morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-14
From: camp site with overgrown underbrush

To: harpers creek shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: few clouds

Day 64- June 14, 2016It's Dregs's 30th birthday!! We woke up after a pretty good now guy sleep for both of us and slowly prepared to get out of the tent. Dregs was being goofy and making me laugh, I may have even snorted quietly. We heard our very close neighbor, storm trooper, say jokingly, "keep it down over there". Our tents were mere inches from each other and nylon walls have zero sound resistance. We got out of the tent and continued to prep to hike slowly as dregs enjoyed morning conversation with trooper. It's his birthday so I tried my best not to hurry him along when he got caught up in socializing throughout the day. We got on the trail by 8 and had a very easy 12 or so miles. The second half of the day was a bit more challenging. We stopped for water at the first stream and talked with the other hikers that showed up, Dragonfly and her husband Cat Skinner, chia pet, and storm trooper who was hiking with us. We spent a good amount of time there before continuing on the trail. Up a small climb, we go to a site called Spy Rock. After dropping our packs, we climbed up a mountainous boulder to the top where we had a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains. It was beautiful. Once down from the rock, lunch was had with a trail maintenance guy. Dragonfly and cat skinner showed up and we spent some time chatting with them and then we pressed on. By then, it was about 2pm and still had about 12 miles to hike. This was slightly discouraging and put us in a somber mood for a bit. As we began to descend the mountain called "the priest", I struggled with slipping on the gravelly rocks and placing my feet as to not roll my ankle. It was frustrating and slow going, but the slope soon got less steep and the trail was less rocky. We got to a small waterfall where we refilled our water and an old man hiking passed us with news that his wife was at the bottom with trail magic. Our spirits were lifted and dregs, storm trooper, and myself picked up our pace to get to the road. We arrived at the road where a lady sat holding a small blind dog with a table full of goodies set up. There was fruit, candy, snacks, sodas and more. Firecracker was already there and we all sat and enjoyed this special treat. After filling up, we only had 2.8 miles up a mountain to the camp site we wanted to stay at. We booked it up the mountain to the site where we found large camp areas all around. Once set up, trooper made a fire and we ate dinner. I found 3 ticks which was bothersome, but only one was on me/ my shoe. Dregs received a birthday foot massage and we prepared for the warm night. We did 19 miles today.
Date: 2016-06-16
From: woods

To:  Quality Inn 
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: few clouds

Day 65- June 15, 2016This journal will be short as we are trying to get caught up. On day 65 we hiked 18.7 miles. We climbed three ridges mountain which will be the biggest climb for quite a while, like until Massachusetts. It was rocky and actually kind of difficult but had one of the best views near the top. Towards the end of the day we found another good campsite short of a shelter putting us in a decent position to going to Waynesboro the next day. Lee and Frolic joined our small campsite which was initially kind of strange but turned out OK. In the middle of the night we heard screaming and yelling at someone was having a lot of trouble with the bear in the distance. Not a good sign as we prepare to head into the Shenandoah national Park.Day 66- June 16, 2016We woke up unmolested by bears and had a very eventful walk the 8.3 miles to Rockfish gap. We hiked fast anticipating good food and clean showers, storm trooper lagged behind but saw a cub at the shelter which apparently was there menacing some section hikers all night. Not too far after that we all saw a rattlesnake just off the trail. As we walked along chicken hawk and I saw an even larger bear running through the woods just up the hill, Mr. storm trooper did not see this bear and we were sure to rub that in. We got to Rockfish gap we were standing there figuring out where to start hitching from when someone rolled up and offered to give us a ride. They let us out at the quality Inn and we were told we needed to wait to check in. While waiting we headed into town to get some of our chores done. The post office was the first stop. At the post office was a package from my aunt Jody containing a birthday surprise for both me and chicken hawk. The box contained two of every flavor of kind bar and literally the best brownies I've ever had. I don't know if that's because I'm a hiker and everything tastes good but I am almost sure they were the best brownies ever made. Thank you so much Aunt Jody!The grocery store wasn't too far away so we handled all of our resupplying before heading back to the motel to check in. We then had the much anticipated showers before heading out for coffee. We enjoyed our coffee as we headed to the laundromat and got the rest of our possessions cleaned. We use this time to form the rest of our plan on how the three of us were going to get to outback steakhouse for our birthday dinner. We ended up taking a cab that took a long time to get there. The steak was unbelievably amazingly good. Exactly what we were dreaming of for our birthday treat. It was awesome to have storm trooper there as good company. As a birthday present to us he paid for the cab rides to and from the steakhouse. After dinner we walked/ran to the Walmart across the street as a severe thunderstorm with the potential of tornadoes rolled in. We waited it out in Walmart and got a few other items. After taking a cab ride home storm trooper and I watch the Cavs win game six which meant that a few days later for game seven I had a interesting task of making sure to see game 7.
Date: 2016-06-17
From: quality inn, waynesboro VA

