morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-06-08
From: Troutville, VA

To: Troutville, VA
Miles today: 0.0

We all slept good last night. The picnic tables in the pavilion were filled with hikers in sleeping bags, the rafters were filled with hikers in hammocks, and the grass was scattered with hikers in tents. Setup for the festival was going strong by 6:15, but they let the hikers sleep. Before 8, Breezy and I were across the street, in the pouring rain, registering for the Hiker Hustle 5K, which we had both decided to run. The park manager kept saying, "The rain's going to stop." It was hard to believe him in the deluge, but by 8:45 wisps of blue sky start drifting our way and the rain suddenly stopped. The rest of the day was beautiful blue skies! At 9:00 the race started and 30 runners took off up the hill. It was hard running, the first half was mostly uphill. After that it was downhill through a soggy, muddy meadow, and then back down the hill again. It was hard, I haven't done much running since February, but it went pretty good. I finished 21st, with a time of 32:18 I think. I was so proud of my sister Breezy. It was her first race and she ran hard. Later at the awards we found we had taken 1st and 2nd place in our age category (females 50+ years old), out of a total of 3 runners!!! We had a good laugh about that. At noon, the hikers got to judge the Battle of the Bakers. We sampled so many sweet treats we were getting a little overloaded, but it was fun! Lots of music throughout the day, many equipment and food vendors, several demonstrations, and overall a really good time. At supper time we all wandered across the street to Town Hall to work on the leftovers from last night and today's bakers. A very hospitable town and a fun Trail Days. Foodwalker kept busy today and yesterday shuttling people around, and his services were much appreciated. Pretty tired tonight as we retired to our tents. Planning to hit the trail again in the morning.
Date: 2013-06-09
From: Troutville, VA

To: Tinker Cliffs, VA
Miles today: 12.3

Today was a combination of hard, rocky up hills and nicer uphills. There must have been some downhills on there, too, but I didn't really notice them! Started at Troutville and hiked the 1 1/2 miles to Dalesville with just our poles. Foodwalker met us there with our packs, and we were off. The trail between Troutville and Dalesville was so slippery with wet clay that I grabbed my Yaktraks out of the car and wore them for a couple of hours until we were past the slippery parts. Thought about stopping at Lamberts Meadow Shelter, but it was so damp and dark and buggy that we decided to go on. Finally made it to the top of Tinker Cliffs, A half-mile long cliff at a 3000 ft elevation. Much nicer up there, so when we found a tent site we set up camp. Pretty hazy across the valley far below, hope it doesn't storm during the night. We're camped back from the edge in the trees, so should be okay.
Date: 2013-06-17
From: US 52, near Bland, VA

To: 2 miles past Helveys Mill Shelter, VA
Miles today: 4.0

My sister Breezy and I have returned to where I left the trail, near Bland, VA, back in May. We have only about 115 miles left to do in Virginia, up to Front Royal. We went to Ohio for a week to visit with family, and especially to see my son and his family who came from Wisconsin. They have 5 children, including a brand new little granddaughter who we were very excited to meet. We all had a great time! Foodwalker dropped us off about 4:15 and walked a way with us to make sure we got on the right road. He was hoping to find a campsite near the Falls of Dismal, so I hope that worked out for him. Pretty pleasant hiking today, found a nice campsite and set up for the night.
Date: 2013-06-18
From: 2 miles past Helveys Mill Shelter, VA

To: Dismal Falls, Va
Miles today: 16.2

Well, the rain just barely held off until we got our tents packed up, and that was the end of that! It rained steadily all day, so we just slogged on through it. We came upon a doe nursing a fawn, which is not something I have ever seen before. When we stopped to look they took off, of course. We stopped for a short break at Jenny Knob Shelter, where we met a section hiker named Hot Pocket. Breezy announced that she was at the halfway mark on her Appalachian Trail hike (she did 900 miles southbound last year), and she made a sign to commemorate the occasion. I wish I'd brought a cupcake for her, but I offered to light a match to celebrate. The rain finally petered out about 4, when we reached Dismal Falls, a really pretty series of waterfalls, where we set up out tents.
Date: 2013-06-19
From: Dismal Falls, Va

