morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-07-30
From: Gulf Road

To: Outlook Avenue
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: light rain

Gulf Road to Outlook AvenueVery nice day today from a temperature perspective. Warm but not hot and humidity seemed less of an issue. One big climb and a number of smaller climbs. Hiked 8.7 miles with 2,497 of elevation gain. Trail went through the town of Cheshire, MA. It¢s a quaint little town. It went right past an ice cream stand so I stopped and got a cone around 2:30 in the afternoon, when the heat was building up. It was refreshing.  Had one good view coming down into Cheshire from what is called the Cheshire Cobble, which is simply a ledge overlooking the valley. The wind was blowing quite strongly, which felt good. At the 1896 Country Inn in Williamstown, MA.
Date: 2022-07-31
From: Gulf Road

To: Outlook Avenue 
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Gulf Road to Outlook Avenue Hiked 12.6 miles with 3,356 of elevation gain. Went over Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts, at 3,488 feet. There is a war memorial/tower at the top. I climbed to the top. The views were spectacular and you could see 360 degrees but the windows were small and less than clean and clear, so that detracted somewhat from an otherwise excellent experience. The views on the ground were very good, but you couldn¢t see 360 degrees because of trees. There is also a lodge on the top of Mount Greylock. It was built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. I am staying there tonight and having dinner there. The trail went past a small pond with a small cabin on its shores. It was very picturesque so I got a picture.Temperature today was pretty good. The average temperature for my hike was 80 degrees, so not as pleasant as it has been but better than the 90s.
Date: 2022-03-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

In just 2 weeks i will be starting the Appalachian trail in Georgia! I have all my gear together, except for a wrist watch, but i have plenty of time to find one. After weighing in my pack it came in just under 20 lbs without food or water. Im sure ill still make a few minor tweaks, and i should settle in close to that. Ill be moving out from my appartment this weekend and putting almost all my belongings into storage. Im hype to live off what i can carry for 6 months!
Date: 2022-03-21
From: Amicalola State Park Base Camp

To: Amicalola State Park Lodge
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: clear sky

After a 10 hour drive today i arrived in Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia! I attended the start smart hiker class where i met the park ranger Bob who talked me through the first 5 days of the trail. After that he said i should hike the first mile up the 450 stairs next to the waterfall here so i dont have to tomorrow morning! Then i met my family for dinner in the lodge before getting ready for a good nights sleep to prepare for the additonal 2189 miles of trail!
Date: 2022-03-26
From: Amicalola State Park Lodge

To: Poplar Stamp Gap
Miles today: 44.1
Weather: scattered clouds

I started the hike a few days ago from the approach trail. On tuesday, i cimbed up to the top of springer mtn! athe official start of the trail. I hiked down to a shelter called stover creek to spend the night. Im glad i did, bucause just after midnight it started pouring down rain. the next day i hiked through what felt like rainforest all rhe way to gooch mountain shelter where it was packed full, and about 25 tents were already set up. the rain stopped and i wss able to get semi dry in the evening sunlight. the next 2 days i took it easy until making it to neels gap the first resupply point. there i swapped my hiking boots for trail shoes and got a new ack after my old one was startign to tear down the side. that noght i stayed in a hostle to get a shower clean laundry and a bed over aleeping bag! we took a shuttle back to the gap in the morning, where our driver hinted we should make it to hogpin gap at least today. when my hiking grouo passed through we got some trail magic! there was a church group making hamburgers, hotdogs and chilli! everyone had a super filling lunch! later on i hiked to my current campsite where there was a 10 month old puppy running around with unlimited energy. it made for a fin evening!
Date: 2022-04-01
To: mile 107.7
Miles today: 63.6
Weather: clear sky