To: shenandoah national park
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

Day 67- June 17, 2016After a fitful night of tossing and turning in our unusually comfortable bed, we got up for breakfast. It was after 9am and the continental breakfast at the Inn ended at 9:30. We quickly prepared to head over to the next building over when we realized it was pouring down rain. We ran back to get our rain jackets that for some reason wouldn't zip on either one. Once we got over to the breakfast area, we saw storm trooper and whether-or-not. Dregs got his food and sat down near them. I went over to make a waffle and as I pressed the button to pour the batter into a small cup, the nozzle broke off and waffle batter came spilling out all over the place. I struggled to cover the hole in which it all came from and a few people jumped up to help me. While the lobby manager tried to fix the broken waffle machine and help clean up the spillage, I was able to grab the small cup that happen to fill with batter during the ordeal and pour it into the waffle iron. I successfully made the last waffle that the machine could produce. After breakfast, storm trooper graciously braved the rain to walk over to a coffee shop and bought dregs and I some wonderful coffee/ mocha. We drank our beverages and went to pack up for checkout by 11. Once checked out, another hiker we recently met, brother blood, called a lady to come give him a ride back to the trail. They offered to take trooper, dregs and myself back as well. Once back at the trail, the rain seemed to let up. It was very humid and drizzled a little. It wasn't long until the rain fully stopped and the sky turned blue. About a mile in, we reached the start of the Shenandoah national park. It is a pretty exciting milestone to be here and I am excited that it one of the most dense bear populated areas on the trail. Not far after, we saw some of our friends at the first spring including squidward, who also is a former Apple employee, and Pace. The three of us continued hiking with the intention of going about 10 miles. We chatted for the majority of the hike and all stayed together. It ended up being about a 13 mile day by 5:15 when we found our campsite. We set up and ate dinner, then headed in for the night. No rain in the forecast for tonight or tomorrow and our friends, James and Sarah, will be coming to hike with us tomorrow. Dregs and I can't wait to share our new lifestyle with them briefly and show them what we've been up to!
Date: 2016-06-18
From: shennendoah

To: overgrown stealth spots at peak
Miles today: 21.8

Day 68 June 18, 2016Dregs here, it has been far too long since our last post. This was a great day. We had to walk 14 miles before seeing our friends James and Sarah. We got off to a good start in the morning but we were stalled by a mother bear and what we thought were 2 cubs. As it turns out it was 3 cubs. They were sitting just off of the trail and would not get out of the way. We kept walking backwards and making noises we advanced forward to trying get them to move. Eventually we had to give up and bushwhack around. After a short little bushwhacking trip we stumbled across firecracker, Pace , and schnitzel. While we sat there and chatted about the Bears storm trooper came walking right down the trail and right in front of the Bears that he obviously didn't see scaring them off into the woods. The second delay came in the form of being on TV. A Man stopped us and asked us if we wanted to be on a local broadcast about the area and he asked us a few questions and we answered. It was tough but we eventually did make our 14 miles. Because of poor cell phone reception it was difficult to meet up with friends but eventually Sarah found us at the loft Mountain Campground. In the car on the way a bear crossed the road right in front of a bear crossing sign. She gave us a ride to where James was set up to make us burgers. What awesome trail magic. After that we all packed up and we hiked out into the woods. We hiked in additional 7.8 miles which is a little farther than we planned because we came to a very crowded shelter. They did an excellent job and hiking and didn't do any complaining at all. We saw another bear while hiking bringing our total to six for the day.!We made camp on a mountaintop and they made us an amazing dinner of broccoli soup with fresh potatoes and turkey bacon. Storm trooper was there for good company and to make sure there was no leftovers. We all ate plenty and we're happy. At some point during the food eating process a small deer bizarrely charged right at us as if it didn't see us. We made some noise and he turned at the last second. We are all headed off to bed after a day of good fellowship and food. In total it was a 21.8 mile day that included some hiking with people who didn't have Trail legs. A major success in our minds and was one of the best days on the trail so far. Thank you James and Sarah!!!
Date: 2016-06-20
From: SNP