To: The view at Mile 621.7
Miles today: 14.4

Two words describe today, "mud" and "rocks"! After all the rain yesterday, the trail was a slippery mess, which wasn't helped by the fact that we were going through an extensive wetlands area. Thank goodness for bridges, sixteen of them in fact!! Plus all the stream crossings without bridges and all the mud in between made for quite the day. Unbelievably, neither of us fell! We were planning to camp at a viewpoint, but when we finally came to a site, after a long hike over large rocks, we grabbed it. While Breezy set up her tent, I hiked a little farther up the trail, about ten feet in fact, when I saw the trail to the viewpoint and went up it, passing a few feet from where Breezy was setting up camp! So, I guess we made it after all!
Date: 2013-06-20
From: The view at Mile 621.7

To: Powerline at Mile 633.8
Miles today: 12.1

We slept good last night, after all the muddy climbing. Four people also camped near us at the view. Very interesting. They hung their foodbags off the viewpoint, which is just a big rock jutting off the top of the mountain. I guess they figured no critters were going off the cliff to try to get their food! Another interesting thing was that they hung two hammocks from the same trees, one above the other with a tarp over the top one. They said they'd done it before with no problems, but I don't think I'd want to be the guy on the bottom! Today was a lot like yesterday, with all the mud and rocks. I was very scared going down a long slippery stream, which was also the trail, but managed it successfully with no falls. My socks were pretty thick with mud, though! Up above Pearisburg we stopped at Angels Rest, a rocky outcropping where you can see clear out over the valley. We eventually made it to Pearisburg about 1:15, later than we planned, but Foodwalker was patiently waiting for us. Such a good man, we are so thankful for him. We had a late lunch at the DQ, picked up a couple of things at the Dollar General, and then we went to a park to pack our resupply into our packs. I wasn't feeling too good, too much DQ I guess, so I laid down on the picnic table bench and slept for a while. We finally got back on the trail about 4:15, and put in a couple more miles before finding a good site beside a stream where we are set up for the night
Date: 2013-06-21
From: Powerline at Mile 633.8

To: Peters Mountain
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

More of the same today, mud and rocks, especially rocks! Big rocks, little rocks, everything in between, slippery rocks, sharp pointy rocks, you name it. Oh well, it was a beautiful day for hiking. The picture was taken from the top of a beautiful bald, where we stopped for a snack and enjoyed the view which stretched for miles. Later, as we were sitting on a log near the trail eating lunch, a tiny little spotted fawn went trotting by. It slowed a little to look at us, but was not alarmed at all and just skipped on past us. Kept expecting to see the mother, but never did. Not a lot of water in this area, so we filtered some extra to carry in the water bag, and were glad we did. The day ended the way it began, with a difficult climb up a really steep, rocky mountainside. Found a large flat area at the top, where we quickly set up camp and settled in for the night.
Date: 2013-06-22
From: Peters Mountain

To: Pipeline clearing
Miles today: 13.2

Beautiful day today. The first four miles went pretty quickly. Then it was back to rocks, not as much mud. Passed the zip line over Stony Creek to "The Captain's Place", a free hostel on the other side of the creek. The water was still running pretty high in the creek. Shortly after that we heard a loud racket high up in the trees. I thought a branch was falling, but instead a half-grown bear cub came scrambling down as fast as he could and tore off into the woods. The trail up to Wind Rock seemed to be a popular one, there were a number of day hikers out and the view was pretty spectacular. Another mile and a half and we knew our campsite when we saw it, a pretty little place with a nice little stream for water.
Date: 2013-06-23
From: Pipeline clearing

To: VA 42 trail crossing
Miles today: 11.8

We were planning on meeting Foodwalker today, and were glad to finally pick up some cell phone reception, which we haven't had since Thursday. About half of today was again very rocky, difficult trail, but the rest was pretty pleasant and we really appreciated it. At the 2/3 mark of another difficult climb we found sodas and oranges left by Special K and Superdave, which really hit the spot! Very surprised when we pulled into Laurel Creek Shelter for lunch and found a large group of thruhikers. Met Nomad and Mountain Man, who started the day before we did, as well as Seeker, Nut, Cannibal Curious, Sunshine, and others. Climbed over about five fence stiles past some meadows and finally greeted by the welcome sight of Foodwalker. He has been camping at Troutville again, and took us there for the night. The shower at the fire station was great after a week on the trail, and he did our laundry for us which was also terrific!
Date: 2013-06-24
From: VA 42 trail crossing

