morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-04-22
From: Big Meadow Camp Ground

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: scattered clouds

No sooner had I opened my eyes this morning, my thoughts were firmly glued to the idea of an AYCE breakfast at Skyland Restaurant which closes at 10.30 am.   So along with a few other hikers, who clearly had the same inspiration, I was on track and raring to go.We managed the 7.9 miles in relatively smart order, and then we ate very well.By the way, I just had to send you a picture of this sign for keeping your dogs on leads, as to my mind it's a most peculiar looking animal, or maybe its my Hiker Brain kicking in, in which case, perhaps its time to send the men in white coats to come and get me!Anyway feeling totally fortified, we made our way back to the trail.  It was skillfully constructed and being well designed, it invited you to view the magnificent vistas, which were many.   I thoroughly enjoyed today¢s trail and it is for me the best of the Shenandoah NP to date.Tonight, No Service, Dusty Papa and myself are in the shelter with a few late arrivals setting up camp.  G¢nite to you all.
Date: 2019-04-23
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

Early start and heading for Elkwallow Wayside Rest stop in Rileyville, Virginia. It¢s a type of gift shop with a kitchen and is located within Shenandoah National Park.  I have to say, having arrived and brought the over priced food, I was tempted to hitch a ride back to Skyland Restaurant and pay $15 for AYCE buffet breakfast!  So tempting!While back on trail, Dusty Papa decided that he¢d stop at the next shelter while No Service and myself hiked on to a known spring, where we hoped to find a spot to camp for the night.No Service was out in front and just as the day was coming to a close, I came across two trekking poles with a sign saying ¢Wow trail magic¢ with an arrow sign pointing just off-trail. This baffled me but having scratched my head, I donned my cap and followed the arrow.  To my utter amazement, there was Bottles with No Service, eating pizza and drinking beer out the back of a car.  It turns out that Bottles (a Thru hiker) is No Service¢s son.  He decided to surprise his Dad with some Trail Magic. Stunning!Bottles camped with us and then Physics showed up, as having said good-bye to his family and friends, he is now back, on trail. Altogether, another great day.
Date: 2019-04-24
From: Stealth Camp

To: Mountain Home Cabbin Hostel, Front Ford
Miles today: 6.8

Up early and having said goodbye to Bottles we headed to the hostel for a nero.   The hostel we have in mind is very convenient, being only 120 steps or so off the trail.  It¢s called Mountain Home and is an old homestead with numerous timber and brick outbuildings.   One of these small buildings was lovingly converted into a cottage, and named ¢The Cabbin¢ and is used by hikers like my self.This works fine for me as I need to stop and replace my boots, as the inner linings, particularly at the back of each heal, are breaking down.  It will also be good chance to resupply. But sadly, The Outfitters in Front Ford doesn¢t have my style/size of boot, so I¢ll have to make do ¢till Harpers Ferry, which is at the half way mark. Yep!  2.5 million steps completed and 2.5 million steps to go!My next problem is that I have to get to Harpers Ferry by 12 mid-day on Saturday before they close.  I have a bounce box, which I need to forward to another address further down the track and if I don¢t make it in time, I¢ll have to wait till Monday morning to do my business, which means loosing one and a half days of trekking time!So I¢d better not hang around too long, delightful as it all is.Monarch Interjects:  I¢m sharing this picture of a beautiful woodland flower that WOW sent me this morning.  I can identify most of the blooms he sends, but this one has me baffled.  If anyone knows what it is and you have a moment, could you jump onto the guest book page and let me know it¢s botanical or common name? Thanks x
Date: 2019-04-25
From: Mountain Home Cabbin Hostel, Front Ford

