morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-24
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

At 6am sharp, movement began in the shelter. Slider was the first to make moves by letting air out of her mattress. Once that happens, sleeping is out of the question. Somebody's alarm kept going off too. Not cool. Regardless, the rain had let up and there was enough light to see so I got up in hopes of just cruising to the hostel and getting warm and dry.At 7am I took off. The rain was still holding off and would do so until about 830--- I got really lucky! Two Clicks and I hiked the last mile or so together and rolled into the hostel really early around 930. We took our bags and shoes off as we entered to attempt to get dry, warm, and figure out what the owners wanted us to do. We had heard so many great reviews of this place that we were all so pumped to be here. We got the run down and claimed a bed. Immediately we got started on chores. I took a shower and then two clicks, Slider and I shared a laundry bag to save money. I washed my pot, and started to spread things out to dry too. It can be a difficult process but eventually I was comfortable rocking some loaner clothes around the hostel as our clothes waited in line to wash.I ordered a homemade smoothie and a loaf of fresh bread to snack on before they brought in cookie bars to the bunkhouse. All of us devoured them as we sipped coffee. The unfortunate part about the hostel is there is no cell service this far out, no wifi, and town is too far away to realistically go to and we can't drink alcohol here. I made the best of it and used the day more as rest. We ate lots of food, stayed nice and toasty by the wood stove and played board games and read books. It was really nice!At 530 I helped Neville, the owner, cook dinner with a few other hikers. I went out to the gardens in the rain and helped her pick lettuce and kale for the salad. Their whole business is based off sustainable living and the meals are so fresh! I went back in and helped chop apples and prepare more food. We all got together around 7 for the first round of food. She served fresh bread with the apple salad and homemade dressings. With that, we had fresh made hummus and egg salad. I had two servings of everything and this was only the first round. Next, we got fresh made chili with sour cream and fresh cheese from the farm. I wolfed down this whole plate and wiped everything down with more bread. I probably had 2 whole loaves of bread today haha!The final "course" was a fresh baked cookie. It was Slider's birthday yesterday so Neville attached candles to them and we sang. Baba ganoosh's grandmother also turned 93 today so with their special phone that was the only one with service, we left her a voicemail too. After dinner we helped clean up then made our way back to the bunkhouse. The peepers were extremely active along the creek running through the property and we all were extremely happy and full. I only wish I had been able to call back home. I enjoyed the last few minutes before bed laying down thankful for a warm meal, warm bed and a shelter over my head as the rain continued.
Date: 2018-04-26
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Let me start off by saying Dairy Queen does not have a good breakfast. I didn't even know they served it but they do. I ate a biscuit sandwich with bacon... No egg. I made it work though haha.After my breakfast and after cleaning the motel room, I walked the 0.9mi back to the trails and was started up by 8:30. Two Clicks had left before me and the others weren't planning on leaving until later and only doing a short day. It started out beautiful, warm and sunny. Early on I passed fairly close to a factory. After a second I heard alarms going off and thought something was happening. Fortunately, it was only a drill but from the mountainside you can imagine my fear. I made it up the big climb of the day before noon and then walked a ridge for a good portion of the day. Along the way, I talked with a really cool sheriffs detail posted at a gravel road. Apparently there is a pipeline being constructed that will be crossing the AT and there are a bunch of protesters. His job is to inform all hikers that we must stay on the trail for the portion we pass near it. Of course I don't want to see a gas pipeline going across a beautiful section of the AT but I don't know any of the details and am pretty ignorant to local and national news as of now. Plus I would love to keep politics out of this. So for the next few miles I saw signs of protesters camp, a few people milling about and ATV tracks that had ruined portions of the AT. Not sure if they were the protesters ATVs or the pipeline project but, regardless, motor vehicles aren't allowed on the AT and it's government land so that was annoying. Otherwise, no problems.I pushed on throughout the day extremely tired from last night. Two Clicks and I were breaking away from the group slightly and doing a pretty decent sized day of hiking. About a mile from the shelter I had a 1,000 foot climb left. 1,000 feet in a mile after 23 miles done was just icing on the cake. I made it though and because we broke free from the group, it was only Two Clicks and I with two section hikers who were nice. It began to rain and was scheduled to do so all night so we were happy in the shelter. We ate and did chores then I was able to lay down, hangout, look at the mountain profiles for the next few days and catch up on journaling. It was relaxing as I listened to the rain fall.P.S: Although we all remain fairly unaware of national and local news because of our distance from society and the fact that we all simply don't want to hear about it, I did hear about what happened in Maine. I extend my thoughts and prayers to the officer and his family that was murdered and hope the party responsible is caught quickly. To all my LE friends, stay safe. And congrats to my friend Corey for graduating the NH Police Academy fairly recently! And to my former roommate Nick Paquin who has been hired by the Keene, NH Police Department!
Date: 2018-04-27
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: few clouds

