morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-09-04
From: Cooper Falls Lean-to 

To: Nahmakata Stream Lean-to 
Miles today: 15.7

Cooper Brook Falls was one of the nicest campsites along the trail for me. It also happened to be a short 5.5 miles from there to the Jo-Mary Road crossing where Shaws Hostel was going to meet us at 11am with a food resupply for the second part of the 100-mile wilderness. You're thinking..."that doesn't aound like much of a wilderness"...and you'd be right. But wow, it was nice not to carry the extra 5lbs of food the first few days. Plus...they showed up with our food AND pizza and beverages. A true wilderness perk. But I still had to hike about 11 miles to finish the day so I restrained myself by only wolfing down 4 slices. Lots of energy for the rest of the days hike past Jo-Mary Lake. It's taken a whole to figure out that I need to eat something all day long to maintain some energy for walking with a 25-pound load on my back. I am apparently a slow learner but at this late stage of the adventure I can sense a constant state of hunger. The food drop was more than enough to power me through the rest of the 100-mile.
Date: 2023-09-05
From: Nahmakata Stream Lean-to 

To: Rainbow Spring Campsite
Miles today: 17.9

The warmest day yet and a long one at that through lower, damper woods. All a recipe for more mosquitoes. They are silent and quick, with each rest stop inviting a new itch. I've not been bothered much by bugs on the trail but they are occasionally a nuisance. The evening at Rainbow Spring was such an occasion so it was nice to be in a tent and not an open shelter. The last few nights have shown a bright full moon and perhaps that triggered the concert on the lake by at least a dozen loons all night long. I loved it. They imparted an eerie isolation to this foggy, wilderness lake.
Date: 2023-09-06
From: Rainbow Spring Campsite

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 11.0

The wilderness feature most notable was the lack of phone signal. Now that should be just fine but as you approach Baxter State Park and the closing days of the northward AT journey, communicating to arrange a place to camp and be in a place to register and enter the park is all important. I was lucky. I could text my wife with my Garmin Inreach who helped me make the needed arrangements to overnight at Abol Bridge. But through 7 days in the 100-mile, I also had to manage my battery backup use closely so I didn't run out of juice to power the Garmin each day. It was my only link to the outside. Just as well the phone was only good for pictures. I needed to keep it turned off most of the time anyway! Getting to Abol Bridge marked the official end of the 100-mile and their little store and campground on the dusty Golden Road was a welcome site. It meant I could wash my clothes, take a hot shower and resupply for my last two days in Baxter State Park.
Date: 2023-09-07
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: The Birches Campsite for AT hikers
Miles today: 9.7

probably the most satisfying walk in the woods. I secured a coveted spot to overnight at the Birches Campsite in the park, the weather was perfect, mileage low and all day to get there. Most of the morning the flat path paralleled the West Branch of the Penobscot River through open white pine forest. Lots of sunlight reached the forest floor and made the river sparkle. Several relaxing stops at scenic overlooks still didn't prevent me from getting to The Birches Campsite early in the afternoon. Once I checked in at the nearby Ranger station it was simply a waiting game with 7 other hikers to head up Mt. Katahdin the next morning. And then the rain and thunderstorms moved through in the evening. Was this going to be another AT washout?
Date: 2023-09-08
From: The Birches Campsite for AT hikers

