morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-11
From: Sawmill Run Overlook

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Mark and Evan arrived very early the next morning to retrieve us from our camping spot at Sawmill Run Overlook. We had not yet even begun to pack up. Cole ran up to the parking area while I stuffed our backpacks haphazardly. Soon Mark ventured down to our camping spot to bring me some clean dry clothes. He stuck his head inside of the tent and reeled at the odour. I couldn¢t smell anything.It was still raining outside and it was expected to rain all day. Instead of heading to Loft Mountain Campground, we opted instead to Drive back into Waynesboro and get a hotel room, but first we stopped for breakfast. On our way into Wainsborough we passed a hiker who was hitching. We have to pick him up I said. ¢ Mom, we don¢t have room¢ said Evan.All of the camping gear was piled high and the back row of seats was collapsed into the floor.¢We can make room¢ I said.Mark pulled over and begin rearranging the gear at the back. He was able to clear a pile from the top of a bin. ¢I¢ll sit on the bin.¢ Evan volunteered.¢No you won¢t. There is no seatbelt. The hiker can sit there.¢¢You are going to let him sit somewhere unsafe?¢¢Ok, I will sit there and he can sit up front beside dad.¢Finally we got things sorted, did a U turn and headed back. As we passed him again, the backpacker was climbing into a pick up truck. Oh well, the thought was there.They wouldn¢t let us check in to the hotel until 1 PM so we went to Walmart to do some grocery shopping, checked out the local outfitter, and ate pizza. Once into the hotel room, we showered and I washed my air mattress in the bathtub while Mark graciously took our smelly clothing to the laundromat. It was a productive zero.
Date: 2018-06-12
From: Sawmill Run Overlook

To: Ivy Creek Overlook
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We had an AT celebrity siting this morning! When we were eating in the hotel¢s little breakfast nook, Pappy appeared all geared up and ready to go. Pappy is a triple crowner (Someone who has hiked the Appalachian Trail, The Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail). He held the record for the oldest person to hike the Appalachian Trail up until last year when someone else claimed it. He is back on the trail this year trying to reclaim his title.Mark drove us back to Saw Mill run Overlook, and with no more than a small pack containing water, snacks and a raincoat we set out. The terrain was easy and with our lightened loads the miles flew by. At one point Cole said to me, ¢mom you look so young today. I think it¢s because of your clean shirt.¢So, there you have it. The secret to youthful appearance is to wear a clean shirt.We had initially asked Mark to pick us up at 7 o¢clock but with our rapid pace we realized that we would be at the meeting point 2 hours early. We had to walk right past the campground, so Cole took a side trail into the campground to let Mark know of our new ETA.Mark cooked hamburgers for dinner and our beds were all set up for us inside our large eight man tent which Mark calls ¢the cabin¢. We¢re living in luxury.
Date: 2018-06-13
From: Ivy Creek Overlook

To: Lewis Mountain Campground
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: light rain

This morning Mark dropped us off where he had picked us up yesterday at Ivy Creek Overlook. I found the terrain to be quite different today compared to yesterday. There were many Rocky ups and downs. It took us a bit longer but still we were able to do 21 1/2 miles by 5 30. I realized something today. I have been having pain in my left shoulder off and on since Irwin. Initially I thought that it was from carrying a fully loaded backpack up steep hills. However, I also experience the pain when I was almost out of food. At that point I began to question the proper fit of my backpack. Was it too small? That didn¢t really make much sense because I had no problems with it for the first 400 miles. However I continued to adjust and readjust my back back trying to make up my shoulder more comfortable when the pain came.Both yesterday and today my shoulder was in pain and I wasn¢t even carrying my backpack. The hydration bag weighed next to nothing and I knew the pain had to be from something else. Then I had an idea. Maybe the pain is from the repetitive movement of my arm using my trekking poll. I spent a good part of the day only using my trekking poll in my right hand. This helped immensely. As I hiked I exercised my left shoulder stretching it in different ways. This too greatly alleviated the pain. I rely on my tracking polls a lot. They have saved me from a countless number of spills. There is no way I would ever consider hiking without the polls. However, it seems like I will need to give my left arm a break now and then throughout the day and continue to do stretches and exercises. It is a big relief to finally know where the pain is coming from.Mark cooked for us again, and cleaned up afterwards too. Then he dutifully rubbed my shoulders and feet. Can thru hiking be like this every day? Please?
Date: 2018-06-14
From: Lewis Mountain Campground

