morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-10-11
From: Rock Gap Parking Lot - Standing Indian Camp

To: Winding Stair Gap Parking Lot
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: clear sky

Mile 106.1 to 109.8Slept well last nite with 3 layers of clothes and the emergency blanket. The condensation from the e-blanket made my sleeping bag very damp and we got a heavy dew so the tent was damp too. Since this is my last day hiking this trip, I'll just dry them out when I get home. Talked to 2 guys who are members of a truck camping club. I eventually want to tour the country in some kind of RV so they provided helpful info for that. One of the hosts at the campground told me he wanted to come pick me up at the parking lot last nite because he knew how worried I was about getting there before dark, but was advised he shouldn't because of liability issues. He was very apologetic. Too bad we have to worry about that.Walked the 2 miles uphill on the road back to the trail. Got there around 10:15. As I started, I was so glad I didn't attempt this section late yesterday. Was a long uphill which wasn't too bad today but my legs and energy level weren't up to it yesterday. Had a nice hike back to the car, talking to several day hikers -- one training for Kilimanjaro and one couple training for a thru hike. Truly enjoyed talking with these hikers and comparing hiking experiences. Let me say again that the best thing about the trail is the people you meet!!!This was a good section hike. Great weather (no rain) and the trees were starting to turn -- red, yellow with lots of green still. Only 2 blisters, one on each heel. Best thing -- no falls!! Ready for another section hike -- in northern Virginia next week.
Date: 2016-10-17
From: VA 55 at Manassas Gap

To: VA 522 Front Royal
Miles today: 8.2

Mile Marker 977.6 to 969.4 Slackpacking southboundYesterday was a travel day, driving from IN to Front Royal, VA. It was a long day's drive and we stayed at Mtn. Home Hostel in Front Royal last nite. I'm hiking this section with my friend Pam and we'll be slackpacking (not carrying full packs) and using Pam's vehicle to aid us in getting around. Scott, one of the hostel owners, helped us fine tune our plans for the hiking days. We ate dinner at Main Street Mill in Front Royal . . . good food.This morning we had eggs, toast and fruit for breakfast at the hostel. Nina, our shuttle driver, picked us up at 9:30 and we were hiking southbound from VA55, Manassas Gap parking lot by 10:00. We had a 700 ft. ascent the first thing and the temp was going up already. We stopped at Denton Shelter (very nice shelter) and cooled off with water from the outdoor shower. We would have eaten lunch there but hundreds of stinkbugs were all over the shelter. YUCK! So we hiked on and stopped at Mosby Campsite and had lunch.Trail was up and down from here and the last .5 to 1.0 mile there was a high fence close to the trail with signs "Employees Only" but no signs telling us what was behind the fence. Found out later that some of this land was used for treating animals from the National Zoo in Washington,DC and I think some of the land was used for Homeland Security. Hiked on to US 522 Front Royal Crossing where we walked .1 mile back to the Mountain Home Hostel for another night. Lisa, Scott's wife, gave us a tour of the neat, old house they're restoring to turn into a B&B. They've done lots of work but still have lots to do. Went to dinner in town, but can't remember the name of the place. Food was just ok so I guess that explains why I can't remember the name.Last night we were the only ones at the hostel, but tonight 2 couples stayed on the first floor on 2 futons. They weren't hikers and probably didn't know about hiker midnight (9pm). They came in late, around 11pm, and talked loudly until regular midnight. All in all, this hostel is very nice. We had omelets for breakfast and Scott and Lisa are very helpful. This is a good place to stay.
Date: 2016-10-18
From: VA 522 Front Royal

To: Luray, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a zero day -- since yesterday was so warm we decided to just sightsee for a day or two. We had breakfast at the hostel (Mtn. Home) and drove into Shenandoah National Park. Hiked 3 miles to Stearn's Farm (old barn). Leaf colors weren't bright but kinda muted with less than half turning. Had lunch at a picnic area then headed out of the park to Skyline Caverns. Very cool cave and we were the only ones on the tour. Drove back into the Park and drove Skyline Drive to Skyline Inn. Stopped and asked if they had a room which they did but it was $209 (1 dbl bed and 1 twin)so we moved on. Drove into Luray outside the park and used a coupon we'd found in a motel magazine for the Best Western for $60. Much better. Next door was an Italian restaurant (Garano's?). Good food, lots of it and not expensive. I recommend both of these if you stop in Luray, VA.
Date: 2016-10-19
From: Luray, VA

