morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-16
From: Leeman Brook Lean to

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We are done with the 100 mile wilderness! And it kicked our butts! But at least we made it (: only did 3 miles today which weren¢t too bad. They would have been super easy if we weren¢t so exhausted, but they really were not bad. Nothing notable, really. Made it to the trailhead about 8am and headed into town. We showered and did laundry at Lakeshore House in Monson. It is a really nice place, if we were sticking to the trail here in Maine, we would definitely spend a day here to enjoy the town. We definitely want to come back to Monson at some point. We are headed to Bangor tonight and catching a Greyhound Bus in the morning to head to the Smoky Mountains for vacation, rest, and to figure out what we want to hike next.
Date: 2018-06-23
From: Green Corner Rd

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

Got dropped off this morning at Green Corner Rd, and restarted our hike! It was mainly uphill today- climbing up Snowbird Mountain, but the trail is so much easier!! There are no huge rocks or roots to climb over, there are tons of fallen trees over the trail, plus there are switchbacks! We had a really short day of hiking at got to the shelter around 1:30. We just hung out and relaxed a bit. The rhododendrons are still in bloom here, and they are very pretty. Also, the shelter has bear cables so we don¢t have to hang our own bear bag- amazing. Gonna set the tent up tonight because there are some really nice flat spots. It was rainy this morning, but got nice and sunny (and too hot) in the afternoon. Hopefully it doesn¢t rain tonight!
Date: 2018-06-24
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: light rain

It¢s been a really rainy day. We got a late start this morning because it was raining. We just stayed in the tent until it let up a bit. The weather was fine for a while, then started pouring on us while we hiked up to Max Patch. It was a cloudy and foggy view from the top. It¢s a cool mountain though, because it is basically a grassy field. We definitely want to come back and hike it again when it isn¢t rainy. I saw lots of my worst enemy today- poison ivy. Going to have to watch out for that. We heard lots of thunder (but no rain yet) this evening, so we are staying in the shelter.
Date: 2018-06-25
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

Wow it was a long day. We hiked a lot more than initially intended, but we finally made it to the shelter. We wanted to stop a couple miles back, but there were no good camp spots with a water source, so we pushed on. We are really tired. We decided to tent tonight, even though we have heard a lot of thunder. It hasn¢t rained yet though. Looking forward to a short hike out to the town tomorrow.
Date: 2018-06-26
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: light rain

We hiked a relatively easy 3 miles or so and made it to the hostel! It¢s not a bad place, and pretty cheap too. Got our showers in and laundry and ate lunch and dinner at a little tavern/restaurant in town. Got our food resupply done at the Dollar General! We decided that we want to come back to this town at some point to do the mineral water hot tub at the Hot Springs Spa and so we can buy some of the awesome shirts and stickers they have at the Bluff Mountain Outfitters. Back on the trail tomorrow for the next section to Sam¢s Gap!
Date: 2018-06-27
From: Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

Today was not so fun. It was beautiful weather this morning... until lunch time. Then it started thudnerstorming and down pouring on us. The rain would let up a little bit for like fifteen minutes, and then start down pouring again. That happened several times. We ended up hiking extra than we planned just so we could get to the shelter where we could be dry for a little bit. The hike today was mainly uphill.. what a way to start hiking again after being in town. We just did not enjoy today. Hopefully the rest of the week is better!
Date: 2018-06-28
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