To: Skyland Service Rd North
Miles today: 16.7

On our third and final day of slack packing we decided to go a shorter distance so that we could be finished sooner and spend more time with Evan and Mark. Well, that was the plan anyway. We asked Mark to pick us up at Skyland Service Rd North parking lot. However, there is also a Skyland resort and restaurant with a separate parking lot. At the end of the day we sat waiting for him at one while he sat waiting for us at the other. I had no cell service at that point so I was sending him messages that weren¢t going through and he was sending me messages that weren¢t going through. Eventually it did get figured out and he came to get us.It was almost an hour drive to get back to the campsite now, but we took a detour and went into town for dinner and to do some last-minute shopping.There is something that I want to say about slack packing. While it was certainly a delight to not have to carry such a weight on my back for three days, I had a very odd feeling that I was no longer part of a group that I had come to identify myself with. Nobody did or said anything at all to make me feel that way. I just felt it. When we met people on the trail who we knew, they realized right away what we were doing. We have seen many of our acquaintances slackpacking throughout this adventure too.  When we came upon other thru hikers who we had not yet met, they did not recognize us as thru hikers. In fact, we were the complete opposite of what a thru hiker usually is. We were clean and had on fresh smelling clothes each day (and even deodorant!). Our backs were not laden with the necessities of our current life. We weren¢t even hungry. We knew there would be dinner cooked for us at the end of the day, and while we are still sleeping in a tent, it is the Hilton of all tent.  We could even stand up while getting dressed! We were living in tenting luxury. Plus, we were not alone. We had our family, our support, our loved ones with us. What a difference all of these things made to how I felt. There was a lot of sorting and packing and organizing to do in the evening. A lot of our backpacking gear had been mixed in with the car camping gear and it all needed to be located. I had to organize and pack our food as well.After spending four days with the family I was exhausted. We were keeping ¢normal¢ hours,  but maintaining the exertion level of a thru hiker. I just hadn¢t had enough sleep. It was catching up to Cole too.
Date: 2018-06-16
From: Mile 952.7

To: Tom Floyd Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

The food bags, the tent and the two backpackers inside, all had a bear free night. However, in the morning, Cole saw two bears in the first couple of hours hiking. I came across another one too. It was not as close to the trail this time, but it was heading back to the trail towards the way I had come. Cole would soon be coming from there. Again I shouted and clanged, but this bear ignored me also. Cole heard it though and didn¢t doubt me this time. He began shouting too and when he came into view waving his poles, the bear turned and bounded away. I just must be so exceptionally sweet and kind looking that I can¢t scare bears away! lolAt lunch time today I pulled out Cole¢s snack bag and found it 3/4 empty. In a day and a half he had eaten most of the snacks I had given him to last five days. I need to figure out some things that will be more filling. Snickers bars, cliff bars and trail mix seem to be ok. The cheese and crackers and granola bars aren¢t filling him. He gets four bar type snacks a day plus trail mix and some kind of candy. This is on top of three meals. And he is still hungry.Today was our last day in Shenandoah National Park. Just outside of the park we stopped at Tom Floyd Shelter. It was early in the afternoon and we were looking to get some extra rest. Our big sawyer water bag decided to spring a leak. The water source for the shelter was a small spring a long way down a steep hill. I went first, but my arm wasn¢t long enough to reach the flow which was recessed into the rocks. So up I climbed and Cole went down. He had to keep refilling the dirty water bag because more was leaking out than what was being filtered through. It ate up a lot of time and he was very frustrated.
Date: 2018-06-20
From: Mile 1019.2