This morning was foggy and cold. The rain had continued falling lightly all night but had died off now. I slept amazingly all night and woke up feeling fairly refreshed!The hike in the morning started out on Ridgeline. Rocky Ridgeline that had been soaked the night before... It was slow going. Eventually I caught up with Two Clicks and we ended up hiking together pretty much the rest of the day. I learned he was friendly with one of my former roommates in college, Zach Howard. Small world for sure!We pushed on further and went over Kelly Knob. It was a cool rock outcropping with views of the valley and the dark clouds above. The sun kept hiding all day, in and out.On the downhill before our last climb, we hit the second largest tree on the AT. The only tree that beats it is in NY somewhere. It was massive! Apparently 18 ft in diameter. On the next Ridgeline, we hit the Eastern continental divide where water to the east flows to the Atlantic and the west to the Gulf of Mexico. Really cool!We finished our long day as we neared the shelter. We were pumped to see nobody else there. We did our normal camp stuff, soaked our feet in the creek and tried different varieties of food. Eventually we had a great time hanging out and resting. Two Clicks and I are big on static stretching and cleaning our feet after a long day so it's nice to be with someone who has similar thoughts on that. Looking forward to a slightly shorter day tomorrow over Dragon's Tooth putting us one mile from the top of Macafee's Knob for sunrise on the 29th then Pizza Hut and a town hero in Daleville the next day!
Date: 2018-04-29
From: Catawba Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: few clouds

5AM sharp and we were up! Out by 5:30 hiking in the dark to hit Mcafee's Knob for sunrise. It is the most photographed point on the AT so we had to do it right! We also hoped to avoid the crowds but unfortunately people still flocked to the top this early! In the low 40 degree temps we braced the wind and cold to get good pictures. I kept telling myself "do it for the vine." Close enough, right?The sunrise was beautiful and my coffee I had while sitting at the top was just as great! Shortly after 6:45 when the sun had officially risen (Hashivenya! Babalisibalo! You know-- lion king?? It seems phonetically correct!) Two Clicks, sunshine and I hiked on. We altered plans and hoped to stay in Daleville, VA this evening instead of stealth camping outside of it. That way we could eat barbecue, get a pizza and resupply. We had hiked 2 miles by 6:30 and had about 15 left. We climbed over Tinker Cliffs which gave us 0.5 miles of cliff walks then hiked a ridge before dropping into town. On the way down, Two Clicks nearly stepped on a massive snake sitting on the trail. It flattened it's head when I put my trekking poles near it and appeared venomous, probably wasn't knowing our luck. But, it gave us an excuse to act like excited children for a few minutes.Once we entered town we stalked the busy street comparing hotel prices. We had met up with a hiker named Speedy and the four of us teamed up to split a hotel room. We ended up at a Howard Johnson's for $15 a pop. Wifi, shower, bed, shelter and free breakfast for $15! Woo! We each showered up while charging devices then went to a barbecue joint in town. We devoured hush puppies and a nacho starter together then I had a salad, two sandwiches, fries and a free thru hiker pudding washed down with a beer before finishing and still feeling hungry. After Linner, yes Linner, we each resupplied quickly and I ordered a Piza Hut pizza. I got back to the hotel and hung my clothes to dry and ate more pizza and ice cream. The rest I planned to pack out for dinner along with a tall boy mango-rita. Those things are bomb! I'll be hanging out and updating my life for the night before a hotel breakfast then a shorter day tomorrow!
Date: 2018-04-30
From: Daleville, VA