Posting from an unnamed campsite on a random mountain top at mile mark 107.7! A lot has happened in the past week! I recieved a trail name last weekend on top of cowrock mtn, where my trowel was clanging around against the caribener holding it to the pack. I got the name Cowbell from that! I hiked with a cool group of people, candle, caboose, kenga, and kendra for a while we did a 14 mile day, then 3 of us went into town in Helen for a resupply and beer. This was a cool germantown place in georgia that had a few beergartens! after a night in the hotel to get showers and laundry we headed back to the trail and did a 5 mile hike to a shelter. we met a cool group doing smores around a campfire! the next 2 days we hiked and camped with them. We all had our 1st 2 major milestones together! crossing into North Carolina and making it to mile 100! this morning we hit some trail magic that we were afraid was an april fools joke. it turned out to be real and we got some breakfast buritos from trash panda and loins of Arabia, who work at the north most hostel on the trail.
Date: 2022-04-11
From: mile 107.7

To: Gatlinburg TN
Miles today: 100.0
Weather: broken clouds

After leaving Franklin i hiked north towards fontana damn. Once the group i was hiking with made it there, we all resupplied at the marina and went into the village for a burger and laundry. That night we stayed at the trail shelter nicknamed the Fontana Hilton because it sleeps 40 people. One person brought ann grilled hotdogs for everyone at dinner time. After leaving Fontana we began the Great Smoky Mountains and made it past mile 200! There i climbed up Clingman's Dome with kodak and candle, the highest point on the trail at 6634 feet. We were the first ones up there for the day dispite being the last ones to leave camp in the morning. We had to trek through about half a foot of snow at points, but it was worth it for the view. Oh yeah, as soon as we entered the Smokies it started snowing. After 3 days of it we left the trail at Newfound gap to take a Zero day in Gatlinburg TN. Now its been in the 70s for a day and the snow should have melted away. We got to see the Riplies believe it or not museum and aquarium in town. Tomorrow ill pick back up and plan to finish the last 30 miles of the smokies
Date: 2022-04-17
From: Newfound Gap

To: Hotsprings NC
Miles today: 67.3
Weather: few clouds

Since last week i finished out the smokie mountains, through lots of rain. My longest hiking day so far was 18.5 miles to get from tri-corner shelter to standing bear hostle. there i got a meal and a shower. After that, i hiked a few more days to hot springs North Carolina. this is the first full town that the trail runs through. the sidewalk is literally marked with trail blazes. a few friends and i grabbed lunch here and did a reaupply for the next 70 miles of trail.
Date: 2022-04-24
To: The station at 19 E
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After leaving hotsprings there was one good weather day before the rain. the second day out it rained all day and froze overnight. i had to spend 5 minutes thawing out the clips on my rainfly before i could break down my tent. After packing up i hiked with two other hikers from VA, Bravo and Montaray Jack. In the afternoon i met up with another group of people hiking what seemed like a super fast pace to me. they were practically jogging the trail, but i kept up. for the past few days i have been hanging out and hiking with Monkey, Didgeridoo, Realith Check and Fern. two of them are finishing their tripple crown after the appalachian trail! that is when you thru hike the PCT, CDT and AT! i put in my most miles keeping up with them at a monster 27 mile day. starting at 9 am and finishing at 9pm! then we HERO'd erwin for a 17 mile day. thats when you hike into town in the morning and hike out at the end of the day without stating over at a hostle. Some chipolte raised our spirits and got us moving back on trail! then last night for Didgeridoos birthday he wanted to do 35 miles! i started at 8 and finished at 130am! I happened across the blue blaze brewery from Charlotte NC trail magic! i spent 2 hours around the campfire with them before finishing the 35 miles! the last 8 i did with a headlamp in the dark. avary so often i would turn it off to see the stars! this morning i was able to see the roan highlands rolling fields that wernt visable in the dark. now im at a hostle resting my legs after the huge mile days!
Date: 2022-05-01
From: The station at 19 E

To: Damascus VA
Miles today: 75.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Over the past few days the weather has been great for hiking! i made it completely out of Tenessee and North Carolina and crossed into Virginia! One day i hiked around the Watauga lake, i had good waterfront views almost all day, and the terrain was nice and smooth. Now ill continue for about 500 miles through the rest of VA.
Date: 2022-05-13
From: Damascus VA