To: jim and molly denton shelter
Miles today: 60.0
Weather: clear sky

Days 70-72Dregs here,Unfortunately I am writing this from Pennsylvania and using notes. We have fallen behind on Journal entries and this is an attempt to catch up. This will be the cliffnotes version.Day 70Trooper and I woke up in the cabin and got ready quickly. It took 4 hours to hitch back to the spot where we left the trail. Chicken Hawk was having the time of her life. She was relaxing in the tent without the rain fly. She was bad and ate in the tent without me there to object. We got back at 11 and hiked on. Chicken Hawk kept saying "look a bear" to mess with StormTrooper. He sped off and we lagged all day. There were bad water sources and we didn't catch him until the end of the day. The trickle of a spring was filled with nematodes. We found a campsite near skyline Drive and called it a night. Day 71We woke up early with the idea of getting breakfast at Skyland lodge. It would be tasty food for our bellies but also keep us out of a morning storm. The plan worked great for the storm and the bellies. We saw lots of deer after breakfast and there was a wild turkey near the trail. Lunch was at 2pm under a bathroom pavilion and it started to pour. It rained all afternoon but stopped in the evening. We had dinner at the Elk Wallow Wayside with no name. We walked a mile up a mountain to camp for the night. 20.8 milesDay 72This was the day StormTrooper broke away to leave the trail for a wedding. We hiked 24 miles and crossed out of SNP! Chicken Hawk saw a bear standing on its hind legs. We got trail magic and hiked all the way to the Jim and Molly Denton shelter. The solar shower was broken though. I hung out with pace and schnitzel while CH chilled in the tent. Everyone was a buzz with rumors of a bad storm coming that night.
Date: 2016-06-23
From: jim & molly denton shelter

To: campsite at rollercoaster
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 73¢ June 23, 2016Today we woke up to rain. Last night the thunder shook the ground and lightning made it bright as day. We had decided the night before that if there was rain in the morning, we would sleep in until 8 to see if the rain would stop. At around 8:30 the rain slowed and we started packing up to hit the trail, we would most likely be drenched all day anyway. As we were packing up and getting ready to go, dregs and I chatted with a hiker, named smalls, who's friends had decided to go into town rather than meet him at the shelter as planned. The rain came to a stop and we had our chance to take off and start the day dry. The real trouble with rain is when your feet get wet and it's the worst when your feet are wet the entire day. That is how blisters destroy you. Anyways, we set out. It was a fairly uneventful day as we hiked. We passed and got passed multiple times by a hiker named Turbo and was slowed down for a long section of large downed trees that lay across the trail. After checking the weather multiple times and seeing that the rain chance kept changing, we decided to push for some faster miles. We hiked about 2.8 mph all day and eventually decided to pull a 22 mile day. We had expected to only go about 17 miles today, but being so blessed as to have still not gotten rained on, it was exciting to press on. We were also motivated to get further so that we could have a shorter day into Harper's Ferry on Saturday where we will be picked up for a short trip home. Dregs and I made it over the first two hills of The Rollercoaster and camped at a small slanty campground near a stream. We met a section hiker and his son and quickly got ready for bed. Today we were very fortunate to have stayed dry and gotten 22 miles done!
Date: 2016-06-24
From: WV

To: MD
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

Days 74-78Dregs hereMore catch up journaling.....Day 74This was a huge day. We woke up at our campsite at mile marker 996. We climbed the first peak of the day and found trail magic waiting there. Former thru hikers giving out goodies. The roller coaster was not too hard but definitely not enjoyable. In the middle of the roller coaster section we crossed the 1000 mile marker! Not too long after that we crossed out of Virginia and into WV. These were 2 huge and moral lifting milestones. We hiked to 2.8 miles after the David Lesser shelter which set us up for a nearo into Harper's Ferry in the AM!Day 75 76 77We walked in to Harper's Ferry and got our pictures taken at the ATC. At 1pm Chicken Hawks sister and brother in law picked us up. From there we went off trail for 2 zeros. I'm not going into detail about the off trail stuff because this is a trail journal after all. Special thanks to Heather and Damien, a huge thanks to Susan (mom). A special shout out to our pastor Dave Joseph and our church family at Living Stones. Thanks to Eric and Jen (Rex too). Thank you Doug (dad) for breakfast and last but not least everyone at Atlantic Biomedical especially Chris, Carl, and Ryan. You all either fed us, or helped us, or loved us, or encouraged us, or prayed for us. You all made our 2 days off very special and relaxing. Thanks againDay 78We woke up in the amazing room that my company surprised us with. We walked into Maryland our 6th state and it felt like home. We had done a great deal of our training here. It was much easier this time with trail legs. With our late start we walked 17 miles into Dahlgren Backpackers Campground and enjoyed hot showers. Squidward was there and so were 30ish strangers. We were not allowed to use random campsites in Maryland like we usually did......
Date: 2016-06-29
From: dahlgren campgrouns

To: after Pen Mar
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: few clouds