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The day would be full of surprises. The breakfast served in the main house at Mountain Home, Cabbin hostel and B&B was the start of the surprises, it was fabulous!Taking time to look around, I couldn¢t help but feel the love, passion and dedication that Lisa and Scott have lavished on restoring their home. It is stunning.   Some of the windows still have the original panes of glass in them.  And almost every room is decorated with antiques of one kind or another.   Ask them why Cabbin has a double ¢b¢ in the spelling - it is a beautiful story.Initially, No Service was suffering from stomach problems following a meal that he had eaten in town and was going to stay and see if things would settle down. Next thing he¢s overtaking me on the trail feeling a little better!Some time about mid afternoon, I came to a main road and saw two hikers resting.  Their names were Corey and Andrew and both were from Hobart in Tasmania and are doing a month long section hike on the AT.  We shared a yarn or two and then as I started off down the track, I called back over my shoulder and jokingly asked that "who ever it was last out of Tasmania, I hoped they¢d turned the lights off, seeing that most of the population was on the AT"! I made it to Rod Hollow Shelter where a trail crew had just finished putting in a new sleeping deck so I had the fun of being the first one to try it out. A late arrival was Aca who was heading into Harpers Ferry to pick up a new hammock.  Like myself, he has not used one before.   I wish him luck!
Date: 2019-04-26
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: David Lesser Shelter 
Miles today: 21.1

We were up early and headed off into the famous Roller Coaster, which perfectly describes this stretch of ascents and descents that will last for a few miles. The sign at the start tells us to enjoy the ride.  As if!I found it tiring and with legs of lead, I was happy to head into the Horseshoe Curve Restaurant, which apparently, was started by an ex. CIA operative and is now famous, as a music venue. Having fuelled up on hamburgers we got back on trail.We passed the 1,000-mile mark at Buzzard Hill but I did not see any sign. Monarch Interjects:  Well Done WOW, I¢m truly proud of you!  At the shelter, the water was a long way down a steep slope but it¢s crystal clear.Tie turned up, having had a week-off trail for his daughter¢s graduation from the Army Basic Training.We¢re dropping into Harpers Ferry for a resupply, new gear and food then hitting the trail again as quickly as possible. There¢s supposed to be a Flip-Flop Festival in Harpers Ferry this weekend, which may make finding a bunk difficult.
Date: 2019-04-27
From: David Lesser Shelter 

To: Ed Garvey Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: moderate rain

So, I got up very early this morning and started walking on headlights. I got into Harpers Ferry, which is an area with a history so multilayered, involving a diverse number of people and events that influenced the course of American history, that I couldn¢t possibly do it justice within this small journal ¢ So sorry folks, you¢ll have to ¢Google¢ it.  Needless to say the first thing I did was to head to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy HQ to have my photo taken. It is of interest to note that my number starting at Springer was 197 and yet I am only the 54th NoBo to register at the ATC HQ.I was unimpressed by the resupply options available to me and despite many hikers staying in Harpers for the night, I hit the trail and got to Ed Garvey Shelter which was full of campers and hikers. Here I¢ve met Peter and Lou who are flip-floppers heading NoBo to Maine from Harpers.Peter has done the AT with his dad in 2004 and is now doing it with his wife so suggested his trail name should be Take Two.It's always good to finish a day with some great company.
Date: 2019-04-28
From: Ed Garvey Shelter

To: Pogo Memorial Campsite
Miles today: 20.1

I was on trail early and walked thru showers of rain for most of the morning. Although the trail is gentle it is becoming rockier which does slow progress.Not long into today¢s trek, Hiker Brain started whining on about not having enough snacks till the next resupply and the more I tried to ignore it, the louder it got!I came upon a campground and so I headed to the toilet block to top up my water and noticed that it was installed with a shower, which had hot water!   Whoopee! Ten minutes later I was freshly showered and heading down the track.  I then came upon the Old South Mountain Inn, which just happened to be serving AYCE buffet lunch. On telling this story to Monarch on the phone this morning, her first thought was that the proprietor of the Inn probably had the good business sense to have had the shower installed!They are use to visiting hikers but they do have a side room for us so as not to frighten the Sunday lunch patrons - it did have linen napkins after all!!The buffet was well worth the money. Monarch Interjects:  What WOW is not mentioning is how easy it was for him to wolf down four ¢ yes, I said four ¢ plates of food in one sitting!   I arrived at the Pogo Campsite and found Norman setting up his hammock. Having set up my tent, I was full of good intentions to do the blog but I promptly fell asleep.Monarch Interjects:  After the fabulous lunch you had today I¢m not too sure it was ¢good intentions¢ that you were full of!  Sleep well!!
Date: 2019-04-29
From: Pogo Memorial Campsite