To: VA 522 Front Royal
Miles today: 0.6
Weather: clear sky

Mile Marker 1022.8 to 1023.4 .6 mi Slackpacking northboundAte breakfast at Burger King and planned our day in Harpers Ferry. I had less than a mile to finish to connect from the AT Conservancy Office to the bridge where I started hiking in April. That's one issue with section hiking, sometimes you end up with tiny sections that you have to finish to make the connection between 2 sections hiked previously. That was the case today. So, we drove to Harpers Ferry and visited the ATC office and picked up a trail map for the northern VA area. Pam and I hiked the blue blazed trail from the ATC office to the AT and took that into town. We passed by Jefferson Rock and had beautiful views of the river. In town we listened to a very informative ranger talk about John Brown. Had a late lunch at a caf© across the street from the train station and walked around town. Then we walked up the steep hill to the ATC office where we'd left the car. A day hiker from London, England was on the front porch of the office and we offered him a ride to town but he wanted to make some calls first, so we took off. We drove back to Front Royal and stayed at Mtn. Home Hostel again. It was full tonight with hikers (Zapppy Tendril, Pancake and 2 brothers who plan to thru hike next year). We went into town for dinner at Panda Express and sat up until 10:30 talking to the others.
Date: 2016-10-20
From: Signal Knob Parking Lot

To: VA 55 Parking Lot
Miles today: 8.2

Mile 985.8 to 977.6 Slackpacking southboundDrove to the US55 parking lot and met the shuttle driver, Sharon, there. She took us up 638 to the Fire Road (gravel) to the parking lot at Signal Knob (sign just says AT parking). It took us 30 minutes to get there so we started hiking at 10:00. We hiked south again today. Scott, the owner of Mtn. Home Hostel, advised us to do that so we'd be hiking downhill most of the day instead of uphill. There were a couple of ascents but not too bad. Ate lunch at Manassas Gap shelter. Finished around 3:45. All in all a good hiking day even tho it was warm and humid (83 degrees). This is the last day I'll hike on the AT this year. Hopefully I'll start at the Winding Stair Gap parking lot in North Carolina next April. Going to visit Gettysburg tomorrow then head home.
Date: 2016-11-01
From: Winding Stair Gap Parking Lot

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Mile 109.8 to 120.8Last Saturday nite I was sitting at home and realized I didn't have anything pressing to take care of the next week and the weather was warm in IN so I decided to check the weather in NC and found that it was forecast to be in the 60's in the day and no rain all week. So, I started pulling things out to get ready to leave for the trail on Monday morning. After Mom reassured me she was ok, I shifted in high gear and got packed up. After checking all the fluids in my car, I left at 8:30am Monday. Got to Franklin, NC around 5pm and checked into the Sapphire Inn. This isn't the best motel but it will do for the nite and the office clerk was very friendly and helpful. I had stayed here when I sprained my ankle and again a couple of weeks ago. The main thing -- it is cheap. Section hiking does cost a lot of $$ if you're on and off the trail very much. Went to get pizza for dinner and to take on the trail the next day.This morning I drove to Winding Stair Gap parking lot and was hiking by 9:30. Before I started 2 female SOBOs - 1 from MO and 1 from NJ walked by on their way to Franklin. When I got on the trail I met Glacier who was also a NOBO section hiker. She explained that glaciers move slow and that was a perfect name for her. Unfortunately, I didn't see her the rest of my trip. Would have been nice to have someone to hike with for a little while. Encountered 2 more male SOBOs and a couple of SOBO day hikers. That was a lot of hikers in a short period of time. Then I climbed 1200 ft. but it was spread over 4.6 miles and it only took me 2 hrs. which is fast for me. I smelled smoke as soon as I got on the trail, but it seemed far away so didn't worry. Ate lunch at the top of Siler Bald. It was a beautiful day and the views were spectacular. No one else around but I spent about an hour relaxing, fixing my ankle blisters and enjoying the views. Soon after I started hiking this morning I heard 2 helicopters flying over...one of them had one of those big buckets under it so I knew there was some kind of fire burning. The mountain gaps were covered in smoke all day.Starting after lunch with a big descent and then a 1100 ft ascent in 3 miles. Seemed much harder than the one I did this morning. I got water for the evening at a piped spring around 4:45 so that I could stealth camp this evening because the shelter was so far. Started looking for camp sites and checked out a couple of places but wasn't satisfied. Reached at the top of Wayah Bald but it was already chilly and very windy by 6pm when I arrived. Just kept walking and didn't find a spot by dark. I've never hiked in the dark with my headlamp on, but it wasn't too bad. Less than 1/2 hr. later I walked into Wayah Bald Shelter and put my tent up in the dark which I'd never done before either. It's amazing how much light a headlamp can put out. I'm here alone and very tired and sore. Did over 11 miles today!!! Hope I can get a good nite's sleep.
Date: 2016-11-03
From: Campsite at mile 128.0