It really stormed last night/ early this morning. The lighting sounded so close to us. The rain let up around 10 and we got a late start to the day. It¢s just been cloudy the rest of the day, hopefully it doesn¢t rain. The hike today wasn¢t too bad, but wasn¢t all that great either. Started with a big downhill in the morning and followed by a big uphill in the afternoon, of course. The trail was just so wet and muddy and flooded in places. We have to hang a bear bag for the first time during this section tonight because the bear cables at the shelter are broken and squirrels can get into your food bag. We tried to get some of our stuff dried out today, but didn¢t have much success because it wasn¢t sunny.
Date: 2018-06-29
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Campsite a half mile S of Shelton Graves
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Finally, we had a beautiful day. The skies were clear and the sun was out (it was maybe a little too hot for our liking). We climbed three mountains: Camp Creek Bald, Firescald knob, and Big Butt Mountain. We got really nice views at various spots going up and down Firescald Knob. It was a tough day, but not the worst. We stopped at Jerry¢s Cabin Shelter and had a two hour break for lunch before hiking a couple extra miles just to get ahead. We found a campsite a couple miles after the shelter and made camp there. The bugs are terrible though. There are flies, black flies, and gnats. Constant buzzing.
Date: 2018-06-30
From: Campsite a half mile S of Shelton Graves

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

Today was probably the hardest day we have had so far during this section. The first 6 miles or so were fine. They were flat and downhill, so we went pretty fast. However, the last 6 were a steep uphill and we went pretty slow. The climb up Lick Rock Mountain was very steep, probably the hardest one so far since we started hiking north. It also didn¢t help that is was super hot out today and the bugs were a constant annoyance. We are looking forward to some rest at the hostel tomorrow!
Date: 2018-07-01
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: NatureÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Inn Hostel
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We have only heard good things about this hostel, so we are very excited to stop here. We got in around 10:30 or so this morning, after a relatively easy couple miles down from the shelter. Our cabin is just one room with a bunk bed- queen bed on bottom and twin bed on top. It has an awesome screened in front porch overlooking the creek, and a picnic table with a fire pit in the back. The showers were amazing!! We are just chilling for the rest of the day and we start the next section tomorrow. Only two more days until we get to Erwin, TN.
Date: 2018-07-02
From: NatureÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Inn Hostel

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

The bed at the hostel last night was so comfy, I did not want to get up and go hike. Over 6 miles of the 7.7 that we did today were uphill, to the top of Big Bald. We decided to do less miles today than planned so we could just stay at the shelter. We will pick up the miles tomorrow and do more. The climb up today was tough. It was long and steep in some places. It was also very hot out... but the views from the top were awesome. We had an almost 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains from the top. I did fall twice today and have a really nice bruise to show for it. We are ready for a rest day.
Date: 2018-07-03
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: No Business Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

We had kind of a boring hike today. It was mainly downhill, but did have a few tough uphills. The main thing is that it was super hot out. We had to take several long breaks, especially after the uphills, to cool down and not overheat. Not much exciting in the way of landforms or anything although we did see a lot of hummingbirds for some reason! In other news, last night our tent broke. One of the poles just randomly snapped in half. So we ended up tying the tent up with a tree branch to keep it up and kind of wrapping the rain fly around it so that we could sleep in it for the night. We are staying in the shelter tonight and hopefully we can get a repair kit when we get to Erwin!
Date: 2018-07-04
From: No Business Shelter

To: Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: light rain

We made it to Erwin! The hostel is not too bad, could use a little cleaning up and organization, but it is better than the woods! We got here in time to get a shower, do laundry, had lunch at a pizza buffet, and go to Walmart and get our resupply done. They had a tent pole repair kit at the outfitter store, and we think it will work, at least for the time being. It is the Fourth of July, and the people who work here put on a cook out for dinner. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, etc. It was awesome! Going to take a zero day tomorrow and maybe check out the swimming hole in the river. And then it is onward to Roan Mountain!
Date: 2018-07-06
From: Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel

To: Tentsite 1.3 miles S of Indian Grave Gap
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: light rain

