morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-09-08
From: Ridge to River Trail Spring Stealth

To: Piney Ridge Peak Stealth
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: few clouds

Well, not getting off to the bang of a start I was hoping for. Woke up and felt like my leg was better but after hiking for only a half hour or so, it already hurts again. Pretty sure we're going to need to take it slow. Day hikers galore today but great times. Met three people hoping to thru hike one day and chatted quite extensively with them. Firestarter was a younger dude, very chill and hoping to triple crown in one fell swoop. That means he's going to walk all three long trails one right after the other. Lofty goal. He's seems incredibly pumped for it though and we tell him loads of stories. Eventually we say goodbye. The other two were a couple we met maybe an hour later. We dove deep into it with them, explaining as much as we could in the time we shared. The roller coaster has been fun. Up and down and up and down. Not very far at a time but still beating away. Thankfully, it seems I worked my knee back in to shape as it doesn't hurt anymore. Hopefully tomorrow yields similar results. Found a great place to camp. No neighbors. Just the woods.
Date: 2017-09-09
From: Piney Ridge Peak Stealth

To: Tucker's Lane Parking
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: light rain

Late morning. We were both awake at 3 am yesterday. I fell asleep again. Izzy didn't. So late rising. Nice, long slow breakfast and a conversation. The kind where you're staring truth in the face, like she's your sister, and you just know all the things you need to say. Lots happening out here. But can't help noticing how I'm just not attached to everything the same way anymore. Also, most things seem completely ridiculous. But you can't keep hiding in the woods. You can't stay the same person either. Eventually we made our way down the trail.The rest helped. I don't feel totally destroyed this morning. In fact, I feel good. 5 miles stroll by and we're having a break. Just finishing up snacks when who shows up? The man himself. High Life. So today is hike with High Life day. We cruise all afternoon taking as many breaks as we possibly can. Being in a new location on the same trail traveling in the other direction has felt kinda odd. But having our dude around brings a familiarity back. In wholesome High Life fashion, we hike into the night until our bodies are dying. My knees want to burst right now. Time for sleep.
Date: 2017-09-10
From: Tucker's Lane Parking

To: Tom Floyd Wayside Tenting
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Wake up. Sleeping late cause we're tired. First up at 6. Start stirring around 7:15, maybe even 7:30. Long day yesterday. We were all tired. Peer out my tent door and see that High Life is still there. Lay back down a minute. Ok, let's get up. Camp chores. Switch underwear. Throw all my night time clothes in the sleeping bag. Flip the thing on my sleep pad and let the air out. Everything out the tent door. Get myself out. Get the bear bag down. Bring the food back over. All clothes in backpack in the garbage bag. Quilt too and pad. Elephant's nose. Fuel next. Break down the tent. Grab the trekking rods. Fold tent with Izzy. Food bag in. Electronics. Rain gear down the sides. Tools in hip belt. Don't forget the headlamp. Bags together we walk down the street and get a hitch. Breakfast is incredible. Fresh, warm donuts to start. Man. I'm stuffed. Hitch back out to the trail. Start the climb up. Now we are cruising. At one point High Life takes off. Gone. I hustle ahead. Eventually spot him and slow down to match his pace. We all catch our breaths near a yellow jacket's nest. Now we run downhill for 3 miles. Town. Hitch a ride. Brings us to the grocery and then back to trail. My food bag is bigger than for the 100 mile wilderness. I'm baffled. Stupid trudge uphill to a place to sleep. High Life takes off and ends up at the shelter. We setup camp and now it's time for bed. Shenandoahs tomorrow. And Hurricane Irma destroying Florida. Hoping for the best for all of us.
Date: 2017-09-11
From: Tom Floyd Wayside Tenting