To: NOC
Miles today: 9.3

I got up at 6:30 -- yes, 6:30am! I know I have a long, long descent all day and I'm a little concerned. Started hiking the 2200 ft descent by 8:40. The trail is in bad shape -- eroded, leaf covered and very steep. At one point I had to throw my poles down, sit down and scoot. 3 SOBO's were at the bottom and told me to go ahead and come down. I told them I'd rather not because I was going to sit and scoot. They said it would take them a while to come up, but I insisted they do it. They were at the top in 20 seconds. Met more than 10 SOBO's today, including only one female.Didn't stop for lunch until 3pm because there was no place to stop and sit. Most of the trail was only a little broader than 3 feet and it dropped off on one side and hugged the mountain on the other. Finally I got to the last shelter before the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) and stopped for pretzels and dried apples. Walked the last mile and arrived at 4:30. I had planned on staying at the last shelter and hiking to the NOC tomorrow morning but just kept going. Tried to call Jimmy, my shuttle driver, to see if he could pick me up tonight instead of tomorrow but he must have been on a run and didn't answer. Rented a bunk in the bunkhouse but by the time I'd done that the restaurant had closed. I was looking forward to real food, but had to eat dehydrated food instead. Jimmy called back and said there were fires everywhere and he would pick me up at 9am tomorrow. He had driven by the lot where my car was parked and said all was OK. I hadn't even thought about my care being affected and didn't realize there was more than one fire.This bunkhouse is different. My room has 3 sets of bunkbeds...no linens just a mattress and no towels. Had to use my 20x11 camp towel when I took a shower. It worked pretty well. I have the whole room to myself since I'm the only female hiker here. The only bad thing is the bathroom is up 4 flights of stairs outside. I've already climbed them 4 times, so hope I don't have to make many more trips. Give me a big tree!!
Date: 2016-11-04
From: NOC

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

Jimmy picked me up and took me to my car. Before I left this morning I talked to 6 SOBO's who were stuck at the NOC because the section they planned to hike, the one I had hiked yesterday and part of the day before, was closed (13 miles)due to a fire that started yesterday afternoon. Also, the section just south of the Winding Stair Gap parking lot (3 miles) is closed. This is the fire I smelled the first 2 days I was hiking. As I was driving back to IN there were several fires that I could see from the road in TN and KY. I also heard there is no water along the trail in GA. The SOBO's are certainly having a difficult finish to their journey but as I told them, this is just a blip for them, they've already hiked 2,100 miles. Congratulations to all who have completed or will complete thru hikes this year!!!
Date: 2016-08-01
To: Gulf Breeze, FL
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

If you ever have achilles tendon surgery, you can relate better to my past year. The injury occurred on my last AT section hike in Virginia in early May 2015. That Trail Journal describes in more detail what occurred.My surgery was on 8/11/2015 at the Andrews Orthopedic Institute in Gulf Breeze, FL. Dr. Daniel Murawski did the surgery to remove a heel spur and the achilles tendon debridement and repair. He is a foot and ankle specialist at Andrews. Physical therapy was at First Choice Physical Therapy on PC Beach. They are the best orthopedic medical care in this area.In planning a return to the trail, I decided to be patient and wait til end of this summer after our vacation house cleaning business slowed down.I visited my orthopedic surgeon on Aug 1st to discuss my hiking plans. His advice was to go for it, just cut back on the daily miles. After thinking about returning to Luray, VA or trying the Long Trail in Vermont again, I finally decided on Vermont. My approach to this hike is one of caution. I do not know what to expect in the mountains with how the operative foot will respond to up and down hiking in the mountains with a backpack.I emailed Rockfish to ask what his plans were. He suggested starting the hike in northern Massachussets as a warm up, and taking in Mt. Greylock, just south of the MA/VT state line. So that's my plan. It's early August, and I need to finish up gear and clothing selection and travel plans. Our cleaning schedule begins to slack off a bit in middle of August. more to come
Date: 2016-08-04
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