To: VA 42 trail crossing
Miles today: 0.0

Today three of my kids, Jared, Orrin, Jana, and Jana's boyfriend Chris came from Wisconsin and Los Angeles came to hike with us for a few days. Took a while to arrive, but we finally started up the trail to McAfee's Knob about 6 pm. Took the fire road to save time, since Breezy and I had been up there before. Only took about an hour and a half to do the 4 miles up, even with the guys stopping to climb around on the rocks. The view was beautiful up there, could see the Tinker Cliffs where we had camped before and the whole ridgeline we had walked in the fog and rain. It was neat to see. Did a lot of climbing around up there. Lot of other hikers hanging around waiting for sunset. Got dark on the 4 miles back down, had to do the last part with headlamps. Jared and Orrin took the trail, which is pretty rocky, but the rest of us took the fire road. Then came the packing up and getting organized and we headed out to a campsite Breezy and I had previously scouted out. By the time we got all the tents and hammocks up, supper done, and finished talking it was well after midnight. They were on little clearing on a cliff edge with a beautiful view even at night. The full moon was out and you could see clear across the valley to the next mountain range. Breezy and I set up on the other side of the trail, a place which was swarming with ants and spiders! Oh well, too late to relocate at that time of night. Slept pretty good. Heading to Dragons Tooth tomorrow.
Date: 2013-07-04
From: Lambs Knoll Tower Road, MD

To: I-70 footbridge, MD
Miles today: 7.4

Happy 4th of July! We decided to take an easy day today, slack packing only half the day and going back to our campsite at the Dahlgren Backpack Campground. It was a very interesting hike, passing many monuments and informational signs relating to the Civil War era. We hiked up a trail that detailed the events of George Washington's life, and culminated in a large round stone tower built to honor him on the early 1800's. We climbed up inside, and could see the countryside for many miles around. Afterwards, we had a picnic lunch, napped, had a picnic supper, and packed up for tomorrow.
Date: 2013-07-05
From: I-70 footbridge, MD

To: Campsite past PenMar County Park, PA
Miles today: 19.2

Long day today, but it went well. Started out at the I-70 footbridge, slack packing again. Went about a mile, when I realized I no longer had my phone in my pocket, which I had had when we started. It must have fallen out when I sat down to empty some gravel out of my shoe. I started back down the trail immediately, leaving my pack with Breezy, searching frantically. After about a half mile I met some day hikers who had found it. I was do grateful to them! The rest of the morning went well. Breezy's watch alarm always goes off at 10:30, so we have decided to stop then and have a snack, which is working well. Stopped at the Ensign Cowall Shelter for lunch. After that the rocks began on earnest. Difficult going in places, especially going down one mountain which was one big boulder field and very steep. Finally pulled into the PenMar County Park, where Foodwalker had a great steak supper hot and ready to eat. It was sooo good! After an hour or so we put on our regular packs and took off for the last mile of today's journey. We had promised ourselves that we would make it to Pennsylvania today, and we crossed the Mason-Dixon Line into Pennsylvania a short time later! Another half mile and we were at the campsite. Met Damselfly, who is just starting out. Soon Klinker rolled in, who was in the race with us in Troutville. Another lady rolled in just as it was getting dark, so I guess it is ladies' night tonight on the banks of this stream. Very unusual, actually.
Date: 2013-07-06
From: Campsite past PenMar County Park, PA

