morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-26
From: The Doyle - Duncannon, PA

To: stealth site
Miles today: 11.4

I slept in this morning because I knew I was only doing 11 miles. The next 18 miles (after today) are all through farmlands and roads and there is no camping allowed since you'd be setting up in someone's corn fields. So, it was either do a short 11, or do a long 29. So, Team D0C0 is temporarily separated because Doc needs to be at the PA/MD border by Monday to hike MD with him mom. So, he took off super early this morning. I should be able to catch up with him and his mom in about a week at Harper's Ferry where I will be taking some time off to visit my best friend, Sarah, in D.C. I'm really looking forward to that! Also, it should work out perfectly to where I'll be there while my sister, also Sarah, is there for work! I'm stoked to see my 2 favorite Sarahs!! The miles were easy today, I took numerous long-ish breaks, slept in, and hiked slow, and was still done by 4:00pm. It was quite a relaxing day. I'm hoping to sleep well tonight so I can hopefully get myself up early tomorrow - I gotta at least do 18 (though it's an easy 18), but I'm hoping to do more, we'll see!
Date: 2013-09-27
From: stealth site

To: Little Dogwood Run Campsite
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was interesting. Most of the trail was through farm lands. I descended the mountain I was on, then the rest of the day was traversing the valley to get across to more mountains, where I climbed back up. The 1st part of the day was pretty lonely, passed a couple dayhikers. Then passed a strange fella - a NOBO still trying to make it all the way. Then a NOBO section hiker - Blue Line - who I chatted with for a bit and enjoyed because he told a couple corny jokes that made me laugh! The terrain was easy and flat, and it was a nice change of scenery to walk through cow and horse pastures and along corn stalks and other crops instead of in the woods. Taxi caught up to me today and I was so happy to see him! But he's meeting his brother tomorrow so he had to keep going after we stopped and talked for 20 minutes or so. He said all the other SOBOs behind us are pretty far back, so I'll be alone until I catch Doc and Madre. It doesn't scare me really to be alone at night, but at times I get a little uneasy around here since I'm always so close to roads and locals often come up to shelters or campsites for a night. But, I just love being around people, so being alone gets old fast for me simply because I like having people to talk to! The trail went through Boiling Springs through this park area, and I ended up walking through it with this older man who was out walking his 3 dogs. We talked and walked and joked as if we'd always known each other! He quoted some poem about hiking and was surprised at my literacy (his words) when I knew what he was talking about. Then he told me "I bet you're fun to hike with! I'd enjoy walking with you I think!" And it totally made my day =)
Date: 2013-09-28
From: Little Dogwood Run Campsite

To: stealth site
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started off good - got to see lots of dogs! 1 looked like my black lab Piper back home. Got to scramble over some cool rock formations this morning. Then the day got monotonous. The most eventful part of the day was when I was walking through a ton of spider webs and a twig got stuck to my leg...at least I thought it was stick...until it started crawling up my leg - then I realized it was a stick bug. Good work stick bug, good work. Since as far as I know, stick bugs are harmless, I let it stay on my leg. I named him Senor Gumby! He rode along for a good 7 miles believe it or not! I went through Pine Grove Furnace State Park, that was really pretty and I was able to spoil myself there - charged my phone, used real toilets, washed my hands with soap instead of just hand sanitizer, and filled up on potable water! That's about it. Counting down the days until Harper's Ferry! Though I am looking forward to Maryland.
Date: 2013-09-29
From: stealth site

To: stealth site
Miles today: 18.0

Today was pleasant but uneventful. I talked to a dayhiker for a while, but other than that, I saw no one. It was sunny and warm. The weather lately has been quite favorable! I saw bear poop. That's the only sign of a bear I've seen all trip! And, this morning I passed the halfway point!! So that was exciting =) It's going by really fast.
Date: 2013-10-01
From: stealth site