To: Knights Inn
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

Today should have started off with excitement and high spirits, but it did not. Mother and son were getting on each other¢s nerves. We only had about 4 1/2 miles to go to get to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. I sent out at seven hoping to arrive by nine but my mood made me sluggish. So did the rocks. And a steep descent. We met back up as I was crossing the Shenandoah River bridge. Blue blazes eventually let us from the AT to the ATC. We got our pictures taken and took a few ourselves, raided the hiker box for toilet paper, purchased a beverage from the hiker fridge, chilled in the hiker lounge and called to make a hotel reservation. They had a scale in the bathroom and Cole weighed himself. He is maintaining a weight of 130 pounds. I guess I must be feeding him just enough. He had been waiting for a few weeks to arrive here so that he could get a new hat. He chose a nice one from their limited selection and immediately plopped it atop his dirty, greasy head. I guess we will take that one!After we had lingered for a time, we headed back out onto the AT and pointed our poles towards the historic downtown area. There we found an outfitter with sawyer water bags and a few limited Resupply items. We also found hamburgers at a quaint outdoor bistro.Hotels in Harpers Ferry are pricy. Just over the river in Maryland the AT guide was showing a Knights Inn with a very reasonable rate. We crossed the Byron Memorial Footbridge and headed down the towpath. At first it seemed like we were going to have to go all the way to Keeptrist Road and then backtrack a mile to get to the hotel. However, around mile 1026.2, Cole spotted what looked like a blue blaze. It led up to the railroad tracks. On the other side of the tracks we could see a trail. It seemed as though this trail would lead us very close to the hotel. We ventured off the AT and up the mysterious path. It was steep and strewn with broken glass, but sure enough it popped us right out onto a road. A hostel was right next to the path and our hotel was a seven minute walk away. Perfect! The rest of the day was spent relaxing. We picked up a few more food items from the gas station across the road and finished off the day sharing a bag of popcorn and a pint of ice cream. I guess we were at peace once again.
Date: 2018-06-24
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: scattered clouds

The day didn¢t begin on a very good note. Cole and I were clashing heads. Around lunchtime we arrived at Caledonia State Park. There were signs inviting hikers to a church picnic. We followed the signs and were welcomed into a pavilion where there were hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, fresh fruit, baked taters, and corn on the cob. There were no other hikers there at first, but soon a couple more arrived. We filled our plates and numerous people came over to chat with us as we ate, including a couple of young ladies who seemed particularly interested in Cole. Cole wasn¢t much interested in conversation.After our lunch we had two options. We could hike eight more miles to a campsite, or we could hike 10 more miles to a shelter. We decided to see how we felt as the day went on. Late in the afternoon the weather made up our mind for us. The skies started to grumble and drops fell from the bright blue sky.The grumbling got louder and we decided to press on for the shelter. We had about 3.8 more miles to go. I tried to pick up my pace, but sometimes my feet and my legs just will not listen to my brain. In those instances I have to trick my legs into moving faster. So....I¢m a giraffe. I stretch my legs out far to make my stride longer. Step. Step. Step. But no, giraffes are graceful in their steps and I am not. So....I am an Imperial Walker, unbalanced, top heavy and clumsy, taking big long steps and hoping not to topple. Big step, big step, big step! Pew pew pew as I shoot at the Jedi. Now I am a soldier marching to a beat. Left. Right. Left. Right. My arms swing and I lift my knees as high as I can...which isn¢t very high at all. Now I¢m in a marching band, leading the way. My trekking pole is in front of me moving with the rhythm. There is a bounce in my step and I hum a tune.Ahhh... Now I¢m a football player, butt down, knees apart, doing drills through invisible tires laid out on the ground. That movement is inefficient and totally drains my energy. So...I am a train. My arms and poles move with the wheels. I make a choo chooing sound which isnt too far from the huffing and puffing I am doing with all of this extra exertion.The sun must have been entertained because it came out to watch me and the rumbling in the air ceased.So tired now, and with the threat of rain apparently gone, I slowed down to my ¢I¢ll get there when I get there¢ pace and arrived at the shelter in my own sweet time.(Thank you Mercer Mayer for your motivation today!)
Date: 2018-06-26
From: James Fry Shelter