We left the hostel a little before 10am and started our next leg of our hike. Thunderstorms were in the forecast. We decided to hike up about 4 miles to the first shelter and then stay there. Well we got to the shelter, called Curley Maple Gap Shelter, and sat there for a couple hours. We made water. It had not started raining yet and we were considering hiking a couple more miles to a tentsite when we saw the largest spider I have ever seen. This thing was just sitting on the wall, not frightened when we banged against the wall or shined our light on it. It was huge, about the size of a playing card and black. So we decided to pack up and head about 2 more miles up the trail to a tenting site. We made it to the site just before the thunderstorm started. We are going to try to make up the miles we didn¢t do today, tomorrow and get back on track.
Date: 2018-07-07
From: Tentsite 1.3 miles S of Indian Grave Gap

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

We had a long, tough day today playing catch up. We went up and over Beauty Spot and Unaka Mountain. It was cloudy and foggy so we didn¢t get good views from the top, but the temperature was down which was nice! Ultimately, it was not a very exciting day. But we are caught up to our schedule now! It¢s also our 1 year and 11 month anniversary of dating. We celebrated by going to bed early!
Date: 2018-07-08
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Tentsite 0.7 miles S of Hughes Gap 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, we hiked more than planned today to hopefully make tomorrow easier. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow with Roan Mountain, so going a couple miles extra is going to be beneficial. The hike today was mostly just boring. A lot of PUDs ¢ pointless ups and downs. The sun was shining all day, but thankfully it never got too unbearably hot. There were lots of flies today, though. We saw a bear print in the mud and a few orange newts which was cool! We went about 3 miles extra today and our legs are tired.
Date: 2018-07-09
From: Tentsite 0.7 miles S of Hughes Gap 

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: clear sky

We pushed it to get to the barn shelter tonight (and old barn converted into a hiker shelter)!! We did Roan Mountain, Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge Bald. It was a long day, but the views made the climb so worth it. It was probably my favorite day of hiking so far. And the climbs didn¢t seem to be that bad. It could be that we finally ate enough calories for dinner last night, but it was a good day and we didn¢t have too much trouble going the extra few miles. There are a lot of people at the shelter tonight, it is a really popular one. But the stars are really nice out here! I think we are going to hike into the hostel tomorrow, a day early.
Date: 2018-07-10
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Mountain Harbour B&B/Hostel
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: broken clouds

The hike today was not too tough. We were able to get the distance in to get to the hostel in the early afternoon. We started out by climbing up Little Hump Mountain. We got some nice views on the way up and from the top. We then climbed up (big) Hump Mountain. It was cloudy most of the morning and as we went higher in elevation, we got more into the clouds. So the view at the top was mostly just clouds, but it was cool. It was very very windy on the hike up. After the summit, we hiked across the Houston Ridge, which is about a mile long exposed ridge. We both really loved the hike across that. It was so cool to just be walking in basically a field, with no trees, for a few miles up the humps and the ridge. The descent into the town was tough and rocky, but we made it! We got our resupply box (thanks Hannah and Tom!!) and are getting ready to set off towards Hampton, TN in the morning!
Date: 2018-07-11
From: Mountain Harbour B&B/Hostel

To: 1.2 miles N of Walnut Mountain Road 
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: few clouds

Today was too hot. The whole morning was spent with us hiking a steep incline through an exposed meadow, directly under the sun. We both were exhausted and soaked in sweat after only a few miles. We did pass two waterfalls today. The first waterfalls I think we have seen! We got to the shelter in the afternoon and decided we would sit there for a while, take a long break, then keep going a couple more miles. It was supposed to rain, so we figured we would wait out the rain at the shelter. After about an hour of sitting there, it thunderstormed for a little while. After it cleared up, we ate dinner and ended up hiking almost 3 more miles. We found a nice camping spot near a Brook. We were determined to make it to the campsite before the sun when down, so we were booking it once we left the shelter. We did end up making it, although the sun was setting fast.
Date: 2018-07-12
From: 1.2 miles N of Walnut Mountain Road 

To: near Dennis Cove Road
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: clear sky