To: Rocky Mountain Shelters, PA
Miles today: 14.3

Nice day of hiking today. Started about 7 am, and met Foodwalker just after 8, sitting at a picnic table in the shade with our slack packs beside. We told him about Damselfly, who needed a ride into town and he agreed to wait for her. Just before that, we had discovered 3 red plastic bags sitting by the trail, with sodas and water left by Papa Jim, a fellow 2013 thruhiker. We stopped for a break in a nice little area with a picnic table between two streams. Later we came to the third shelter in just a few miles and found a crew from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club hard at work improving the tent pads. It was actually two shelters, labeled Snoring and Non-Snoring. There were even clotheslines behind the shelters and a doorbell on the privy!! (Non-working) They had all kinds of treats for us, cookies, donuts, and muffins. By the time we left there, we decided we really didn't need to stop for lunch. We were walking along in the middle of nowhere when we came across a box on a pole, labeled "Trail Log." Nearby on the trail was a log labeled "Log." We sat down on the trail log to read the trail log to read and add our own entry to the trail log. Finally got up off the trail log and returned the trail log to the trail log box, bid farewell to the convenient trail log we had sat on, and went on our way. Met Foodwalker about 2:30 to pick up our regular packs and headed up the next mountain. Stopped for the night at a tent site on the ridge above the Rocky Mountain Shelters. The actual shelters are down a very steep trail about 0.2 mile, and the spring is another 0.3 mile down that steep trail. We didn't want to carry our packs all the way down and up that trail, so we set up camp and just tool the water bags and filter down. It's been pretty hot, so we got extra water. After supper, Breezy hung our bear bags with a great deal of difficulty, trying at least 15 times to get the rope over a branch strong enough to hold the bags. Usually she hangs those bags almost effortlessly but the trees were just not cooperating tonight. Settling on for the night now on a beautiful evening.
Date: 2013-07-07
From: Rocky Mountain Shelters, PA

To: Birch Run Shelter, PA
Miles today: 13.0

Today was a tiring day for me, I don't know why. Luckily it was a shorter mileage day, only 13 miles. We met Foodwalker early in the day and slackpacked a good part of the day. Went through Caledonia State Park early in the morning, beautiful park! As we headed up the trail into the mountains we met many other backpackers coming down. Apparently a popular area. We were warned several times about rattlesnakes on Hosack Trail, where we weren't going anyways. Made our way to the Quarry Gap Shelters, where we met Jim, "The Innkeeper " who designed and built the shelter and now maintains it. It was a beautiful double shelter, even had hanging baskets of flowers and a cute welcome sign on a little garden gateway. A lot of the shelters we've seen in PA have been double shelters. After that it was just a lot of walking until we arrived at Birch Run Shelter, just ahead of a thunderstorm. It was our destination for the night, so we were glad to get there and quickly claimed bunks. There were 8 bunks, instead of sleeping on the floor as usual. Pretty nice. Clinker was there, as well as Nidas, who just started about a week ago. Soon Survivor and another older local man also rolled in. Clinker and Nidas had been given some MREs, so they tried them out. They both left soon after to head to the next shelter. The other two stuck around for a while until the rain let up a little and then they took off also, and we had the shelter to ourselves for the rest of the night.
Date: 2013-07-15
From: windsor furnace shelter, pa

To: eagle's nest shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Actually, Tracy and Breezy stayed at 501shelter in Pennsylvania, as did foodwalker. Very nice shelter, with 6 bunk beds, a good table, 2 cats, and a lot of space. Also had a skylight,which kept the room lit up fairly well. Had met them at highway 183 at a small parking lot along the road. Day is pretty hot; supposed to be in the 90s for a while.
Date: 2013-07-16
From: eagle's nest shelter, pa

To: windsor furnace shelter, pa
Miles today: 0.0

Met Tracy McG and Breezy in Port Clinton for lunch under a shady tree near a set of railroad tracks. They will be heading to a shelter about 6 miles away from here. Look to be in pretty good spirits. Came from a relatively steep downhill,which probably means there will beWill be a steep uphill coming up shortly.
Date: 2013-08-27
From: Mt Jefferson Loop Trail, NH, mile 1855.7

To: Mt Washington, NH
Miles today: 0.0

This is written in 2014. I got off the trail in the Whites, after I got so afraid of falling that I lost my nerve and had to quit. In retrospect, I think having a hiking partner would have helped a lot. I did New Jersey north through the Whites alone, in increasingly difficult terrain, and the fear of falling slowly increased until I couldn't go on. I felt pretty embarrassed about it at the time, but have analyzed it a lot since then, and am more comfortable with my decision. I am going to try the trail again in 2014.
Date: 2014-02-14
To: preparation
Miles today: 0.0