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Wake up at 4 am. A little cold. Turn over. Why is my side digging into the ground. Oh, that's because my sleeping pad is deflating. Over the next hour and three tries, each time blowing up the pad and trying to fall asleep and pretend everything is ok, I finally give in and accept it has sprung a leek. Somehow I manage to squeak out one more hour of rest as I sink repeatedly into the ground. I was mad. Like ultra mad. Made me think of gear. Gear failing when you need it. But here, gear is survival or comfort or both. The ground is very cold. Touching the ground for a while at night...cold. I get up and go about my duties. First thing, I find the hole. Thankfully I do. I put seam sealer on it and let it dry, which takes almost three hours. We have breakfast. Make wraps for lunch. Relax. Can't fight it. It's what it is. After what seems like dry enough, I put patch tape over the sealer and roll it up. Into the pack and off we go. Oh yeah, while having coffee, an acorn falls into the coffee. Dead center. Splashes everywhere and bounces out. I sat there astonished for a second. Then laughed. We both did. You have to. Late start. Slow miles. Heavy pack. Just chilling. About 3 pm. Coming up a switchback. Izzy is in front of me. I hear a pretty heavy noise to the right. I look over and see a rather large bear raise his head and stare at us. I say to Iz, "Do you see..." We both stop. We look at the bear. He looks at us. Staring at us. Doesn't stop. Izzy starts to move on, slowly. I continue as well. The bear still stares. I stop and look back. I don't stare. I don't want to aggravate it. It's maybe 400 pounds. If it stood up, he would be taller than me. He doesn't flinch. He just stares. Seconds seem like minutes. Finally I talk to it and bang my sticks a little. Izzy stops and joins me. The bear immediately looks away and continues to forage. We start walking again. Every few feet I turn around and look for a moment. We seem to be ok. We hike on. We make it to a campsite. But before that, we have dinner on some cliff rocks. A nice mac and cheese add cheese and salmon and jalape±os. It was to die for. We're in the tent. Safe. Izzy was reallly excited. To see a creature of that size with no fence between you and have to command the situation. It stays with you. Sleep now.
Date: 2017-09-12
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Byrd's Nest #3
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

We saw 2 bears and 2 deer today. Stunning experiences. The first bear was really young and very interested in us. But so stinking cute. As young adults, they have very big ears that make them stinking adorable. Once we communicate with them, they back away. Just magical. Hope we see more. Taping tomorrow. Long day today. A lot of up and down. Very proud of us. Carrying full packs with lots of food and crushing major miles. We need sleep. More to hike tomorrow. 22 if we can get moving.
Date: 2017-09-13
From: Byrd's Nest #3

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Had plans to wake up early. Opted for sleep. Had an amazing oatmeal breakfast and then got the GoPro running. Fog on the trail. Fog in the mountains. What a place. Love these mountains. Made it to this campground. Super chill dinner. Going to enjoy a hot shower. And 60 more miles of this park to crush. Hoping for a big day tomorrow.
Date: 2017-09-14
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Swift Run Gap
Miles today: 17.0

Ok. Last night was ridiculous. High Life set up his tarp maybe 5 feet from our tent. I wake up maybe after an hour of sleeping with Izzy going crazy cause High Life is snoring. She yells at him. He wakes up. Yells at her. Repeat. Repeat. To say the least, none of us slept well. We sleep in till 9 or something and eventually get ourselves out of the tent. Hit the bathroom. Splash the face with water. Back to the site to pack up and make breakfast. I think we leave camp at 9:30. We haul butt and make 17 miles before 4:30 where we get off trail and head to town for pizza. Kind dude picks us up and brings us to Pizza Hut but recommends the Mexican place next door. We can't refuse and it's awesome. Arwyn, a close friend, is thinking about finding us tomorrow so we all think about a zero. Get a ride over to Country View Motel from Nancy, one of the ladies that works there. She really nice and checks us in. We get to our respective rooms and sleep. Word.
Date: 2017-09-15
From: Country View Motel

To: Country View Motel 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Late morning. Eventually get up and Nancy offers to have us over to her cabin for breakfast. We have oatmeal and eggs with coffee. Talking away the whole time. We thank her and head off to switch rooms as we're taking a day off and they need the room we were in. Nicer room actually. More space and better bathroom. A couple hours till Arwyn makes it over so we throw on our rain clothes and wash everything. When Arwyn arrives, we do what all hikers do in town, go out for food. Great little diner down the way. I get steak and eggs and destroy it. Gone. Devoured. I love eating. Out to the grocer for resupply and then back to the motel to hang. We kick it for hours and hours over wine, catching up and enjoying each other's time. Making room for friends will be one thing that will be a major goal of mine. This isolation that I've felt is my own. Reach out and enjoy those around you. In the end, all we have is each other.
Date: 2017-09-16
From: Swift Run Gap