To: Blacksburg VA
Miles today: 167.1
Weather: few clouds

Lots of awesome things have happened since leaving Damascus! I forgot to mention in my last post that i did my first shoe swap after starting to consistently get a blister on my heels. Got some HOKA speed goats. My first day out, i saw a cool deer eating leaves up the trail and watched it for a bit. the next day i made my way into the gracen highlands. there are fields here filled with wild ponies. you can walk right up to them if you want (or when they are standing in the middle of the trail). There were also longhorn cattle walking around. The next night i saw a snake in a shelter. We decided to leave it up there cause it was non poisonous and ate bugs. The next day i made it to marion VA for a resupply at the walmart. The lodging for the nigh was the partnership shelter. This one has a shower, power, and clean drinking water at it. You can even call a nearby pizza place for delivery. One of the BEST places to stay on the AT so far! I hiked with Chief Squid, Wheezer and Blaze the next day and we came up to a gas station mexican restaurant just in time for Cinco De Mayo lunch! I had a great meal of stuffed bell peppers with chicken, steak, cheese, onion and mushrooms. we camped out by a creek that night and soaked our feet in a "ice bath". cold mountain water. I woke up to rain and luckily it passed through by 8 am. After a few miles of hiking i encountered someone who said the weather outlook was thunderstorms with hail and tornados. There was a hostle nearby so i went there with squid wheezer and blaze. the storm came through in the afternoon and had torrential downpour and big thunders. the hostle we stayed at offered a marathon slackpack for a cake! the next day we were brought 26 miles up trail with a day pack of food and water, then we hiked through the rain back to the hostle. We were rewarded with an AMAZING home made chocolate cake! that day also had the first river fording. the bridge was out so we just walked on through getting the socks and shoes all full of water. luckily there was a dehumidifier at the wnd of the day to dry them out! a few days later, we passed near a gas station and picked up beer and hotdogs to bring up to a waterfall and swimming hole. we spent the afternoon in the sun enjoying natty lights sticking our legs in a mountain river. the campsite we took had a little metal grate to use as a grill for the hotdogs too! it was a great day! 2 days later i hit pearisburg VA, where one of my friends from VA Tech came and picked me up off trail so i could take a zero in blacksburg and celebrate his graduation! I hiked a day hike with a few friends and swam in the cascades. the next morning i went and watched the graduation ceremony and celebrated with everyone accordingly.
Date: 2022-05-24
From: Pearisburg VA

To: James River Bridge
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Ive crossed the Eastern continental divide! Up on a place called wind rock i saw the most beautiful sunset in my life. the sun slowly sank over the distant mountain range composed purely of green trees. there was not a mark of civilization in sight, no roads or houses! just nature. A bunch of cool reptiles are now out on the trail sunning themselves on rocks more! turtles, all different kinds of lizards, snakes! ive seen copperheads, rattlers, black snakes and green ones this past week alone. One was while i was at a swimming hole relaxing at the end of a 90 degree day! the past 3 days have been filled with rain and thunderstorms making it tough to get dry after being wet all day. I pullwd off trail for a night at Stanimals hostle in glasgow to dry out!
Date: 2022-06-10
From: James River Bridge

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Over the last week i crossed the 1000 mile marker! one down one to go! i also made it to historic harpers ferry, where the Appalachian Trail Conservancy ATC has their headqusrters. there i got my picture taken for the yearbook, i was number 644 to pass through! I also got to hike a section after Shenandoah National Park with my friends Iain and his wife Shelby. When i was leaving SNP, i saw my first black bear on trail! i had been waiting a long time for that. unfortunately i didnt get to my phone fast enough to take a picture of it. going through the park had some of the easiest hiking so far because we passed waysides once or twice a day. There you could get lunch and dinner and icecream without having to carry the extra weight of good food in your pack.
Date: 2022-06-27
To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Over the past week ive been crusing across Pennsylvania! they wernt kidding oh how it got the nickname rocksylvania. plenty of hopping across boulders and time spent balancing on the edges of spiney rocks. I also crossed through west Virginia and Maryland! the official halfway point was met with the half gallon challenge. At pine grove general store me and a few other hikers, Turtle wizard, Eazy-e, Dreamcatcher and Mary Poppins all attempted and successfully completed it! it was a misrake to pick moose tracks because the chocolate was too rich, but after 40 minutes i got it all down! afterwards, I went swimming in the nearby lake before setting up camp for the night. I crossed super awesome trail magic spots over the last 3 days in PA, and they fed hikers big lunches and encouraged us to pack out leftovers for dinner. i didnt even break into my food bag from my last resupply except for breakfast and coffee. Shoutout to the Allentown hiking club and another thru hiker Sojo and his friends
Date: 2022-07-13
To: Massachusetts 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I made it up to New England, moving throu Massachusetts now. I stopped into a hotel for the first time off trail since Delaware wster gap. I was long overdue for a shower, and the hotel was great! up to now, i had been cleaning off in the rivers and lakes of new york. On the 4th of july, i crossed over bear mountain and there were toooooons of people using the picknick area and a 2 hour wait to get in the pool. It was a little overwhelming. Newyork, jersy and Connecticut also had the advantage of deli blazing. each day i was able to gear something for breakfast lunch or dinner. Another super cool spot was the warwick drivein movie theatre. they let hikers set up tents in the back and handed out radio's to listen on. I caught lightyear and fell asleep just after jurassic park started around 11 at night. lots of other hikers stopped off trail in great barrington to take a zero and hang out! I saw another bear in new jersey and Connecticut! the one in CT climbed down from a tree right infront of me then sprinted away once it saw me.
Date: 2022-07-27
To: Vermont
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today i just made it to mile 1700! less than 500 to go to get to Kahtahdin! over the past few days i have started to see a ton of SOBO (south bound) hikers. the shelters and campsites have been way more crowded as we meet people hiking the long trail in vermont and other AT hikers going south. In mass, I went to upper goose pond cabbin. that was a lakeside cabbin for hikers to stay at for no cost, there was even a pancake and coffe breakfast made by the cabbin caretaker. i went swimming and canoeing around the island in the lake with a few other hikers! the next day, i went past the cookie lady, a famous trail angle on the AT. she makes fresh cookies for all thru hikers. there was also a deal to pick a bucket of blueberrys and she would cook you a hamburger. it was delicious, and i got to snack on berrys. When i made it over mount Graylock and to the end of Massachusetts i met up with my dad who happened to have a work meeting in pittsfield, so i got to stay in his hotel room and take a zero! we went to a brewery for trivia night and didnt come in first place, but we also didnt come in last place, so thats a win! another zero i took was when i went to fireballs birthday party at a winery. The first town i stopped in in vermont had a palyable pinball museum with 100 different machines from different eras. i also got some vermont Creemee, soft serve ice cream with mapel syrup. the next town i stopped at in vermont had a brewery. im currently here enjoying a brew!
Date: 2022-08-04
To: New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Getting ready to start the whites, i got some cold weather gear back for the random cold spells. unfortunately my pack weighs more now. finished the rest of vermont and dragged a long trail hiker with us on a 50 mile detour! adter hanging out in a trail group, tramily, with us for a few days on the AT he went back to the long trail.Hung out with happy, leppurchaun, brainman, milky moo, pankles for the past few days. Zerod at happys moms hiker hostle, she was super awesome to host all of us at an air bnb! made it into dartmouth (for a picture). we got to wander around campus for a bit and see all the sights, and Nope the new jordan peele movie. unfortunately every place we went to for vermont creemee, soft serve with maple syrup, had broken machines... Tomorrow ill start the whites with mount Moosilauke! and attempt the 24 challenge with milky moo, brain man, and burning man!
Date: 2022-08-20