So the hike is on.Decided again to fly into Albany, NY on Delta, get Dave Ackerson to shuttle me to Cheshire, MA to get on the AT and start the hike.At this time, my plan is simply one day at a time.   I've told friends I plan another Long Trail thru hike to Canada.   But I can't project past a day or so, if my operative foot begins to bother me at any time, I have to stop hiking. I don't expect any problems based on the doctor's advice, and my training here.speaking of training, it's been minimal, nothing like past hikes. Cleaning beach vacation houses is a lot of walking and climbing stairs for 8-10 hours a day, but not with a backpack or on rocky terrain.So I'm doing the elliptical and stair climber machine at the gym, and started doing the beach condo 23-floor staircase again with a 25 lb backpack. It's hard the first time a year after surgery. But no hiking here, it's too hot and humid in the summer, and the ticks and bugs are horrible here. my plan is use the first few days on the AT as my warm up and not do more then 12-13 miles per day.so bought my Delta ticket to fly up on August 18th to Albany, NY. and getting gear together. It's been a hot summer in New England
Date: 2016-08-17
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

Last day at home.My flight tomorrow is at 5:45 a.m. CDT with a connection in Atlanta, and arrival in Albany, NY at 11:10 a.m. EDT. Have my shuttle ride arranged. Dave is out of town this week, so his sister-in-law is doing the shuttle. FWIW if you need any shuttle rides in southern Vermont or northern MA, I highly recommend Dave Ackerson, he is in the AT Guide book.   Very reliable, professional, and a great guy. He works at Williams College in Williamstown, MA and lives in North Adams, MA, very close to the AT and LT.Have gear ready to go. Biggest change from the past is footwear selection.I'm using the Brooks Cascadia 10's for this hike.   The Cascadia has become a favorite of PCT hikers, and I've been wearing Brooks shoes this summer and love them. My orthopedic surgeon and I had a long talk on footwear and insoles. He told me I do not need Superfeet insoles or any orthotics. So, I'm wearing the shoes with the standard insoles with the shoes.all is ready to go here for an early morning wakeup. Natasha driving me to the airport at 4 a.m. I plan to have the shuttle driver take me directly from Albany airport to the AT road crossing in Cheshire, MA and try to make it to top of Mt. Greylock the first day.   About 8 miles and a 2500 ft. elevation climb.Final note. I'm still carrying my small Canon digital camera. When I return home, I now use an ASUS Chromebook, so I hope to be able to upload photos to Trail Journal faster. I may upload more photos from this hike than past hikes. we'll see how it goes.
Date: 2016-08-18
From: Cheshire, MA