To: Bobbletts Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: clear sky

The audible app is amazing. Listening to someone read you a book while hiking through beautiful forests and in beautiful weather is the perfect combination. I downloaded two books before leaving town and had one free one sent to me by Two Clicks who had recommended it. I'm in love.Today started with, Of course, a 6:30 wake up. A few of us hit the Continental breakfast around 7:30 and I swear I had probably 4,000 calories. I showered again and hung around until Two Clicks could get stove fuel from the outfitter that didn't open until later. I hung out and watched his stuff and enjoyed the beautiful morning.At 10 am I started my hike along with my audiobook. I began with "The Stranger in the Woods" which is about the North Pond Hermit, Christopher Knight, in upstate Maine. A really interesting story I've been itching to learn more about and would recommend to anyone else interested in the idea of solitude like this man had for 27 years.The time passed quick through some semi-tough climbs and some rolling fields. Eventually Two Clicks and I hit the Blue Ridge Parkway which is a scenic drive through the area. The benefit of it for us was that it has trash cans! So those mango-ritas we packed out can be tossed tomorrow morning and we won't have to carry them! Yay for alcohol! Just kidding... This is the first drink I've ever packed out on trail and I just happened to get lucky.Anyway... The book lasted roughly 6.5 hours and somehow we cranked out that mileage before 6.5 hours and I still had more to listen to! I ate the pizza I packed out and a second dinner of ramen then hung around conversing with all new hikers we hadn't met before. It's cool meeting new people. Looking forward to a warm, comfortable sleep tonight!
Date: 2018-05-01
From: Bobbletts Gap Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: clear sky

The cold nights each night are becoming welcome as the temperatures rise every day. I can't bring myself to complain about the heat YET but I'm sure you'll hear about it soon. We have had nothing but great days the past week or so. I learned that hours after we submitted Mcafee's Knob, there was a forest fire that shut down the AT section through there. Crazy! I'm outrunning forest fires!During the night I awoke to footsteps outside the shelter. I got weary as they sounded close to our bear bags hanging from the tree and kept looking about the outside. Finally, under the bright full moon, I saw two deer grazing outside. Whew! I was ready to change my name to the bear brawler or something along those lines to save our food but deer are friendly!The morning was colder than expected but felt good. Once getting out around 7 I took it slow in the morning to call home and enjoy the cooler temperatures. I got excited about being able to throw out the one day of trash I had which looking back at it is so pathetic. It's the little things.Today required a crazy amount of climb. Over 5,000 ft in elevation gain over the course of the day and they were steep climbs. Luckily, most of it was switchbacks but some of the climb was straight up and a pain! This called for my newfound love of audiobooks. Lord of the rings is next up and from 10am on I listened to The Hobbit! I like to start music or books after the quiet morning when the birds are singing and the air is cool. Otherwise I feel bad about missing it!At lunch, Two Clicks and I had met up and ate while having our typical midday coffee date. Instant coffee at midday has given me a huge boost recently and I think Two Clicks and I look forward to it even on hot days. Weird thing was that in the shelter journal, a guy named Low Gear had signed in before climbing up the mountains. Two Clicks and I looked at each other with nervous smiles. The creepy man we had met a week back was named Low Gear!I began the hikes and eventually reached the top where there is an FAA air navigation tower of some sort that makes me think of Epcot! It's a giant white golf ball on the mountaintop! Shortly after I ran into the mysterious Low Gear. Luckily it wasn't the man we had thought and it seems Low Gear may be a common name.I ended the day rolling into the shelter at 4:30 and doing chores. I ate two dinners and finished most of my snacks in preparation for town tomorrow. Looking forward to Glasgow, VA where the town has a free shelter in the center with free showers offered to hikers as well! Warm food and free housing in nice weather sounds great!
Date: 2018-05-02
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