Day 79- June 29, 2016We woke up at Dahlgren campground bright and early and was able to take our time getting out to the trail. It's the first wonderful news guy sleep either one of us has had in quite some time. I slept all the way through the night, didn't feel sticky, the temperature was perfect, and our clothes and blankets were clean. It felt marvelous. Still wanting storm topper to catch up to us, we had decided not to push ourselves today. We are home and know the terrain here, so we felt at ease for the coming day. Walking through the familiar territory brought back memories from when we were training for the through hike and dreaming about making it this far. It was almost unimaginable to be able to walk from Georgia all the way here, yet, here we are. I remember all of the times these hills crushed me and pushed me to my limits. Now I walk over them with ease. I feel like the once large mountains look almost flat now with the images of the past 1000 miles as a means of comparison. We took on two of my former foes today, the Annapolis rocks climb and Raven rock. Looking through the lens of experience, they seem so insignificant now. We ran into crash a few times during the day and eventually were convinced to press on further so that we could make it to PenMar park where we could have pizza delivered. It ended up being a 24.3 mile day even though we were trying to let trooper catch up. We readjusted the plan for tomorrow so he would have time to catch us. Pizza was had in the same place we had sat with through hikers two years before, who stressed the glory of a large meal delivered right to the trail. They were right, it was wonderful. Right past PenMar was the Mason-Dixon Line. This significant point marks our exit from the south and the start of the northern section of our hike. It also is the MD/PA line marking the start of our seventh state. We camped right before a campground, right off the trail. With a day full of accomplishments and a full belly, we again had a great night sleep.
Date: 2016-07-02
From: somewhere, PA

To: ioran and diana
Miles today: 49.0

Days 80-82More catch up entries from DregsDay 80This was a short hiking day so that StormTrooper could catch up. We woke up .7 past Pen Mar park and walked 2 miles to PA 16. After hitchhiking to Walmart we resupplied and packed out subway for us and also to surprise Trooper with. We hiked the remaining 6ish miles to Tumbling Run Shelter where we found some secluded camping down a blue blaze trail. We told stories over a fire about what happened while we weren't together. Day 81This was a 21 mile day that was mostly flat but started with the climb up to chimney rocks. Midday we came to Caledonia State Park and got food at the snack bar. We spent an hour at the Quarry Gap Shelter because it was so nice. Towards the end of the day chicken hawk pushed on alone to find us a camp.Day 82Another exciting day. We crossed the old and current half way points of the trail! We made it farther north on the trail than we had ever been before! The best part was we hiked another 20 mile day to meet up with our good friends Jordan and Diana. But first we watched our buddy eat a half gallon of ice cream at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. We were excited to watch him successfully complete the half-gallon challenge. I arrived last to camp and finished set up. Jordan and Diana made us chili and had tons of fresh fruit. It was amazing to hang out with them and sit in camp chairs for once. The food and company were wonderful. Thank you J and D!
Date: 2016-07-04
From: boiling springs, PA

To: somewhere, PA
Miles today: 20.0

Day 84- July 4, 2016After a long nite of trains passing by our campsite, it was 5:45am and time to get up. Dregs and I had had a talk last night about some of the struggles I've been having with, as being accustomed to my independence, always being at the mercy of the people around me. When we wake up and go to bed, how long it'll take to get moving, how many breaks throughout the day, when we will spend money on extra treats, when we have to take a day off or cut miles or make miles and so on- everything is dependent on the actions and desires of other people and It builds to be trying for me. After the conversation, he took to heart what I had said so in the morning, he did what I've always asked- wake up and start getting ready so we can be out by 7am. We packed up and were able to be ready to go before 7. After talking to cat skinner and dragonfly, we were able to peel away from the conversation and head towards town. Trooper convinced us to stop in at a cafe- he's a bad influence on our treat habits- and we grabbed some coffee. As a part of last nights conversation, I had also mentioned feeling like I'm always the bad guy when I have to remind dregs we are on a budget. We allowed ourselves some good coffee but resisted getting breakfast like storm trooper. Once fully caffeinated, we had a 16 mile flat hike- flattest terrain yet. It weaved through narrow woods and along cornfields and I listened to the many interesting topics that dregs and trooper conversed over. We made it to a creek where we would get water for the night as it started to trickle rain. After hiking 20 miles already today, tent spots at the stream were taken, and knowing that up the next hill would be very rocky, we decided to make camp back up the trail the way we had come. We settled into an unused dirt road and just as everything was set up, the rain picked up. It was only about 3:30pm when we got into camp but we had made big miles and felt satisfied with our time and distance. A nice relaxing afternoon is also well appreciated. Trooper still made his nightly camp fire in the rain and we hung out after eating dinner.