To: Baxter Peak
Miles today: 10.0

It rained most of the night so there was an ominous feeling that bad weather could spoil the day. But the rain stopped, and I began breaking down my tent at 5am. I needed to get up and back down in time to catch a shuttle to Millinocket and the AT Hostel there. Can't go back to The Birches...not allowed. So off I went and had a wonderful morning of rainfree weather. Eventually as you climb you reach the Boulder zone where the trail is a jungle gym of huge rocks and tight crevices. All very steeply leading you up. No trekking poles here...they just get in the way. You use both hands and both legs to work your way up, around and over. This goes on all the up and then down Hunt Peak, a very steep pile of jumbled rocks. There you get a real glimpse of the rest of the mountain and what lies ahead. If the weather had remained Placid it would have been a spectacular day. But the clouds moved in and the rain and high winds commenced. Crossing the long, flat tablelands it crosses your mind that this is not the place to be in a thunderstorm. And then I heard thunder rumbling off in the distance.should I go on? Only 2 miles of exposed ridgetop and I will be at Baxter Peak. By the time I got to Thoreau Spring where another trail leads back down to treeline, there was no more thunder. Just biting rain and some sleet and steady 35mph wind. So on I went. Honestly, being so wet and now cold, I just wanted to be done. Several hikers coming back down from the summit urged me to keep going, which really bolstered my spirits. So on I trudged and then, suddenly the rain let up, the sky lightened a bit and I was at the summit. Alone. Nobody but me. This is apparently a rare thing anymore with hikers usually milling around the sign, taking pictures and celebrating. I celebrated in silence and happy relief. The rain and wind returned with a vengeance and my time of celebration turned into a hasty retreat back down to the Abol Trail where I could finally stop shivering, and reflect on this magical, all-powerful place. No wonder it was sacred to the indigenous tribes of what we call the Maine North Woods. No wonder that it has a magnetic pull for AT Hikers. I'm glad I got to experience it in sun, rain, wind and in its timeless grandeur.
Date: 2022-08-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This journal is dedicated to: My family and friends, for their baffled support of this journey. Daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, friend - our lives are a rich tapestry of relationships, and I know my absence creates a hole. Thank you. All those Appalachian Trail Thru-hikers who came before and left breadcrumbs in trailjournals.com for others to follow. I have learned so much from all of you - and hope to leave breadcrumbs for future hikers. *** How does an out-of-shape 64 year old woman decide that an AT thru-hike attempt is something she wants to do more than anything else? I wish I could tell you. I hiked to Sunfish Pond as a child, in the Whites as a teen in summer camp, and did a 100 mile section hike of Shenandoah in 2018 with my eldest daughter. At no point did I profess the desire to do a thru-hike. In fact, after the Shenandoah trip I swore I was done. And yet. And yet, the AT got under my skin. After the Shenandoah trip, I started reading more about the history of the AT, and the different sections.. About previous thru-hikers and the challenges they faced. About what worked and what didn¢t. My horizons expanded to Trail Journals, The Trek, podcasts and Reddit. I researched (more accurately, fell down the rabbit hole of) gear and food and skills and conditioning.  On a flyer, I sat down to map out the mileage to see if it was even possible given my constraints.  It was, barely. And so, off I go. I will do a non-traditional flip flop hike. Instead of walking from Georgia to Maine from March to September, I will be doing the southern half (Harpers Ferry WV to GA) in the fall and the northern half (Harpers Ferry to ME) in the spring/summer of next year. I hope to finish it all within a 12 month period. The general reaction has been ¢You¢re kidding, right?¢ Trail names, the common address used between hikers on the trail, are traditionally given from one person to another. I feel I have been given mine already, many times, before the start of my hike. And so my trail name is Kidding Right. But my friends call me Kidding. This journal will track my progress.
Date: 2022-08-22
From: ATC Headquarters, Harpers Ferry WV