The constant mornings of birds chirping and a small breeze are beautiful. As the sun began to rise, I made my way up slowly. After the morning hiker shuffle and packing of the bags I made off for the day. The trilliums were blooming and the vegetation on both sides of the trail were popping with life. What a morning!I continued on and eventually listened to The Hobbit again. The miles went quick and the uphills were quick and easy especially compared to yesterday! Eventually Bags, Calves, Two Clicks and I were all leap frogging. We all made it over Highcock Knob.... What the heck Virginia... And eventually to the James River.At the James River, I ran into some day hikers coming south. I said my Hello's and moved off the trail for them. One was an older guy and one was in his 50's or so. The older gentleman asked if I was "a real hiker or a fake one." I answered strangely saying "well I'm thru hiking and almost halfway done so I guess you could say I'm a real hiker." At that he said "well you tell me if you feel halfway in another 100 miles at Harper's Ferry." I began saying "I imagine I will" before he cut in and said "you won't!" He mentioned he had section hiked the entire trail and seemed to look down on me. Not sure what my simple greeting did to piss him off bit I just walked off without dealing with his narcissism.Shortly after I crossed the James River over the longest foot bridge on the AT. Luckily, Calves- who was finishing his long section of the AT- was being picked up by his sister. Two Clicks, Bags, Calves and I packed into the small Nissan and braced for the curvy road to Glasgow, VA. We made it there and said thank you to Calves' sister before departing. We walked over to the free shelter in town. The town of Glasgow has built and maintained a shelter in town for thru hikers. What a great idea. There is a pizza restaurant right behind the shelter and all of us staying there ate there as well as resupplied at the grocery store across the street. Well done Glasgow!Two Clicks and I walked over a mile to a restaurant that ended up being closed so we walked back to the pizza place and ate as much as we could. We then resupplied and grabbed beer. At the shelter we met a bunch of cool hikers and even used the free outdoor shower at the shelter. We hungout and enjoyed the amazing amenities here. They even have outlets and a microwave! I'll be hitting Waynesboro, VA in 4 days, the Shenandoahs in 5 then Harper's Ferry shortly after! Ill be meeting up with my sister, Ann, soon then I'll be picked up for graduation on May 18th. Really pumped especially with the nicer weather!
Date: 2018-05-04
From: Stealth Camp on Big Bald