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The first part of today was a little rougher than expected, I hadn't heard anything about Maryland, so wasn't really expecting it to still be rocky, but it wasn't anything too awful! The worst part was just that I was so tired, I didn't sleep well last night so I was dragging today. I caught up to Doc and his mom (Madre) in the afternoon and was beyond happy to finally be back around people! Doc and Madre were nice enough to tell me I am more than welcome to hang out with them for the next couple days, which I'm grateful for - bless them. Maryland trail is beautiful so far - especially with some leaves falling and covering the trail. There was a section where the trail was wider than normal, and was soft brown dirt and flat with trees forming a kind of tunnel. These trees were dropping yellow leaves and the trail was blanketed with them, it was beautiful! I didn't get a picture. When the breeze blew at one point, I just sat in the middle of the trail and took it all in with the leaves falling around me - I love autumn! It's been really warm lately, which I'm thankful for still, but fall is definitely coming and I'm excited for that! There are a lot of people at the shelter here tonight, and I'm glad to be around this many people! There's a SOBO section hiker, Jackson, that is really nice and fun to be around, hopefully I'll see him again after DC, maybe we'll be able to catch back up to him!
Date: 2013-10-01
From: stealth site

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

The first part of today was a little rougher than expected, I hadn't heard anything about Maryland, so wasn't really expecting it to still be rocky, but it wasn't anything too awful! The worst part was just that I was so tired, I didn't sleep well last night so I was dragging today. I caught up to Doc and his mom (Madre) in the afternoon and was beyond happy to finally be back around people! Doc and Madre were nice enough to tell me I am more than welcome to hang out with them for the next couple days, which I'm grateful for - bless them. Maryland trail is beautiful so far - especially with some leaves falling and covering the trail. There was a section where the trail was wider than normal, and was soft brown dirt and flat with trees forming a kind of tunnel. These trees were dropping yellow leaves and the trail was blanketed with them, it was beautiful! I didn't get a picture. When the breeze blew at one point, I just sat in the middle of the trail and took it all in with the leaves falling around me - I love autumn! It's been really warm lately, which I'm thankful for still, but fall is definitely coming and I'm excited for that! There are a lot of people at the shelter here tonight, and I'm glad to be around this many people! There's a SOBO section hiker, Jackson, that is really nice and fun to be around, hopefully I'll see him again after DC, maybe we'll be able to catch back up to him!
Date: 2013-10-02
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

Today was a very enjoyable, relaxing day! I hiked with Doc, Madre, and Jackson for a bit this morning up to the "original" Washington Monument. Then I went ahead to the Dahlgren Campground to shower (for Sarah's sake, so I'm not TOO awful smelling when she comes to pick me up...though it didn't do much good since I still only have my smelly hiking clothes that haven't been washed in a week...and it's been hot...). They caught up to me there I got a chance to hang out with Madre for a bit, and we all ate lunch and hung out there for a little while. Doc and I got out my pack cover and played some catch - something so simple, yet so enjoyable! Then we ended the short day at this shelter! Doc, Madre, Jackson, and I are here tonight, and it's good company! I'll be leaving them behind in the morning to push the 16 miles into Harper's Ferry tomorrow instead of Friday! I've enjoyed hiking with them, and I'm very thankful to Doc and Madre for allowing me to be a part of their hike - I had a really great time!
Date: 2013-10-08
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 16.0