To: Blackburn ATC Center, 1013.5
Miles today: 11.9

This morning I reported to the ATC Headquarters in Harpers Ferry, WV, where I had my picture taken, pack weighed, and registered as thru-hiker #277 starting from Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry is the psychological halfway point along the trail between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mt Katahdin in Maine (the actual halfway point is some 70-75 miles further north in Pennsylvania). Most thru-hikers will start at either Springer or Mt Katahdin, most flip floppers (who do the trail in two separate sections) will start at Harpers Ferry.According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), every year between 3-4,000 hikers attempt a thru-hike; typically only 20-25% finish. Some leave due to injury or illness, some due to family issues, some due to running out of money, and most of the rest due to the mental challenge of waking up each morning and slogging up and down mountains with a pack on their back while missing home. Some of these are controllable, and I have done as much as I can to prepare. Some of them are not. One can only approach a journey of this length (in 2022, 2194.3 miles) with humility.Happily, I am still a thru-hiker this evening. After registering at the ATC, I joined the trail at mile marker 1025.4 and hiked south across the Shenandoah river. There was a sharp climb up to Loudon Heights, then the trail ran along the ridge for the rest of the day. When the trail crossed VA 9 at Keys Gap I was able to detour a short way down the road to a gas station/convenience store to grab lunch, then relaxed in the shade by a very pretty pond. This idyll was interrupted by a low roll of thunder, and within an hour I was completely soaked and hiking down a trail that had turned into a river. And then - as if Mother Nature regretted her temper tantrum - the sun was back out. I had originally planned a 9 mile day and stopped at my target, the David Lesser shelter. This shelter is very impressive, with a separate picnic pavilion and porch swings, and was in beautiful shape. But the shelter was empty and I was feeling good, so I kept on hiking to the Blackburn AT Center. It was a very steep 0.2 mi down from the trail, but what a find! There is a bunkhouse, a screened in porch, potable water from a spigot, and a sun shower. A 5 star stop. There were 7 other hikers from 2 groups also spending the night.  Total miles for the day were 11.9 (trail miles¢¦I walked additional miles to the ATC HQ, deli, and down to the shelter). Many thru-hikers average 15-20 miles per day over the course of their hike. I¢m targeting 12, but most guides suggest starting off the first few weeks at 8-10 miles per day until your body adjusts to the demands. I will be throttling back for the next couple of days as the terrain gets tougher. Dinner was dehydrated Pad Thai with Chicken. Don¢t laugh - it was great. 11.9 miles down. Only 2182.4 to go.  :)
Date: 2022-08-23
From: Blackburn ATC Center, 1013.5

To: Bears Den Hostel, VA 1005.5
Miles today: 8.0

Last night I slept on the screened in porch of the Blackburn ATC center. Too keyed up to fall asleep, I listened to the rustle of the wind, the occasional spatter of rain and thunder, and a chorus of crickets that required earplugs. My goal is to get on the trail relatively early each morning to get in as many miles as possible before the summer heat becomes oppressive. Today I set off at 7:30, later than I wanted but early enough to be dazzled by the fingers of sunlight breaking through the mist of the forest. It turned out to be a picture perfect day for hiking with several long views of the Shenandoah Valley, birdsong from wrens and titmouses (I have a great app for identifying bird calls), and a number of day hikers. I also got to see my first copperhead snake, a baby only a foot long in the middle of the trail. Where was its mother? I didn¢t hang around to find out. The trail itself followed a ridge for 4-5 miles, then went through 3-4 stiff ups and downs. However, today was a short day so I was able to get to my destination, Bears Den hostel, by 1 and beat the heat. Starting in late August in the South East seems crazy, but there are some good reasons. Starting later would push my Georgia finish into December, a tricky time in terms of potential snowfall (particularly in the Smoky Mountains). Starting earlier reduces the amount of time I have next summer to get to Katahdin if I want to stay within a 12 month window. Bears Den hostel is a signature stop along the AT.  A historic 1930¢s stone mansion sitting on 66 acres, it offers a snug place for long-distance hikers to stay only 150 yards from the trail. It is positioned near the start of the infamous ¢Roller Coaster¢ (more on that tomorrow), but perhaps is best known within thru-hiker circles for its amazing deal - a bunk, shower, laundry, pizza, and pint of Ben & Jerry¢s for $35.  There are 4 typical kinds of accommodation for hikers on the Appalachian Trail:Shelters, usually 3 sided, which are distributed every 5-15 miles from Georgia to Maine. There are approximately 260 of these, some comfortable, some in need of repair. They typically sleep 6-12, are situated next to water sources and often (but not always) have privies nearby.Tents or hammocks. Virtually all long distance hikers carry a tent or hammock. Most will tent or hammock near a shelter (water and privy access, more social experience), but often hikers ¢stealth¢ camp at unestablished sites along the trail if a shelter is not convenient.  Hostels, which are primarily geared for hikers with bunks, laundry and shower facilities, and access to food resupply options. Some are palatial, some are grubby. In general, though, the owners work incredibly hard to provide for the needs of exhausted and hungry hikers.Hotels, primarily in larger towns. This is less common (expensive and, frankly, not many hotels welcome a dirty hiker that hasn¢t showered in 5 days with open arms).I will primarily be using my tent or staying in a hostel on this trip, with a couple of splurges.  Looking forward to tomorrow!
Date: 2022-08-25
From: Rod Hollow Shelter, VA 995.7