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: clear sky

Up nice and early as usual and I noticed once again that since Harpers Ferry there are now a large number of people on trail. The trail takes you through some very historical countryside with plenty of information boards and monuments to look at. I met Data and True Grit with her dog Harley. True Grit is from Maine and was able to give me valuable information on the resupply options in that area.  Many thanks for that info. As I was going through Pen Mar Park I started talking to a gentleman who ended up kindly giving me a lift to Waynesboro PA to get some snack food.  He had recently retired and has decided that he will be doing Track Maintenance and providing Trail Magic in the coming years as a way of giving back for all those years that he has been able to enjoy the track himself.  So it looks like I¢m his first customer!On my arrival in Waynesboro, I soon found a place where I could eat a large amount of food before grabbing some snacks for the trail.  But the magic didn't end there, for no sooner was I walking down the road to get back to the track, someone pulled over and gave me a ride to the trail.I was so pleased ¢ to have gone off trail, had a good feed, met some great characters and got my resupply, then back on track all within 90 minutes  - Many Blessings!I have just arrived at the twin huts of Deer Lick Shelter and now Legolas, Starfish, Physics and Classic have walked in.  Looks like we¢re all in for a fun evening! It was a hard day to begin with but as they say on the AT ¢the trail provides¢ and today it did - Even a difficult day is a good day.
Date: 2019-04-30
From: Deer Lick Shelters

To: Birch Run Shelter 
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: light rain

I was up early as usual and on trail predawn. The trail in general, is gentle with an occasional steep ascent, just to remind you that you are on the AT. I sometimes get the feeling that I¢m walking in suburbia, as there are a great number of people on the trail.When I got to the shelter this evening, it was full of AT thru hikers.  So as you can imagine, there was a good deal of catching-up going on.   To add to the fun, a large group of young folk came across and gave us all their spare food, which was greatly received and quickly demolished.Also, for this group of trekkers, it has become something of a tradition prior to going to bed, for each member to tell the rest of the group about their high and low points of the day and so one at a time they reveal all.  Monarch Interjects:  What WOW hasn't mentioned is that he brought out two enormous packets of chocolate Kit Kat¢s (chocolate holding the same value as gold on the trail) and consoled each hiker with a stick, as the told their tales of woe! (Dearest Monarch the purpose of the chocolate was if the telling of the low point in the day left a bitter taste in the mouth the sweetness of the chocolate  would erase the memory and give sweet dreams.)On a more serious note:  We are in the area of the AT where you can do the Four State Challenge, PA-VA which means that you must walk 42.9 miles in 24 hours, in the process traveling across the borders of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.   A number of hikers have completed the challenge including Nil and Danger Boy.  Impressive!
Date: 2019-05-01
From: Birch Run Shelter 