To: Mt Greylock
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

My flights are on time and go without a hitch. I'm carrying my backpack on the plane with me, had already shipped my hiking poles and a couple other items ahead to Dave Ackerson.So the shuttle driver drops me off at the Dunkin Donuts/gas station about 0.2 miles off the AT road crossing on MA-8 in Cheshire, MA.I grab some lunch there and repack my gear in the backpack, takes about 30-40 minutes out in the parking lot. I pack stuff differently in the backpack while flying, so have to repack and rearrange stuff and pack the stuff I had shipped ahead to Dave (Hiking poles, titanium pot, lighter, pocketknife, Ti spork, anything I think TSA might not let me carry on the plane). My neighbor is a Delta flight attendant and coached me what I could carry on with my backpack (Osprey Atmos 50, which was just small enough to be okay as a carry-on). I wanted to avoid checking on the backpack, getting hit with the $25 Delta fee for check-on baggage, and with only a 45 minute layover in Atlanta, avoid the risk of my backpack not making the Atlanta-Albany flight. Plus waiting in Albany 20-30 minutes for baggage to be offloaded from the plane, while my shuttle driver was waiting outside. It's just a whole lot easier to just carry on the backpack if you can do it. Advantage of AMTRAK, no TSA security hassles, you can carry on ALL of your hiking stuff, including hiking poles. It is very hot up here, in the high 80s and very humid. But it's a sunny day.So my initial reaction at being back on the trail after a year and surgery...well it cannot be described here.   Lucky? Fortunate?   Disbelief? yes all of thatit's a tough climb for me, but I arrive at top of Greylock around 5:45 pm. Beautiful climb, and it's back in the Canadian zone, looks like Vermont or the Smokies on the climb up Greylock.there's a cool lodge at the top, Bascom Lodge, they have a bunkroom and it's only $35/night for hikers. My other plan was stealth camp in the Thunderbolt Ski Hut on top. I get a bunk in the bunkroom and take a shower and eat some food and meet some other folks at the lodge. Crash early I'm beat after first day back on the trail.I highly recommend Bascom Lodge.   The war memorial at top of Greylock is under renovation, it's got scaffolding all around it. There's a road up to the top so lots of day hikers and visitors up here.Tomorrow I plan to hike north across the VT/MA state line and maybe make it to Seth Warner Shelter.
Date: 2016-08-19
From: Mt Greylock

To: Seth Warner Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

I wake up early in the Bunkroom, and a continental breakfast in the dining room is included. Turns out it's homemade blueberry muffins and coffee.   They have some kind of award winning chef at Bascom Lodge.   The dinners are expensive here, but folks here rave about the food.I get a cook to order omelette too, costs about $10 but worth it. So after breakfast I pack up and head north after taking a bunch of photos of the lodge and top of Greylock.The AT heading north from Greylock summit is a very steep descent. No switchbacks at the top.   I meet a lot of southbound AT thru hikers on this hike, and dayhikers too.I get to the North Adams road crossing around noon, and stop at the Greylock Community Center on MA-2 to grab a diet Coke and use the rest room. It is only about 0.1 miles off the trail. For info, the Greylock Community Center offers free long term parking for AT or LT hikers in their lot.Finally continue north on familiar terrain. This is my 5th hike of this AT/LT section, although it's been 2 years since my last hike here.The trail goes alongside on house, and the owner chats with me about an incident a couple weeks ago with some troublesome AT thru hikers, a group of about 6 that were partying in the woods behind his house, building campfires where fires are prohibited. Finally I get to Seth Warner Shelter and there's room in the shelter for the night. I meed some other section hikers, some AT SoBo thru hikers, and it looks like tent city around the shelter. The spring is just down hill from the shelter and has good water flow. The bear box is locked up because hikers were leaving their trash in it.
Date: 2016-08-20
From: Seth Warner Shelter

To: Melville Nauheim Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

My 3rd day back on the trail.   Still very hot and humid up here. Locals tell me it's been one of the hottest summers they can recall, and until recently very dry.   I notice the mud on the trail is about how I remember from past hikes up here. They say they had some rain over the last couple weeks, but most of June and July was very dry.The hike goes well today. I get the Bennington Taxi to pick me up at the VT-9 road crossing around 1 pm, and take me into Bennington for resupply and a McDonalds lunch stop. My time in town is about 2.5 hours, with a stop at the ALDI grocery store to get 3-4 days food for the next section to Manchester Center, VT.   I meet a NoBo thru hiker the last couple miles before the VT-9 road crossing, his name is Ziplock. He started in Georgia in early April. We split the taxi fare, he is going to Catamount motel for the night and resupply.It's only my 3rd day on the trail, it's tempting to stay in town, but I need to get on, so I get the taxi ride back to the trail/road crossing, about 6 miles outside Bennington, and hike up the mountain to the first shelter for the night.When I get there, there's only 2 other hikers staying there. A couple of Univ of Alabama co-eds who just graduated. They are on the girls' rowing team at ALabama. We chat for a while, they are in the shelter, I'm going to setup my tarp tonight in the tenting area.   I'm amazed they are glued to social media the entire time I see them at the shelter. No rain overnight, good night for sleeping, and my first night using my MLD silnylon Grace tarp. It sets up easy and works well and only weighs 10 oz.Water is good at the spring at this shelter, but no privy here.