To: Stealth Site at Mile 1131.2
Miles today: 20.5

There is a lot of planning and decision making that has to be done every day on the AT. How far to go. Where to stop. Where to Resupply. Where and when to rest. etc. Today we would be coming up to a 14 mile stretch that apparently had little to no water or place to stay. We could make it a short day so that we could do this section in one stretch. We could make it a long day (about 25 miles) so that we could get past this section to the shelter, or we could take our chances and try to find a place to stop within this section. We picked option 3. It actually worked out really well. A user comment on Guthooks mentioned a stealth campsite that was about two miles further than I had hoped to go, but it would be a good backup if we didn¢t find anything else.In Boiling Springs we stopped in at the ATC headquarters, stocked up on water, picked up a few items from the outfitters and got some pop and ice cream from the corner store. Then we headed out onto the waterless stretch. We actually did find water, but it was either stagnant or in close proximity to pastures. However, not far from a road crossing, a trail angel had put jugs of water for hikers to fill up their water bottles from. How wonderful! As I had hoped and suspected, there were stealth camping spots too, but they were few and not very ideal. We came to a decent place to camp two miles from the spot I had read about on Guthooks. My feet were ready to be done.¢Let¢s go the extra two miles,¢ Cole said. ¢Then we won¢t have to do them tomorrow.¢Every other part of me, except for my feet, was in agreement. ¢ok¢ said my mouth.¢Noooo¢ screamed my feet. On we went. I was hobbling by the time we found the spot. It was a nice clear flat area under trees. To one side was a fence separating us from a field of cows. To the other side was a field of wheat. We were only .2 from the highway and we could easily see it across the pasture. We decided to set the tent up after dusk. In the meantime we cooked our dinner. A couple of cows approached the fence and watched us intently. Fireflies began dancing in the wheat. A couple more hikers came speeding by. We invited them to join us. There was room for another tent, but they wanted to press on to the shelter, even in the dark.The cows retreated into the field and laid down. Finally we set up the tent and crawled into bed.
Date: 2018-07-01
From: Campsite at mile 1202.4

To: Port Clinton 
Miles today: 16.5

Last night the sounds of fireworks kept us awake much later than we had hoped to be awake . The heat didn¢t help our sleep either, nor did the sound of the mosquitoes that were angrily buzzing around on the other side of the tent mesh, their meal in sight but unreachable.The wet bug infested stretch of trail continued on before us in the morning. So did the rocks. I used one trekking pole to steady myself over the rocks and the other one I shook in front of my face to fend off attackers. It was a slow frustrating trek. We were headed for Port Clinton only 16.5miles away. Mark and Evan were coming down to meet up with us again and would be arriving around 4pm.Our pockets were filled with snacks which we nibbled on throughout the day so that we didn¢t need to stop for lunch. We were anxious to see our family.Have you ever wondered what you would do if a giant snake suddenly crossed your path? Well, I know exactly what I would do because one did. I gasped and yelled simultaneously producing an odd sort of yelp. It was loud enough for Cole to hear up the trail. I had come across a snake before, but it was no where near as big as this one. This one was longer in length than I am tall and as thick in diameter as my forearm. Cole called something back to me when I yelped, but I couldn¢t make out the words. My sons like to watch a series of you tube videos that calls animals by funny names. Snakes are called Nope Ropes. I completely concur with this alternative title. It accurately expresses my feelings for the slithering creatures. Nope. Nope! And NOPE!!!Thankfully this Nope Rope had no interest in me whatsoever and was simple just crossing the AT on his way to where ever.When I caught up to Cole he said. ¢I heard you yell. I guess you saw the snake.¢¢You saw it and didn¢t warn me?¢He just laughed.On we went.Two miles from our destination I heard a hiker coming up fast behind me. It was Old Goat. We had seen him last in Boiling Springs where he was cutting his day short to give his ribs time to heal. I fell in behind him and tried to keep up. Obviously he was feeling much better because his pace was faster now, even over the rocks. We talked for about ten minutes and then I had to let him pull ahead. I couldn¢t keep up. He was quickly out of sight. I wonder if we will see him again. In Port Clinton Cole and I found a picnic table to rest at. We had barely sat down when Mark sent a text saying he had arrived. We jumped up and hiked around the corner to our meet up point and were reunited with our family once again.Happy Canada Day
Date: 2018-07-04
From: Little Gap Road