The 16 into Harper's today was actually pretty easy and enjoyable for the most part. I was motivated, so I covered the mileage pretty quickly, and got in by 3:00pm!I got my picture taken for the thru-hiker "yearbook" at the ATC headquarters, I am SOBO number 104! It was an absolutely beautiful day today. I enjoyed the descent into the C&O, I met a man who had come to hike up the mountain and spend just a couple hours out here today. He got to the top of the mountain while I was sitting eating lunch, and then we ended up descending together. I enjoyed his company for that 20 minutes. He was up there to clear his head as he's going through some hard times right now. I wish him the best of luck and hope everything works out for the best. I crossed into West Virginia! It's the shortest state on the trail, only about four miles go through WV, but I will finish up the last 1.6 or whatever when I return to trail after DC. So, 9, almost 10 states down, and 4.5 to go! My best friend Sarah picked me up and dealt with the smell very well - sorry to stink up your car and house Sarah! She took me into DC where she lives. I'd never been to D.C. before, and though I have enjoyed my time hanging out with Sarah, I still haven't really been to D.C.; we walked around the city, but with everything closed, I didn't do a whole lot of the cool toursity stuff. Even the monuments were barricaded off, which is stupid. Well, the whole thing is stupid, but that's a different topic altogether. I've had a great time with Sarah, and my sister Sarah flies in today for work and I am really excited to get to spend some time with her tonight and tomorrow morning! We don't get to see each other often, so it's cool that it worked out so well that she was coming here for work right now! YAY! I also got to watch the Braves do their usual October routine... lose in a few messy games...but at least I had a team in the playoffs to root for! =) It's been a fantastic break, but I am very ready to be back on trail. It's been restful, but I prefer the woods. The city is a bit overwhelming even though it's virtually empty. Next stop: VIRGINIA!
Date: 2013-10-11
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 11.9

So glad to be back on trail!! Stayed in Harper's Ferry a couple nights for baseball and wait out the weather. The weather was crappy today, but I was so happy to be hiking again! D.C. was great and I enjoyed my time with my Sarahs, but a week off is much too long for me. That being said, it was hard to leave the dry, warm, comforts of a motel room for the cold, pouring rain outside this morning. And it poured alllll day. And it's supposed to be like this for a couple days. I was a happy hiker today though! I enjoy stomping through the puddles and the terrain wasn't bad enough for it to be too slippery, just really wet. And, there was no wind, so hypothermia wasn't really an issue, it was warm enough to stay warm while moving. Also, coming to the Blackburn Center was nice because it is a free "hostel" - a cabin with four bunks and wood stove - so we knew we'd have a warm place to sleep and we were able to dry our clothes and stuff by the stove. It's been a fantastic day and there are other SOBOs here tonight, and more right behind us =)
Date: 2013-10-12
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 7.9

Two days back on trail and already we're pulling typical Team D0C0 shenanigans! It rained alll day. Agan. But it wasn't a torrential downpour like yesterday. But today we started the "Roller Coaster" which is a 13.5 mile section of 200-500 foot climbs and descents non-stop. No flat parts, just a bunch of ups and downs. Nothing super difficult, just relentless. It was made difficult by the rocks and leaves which are currently wet and slippery. So, naturally, when we reached a road with a sign for a restaurant/bar only 0.3 off, we decided it was necessary to eat lunch there. Then we decided to cut our day short and go to the Bear's Den Hostel for many reasons: 1) we're still getting back in shape, 2) we were hurting a bit, 3) Blue and other SOBOs are just a day or so behind and could catch up, 4) everything is wet, 5) baseball, and 6) it is cheap and a great deal. It paid off. Met some cool new SOBOs, got to shower and dry everything, watched baseball, and the caretakers John and Dana are slackpacking us tomorrow! Always making good decisions! Also, Blue caught up!!!! =)
Date: 2013-10-13
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 18.3

Man, good thing we slacked 13 today, it went SLOW! The ten miles of the roller coaster brought back some knee pain, but nothing too awful. The plus side is my foot feels fine! John met Doc and I at Ashby Gap togive us our regular packs, and we did the remaining 5 to the shelter with Blue! We arrived to find two weekenders here with a fire going! Beautiful scenery today despite the rain and fog, it looked pretty cool with the fog, but I'm glad we will be getting some sun soon!
Date: 2013-10-14
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Super stealthy stealth spot
Miles today: 22.9