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

Woke up at like 9:00 am. The box of wine led to a late morning and much tiredness. Frantically rummaging about the room trying to get everything together. Put the rest of the food in ziplocks. All the jerky goes in one. Did I bag the cereal last night? Yeah. I did. Butterfinger bites and chewy gobstoppers can go in the same one. In the van, Nancy admits to having strong feelings for High Life. He reminds her of the flame that got away. High Life is disgusted. We drop off Arwyn's rental and make our way to the trail. High Life immediately takes off while we say goodbye. Nancy was a gem. Made us breakfast on our day off. Gave us rides. See ya someday maybe. With Arwyn on the trail we are now hiking. Gonna hit like 5 miles together. We get to the summit and High Life is waiting. Chill a bit, snack and then time for downhill. Off we go and Arwyn is back to her car before we know it. What a time. Between last night and today we have covered many bases. 7 more miles of hiking and we get to this shelter. Set up for the night and off to bed we go. Maybe have a big day tomorrow. We got miles to do.
Date: 2017-09-17
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up with a mission today. Out of camp and on trail by 7. For some reason the two of us weren't completely in sync. Just had a rough spot. Most of the time out here both of us are in great spirits. The best of spirits. For some reason. Today. Nope. It happens. It's not a long period of being out of sync. But enough for a disturbance in the force. We both realize the goal we have of running our first marathon is more important. So we crank it out. While you still go up and down and there is elevation, this part of the park is smooth. So we fly. By 3:00 we've already cranked out 15 miles. Moving. Moving. Sip of water. Leg spasm. Control it. Watch the rock there. Foot isn't quite feeling right. Counting sometimes. When the climb is starting to kill me. Count 200 footsteps till relief. Next time it's 400. Downhill. Smooth. Fast. We pull into Calf Mountain in the dark and we are treated by our buddy JD and a rack of beers. Sweet. Find a place to put the tent and goodnight.
Date: 2017-09-18
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap Info Center
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We share a special bond with JD. That's Knife Edge. We all left that trail different people and different people together. So a day hiking with this dude again is something we both are really looking forward to. Chill morning with some breakfast. It's 3 miles down the hill to the road. Break there at JD's car. 5 more miles to the next road and a shuttle or try to shuttle or figure something out moment. Once there we call Stanimals. He's a thru hiker of a previous year and runs a couple hostels in the area. He gives us a ride to JD's car and then we have the best time. Restaurant hopping and gelato. Resupply and trail magic from the man himself. Life is great. Have an awesome dinner and then he drops us off at the Hostel. It's like a house with no where to go. Everyone is asleep and it's super awkward. But we saved a few bucks cause it's not a hotel.
Date: 2017-09-20
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter 

To: Devil's Backbone Pub
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Long day. Breakfast is sausage and biscuits. Freeze dried. Really not bad. Coffee with hot chocolate. Instant mocha. Pack up. Up a hill for 5 miles. Oh yeah, I almost stepped on a rattler again. Saw it this time. It was sleepy and cold so it didn't move. What a fascinating creature. Completely terrifying. Yet somehow also so beautiful. The way it slithered away. For a second it got angry and the kid moving it with the stick said, "No!" It seemed to listening as it went to who knows where. Definitely watched my step as I exited the site. But the rest of the day. Just walking and being tired. And not easy. And not too happy. Not that it was a bad day. But it was just a day. With work to be done and miles to reap. Then the thunder came. Well, first came the view. Of the valley. And then the storm came into focus. We watched it a while. Hoping it was going the other way. It wasn't. Our return to the trail started a bit mellow. Slightly hurried. First ring of rain. Steps quicken. Second ring. Faster. Third ring and so on. The heavier the rain, the closer to the thunder you get. The rain stared hitting hard. And then the thunder came. From a distance. And then to our side. Louder. More rain. Heavier. Thunder. Running. Wet rocks now. Wet slippery rocks. I almost fall. Stab my left trekking rod into the ground and hope I stop. Also hope I don't pull a muscle. That happens. I don't. I continue. Soaked now. Shoes are still dryish. Push forward. Think of nothing. Go on. Miles left. Wish we had gone faster and skipped this crap. Moving along. Rain subsides and thunder remains. On all sides now. No rain though. Finally the road. 15 cars drive by. No ones cares about a hiker on a mountain in a thunderstorm. Finally a hitch. Beers. Dinner. Tent. Sleep.
Date: 2017-09-21
From: Devil's Backbone Pub