Are going back on the AT again. I (foodwalker) will be going on the trail as trail support for my wife (trail name Tracy McG) and her sister (trail name Cassidy). We will starting out from Harpers Ferry and heading southbound to Amicacola Falls and then going up to Katadhin in Maine and heading to Harpers Ferry going southbound. Will be starting from Harpers Ferry on March 10th.Last year, Tracy got to Pinkham Notch before we left the trail last year; will be starting and hopefully will go all the way through this year. Definitely are itching to go back on the road. As I said earlier, I will be doing trail support for Tracy and Cassidy, and also doing my own exploration as we go from place to place. If anyone has any tips on mobile trail support, feel free to send a message. Given the amount of snow that has fallen, am wondering what the conditions will be like when we all start out on the trail in a little over three weeks. I will be trying to give as much detail as I can about the AT from the perspective of the trail support angel. Will Will write more later. Foodwalker
Date: 2013-01-13
To: Welcome
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Welcome everyone to my trail journal. About four months ago I felt the need to do something extraordinary, that was challenging both mentally and physically. One day while I was getting my oil changed at a service center, I picked up a magazine and read an article about hiking in the Smokey Mountains. Then it dawned on me, I should attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail(AT). Not knowing where to start, I thought it would be helpful to read books written by hikers who had thru hiked the AT. After reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller, I was inspired and decided to make preparations for a hike in 2013.So why would a sixty-three year old man want to leave the comforts of home and more or less become a recluse on the AT. I really don't know, maybe it's the challenge of achieving a goal or accomplishing a feat that few have succeeded. All I know is that I'm doing it.
Date: 2013-01-14
To: Preparation is necessary
Miles today: 0.0

After reading journals of past hikers who attempted to thru hike and failed, because of blisters and other foot problems, sprained ankles and knee issues, I was determined to be in the best physical condition possible. I started hiking in early November with a fifty pound pack. Although I will not carry this much weight during my hike, I thought the extra weight would help my conditioning and stamina. First three weeks of hiking produced sever blisters on both feet and decided that the hiking boots were the problem. After purchasing new boots, no more blisters and after successfully completing eight mile hikes, I decided it was time to increase the stress level. In early December I started descending and ascending the stairway at Devil's Mill Hopper State Park (DM) with my back pack. Devil's Mill Hopper is located outside of Gainesville, Fl. and is a geological anomaly. It is a two thousand year old sinkhole and descends 120 feet to the bottom, which is accessed by a stairway. I'm hoping this simulates the ups and downs on the AT. Currently I'm up to ten round trips twice a week and plan to be at a minimum of fifteen trips three times a week before my start date.
Date: 2013-01-15
To: How I plan to attack the AT
Miles today: 0.0

As of this day I'm planning to complete the trail over a two year period. I plan to start on March 3rd and hike for a month, leaving the trail at Hot Springs, N.C. After three - four weeks back home, I'll return to the trail and continue on to Harpers Ferry, W.Va., completing the trail next year. That's the plan as of today. However, I am leaving open the option to make the decision on whether to continue and complete the trail this year after reaching Harpers Ferry.
Date: 2013-01-27
To: Shake down
Miles today: 0.0

Last week I spent six days camping out in the backyard. The purpose of this exercise was to test and learn too properly use all my equipment. Every day I would set everything up, cook my dinner on the stove and in the morning fix breakfast, then repack everything into my back pack. This was followed by either an eight mile hike or driving to the mill hopper and doing steps for an hour and 45 minutes.My conditioning is improving, as it is easier to manage the flight of steps. I'm up to 14 trips with a forty-five pound pack. The plan is to be doing twenty trips before my start date. So far I haven't had anymore foot or leg issues.Start date is five weeks away and the anticipation of getting started is setting in.
Date: 2013-02-17
To: Two weeks and counting
Miles today: 0.0

Well the prep time is slowly coming to an end. Two weeks from tonight and I'll be spending my first night on the trail. Can't say how much I'm looking forward to getting started. Last week I completed 20 trips down and up at the Millhopper. This was my goal when I started training last November. That's the equivalent of 2200 feet in elevation change from bottom to top to bottom in 2 hrs. and 45 min. with a 40 lb. pack. I feel great, even my wife Jane says she can see a change in the ol' body. Maybe I'll continue the training after I complete the trail.I'll update again before start date.