Today was SO boring. There really was nothing exciting that happened. The day was full of just hiking over ups and downs. We got to the shelter around lunch time and took a long break to avoid the hottest part of the day. Then, somehow, Scott talked me into hiking 6 more miles to a campsite (we had already done about 8). The most exciting thing we saw today was an old cabin that was falling apart. But this was at the end of the day and I was too exhausted to really enjoy it! Oh well, got to get the miles in.
Date: 2018-07-13
From: near Dennis Cove Road

To: Boots Off Hostel
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: light rain

Wow. The mountain we had to go up and over today was so pointless. We started out going past a beautiful waterfall and along the Laurel Fork river. But then, we had to go over Pond Mountain, or as we like to call it, Pointless Mountain. There really was not point to it. We ended at the same elevation we started at. There was no interesting land feature, and no nice views. All it was was a steep trail up the mountain which was obnoxiously tall and the trail was obnoxiously long. And of course it was sooo hot out. And then, it started raining! At least the rain helped it cool down a bit, for like an hour until it stopped and it was blazing hot again. But oh well. At least we can say we hiked it and we will never hike it again! The Hostel is really nice though! It has only been open about 2 years and everything is brand new. We never want to leave it (:
Date: 2018-07-15
From: Boots Off Hostel

To: Vendeventer Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: overcast clouds

It was so hot while we were hiking today. The day after staying at a hostel always seems to be terrible. It was cool to hike across the dam and around the lake for a while. The rest of the day was spent mostly going uphill to get back to the ridgeline of the mountains and back up to the elevation for the rest of the section. It looks like it might rain tonight or tomorrow, which will be good because a lot of the water sources have been looking a little dry. There are supposed to be a lot of bears in this area, but we have not seen any yet. Hopefully we have hung our food good enough to keep them from getting it if any come around! We had a shorter day, in terms of mileage today, but it was still very exhausting. Ready for a good night's sleep for a long day tomorrow!
Date: 2018-07-16
From: Vendeventer Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was so long and so hot. It was cloudy in the morning, because it rained last night. However, it cleared up in the afternoon. Today was just lots of hiking ups and downs. The elevation profile showed several small ups and downs, but those added up to over 2,000ft of both elevation gain and of loss! The trail was also super overgrown in places, are our legs are burning with scratched from thorns and nettles. I wouldn't be surprised if I brushed against some poison ivy too. Oh well. It is supposed to rain tonight, so we are sleeping in the shelter. The flies and gnats are bad today though. We also have a deer friend that has been hanging around the shelter. Do you think he wants our food or what?
Date: 2018-07-17
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: broken clouds

Our tent pole broke again last night while we had it set up in the shelter. Scott's sleeping pad also has a hole somewhere and is leaking air very badly.... otherwise, today was just a boring day. It had more ups and downs, but it at least was a shorter day. We are bound to the shelters now since the tent broke, so we could only go about 8 miles. It rained a lot last night and it has been foggy and cloudy all day. It rained a little once we got to the shelter in the early afternoon, and it might rain some more tonight. It really was just a dreary day, but at least the rain helped it to cool down a little. One more day until Damascus!
Date: 2018-07-18
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Woodchuck Hostel
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise this morning, and decided to get up earlier than usual to try to make it to town by lunch time (we succeeded!). The hike into town was pretty easy. A few small ups at the beginning, but once we got to the TN/VA state line, the trail started to just go down so we could get to the town. Where the trail comes out of the woods and starts following the road through Damascus was so funny. It was just the smallest little dirt path going behind someone's house up into the woods. There was a small, very overgrown sign to tell you it was the AT, but otherwise it was very nondescript. The trail goes all the way through the town, and we hiked on it for a while as we checked out the stores and restaurants in town. Damascus is a nice little town that seems to be up and coming. They have a couple good restaurants and some good outdoor gear stores. The Woodchuck Hostel was amazing! We would definitely stay there again when we come back eventually. We have finished a 225 mile long section of the AT, mostly along the TN/NC border from Standing Bear Farm (north end of GMSNP) to Damascus, VA.
Date: 2018-08-13
From: Katahdin Stream