To: Smith Gap Road
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: scattered clouds

This momma¢s heart is very happy today. My first born, Cole¢s twin brother Evan, agreed to hike with me today. This is the same boy who adamantly refused to hike the one mile from the Springer parking lot to the start of the AT with me. I am starting to believe that this was more due to him not wanting me to go on this journey than it was his reluctance to hike. But today he said he would hike a short section. Thunderstorms were in the forecast for the afternoon so a short morning hike seemed perfect. Instead of starting where Cole and I had finished off yesterday, we chose a 7.3 mile section that ended near the campground that we are stay at. The guide book indicated that in the section we were skipping over there was a rocky steep and difficult trail. I didn¢t want Evan on that for his first AT hike. Cole and I will go back and do that section tomorrow.I loaded up my day pack with snacks and four litres of water. It was a hot day and the stretch of trail we were on only had two unreliable streams that were a distance off the trail.It didn¢t take very long to drive to the start of the section. Another thru hiker was just arriving at the road crossing when we got there. He was looking to get to a restaurant, so Mark dropped us off and headed back down the road taking the hiker to his destination.Despite skipping the difficult section, the trail still began with a very steep climb on rocks. Yikes! Not good for a hiker¢s first outing on the AT. The terrain levelled out but the rocks continued for almost the entire stretch. Evan hiked with me for a bit and then decided to hike with Cole. After about ten minutes he returned to hiking with me. He liked my pace better. He stayed with me for the entire morning, hiking about a foot and a half behind my heels chatting the entire way. He talked about mine craft, pixel guns and the neighbourhood kids. He talked about more minecraft and grandma, the cats and then minecraft again. I told him how to read the blazes and we looked at millipedes and chipmunks. We drank the water, ate the snacks and sat on a rock to watch on my phone a you tube video that he wanted me to see. We sang a song. And then the hike was done. ¢Next time we come down, if you are hiking less than ten miles I might go with you again¢, he told me. ¢Deal!¢
Date: 2018-07-05
From: Fort Franklin Road

To: Little Gap Road
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: broken clouds

Mark drove Cole and I back to Fort Franklin Road where we had left off two days ago. While there were a few flat easy parts, this section of the trail proved to be very difficult. I was so thankful that we were slack packing and that it wasn¢t raining. It wasn¢t just walking across rocks that was difficult. We were actually climbing up them and traversing their jagged edges from high elevations . At one point Cole fell and scraped his arm. He also broke his trekking pole again. He was able to shorten the bottom section of the pole and extent the top section to make it useable for the remainder of the day. It makes me nervous how he uses his polls to balance himself on the rocks.We stopped at Bake Oven Knob Shelter for our last opportunity to fill up on water. Between Lehigh Gap and Little Gap Road there was a section of straight up rock climbing. I asked him to not rely on his polls. He said OK but kept using them. I told him, ¢Cole, rock climbers do not use trekking polls.¢ ¢What do they use?¢¢They use in their hands.¢Finally I took one of his poles away from him while he was climbing. He loved the rock climbing and scrambling. There was a time that I would have too but I was just so nervous about Cole falling again.About four miles from our destination the terrain flattened out as it followed a long ridge above the city. A plethora of delicious raspberries lined the path. I was hoping that the rest of the way would be smooth sailing. No such luck. I took advantage of the flat terrain and ran until I was behind Cole. He turned and gave me a funny look. ¢Were you running?¢¢YupWhen he had pulled a distance away from me again, I ran until I had caught up once more. This time he heard me coming and started running too, laughing as he lengthened the distance between us again.The terrain soon became hazardous for running and I gave up on catching him.The last mile was an agonizingly Slow one, but Mark was waiting with fried chicken and potato salad. A just reward for difficult day. Well, my tummy thought so anyway. My feet...not so much.