To: Alex Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: clear sky

What a great day. It started early and the trail miles were gentle. By 10 a.m. I had managed to do 10 miles (10 x 10). The Mini Bubble Crew I met at the last shelter had planned to do 25 miles today but I had not committed to a destination. I seem to have passed a number of halfway marks today, as the distance of the AT this year is 2,192 miles, the longest it has ever been. I passed a general store so naturally I stopped for a burger, coffee and a few chocolate bars. Having this fuel on board I was feeling good and the legs were happy so I pushed for the shelter.  On the way I ran into Sonoma Songbird and her brother Glow Worm (see Photo) who you will notice has the same style of dirty-girl gaiters on as I¢m wearing. Glow Worm and I both agreed that at our age we could either live a quite life of desperation, or grab life by the throat and grow old disgracefully, we were both definitely in the latter camp.  Later that day another  rather funny incident took place. There I was, head down and trudging along when I walked past a lookout, where a couple of women taking their dog for a walk, had stopped to enjoy the view. As I approached the dog ran off. I continued walking as you do, and as I passed the lookout one of the women came up behind me on the trail and whistled for her dog. On hearing the whistle I stopped and quickly turned to her and said - ¢How do you know that whistle¢?  She looked puzzled.I said ¢That¢s the whistle my wife uses when she wants to call me to heel¢ The woman started to laugh. I followed this with ¢You don¢t look like my wife - you¢re not my wife in disguise, are you¢? By now the woman found this so funny that she had literally creased up laughing and was now squatting on the ground. I continued by proudly saying ¢ I am house trained you know - I even bark when I want to go outside!! At this point the woman held her arm up and begged me to stop because she was laughing so hard, she was unable to breath. I turned and disappeared down the track leaving both women in gales of laugher.   ¢  Come to think of it, I wonder if they got their dog back?!It¢s what my stepdaughter Tiger would have called a ¢location situation¢- you had to be there.
Date: 2019-05-02
From: Alex Kennedy Shelter

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Up early and into Boiling Springs for a hearty breakfast. The town was very neat and tidy and ducks could be seen waddling all over the place.  Naturally they have no sense of road safety and thought nothing of wandering out onto a blind spot in the middle of the road; and then there were the dawdlers. You know the type!  The good news is that the motorists do pay attention to the many signs on display regarding these ducks and are more than happy to slow down and enjoy the performance. Having had breakfast with most of the crew, I headed to the outfitters to check on a new pair of boots.  The only problem being this outfitter is known for it¢s fly fishing equipment.I went in and started looking at the boots which all appeared a bit on the small side.  A gentle voice from behind me said, ¢Those are the women¢s boots¢.   I sheepishly went to the next display of boots but they looked a tad heavy.   ¢Those are the fly-fishing boots,¢ the gentle voice continued.  Finally having made a total idiot of myself the 'gentle voice' stood by the display of men¢s boots to be sure I knew where to look next!!!Well in no time at all, I had a new pair of Obz size 13 and a pair of Darn Tuff socks.   I¢ve never tried these brands before nor have I have purchased a new pair of boots off the shelf and immediately hiked 20+ miles in them, but all went well. The trail meandered through farmland and along nature strips/divides.  There was talk of a 14mile stretch without any water being available but all went well. Finally I arrived at the shelter and was greeted by two section hikers, Dave and JP but no sign of the crew.  The shelter was large and to enter it, you had to jump up an enormous step with a metal covering.  The reason for this construction, was to stop a local porcupine that had a nasty habit of just wandering in!Later, Frosting and Legolas turn up and were quite perturbed that the rest of the crew were not around.   We later found out, they had trudged an extra 4 miles into town, as one of the crew¢s grandparents lived there. Dave and JP kindly gave us their spare food, as it was their last night ¢on the hill¢.   Then as the light began to fade, us happy few spent a while chatting before hitting the sack.
Date: 2019-05-03
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Duncannon
Miles today: 3.6