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Fun climb up a very rocky mountain!  Let me rephrase that, fun climb up but scary climb down and got many bruises and cuts. Ate lunch at the top and watched about 10 NOBO finish their hike - loved feeling their excitement. Even better got to go back to the hotel for a shower, real dinner with ice cold beer. My pup isn't allowed in Baxter State Park which is the first 15 miles of the AT so Kel is staying with him in the hotel.  Something I forgot to mention, I did get lost coming down the mountain. I was admiring the view and obviously could see the way down so I got off the path. After taking a pic I looked up and followed the first white blaze I saw. The path does go a little up and down in parts to make it easier but I did think I might be headed the wrong way. Fortunately a guy was coming down and I asked him which way he was going. He laughed and said down. Ha ha. Once I got to my car and headed out I realized I did not know which way to turn. I got out of my car to ask the car coming in and then I see the nobo sitting on the side of the road. Once again he laughed then asked if he could have a ride. He hopped in and we laughed about my great sense of direction. This was Tim's third thru hike once sobo and twice nobo. He suggested two great stealth spots in the 100 mile wilderness. He also made an awesome cold weather trick - carry a nalgene bottle and fill it with hot water before bedtime and sleep with it by your feet in the sleeping bag.
Date: 2018-08-14
From: Katahdin stream 

To: Rainbow lake Private campsite
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: light rain

Great start with shuttles. I shuttled to katahdin stream and hiked the rest of the no dogs allowed part of the AT in Baxter State Park.  Realized when I got there I had forgotten my poles in Kels car.  Dummy but did find good sticks to use.  Had some beautiful views.  Took a coffee break at toll dam a beautiful spot. Then came to little niagara falls which had rocks beat to look like waves (see pic).  Then big Niagara Falls.  Love walking by moving water!  Kel drove to the end of the 100 mile wilderness and shuttled back to abol and met me at their restaurant right on trail. She got there about 2 hours after me so I enjoyed a nice long lunch and break. Originally we planned a 3 mile walk to the first shelter but was too early to stop. However when we were ready to stop couldn¢t find any spots that weren¢t taken for a good 2 hours.  Desperate at end to stop so decided to try the private campground.  (How can there be a private spot in the middle of the public ground.)  So beautiful!  But we were beat so set up quickly, ate and went to bed.  Bad start to tenting for me though.  Didnt notice Rusty swimming and he came in the tent wet and sandy.  Ug!  Fortunately I brought a towel though.
Date: 2018-08-15
From: Rainbow lake private beach

To: Nesuntabunt Mt
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Beautiful morning! Sat in a lounge chair listening to birds looking out at the lakeI  Kel slept till after 9 so I had a great lazy mornings.  I can¢t remember the last time I actually had a completely free morning with nothing I should be doing. The morning started with some really slippery muddy patches so we were even happier we stopped at the private site.  We would have had a very hard time last night being overtired and dark.  It was a pretty but muddy hike.  We appreciated all the stepping stones that had been put on the path.  As we were talking about it 2 people passed by and we told them how impressed we were by the maintainers of the path.  They happened to be volunteers so we got to thank them.  Also asked them how they actually moved the huge stepping stones - groups of 4 were needed.  What a great group!We had thunderstorms and downpours off and on all day.  Poor rusty thinks that he needs to protect us from loud thunder so would run off barking at it.  I did put him on the leash for awhile so he didn¢t run too much extra.We learn new lunch gourmet from a nobo German hiker: tortillas, a block of cheese, pepperoni and thousand island dressing.  I appreciated learning that sharp block cheese does not need to be refrigerated.  He also said if his buddy wasn¢t already named sticks that should be my name due to my stick poles.Once again it was getting late and we were ready to stop.  We were hoping to find spots on top of the mountain and we found perfect spots.  Ended around 630 tonight so got to enjoy dinner overlooking katahdin.