To: Manassas Gap shelter, VA 982.7
Miles today: 13.0

The iconic emblem of the Appalachian Trail is the white blaze, which marks the trail from Springer Mountain in GA to Mt Katahdin in Maine. At almost any point, you can look in front or behind you and spot a white blaze. Blue blazes are used to denote side trails - to shelters, viewpoints, parking lots, etc. Within thruhiker lingo, there are other forms of blazing as well. The ones I am aware of:Aqua blazing - doing part of the trail by canoe or raft. This is most popular in Shenandoah Park (though frowned on by purists). Yellow blazing - skipping part of the trail by either road walking around the tricky bits or skipping ahead by car or shuttle. Also frowned on by purists. Pink blazing - pacing your hike to the speed and location of a possible romantic interest. A step below stalking, but creepy. Frowned on by everyone. There is also one more - silver blazing - which is what I did unwittingly today.  Particularly in Virginia, spiders are unusually industrious at night, spinning webs across the trail where the vegetation comes close. The first hiker in the morning to go through ¢silver blazes¢ for other hikers by knocking down all those webs. When I hiked with my daughter several years ago, she was generally in front (something about protecting me from bears) and my trusty wingwoman handled this. I had forgotten, and so was the first one on the trail this morning while my shelter mates sipped their coffee and looked very satisfied. Ugh. I must have run into 15 webs. The webs in your hair are one thing, but a spider is generally attached to the web and I did the spider-off dance multiple times. It is difficult to both watch your feet while walking on a rocky trail and look up to watch for webs at the same time. I did spot several webs before I hit them, slashing them with my trekking pole and humming ¢Another one bites the dust¢ under my breath, but it was a long 4 miles before I got on a busier trail that someone else had cleared. Today¢s hike was back on the ¢Goldilocks¢ level - not too difficult. There were several climbs, but nothing to match the Roller Coaster from yesterday. The trail made its way through Sky Meadows State Park, which had (surprise, surprise) several lovely meadows filled with thistle and golden-rod. I arrived at my target destination, Whiskey Hollow Shelter, by lunchtime. Still feeling good, after lunch I pushed on to Manassas Gap Shelter. Dinner was dehydrated Mushroom Risotto, which really hit the spot. Tomorrow I am aiming for a shower, laundry, and a bed at a hostel in Front Royal. I can hardly wait.
Date: 2022-08-26
From: Manassas Gap shelter, VA 982.7

To: US 522/Front Royal, VA 972.3
Miles today: 10.4

Last night at Manassas Gap shelter was my first solo night, with no one else coming in. Of course if you count the 1000 crickets crooning in the background, I was hardly alone.  My tent is working out great so far and, honestly, when inside it it feels like I am in my castle. I packed up this morning and headed out on great trail to Front Royal. It has been a hot summer in Virginia, so the trail water sources are drying up. This means carrying more water at a time (heavy!) plus being ready to scoop up water at any small stream you cross. Avoiding waterborne illnesses is a key requirement of a successful thruhike; for convenience I carry two forms of water treatment. Like many thruhikers, I use a water filter that can scoop up water and filter it on demand. See the stream, scoop the water into the water bottle or bladder, squeeze it and drink. However, the squeezing gets tedious for large quantities, so I use chlorine dioxide drops at camp.  But you can only treat water that you can find, so I spend time each morning mapping out water sources, checking the Far Out guide for up to date flow reports, and figuring out how much to carry. Keeping well hydrated is a consistent focus. This section of trail passed through some beautiful meadows (with a bench!) and passed by the Jim and Molly Denton shelter, a 5 star affair as shelters go, with a solar shower, horseshoe pit, and patio chairs. My destination for tonight, though, was Mountain Home B&B, only 100 yards from the trail. Run by former hikers in a restored 1847 home (an ongoing project), this is a wonderful waypoint on my way south. I arrived one day earlier than expected, but they graciously found me a bed. I showered, got laundry done, and felt like a new person. Mountain Home was packed today, a bit disorienting after last night¢s solo tent stay. I ran into Gander and Goose again, and we headed into town for dinner.  I will enter Shenandoah Park tomorrow.
Date: 2022-08-27
From: US 522/Front Royal, VA 972.3

