morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-04-28
From: Stealth Site

To: Stealth Site to Low Gap
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Ate protein bars for breakfast before packing up. Hiked through Rice Gap and continued on to Hogback Ridge Shelter. Stopped there for water which was .4 from the shelter. Called and chatted with Katie while we were at the shelter. Stopped at High Rock and took some pictures. Caught up with Jay at Sam's Gap. Jeff and Mary Lou were already there when we arrived. They had set up a rug, table and chairs and had music playing. They brought subs. Sodas, chocolate, Girl Scout Cookies and a resupply for Jay, Mark and me. I shared my sub with another hiker and we gave away the extra resupply items. Jeff and Mary Lou Lou also supplied water to hikers and charged devices as needed. Jay drank 6 diet cokes in a very short amount of time and received his trail name, Six Pack, from Mary Lou. We visited at the Gap for hours before we were finally able to tear ourselves away. It was an awesome break. We reluctantly said our goodbyes and hiked up to Street Gap. Pushed on and stopped to visit with a couple who were day hiking and a few other thru hikers. Hiked to the ridge above Low Gap where Mark found a really nice, level tentsite. Phillip and his dad arrived and camped on the ridge too. Ate dinner and made reservations for Super 8 in Erwin TN. Had Thin Mints for our snack and caught up with online stuff. Woo hoo, cell service.
Date: 2022-04-29
From: Low Gap 

To: No Business Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

Broke camp and stopped in Low Gap and chatted with Phillip and his dad while we all filtered water. Received trail magic on the way to Big Bald. Someone left a cooler with hard boiled eggs and granola bars next to the trail. We climbed Big Bald and spent some time there enjoying the views, having a snack and visiting with Phillip and his dad. Jay was hiking out ahead of us. Pushed on to Little Bald and then to Whistling Gap where we caught up with Jay, Phillip and his dad. Jay hiked on while the rest of us took a lunch break. Hiked to High Rocks and took the blue blaze to the summit. Hiked on and met a couple who were hiking with their dogs. They told us that they had left trail magic at Spivey Gap. