morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-01
From: Tentsite at mile 746.8

To: Thunder Ridge Shelter 
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: broken clouds

7/1/17 - Day 47 23.5 miles Tentsite at mile 746.8 to Thunder Ridge Shelter I was really happy with my tentsite from last night. I even had a deer walk right through. It was a little foggy this morning with the clouds blowing right through the trees. I came out at a road crossing and it turns out that it's the Blue Ridge Parkway. It reminded me of Shenandoah and even had the cement mile marker posts and car pull offs for the overlooks. As I looked around the woods, they reminded me of Shenandoah as well and I felt like I was almost there. I've been looking forward to Shenandoah as a thru-hiker for some unknown reason so it cheered me up a bit.  As the morning went on, the weather was trying to clear up. I came out at another road crossing and the wea. ther to the west was clear and sunny while the weather to the east was cloudy and you couldn't see the valley (see pics). Passed by a shelter around noon and decided to stop in for lunch. Met up with Sliced Beets and Dragon and Camp. Dragon and Camp are excited because today is Canada Day and they are heading into a campground at the next road crossing to have a party. I would like to go but I have to get to Waynesboro and I just came out of town yesterday. I came out to the next road crossing and there was a big swimming hole. Crispy was there with his girlfriend Cameron and his father who had been meeting him all along the trail. There were also a father and son who were camping nearby and planned to camp there all summer long.  As I was putting on my shoes and socks I was tempted to head to the campground and take the rest of the day off but luckily Dragon and Camp hadn't made it to the road crossing before I got back on the trail. Next up was a 3+ mile climb with 2100' climb. I just wanted to get it over with so I put my head down and dug in. I was a sweaty mess by the time I got to the top and it was time for dinner. Stopped at Cornelius Creek Shelter to make my Ramen dinner and rest the feet. I was feeling good and wanted to hike late tonight to make up some miles from my short day yesterday. I still had a 1.2 mile, 900' climb ahead. That's 3000' plus all the dips. Sometimes even when the trail is going up overall, there are dips that are just added elevation. I hate going down when the map says you're going up- you always have to make it up.  On the last climb, my left ankle/shin started aching real bad. Not sure if it's a cramp or a tendon thing. Either way, there goes my long night hike. Hopefully a good nights rest will do the trick. It's amazing how much you can heal overnight. I've gone to bed with terrible Achilles pain, all better in the morning. Sore knees, all better in the morning.  Bad foot pain as well, all better in the morning.I was hoping to get 30 miles today, now I don't even think I'll get 25. My food will not last till Waynesboro at this rate. We'll just see how I feel in the morning.
Date: 2017-07-02
From: Thunder Ridge Shelter 

To: Glasgow (Stanimal's Hostel)
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

7/2/17 Day 48 - 14.5 milesThunder Ridge Shelter to Stanimal's Hostel (Glasgow VA)Didn't want to get up today. The heat was a killer yesterday and today's forecast was for another scorcher. As The heat gets worse, so do the bugs and I was getting swarmed by biting gnats and mosquitoes before my hammock was even packed up. The trail conditions in the morning were much better though. I had a nice fairly level trail for about 5 miles and made really good time until I came across a huge rattlesnake sitting right across the trail. I told him to move but he wasn't listening.  I tapped his rattle with my hiking pole and he just took a big breath and scared the hell out of me. I tried tossing some rocks his way, still no luck. He coiled up but never rattled.  I finally got the nerve to flip him off the trail with my hiking pole and run past. Less than  .2 miles away, I passed a couple girls and warned them about the pissed off snake just up ahead and told them to be careful.I was looking at the elevation of the trail ahead on my app and noticed that I had another 3+ mile, 2100' climb. It took all the energy right out of me and I hadn't even climbed it yet.  I also realized that I didn't have enough food to make it to Waynesboro so I will have to get off trail at either Glasgow or 25 miles further in Buena Vista. The heat made the decision easy- today was the day. That lifted my spirits immediately.   About 15 minutes down the trail, I came across a big stream with a deep pool and waterfall. I didn't have to make big miles anymore today so I was taking time for a soak. The water was perfect. Left my sweat soaked clothes on so I could rinse them out. I sat in the water for a good half hour while the minnows nibbled on my toes and ankles. I even managed to kill a big horsefly that landed on my arm and watched the little fish fight over it. I could've sat there all day but I was looking forward to a shower and more town food.  1.7 miles later, I was at the trailhead and go figure- no cell service! I sent out a text and walked around with my phone in the air hoping it would go through. 2 minutes later I got a reply. Bob was on his way!!Showered, clean laundry, and a full belly!! I'll deal with the climb in the morning while it's still cool.
Date: 2017-07-04
From: Tentsite at mile 808.3

To: Tentsite at mile 828.3
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

7/4/17 Day 50 - 20 milesTentsite at mile 808.3 to tentsite at mile 838.3Hard time getting up today. The heat and climbs of yesterday really wore me out and I still have to finish the climb that I started last night. To make matters worse, the weather is gloomy and overcast, just not a nice looking day. I've been hiking and camping alone for a while now and it's starting to get monotonous. It's time to start staying near shelters and people again.  There's a constant challenge to make miles and I still can't figure out when I'm going to finish. The miles and the days left just don't seem to be adding up. Nothing to worry about yet.  Found a nice lunch spot next to a rushing creek and made my usual pepperoni and cheese tortilla (picture). People always ask what our diet is out here and for me this has worked out well. Some people are daring and carry more perishable stuff like lunch meat but I can't imagine it stays well in a hot pack.  Made it to the Priest shelter for dinner and read through the register while waiting for my water to boil. I heard about this place before!! Thru hikers sign the register with their "confessions". Mostly about bad behavior on the trail or chasing female hikers. Some were pretty funny. Loon seeker showed up with his dog and began to set up in the shelter. I was going to stay but the area had litter everywhere and for some reason bees were covering everything that wasn't moving. They swarmed my shoes and covered my hiking poles when I set them down. That and the sign on the fire pit warning about a large rattlesnake under the shelter floor. Ate my dinner and headed out. I was hoping to find a spot on a ridge where I might be able to see some fireworks in a nearby town. Found my spot about a mile past the shelter but it was raining off and on. Just set up the hammock and called it a day.
Date: 2017-07-05
From: Tentsite at mile 828.3

To: Tentsite at mile 849.5
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: scattered clouds

7/5/17 Day 51 - 21.2 milesTentsite at 828.3 to tentsite at 849.5On the trail by 7:30 and not looking forward to another 3000' climb. These last few days have been killers with at least 1 huge climb everyday. Today was 3 Ridges - the last one for a while. The clouds were still around this morning and drizzle here and there but not too bad. There are a lot of trails in this area and I've heard of some thru hikers taking the shortcut to the shelter and skipping a few miles of trail. Not me! I'm a purist and plan on walking past every white blaze. Which brings me to slackpackers or "cheaters" as I think of them. Have someone drop you off at one trail head and pick you up at another while you only carry a daypack? Bullshit. The sad part is that I would probably do it if given the opportunity - they're still considered thru-hikers. I just think they're weak cheaters (up to this point).  Got to the top of 3 ridges and came out on a rocky ledge with an incredible view of the clouds which were below us and rising all around us. Hanging out on the ledge were Trash Panda and Loins of Arabia. Funny couple just hangin out enjoying the view. I must've snapped 50 pictures! Incredible.
Date: 2017-07-06
From: Tentsite at mile 849.5

To: Waynesboro 
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: light rain

7/6/17 Day 52 - 12.4 milesTentsite at 849.5 to WaynesboroRain all night long and actually woke up chilly. A nice half day planned to get into Waynesboro and meet up with Laz E Boy and Siesta. We've been keeping in touch with text messages here and there and they said they would wait up for me in Waynesboro so we could hike Shenandoah together since I was familiar with that area. He told me that they were sharing a room with 2 other hikers and gave me the room number. As the trail arrives into Rockfish Gap (which is actually about 2 miles from Waynesboro), there is a popcorn stand on the side of the road. You go to the stand and ask for the list of trail angels. They keep a list of people who have volunteered to shuttle hikers around or even give them a place to stay overnight if needed. It's incredible!! For some reason I didn't want to bother anyone so I got an Uber to town and the hotel. I went to the front desk and told them my friends were expecting me but the only names I could give them were trail names - not so helpful. I asked if she knew Laz E Boy or Siesta? No? How bout Krazy Korean and Dirtbag? No?? Oh well, let me just get my own room and sort it out later. I let Laz E Boy and Siesta know what room I was in and let them know they were welcome to join me and it worked out well. Their 1st room was filling up quick as more hikers were coming into town and they were more than happy to get to a less crowded room. I was able to get my resupply and laundry done just as they guys finished up their slack pack for the day (I know - wusses, right?). It was nice to have the Gatlinburg crew back together.
Date: 2017-07-07
From: Waynesboro 

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: clear sky

7/7/17 Day 53 - 21.8 milesWaynesboro to Blackrock HutUp late last night catching up with Laz E Boy and Siesta (formerly Boston Mike). We had shared a room in Gatlinburg before my preplanned vacation with Lisa split us up and it only took me 600 miles and change to catch up with them. We seem to hike the same pace which is why it's nice to be back with them. Time to get back on the trail this morning (actually early afternoon) so we called DuBose "Yellow Truck" for a ride to the trailhead and he was there in less than 15 minutes! Waynesboro has a list of trail angels that will shuttle hikers or give them a free place to stay and all you have to do is call them- it's incredible!! I should've used the list yesterday when I got to the road crossing but I felt strange calling a complete stranger and asking for a ride. I used Uber instead. The town is actually 3 miles from the trail and I'm not big on walking miles that don't count. $6.00 was a small price to pay to save my pride. Not even 15 minutes into SNP, we saw a mamma and cub. The cub ran up a tree and the mamma ran down the hill. We stared and tried to get some pictures for a few minutes till we saw mamma coming back up the hill towards us. A nice start to SNP and even with the late start, we managed 21.8 miles.
Date: 2017-07-08
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Hightop Summit
Miles today: 22.1
Weather: few clouds

7/8/17 Day 54 - 22.1 milesBlackrock Hut to Hightop Summit (mile 904.7)Awesome nights sleep. People started stirring around 6:30 so it was time to get moving. All I could think about was getting some coffee at the Loft Mountain campstore 7.5 miles away. I got there around 10:30 and Siesta was there already. Eating and drinking a beer he found in the hiker box. It turns out that someone left a cold 6 pack in the hikers box?!? I can only think that someone was leaving the campground and didn't want to take them home or it was an elaborate trap by the store keeper to bait hikers into staying for a while. In any case, it worked because as I sat there, more and more hikers came in and before we knew it, it was a party. The cashier was out chatting with everyone and 1 couple even decided to stay the night at the campground. I ended up hanging around for about 2 hours and just had to throw my pack on and get back on the trail or I may have stayed there the whole night as well.  A couple miles in, the trail crossed Skyline Drive at Ivy Creek Overlook and I had a chance to talk with some tourists and answer some questions. Just as they left, Laz E Boy and Siesta walked up and we got some trail magic from Stump ('01 thru-hiker). She had cold soda and a couple beers. This is an awesome place to hang out. Laz E Boy and Siesta had room for another beer each and I was lucky enough to grab the soda. Laz E Boy said he was smashed already and it's only like 1 in the afternoon!! Too funny. The weather has been perfect so far in Shenandoah and the forecast is looking good as well. Tonight we are camped up at Hightop Summit and can see off to the west so it should be a good view of the sunset tonight. Almost forgot- we passed the 900 mile mark today!
Date: 2017-07-09
From: Hightop Summit

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

7/9/17 Day 55 - 20.3 milesHightop Summit to Big Meadows CampgroundLate start today. I was waiting to hear the other guys get up before I moved and when I checked my phone for the time- it was already 7:40!! Too late for me but I guess my body needed the rest. We didn't really have a plan for the day, just kind of figured we'd end up where we end up. The only "must stop" was at the Big Meadows Wayside which is basically just a diner. Stopped by the Lewis Mountain camp store for coffee and lunch after about 10 miles. While I was there, I met Kristin, Kevin, and Paul. They were section hiking the south 50 miles of Shenandoah and had just finished. They looked so happy to be done and were recapping their adventure. They seemed like a fun group. Laz E Boy came up and had lunch too then we pushed on. The next 10 miles were some of the best trail conditions I've ever seen. Flat, smooth, and even mowed on the sides. I had a bear run across the trail about 15 yards ahead of me and so I moved a bit slower for a minute. When I got to the spot, I was hoping to get a picture of him but he was gone- no noise or anything.  The weather has been perfect the last couple of days- sunny and cool. The thermometer said 68 while I was having lunch at Lewis Mt and it didn't get much warmer all day. Every once in a while I get a glimpse into the valley or across to the other mountains and it's just incredible. I've hiked down into those wilderness areas over the years with my other hiking crew buddies from home. I'd like to give a shout out to Wallace, Karl, and Ed. We've had some epic trips down in the blue blaze areas where the elevation is tough and it's easy to take a wrong turn now and again.  We finally made it to the wayside and it was a burger, fries, and ice cream for me. We hung out at the picnic table for a good 90 minutes and didn't feel like going anymore for the day. We called the lodge to see if we could get a good rate for a room but they wanted way too much. The trail ended up snaking around the campground and Laz E Boy had made up his mind that he wasn't moving anther foot so we set up in an empty campsite and we're done for the day. As a little bonus for the end of the day, we saw a mamma bear with 2 cubs off in the bushes. She was walking steady while the cubs would stop to play, then run to catch up.  Trying to get to Harper's Ferry, 98 miles ahead, by Friday.
Date: 2017-07-10
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Elkwallow Wayside
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: clear sky

7/10/17 Day 56 - 26.2 milesBig Meadows Campground to Elkwallow Wayside Huge day today. Painful too. The feet seem to be getting worse, especially the right foot. It's ok though because Lisa is coming to visit this weekend and I'll have a couple days off the trail to let them heal. Back to today. My plan was to get to Skyland (7.5 miles away) as early as possible to get some coffee. I've become a coffee junkie. I normally don't think about it when I'm on the trail but lately even just the possibility of coffee has me running down the trail, knocking people out of the way. Today makes 3 days in a row for morning coffee. I made it to Skyland by 9:30 and everything was good in the world. Laz E Boy and Siesta stopped in also. They were more interested in the breakfast buffet though.  We hung around enjoying the morning way too long and didn't get back on trail till around 11.  The bears are out in Shenandoah! I've seen them everyday. Some better than others. The younger bears don't even run away, they'll just stare at you while you walk by.  We were eating a late lunch at the Pinnacles Picnic Area and Siesta got the idea to try to make it to Elkwallow before they close at 6:00 but the only problem was that it was just under 16 miles away and it was already 1:30. I knew I had no shot- the feet were just too sore but I told them to order me a burger if they make it in time. They were motivated. And only 15 minutes late. They got there at 6:15 and the place was locked. I was lucky to make it there at all. I think I got in around 7:20. I just made my dinner at the picnic table and called it a night. Nobody feels like walking another step so we're camped in the woods right by the parking lot. The new plan is to sleep in (the Wayside doesn't open till 9), get some breakfast from the wayside, and take an easy day to just outside Front Royal. We'll camp 3 miles from town and get there early Wednesday. I think my plan to get to Harper's Ferry by Friday just changed. That's ok, the body needs a rest- I haven't had a day off in over 2 weeks! Today was a new record for me- 26.2 miles.
Date: 2017-07-11
From: Elkwallow Wayside

To: Tom Floyd Wayside
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: clear sky

7/11/17 Day 57 - 16.2 milesElkwallow Wayside to Tom Floyd WaysideWe slept in today because the Wayside doesn't open until 9:00 and there was no way we were leaving without a breakfast sandwich and some coffee. We got a little talking to by a ranger for camping too close to the Wayside. We were supposed to be 1/4 mile away but I pretty much limped in last night and don't think I had another 1/4 mile in me. He was cool about it and let us off with a warning.  We were 19 miles away from Front Royal and could make it there in 1 day but it's never worth it to get into town late so we decided to do 16 and then a short day into town. It's a good thing it was a short day- my feet are getting worse and my left achilles has been sore for a few days now. I'm literally limping into town for some time off.  We had some nice trail on the way out of Shenandoah and it was sad to leave but it's always nice getting ready to get into town. We took a lot of long breaks today and Siesta had a few siestas. No bears today also, which was a first since we entered Shenandoah.  We got to the Tom Floyd Wayside which is just a shelter (no coffee or burgers at this one). I have no idea why they even call it a Wayside!  It's been threatening thunderstorms most of the afternoon and has gotten pretty humid. You hope for rain on days like this.  We made dinner and are all excited about getting to town early tomorrow- I even made the reservations at the Mountain Home Cabbin. He said we can get there as early as we like. We may show up at 7 AM!  I was in my hammock at 7:45 and asleep before 9:00.  The plan is to leave tomorrow morning at 7 and be there by 8:30.
Date: 2017-07-12
From: Tom Floyd Wayside

To: Mountain Home Cabbin
Miles today: 3.2

7/12/17 Day 58 - 3.2 milesTom Floyd Wayside to Mountain Home CabbinA town day was long overdo! The feet and now the ankle are starting to worry me, it's definitely time for a couple days of rest. We were up at 6 and on the trail before 7 to get to the Mountain Home Cabbin. It's a newer hostel run by Scott ('12 sobo thru-hiker) and his wife. It's on an historic piece of property about 50 yds from the trail. I'd like to do more research on the history of the place when I have better internet. The hostel building itself is a 2 story brick building with 4 beds upstairs and a kitchen and 2 double beds downstairs. Pretty tiny but the AC was working good and the place was spotless! Some people just know how to do hostels. It also helps to have good house mates and the 3 of us were joined by Barefoot. A 6'5" giant who was even more oversized due to the low ceilings.  After getting cleaned up, we took an Uber downtown about 5 miles away. We had double servings of breakfast and walked around the historic part of town. We were so happy to be clean and fed. We all needed the rest as well I'm doing everything I can to slow these guys down while I take my days off with Lisa- I really don't feel like chasing them for another 600 miles. It may all be for nothing anyway since Siesta is planning on heading up to Maine to avoid the heat. It's not a bad idea but I really want to be at the sign on Katahdin at the end. We'll just have to see what happens. I still haven't mastered the planning side of this trip so why start now.