At exactly 02.11 hrs. I was awoken by a frantic noise. On investigation, I saw that a large porcupine was stood on some stones and was attempting to get in the shelter. However, the metal fascia on the step did not allow it to get any purchase, hence the frantic scratching noise. Of course, when it saw me it made a run for it!  But I quickly followed it outside and for a moment we stopped and looked at each other.   Then as I approached the 'intruder', it started climbing the nearest tree.   I was fascinated, as I had no idea that porcupines could climb trees! In the morning, having said goodbye to the lads, I headed down into Duncannon. I had decided to take a Nero so that I could relax, take stock of everything and do some much needed, laundry.  I confess, its got to the point where I have to ¢chase and catch¢ my clothes before I can put them on in the mornings!! There, I met up with Legolas and Frosting who were still feeling a tad miffed with the group for having changed their plans and the fact that they were not aware of it.  So to ease their discomfort and anguish I shouted them breakfast.  We were joined at the cafe by a couple known as the ¢Purple People¢ as their entire kit was lavender (including their underwear - yes I did ask!). We had good banter with the waitress who took a photo of us all and put it up on Facebook.  I then made my way to the Red Carpet Inn where I intend to plan for the next few days and rest up.
Date: 2019-05-04
From: Duncannon

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 18.1

The manager of the Red Carpet Motel does a shuttle run to the Lumberjack Restaurant for the hikers. I was dropped off and having taken a seat, I placed my ordered with the waitress.   She picked the accent and wanted ¢ the skinny¢ on me and asked lots of questions. Having thoroughly enjoyed my food, I made my way to the till to settle up.  As I got there the man from the next table suddenly appeared in front of me and insisted that he pay for my meal.   He introduced himself as Dan and said that he, his wife and mother-in-law had enjoyed listening into the conversation with the waitress and this was their way of saying thank you for the stories and welcome to America.  Many Blessings indeed! I struggled with getting my resupply of food for the next section of the trail.  It all looked woefully inadequate.  Thinking that I¢d better put a bit more effort into the task, I asked for a 7 am shuttle to take me to the biggest open food market.  Fully expecting that he would take me to a petrol station, he surprised me by taking me to a large store where they had most of the food lines I needed.  Thank you Mr. Manager, you saved my bacon!Having had my fill of good fresh food, I started to head out of Duncannon.  Its was about one non-trail mile back to the trail followed by a long road walk that crossed  two bridges, then an ascent up to a rocky ridge-line.As I was making my way, I passed some scout groups and a  group of gun tottering hikers.  Then I came across a special kind of trail magic.Meet 14 yr. old Mountain Goat (see photo).   He was with two adults and a few other kids.  Mountain Goat has many life challenges, including 4 x major heart surgeries; the last one was four months ago where he required a heart valve replacement.   His rucksack was ablaze with AT badges and he was wearing his white-blaze hiking shirt.  On talking with him, I was so impressed with this young man.  I wanted to add to his arsenal of memorabilia, and desperately rummaged through my sack.  The only thing I had was a badge that I got from Angels Rest for staying 3 nights, which I gave him.  What an inspirational young man - and I thought I was putting effort in!   Young Mountain Goat, I stand in awe of you. Go well, young man, go well!
Date: 2019-05-05
To: William Penn Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain started last night and continued for most of the day. It turned the trail into a mud swamp and occasionally it was totally flooded. There were plenty of Rocky sections, which are difficult enough but when wet they are dangerous. A highlight was crossing the beaver dam (Photo).  It was a hard day - head down and push.
Date: 2019-05-06
From: William Penn Shelter

To: Stealth Camp
Miles today: 24.6

Well today¢s walk has been through wet woodlands but thankfully, without it raining down on me.  I seem to have spent the day leapfrogging Power whom I had met a few days earlier.  The miles were gentle underfoot so I¢ve been able to cover a reasonable distance today.   There¢s no point in pushing this body of mine any further or faster as it just complains the next day.   The campsite I¢m aiming for runs parallel with a dirt road that has a wide stony grass verge.  And since I¢m going to need to dry some of my wet gear, I¢m going to camp on the verge of the road and make good use of the sunshine rather than have a wet canopy above me.  All in all, it¢s been a good day and I have enjoyed taking in the many shades of green in dappled sunlight as I walked through the ¢green tunnel¢.