To: Tye River Tentsite 
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Sleep in. It's good for the soul. And the bones and muscle tissue. And so on. Roll outta bed and break down camp. They have a $5 hiker breakfast back over at the brewpub. Find a good place to ditch the bags and in we go. Breakfast is amazing. Fresh fruit, scrambled eggs with ham, a slice of ham, potatoes and a biscuit. We eat and drink coffee and laze around. They even provide a shuttle back to the trail. We get there. Late. Late start but we kinda just planned on that. Start hammering away miles. High Life meets back up. Some 6 miles later, we get to a great camp site by a river. Call it a day. Nice fire with dinner. Almost too warm though. Great meal. Add all kinds of things to a prepackaged rice and bean bowl. Jerky. Freeze dried cheese. Spices. Those are the key to backpacking happy. A good spice bag system. Warm night. On top of the quilt with it open like a blanket. Will sleep like this till the chill of night sets in. I'd rather wake up cool and get warmer than wake up sweating.
Date: 2017-09-22
From: Tye River Tentsite 

To: Lovingston Spring Trail Site
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Long day. The Priest is no joke. While not technical, it was a beast of an uphill. It must have been close to five miles and 3,000 feet of elevation. Up we are and along the ridge we run. Well, the ridge here is still up 500 then down then up 1,000. Not much give but we barrel through. Happy to have pushed on and made 15 miles. We need to cover ground each day. Only a few miles to town now. In for High Life's birthday. And real food. Yes.
Date: 2017-09-24
From: Comfort Inn

To: Comfort Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Izzy has had poison ivy for a week or so. All the way through the Shenandoahs. It got real bad. Like scary looking. Finally, she started having a break out in other areas. I had a similar reaction about a year ago so I tell her not to worry and it will be gone in a few days. So we chill out a couple. Relax. And hopefully this goes away.
Date: 2017-09-26
From: US Route 60

To: Cliff near summit of Big Rocky Row
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

Late morning. Sleep in. Hear Izzy get in the shower. Trying to fall back asleep. Can't. Wake up. Start organizing. Get my stuff together. Make sure we aren't leaving anything. Head downstairs for breakfast. Eggs, sausage, English muffin, cheddar and cream cheese for second day in a row. Grab the packs. Ask at the front desk about a shuttle. Waste five minutes. Something about a bus. Head outside. Look for the bus. Maybe it comes in 5 minutes. Get to the gas station. Bus seems to not be an option. Out come the thumbs. Thumbing for 15 minutes. 20. About to give up. Someone pulls over. Brings us a half hour to the trail. So thankful. He's a pastor. Also hikes. We talk a minute. Exchange some stories and some ideas. Then we're off. We've got about 6 miles of flattish trail and then a push up hill. Ascend like 1500 total or so. Even when it's and easier trail, elevation is elevation. It'll take it out of you. We push on and hit the peak of the mountain well before sunset. We break for a minute and take in the view. We are at 3300 feet so it's an impressive sight. Push down the hill and night starts to fall. Headlamp hiking along cliff walls in the twilight. Kinda spooky to be honest. Still different, fun and adventurous. At 17 miles we find a sweet spot right next to a cliff. Hoping for a nice sunrise in the morning. Time again for sleep after a well run day.
Date: 2017-09-27
From: Cliff near summit of Big Rocky Row

To: Gunter Ridge Trail Campsite
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Sunrise for the first time all trail. And a view. Could see the first lights of day from our tent. Was beautiful. Just when we had decided that the sun was actually rising on some other side of the mountain, it peaked through the horizon. After starting for the day, my leg was fried. It had been hurting last night but when we began the downhill, ouch. At 3,000 feet and needed to descend and stopping every 100 yards cause the pain was unbearable. Not fun. Taking time off from the trail and walking in my crocs around town seems to work against everything the insoles are trying to correct. Not sure what the answer is there but for now the first few days back on trail are all about rewiring. Finally down the hill, we get a hitch into town from a nice guy who is also a hiker. Once in town, we feast at a pizza place. It's going to be a few days before our next town day so we are trying to stock up. Resupply at the grocery across the street. Walk to the hostel and get our mail packages. JD (different JD) gives us a ride back to the trail and about 5 more miles later we're here at this campsite wrapping up another day of hiking. Honestly excited for oatmeal tomorrow morning.
Date: 2017-09-28
From: Gunter Ridge Trail Campsite

