of 72 days.
Date: 2017-06-03
From: Annapolis Rocks Campsite

To: Pen Mar Park
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

We were on the trail at 7:15 am. We had another great day of hiking weather. I felt much better in the am than yesterday. I was incredibly hungry around 11 am. We decided we would stop for lunch at noon at Warner Gap Hollow. When we got there, magically we were greeted by a young couple named Millie and Dustin who were taking their Saturday to provide trail magic to AT hikers. They were set up with a Coleman propane grill serving hotdogs and chicken salad sandwiches along with cold watermelon and fresh pineapple. I had the latter two, and okay, I confess, I broke my diet and had a hotdog too. A hotdog to a hungry hiker is better than prime rib under normal conditions! I couldn't resist. We had a long climb just after lunch. We reached the Raven Rock Shelter at 2 pm which is where we originally planned to stay. We had decided earlier in the day we would hike another 5 miles to Pen Mar Park near the PA-MD state line. We got there around 5 pm and a day earlier than planned. I had a food package to pickup in Waynesboro, PA that Kim had mailed ahead to the Burgundy Lane B&B. David, the proprietor, shuttled us from the park to his B&B. He is 70 and retired USAF. He and his wife have their B&B on the market. They are moving to Greenville, TN which is about 40 mikes from Kingsport which is where I grew up. They are building a home on 19 acres. Jim and I got cleaned up, gave David our dirty laundry to wash, and headed to the local burger joint, the Waynesburger, where I enjoyed a great lettuce wrapped burger with fries. I got my package from David when we got back and began sorting / organizing my food for the next 4 days before calling it a night.
Date: 2017-06-04
From: Pen Mar Park

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: mist

David & Margaret at the Burgundy Lane B&B had breakfast and coffee ready for us at 8:30 am. David took us by Walmart for a few re-supply items and back to Pen Mar County Park at 11 am. The Potomac ATC was hosting a hiker lunch there with hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, and coleslaw. We had our fill, thanked the PATC, and got on the trail at noon. In 0.2 miles we crossed the Mason Dixon Line (MD-PA state line). We have officially completed the 41 miles of the AT in MD and are starting the 230 miles in PA. We reached Tumbling Run Shelters at 4:30 pm after hiking 8.5 miles and are camping there tonight. We had another beautiful day of hiking weather. There is a 40-50% chance of rain tomorrow from 9 am to 1 pm. Hope our good weather holds out!
Date: 2017-06-05
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

We were on the trail at 6:15 am for an early start since we planned to hike nearly 20 miles today. Unfortunately the weatherman was right and the rain started about 9 am. We hiked in a steady rain for the next 3 hours and got our clothes washed for free. We had hiked 12 miles by noon and had lunch and dried out a bit at the Quarry Gap Shelter. This shelter is one of the nicest ones we have seen anywhere on the AT. It has a caretaker who keeps the place in tip top shape. He or she must be a gardener / landscaper as the place has a lot of nice touches like hanging flower baskets, extra tables, and a porch swing. We were back on the trail before 1 pm and the rain stopped shortly thereafter and we began drying out. We hiked 7.6 more miles and arrived at Birch Run Shelter about 4 pm where we are camping tonight. There is no cell service here so we can't check the weather forecast. We never saw the sun today. Hopefully we won't get anymore rain tonight and it will be clear tomorrow.
Date: 2017-06-06
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: PA 94
Miles today: 20.3

We were fortunate and there was no more rain overnight. Blue skies returned and we had another great day of hiking weather. We planned on an early start so we could cover 20 miles and reach PA 94 and go into Mt. Holly, PA to pick up my next food drop. We were on the trail before 6 am. 2.4 miles into our hike and about 7:15 am, we reached this year's official 1/2 way point on the AT at Dead Woman's Hollow Road (mile 1094.9). At 11:15 after hiking 10 miles, we reached the Pine Grove Furnace Store and AT Museum. Upon getting there I noticed a small tick had attached itself to my right forearm. I hit him with hand sanitizer and used my tick removal tool on him and he was history. I am waiting to see if I get a red bullseye indicating Lyme Disease in the next 3-4 days to see if he had the last word. We spent 20 minutes in the museum which was small but very well done. One of the displays that caught my eye was a distance measuring wheel which had been used by Myron Avery, an early AT trailblazer, and later used by the Tennessee Eastman Hiking & Canoe Club (TEHC). The TEHC donated the wheel to the museum in 1970. My father was an active member of the TEHC in the late 50s through the early 70s and maintained a section of the AT in TN. As I stood there, I wondered if his hand had ever held this wheel. We had lunch at the store grill and started hiking again around 12:45 pm. We reached PA 94 around 4:30. Cindy from the Holly Inn where I had sent my package and where we are staying picked us up. The Holly Inn is reasonably priced ($50 per night), well maintained, clean, and the staff is very helpful / hiker-friendly. We walked to the Italian Taxi for dinner and hit the Family Dollar for a few re-supply items on the way back.