To: Gravel Springs Gap, VA 958.8
Miles today: 13.5

Today was my first (return) foray into Shenandoah Park. I did a ¢reverse slack pack¢, dropped off further south and hiking back north to my bed and breakfast with a lighter pack. As I had originally reserved this second night at Mountain Home, I didn¢t want to leave them hanging when my plans changed - the small businesses up and down the trail need to be respected to preserve the ecosystem that makes the AT work. As it was a weekend, there were many day hikers and it was a very social day. I chatted to one hiker about the geological significance of a basalt outcropping (I won¢t say more about this, but it was pretty cool), explained to another pair what thruhikers were, offered antibiotic ointment and bandaids to a gentleman who had slipped on the rocks, and encouraged a woman making her first day hike since her knee operation. The weather was beautiful and everyone was happy to be out on the trail. However, the highlight of the day was bumping into Jim and Carol, trail maintainers for the PATC. They were out on their own time on a weekend to build a new bench by a spring, using close by blowdowns as material. The ATC is powered by volunteers - picking up trash, clearing blowdowns, identifying and creating new trail segments, maintaining shelters. My last week has been hiked on pristine trail, and I am so grateful for the work they do. Everyone needs to find a way to give back, and these volunteers have combined their love of the outdoors with a commitment to the AT mission. Anyway, despite my distractions, they were able to complete the bench in a very short period of time. Kudos.
Date: 2022-08-28
From: Gravel Springs Gap, VA 958.8

To: Pass Mountain Hut, Shenandoah National Park VA 945.5
Miles today: 13.3

Today¢s 13 mile stint took me up and over Hogback and Pass Mountains. Starting yesterday, with Mt Marshall, the trail is hitting its first 3000 ft mountains since Massachusetts going SOBO, a distance of almost 600 miles. The terrain will gradually rise in elevation from here onwards, reaching north of 6000 ft in NC/TN. I am finding that 12-13 mpd is my current achievable (if not wholly comfortable) pace with a normal elevation gain of 2500-2800 feet. But the variability in trail quality (smooth and graded vs rocky) has a big impact on my speed, as rocks, particularly downhill, need to be negotiated carefully. Unfortunately, while there is great data on distance and elevation change, information on trail character only passes by word of mouth, so each day is a bit of an unknown quantity when setting out. Today was average rockiness, but had a treat in the middle - the Elkwallow Wayside. Perched along Skyline drive, which runs through Shenandoah Park, are 3-4 ¢Waysides¢ which offer car trippers a grill, camp store, and picnic tables. These are goldmines for hungry hikers, and I took full advantage for today¢s lunch, as the AT runs within 100 yards of Elkwallow. I was even able to enjoy one of their signature blackberry shakes!Skyline Drive, constructed in the 1930¢s, was highly controversial, cutting the trail in many places (within the park one can cross Skyline Drive 4-5 times in a day) to be able to provide access for urban dwellers to enjoy the Park¢s resources. The tension remains between those who want to preserve the pristine wilderness of the AT corridor and those who want to increase access for everyone to enjoy it. Finding a creative blend between stewardship and access is a worthy challenge for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy as it approaches its 100th year. Tonight there was one other thruhiker in camp, a SOBO (started in Maine). His pace is fast enough (20-25 mpd) that he has outrun many of the other SOBO¢s, so he is not currently in a group. He¢ll speed ahead of me tomorrow; I hope he finds a good crew as he proceeds south.  It was a hot and sticky night, and we were serenaded by the howl of coyotes.