To: Stealth Site 1426.6
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

These miles are feeling rather hard. Not sure if we're just trying to get back in the swing of things or what. Slugged up this mountain and finally broke over the top to start descending. Took many breaks. We were rather tired. Looking for a long day tomorrow. Hoping for many miles. 35 more to Daleville. A few less to the first town. That's a 20 and a 15. Push for the twenty tomorrow. Maybe day after.
Date: 2017-09-29
From: Stealth Site 1426.6

To: Jennings Creek Parking
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today started with a real long talk. Before breakfast. After. The kind where two people get real with one another and actually talk about stuff. It was really good. For us. As a couple. Not so much our miles. But you know. Miles don't mean everything either. We're out here to walk miles. But we're really out here for much more. Maybe even to learn that what we're doing doesn't even matter that much. Around 2 pm we meet a section hiker planning on doing a thru hike next year. He says he's jealous of us. It hit me like bricks. I'm doing this right now. This is my life at this moment. This moment is fleeting and this period will end. This bliss. This struggle. This beautiful empty nothing. We hike on for a bit. Hit one last up and down. Sit down to enjoy a snack. No water for miles it looks like. Miles. Glancing in Guthooks. A campground nearby. Anyway, we walk a few more yards to the road. We walk to the campground. I stuff my face with a burger and a milkshake. Now I'm chilling. About to take a shower. Let's do big miles tomorrow. See what happens then.
Date: 2017-09-30
From: Jennings Creek Parking

To: Stealth Site near 2454.5
Miles today: 21.0

We were up pretty early for breakfast. I mean, we thought. With the sun not actually being out until close to 7 now, it's hard to wake up before the sun comes out. Especially when it's cold outside. You know when the sun comes out, the temps will rise and the sun's rays always feel good on the skin. So we weren't up until 7. But we were over at the campground's general store at 8 for breakfast. So we had breakfast. And asked for a ride. Maybe it was 8:30 at that point. It was 9:40 before we left. We set off with a good pace, like we meant to be hiking today. Miles were just going down. 19 miles later, upon arriving at a spot we though might be a good place to camp, we found someone already tented in the small area. We decided to press on into the night time. A couple miles uphill later and we found a spot that was suitable. Felt good to tackle that many miles with such a late start. We were certainly hiking though. It's just not easy going that far.
Date: 2017-10-01
From: Stealth Site near 2454.5

To: US Route 220
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

It was freezing again today. Didn't even want to get out of the covers. We were on a fairly exposed ridge though with plenty of wind coming through. I found all kinds of new ways to make my quilt fit better. We packed up after waiting for the sunrise to come and the air to warm slightly. After putting down maybe a mile or so we stopped and made breakfast. It's interesting living outside. Getting to know which clothes you should have on at which temps. It's just interesting to know. And to have to deal with. Off to a hotel today. Check in. Pace down the street to a diner. Get breakfast. Steak and eggs. Treat yourself. Back to hotel. Movies. Chill relax. Pizza. Sleep.
Date: 2017-10-03
From: 1480.7 stealth

To: 1492.5 stealth 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Chillish morning. Still pack up and get out of the site by 8 am. Walk a mile and find a nice spot for breakfast. After the morning warmed up a bit that is. 6 packets of oatmeal today. Plan is to hike another mile and hit route 311. Hitch to a grocery and buy some food for the next 5 days. Well, that's what we do. Around noon we're having pizza and beer. Walk about 50 yards and up go the thumbs. A thru hiker from last year picks us up. Nice dude. Dropped off at the trail. Chill a moment. Get our bearings and hike. Want to finish like 10 more miles and that puts us in a good place for the next few days. Dragon's tooth is pretty awesome. Great climb with some scrambles and some super views. Wander on down further along the AT. Snacks around 6:30 and hike until we find a little spot right by the trail. Though not ideal, these kinds of spots are great when it's dark and you've hiked enough for the day. After camp chores and some soup, the bear bag goes up. And I climb in my tent. Night, world.