The morning was foggy and the forest was beautiful!! The hiking was smooth and we kept a good pace. It warmed up significantly in the afternoon and we had gorgeous weather. We got to our planned destination a little sooner than expected, so we kept going...onward to Shenandoah National Park! I was super excited to engage in some federal trespassing! Though it will porbably end up being a nonissue since as far as I know, the rangers are only patrolling the roads, not the trail, so as long as we're careful at road crossings we should be good. We entered the park and would occasionnaly belt out "This Land is Your Land" which we found more amusing that we probably should have. We ate dinner at a spring before hiking on to a stealth spot. Since this is bear country, we thought maybe we'd eat somewhere other than where we were camping. The spring had a gorgeous view of a partial sunset. We got another great view of the sunset on our way to camp. It's been a great day!
Date: 2013-10-15
From: Super stealthy stealth spot

To: Luray, VA
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Another beautiful day today! Since we did a big day yesterday, we were able to push into Luray todayto resupply. SNP is empty and I'm convinced that we probably get the best SNP experience because we get the beauty without all the tourists and road noise! It's awesome!! It wasn't the easiest 20 miles in SNP and the last couple miles were painful, but I was motivated by a night in town and KFC!! Approaching the highway, we saw a ranger, but he didn't bother us, we were about out of the park technically anyway. Hitched in, and Luray is beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous, I want to live here! Went to Walmart, got some fried chicken, and got to watch both baseball games! My feet hate me right now, but it was worth it!
Date: 2013-10-21
From: Luray, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 85.0

Zeroed in Luray and went to the Caverns which were pretty cool! My pen quit working, so haven't been writing in my journal, so my next couple posts are the higlights for sections. Anyway, we hiked out of Luray and the government shutdown ended so the park opened back up. We were able to get overnight permits at a visitor center after a night of illegal camping without a permit. I like the park better closed because now there are lots of cars and I realized that we follow Skyline Drive and are almoat always within earshot of it. The trail goes up or down to the road for some of the overlooks, so we get almost the same views as the people driving in the park. The plus side is the Waysides opened up - they are like goos concessions/gift shops- so I was able to get a famous blackberry milkshake...maybe two. In one sitting. They were good! While in SNP, Doc and I saw FIVE bears! Included a little baby cub which we didn't stick around to take oictures of. SNP is beautiful though repetive at times, still pretty though. Going through here this time of year definitely makes me glad tobe a SOBO! Met some new SOBOs: Wildcat, Coco, Flocko, and Sqeptiq. Got to Waynesboro to resupply, and that's about it for the SNP section.
Date: 2013-10-27
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 59.0

Been hiking around Blue, Sumo, and Sqeptiq for the most part, The last few days got COLD, but then got warm again today and is supposed to be that way for a few days at least. A lot of people have quit lately. With the taste of cold weather, it's getting harder to stay motivated, but I'm rolling with a really great crew, so despite a couple bad days, morale is still high for us! There's been some great views and memorable moments; some of which I got pictures of and have put them in my "photos" here on trailjournals for those who wish to check those out!
Date: 2013-10-31
From: Buena Vista, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 50.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Highlights: great weather, beautiful trail, awesome people. Breeze caught up on her birthday (HAOOYBIRTHDAY BREEZE!) as did Flocko and two new SOBOs:Cool Blue and Blondie. I got sick, so we hiked a bit until I felt bad enough to stop, and we hitched to Daleville, skipping about a day and some change of hiking. I'm fine, just a bad sore throat/cold made worse by only being able to breathe through my mouth while hiking in the cool air. Kinda bummed that I missed Halloween and another day of good weather, but the positive side is that we got to watch the World Series! I still feel crapoy, but my throat is much better so I'm planning on hiking out tomorrow still after a restful zero where Doc was super sweet and made me tea and stuff. Got a new pen (thanks Mom!) so my entries are going back to daily ones hopefully! Happy Halloween!
Date: 2013-10-31
From: Buena Vista, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 50.7