To: Harper's Creek Shelter
Miles today: 25.4
Weather: broken clouds

The wind had died down this morning and getting up was comfortable. We were happy to have pushed up the mountain last night which left some ridge walking to The Priest then a long down hill.We all started off at our own paces and after an hour or so I plugged in my headphones and finished The Hobbit. I was not feeling it this morning. It was a struggle and I think it was partly due to the push last night. The ridge walks are easy in retrospect but still require ups and downs that drained me. Two Clicks and I stopped at the same shelter for lunch and he was feeling the same way. We both ate and drank as much as we could spare then drank double doses of coffee in hopes caffeine would help.I'll say, lunch had a huge effect on me! The break and food pushed me a lot and we both cranked out the next climbs. At The Priest Mountain shelter, there is a tradition of thru-hikers writing their confessions in the shelter log. I sat there for 10 minutes or so reading them before writing my own. They were hilarious! Green Grass had written "hike on sinners!" And it seemed a few hikers took that quote and rolled with it! Even the privy here seemed like a confessional!The hike up the priest was decent but had no real views. I hiked down hill about 4 miles then back up another 2.5 to the shelter I had planned to stay at. I scored again and there was a creek right in front. I jumped in and enjoyed the freezing creek water after 25 miles in 90 degree weather. So did Two Clicks and a nice flip flopper we met. The rest of the night I hungout waiting for the rain forecasted tomorrow and looking forward to cooler temperatures. Of course I can't complain about the heat.
Date: 2018-05-06
To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The smell of coffee and the bustle of the hostel woke me up as normal...at 6am. I worked my way downstairs and started a new pot of coffee to sip on. Some hikers were leaving early while Two Clicks, Bags, Legs, Speedy and I agreed on going to Weasie's diner for breakfast. I ate wonderfully having an omelette with toast and home fries and a side of french toast washed down with coffee and it was amazing.On the way home I stopped at Walmart and resupplied on food. I honestly just wing it now and resupply for 4-5 days to get into another town. It's worked out so far! Plus I'll be hitting the Shenandoah National Park which has wayside restaurants not far off trail where I can cheat and eat well for once.I got back and managed to score a ride with a trail angel in town named Dave. In Waynesboro there is a community of trail angels that are willing to help hikers out a ton! Dave picked me up and drove me to the outfitters a ways away from downtown and wouldn't take a penny for the ride. Thanks Dave! I struck out on new insoles and new shoes there but was able to get permethrin spray for my clothes to battle the ticks that have come out! The shoes and insoles will have to wait until Front Royal, VA and Harper's Ferry respectively.The remainder of the day I milled about the hostel in loaner clothes as my hiking clothes dried of the spray. I watched a ton of movies, ate food and drank Rockdale Lights in honor of my Westfield roommates. Rockdale seems to only be sold at Walmart for wicked cheap and that was the go to high class drink for us. So cheers to Nick and Tom who I'll be walking across the graduation stage with in about two weeks!Towards the end of the night I walked by myself a few doors down to get ice cream. I sat on a bench facing the street licking a chocolate cone of ice cream watching the traffic go by reflecting on my trip so far and what was to come. I'm so grateful for all I have experienced so far and I'm so excited for the journey ahead! Something about watching society go by in solitude knowing tomorrow I would be back out on trail, in the woods which seem more natural now, was relaxing and a great way to end my day off. P.s: Hi Brad! Thanks for following my journal. I have fond memories of living across the street from Sally! Glad to hear you're working on the 48s! Love those peaks and can't wait to get back there! Happy Trails!
Date: 2018-05-07
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Black Rock Hut
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: mist

Sleeping in a different room than Two Clicks, I no longer had a personal alarm clock. Therefore, I had to set my alarm. 5:30 I got up and started the coffee and began cooking. I made 6 bacon, egg and cheeses. 2 for myself with 4 left to feed two clicks, speedy, legs and another hiker from NH named Trade Mark. They all got up by 630 and were eating and packing quickly before Stanimal drove Speedy, Two Clicks and I to the trailhead. We were off!We hiked up the trail and officially entered the Shenandoahs by filling out a permit and attaching half to our pack. No charge... Smokies. The terrain was amazing all day and I hovered around 3000' all day. The trail criss crosses Skyline Drive continuously so I passed roads, parking lots and a bunch of day hikers. One hiker grilled me on whether or not I was actually thru hiking. He claimed I was too clean and I wanted to say "we're not always dirty animals" but I kept my wits and passed on. Even after he claimed my gear was too clean. Want to lick the salty sweat off my bag? Or maybe enjoy the smell of my shoes or sleeping bag? Too agressive but that's what I wanted to say.At one point I had the opportunity to call Oboz shoes. I need a new pair as my current ones have almost hit 500 miles. Unfortunately they have discontinued the current style I wear but as a thru hiker, they offer me two replacements on my shoes for free! They're sending me a new pair that my parents will bring when I go to graduation. What an awesome company and such great customer service. I've had tremendous luck with my Oboz trail runners and recommend them to anyone! Thanks Oboz!By 3 I had hiked to the shelter I had originally planned on staying at and was feeling great. I planned on moving on to stealth camp but the camaraderie and the people here were great so I stopped and enjoyed the afternoon in the nice weather in preparation for tomorrow meeting my sister and enjoying some good food!