To: Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After moving through the first half of New hampshire i hit the white mountains! There i started hiking with a few others more consistently and have a tramily name of "Hats on" because some of us wear hats most of the time. On august 5th we hit mt moosilauke, the first of the whites, and rainman, milkymoo, and I compleated the 24 challenge. For those wondering, its to hike 24 miles, drink 24 beers and you have 24 hours to get it done. Oh it was also my 24th birthday, so lots of good luck! We asked a hostle to slack pack us, so we wouldent need to carry our full pack weight + beer, but they were uncomfortable with the idea, as this was a notoriously difficult section of trail compared to what we had done so far! so we thanked them for the advice and set out to do it with our full packs and a case of beer each. we started at 330 in the morning and drank 4 beers to lighten up our packs. after climbing moosilauke in a dress, as is a trail tradition, we pressed on down a steep climb on the other side. We took lots of breaks to enjoy our bud lights through the day! surprisingly we didnt get drunk because we kept sweating out the beer and alcohol. Next we crushed mt. wolf and the pair of kinsmans. we caught sunset on the peak, and got headlamps out to finish the last 6 miles after dark. by 10 at night we started to feel some of beer, but were on flat trail and moderate terrain. we got to the end of the day and worked with another hostle to pick us up. they said we could ahow up as late as midnight, and they would still pick us up. so we arrived right before 12! The old colony ski club was a super awesome spot with great hosts! shoutout to jen and jeff. i then double zerod to "catch up on rest" but the hostle turned into a party once everyone was awake saturday. oh well lol. great place 10/10. from there i continued through the white mountains up to washington with hats on. i made a bet with happy to keep wearing the moosilauke dress to earn 20 dollars after finishing the whites. we had amazing views everywhere except the summit of washington, and for about a week after, we could see the summit perfectly clear from other peaks... the fog on mt. Washington's had some advantages because we were able to moon the cog train and disappear from view soon after! another trail tradition. now we are out of the whites and working our way through Maine. there are lots of awesome ponds and rivers to stop and relax at, so our progress towards Kahtahdin has slowed down some. some ponds are clear enough to swim in, but others have leaches, so its a risky move to get in. Now theres about 250 miles to the end of the trail, and i want to enjoy it for as long as i can!
Date: 2022-09-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Through the rest of maine there were toooons of lakes and rivers to stop at and relax. Afrer conquering the Bigelows and the 100 mile wilderness my Tramily made it to the base of Kahtahdin on September 8th. On the 9th we climbed the last mountain and had perfect weather amd clear views! I was #721 to finish the trail this year on a NOBO thru-hike. In the words of Dr. Seuss "Dont cry because its over, Smile because it happened". I loved every second of my journey from georgia to maine and met so many great people! thanks everone for all the support!
Date: 2022-03-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well after COVID ruined my AT hiking plans for 2020 and 2021, I'm finally going to do the trail in 2022 (or at least attempt it).  I'm going to do a section hike Mid/Late March from Damascus to Pearisburg, then head home for a few weeks before starting a Flip Flop in late April at Harpers Ferry (I'll skip over the section hike later...I need to be home in August for a couple weeks for my grandson's arrival). I have my section hike info loaded in my garmin and have done a first pass of my gear.  I¢m getting a little excited about hitting the trail, and this mild weather is making me more anxious.  I'm unsure what pace I'll end up doing.  I'm giving myself up to 6 months to complete the trail.  I want to ensure I soak up the trail and small towns and don't rush through any sections...of course, my old bones need a little rest now and then too.I was starting to play Pickleball, but after I twisted my ankle last week playing, I'm putting that on hold so I don't mess up my hike this year :)
Date: 2022-03-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I've treated my clothes and gear with Permethrin, confirmed where I'll need shuttle pickups (and made sure they're still in business).  I got my base weight down to 16.8 lbs, which is great for me.  It gives me 13 lbs for food/water.  This initial section hike (Damascus to Pearisburg) will help confirm the water and food I'll pack.  I'm starting with 5 days of food, but I'm anticipating 3-4 days before I reach my first resupply point at Partnership shelter (I'll shuttle to Marion), and 3-4 days to reach each subsequent resupply.   I'm a little light on the calories/day that I've packed for, but I'm anticipating fueling up at resupply points and carrying an extra day's of food in case I bonk (I'll take advantage of trail angels too, when I can).  I'm carrying a few extra lbs of fat (literally, just a few lbs), which I anticipate will be gone after a few days of hiking.I've also downloaded some episodes of "Last Kingdom", got a John Grisham novel, and will be bringing my knife for whittling...so I should have boredom covered, when not running from bears and snakes :)