Highlights: great weather, beautiful trail, awesome people. Breeze caught up on her birthday (HAOOYBIRTHDAY BREEZE!) as did Flocko and two new SOBOs:Cool Blue and Blondie. I got sick, so we hiked a bit until I felt bad enough to stop, and we hitched to Daleville, skipping about a day and some change of hiking. I'm fine, just a bad sore throat/cold made worse by only being able to breathe through my mouth while hiking in the cool air. Kinda bummed that I missed Halloween and another day of good weather, but the positive side is that we got to watch the World Series! I still feel crapoy, but my throat is much better so I'm planning on hiking out tomorrow still after a restful zero where Doc was super sweet and made me tea and stuff. Got a new pen (thanks Mom!) so my entries are going back to daily ones hopefully! Happy Halloween!
Date: 2013-11-02
From: Daleville, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Just kidding, stayed another day which was good for me, then today Doc felt awful, so we stayed again. But, TOMORROW, we are for real hiking out =) we missed the last of the really nice weather, but it will stil be nice for a few days, 50s instead of 60s...which is perfect for hiking!
Date: 2013-11-04
From: Daleville, VA

To: Lambert Meadows Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Finally checked out of the Comfort Inn which may be Team D0C0's new "Gorham, NH." We hiked out not quite feeling 100%, but at least able to walk! Did a short day and we were surprised to find Blue and Sumo at the shelter. We thought they'd be ahead, but Blue was fewling under the weather so they were taking it easy as well. Today was absolutely beautiful though, the whole day lookes like the picture here on this page. Gorgeous! The temperature dropped dramatically though around 4 pm, it got cold FAST and I was glad to roll into the shelter and climb into my bag. Tomorrow should be awesome- Tinker Cliffs and McKafee Knob! It's good to be back on trail.
Date: 2013-11-05
From: Lambert Meadows Shelter

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

All of us slept in this morning before heading up to Tinker Cliffs. The cliffs were so cool! Once you climb up, the trail follows along the cliff edge for about half a mile. The views were really neat of a valley between the cliffs and another, distant ridgeline, but there was a third, smaller ridgeline in the middle splitting the valley in two. So it was a cool double valley type thing which I hadn't really seen before! We also could see the next four miles of trail over to McKafee Knob; I always like seeing where I'm going, or where I've been! Doc, Sumo, and I spent some tims on the cliffs hanging out and enjoying the view. Doc and I continued hiking before Blue got up there, and we didn't see Blue and Sumo the rest of the day. The trail was absolutely beautiful which made up for how slow I was moving. We ate lunch before heading up to McKafee Knob where there were some rock scrambles that doc enjoyed playing around in and on the rocks. The view from McKafee Knob is the same as from Tinker Cliffs but facing the other way. It was cool to see where we had been just a couple hours earlier! Also a helicopter flew by and we were even with it and really close, for some reason I was a lot more amused with that than I think I should have been, but it was reaaly awesome, I thought, to be able to see the pilot's face and be on the same level as a flying helicopter!! McKafee Knob is where everyone takes the "dangly feet" picture where you sent on the edge of the cliff. So, we did our McKafee Knob pictures, then continued hiking. The water situation today, and lately in general, was iffy - everything was dried up so instead of staying at a shelter, we had to keep going because we didn't have water. Even the sources listed as reliable in the guidebook weren't running. So, we went to Four Pines Hostel which is a big garage with cots and couches and blankets and a dartboard and a wood burning stove and a bathroom with hot shower! Mr. Joe Mitchell picked us up amd was really cool. He let us used wood from his wood shed to burn in the wood stove, and we were warm before too long. Doc and I played some darts, and apparently I play better the more tired I am; there was a hostel cat (named Shitty Kitty) that stays in the garage too. I'm really allergic, so I took (too much) Benedryl, and once it hit me, I could barely keep my eyes open, but I actually beat Doc in the third game! Thanks to Mr. Mitchell and his son Josh for making us feel comfortable and giving us a warm place to sleep for the night! The Mitchells are good people, and hopefully with a warm place to sleep, we will be able to get up and out early tomorrow!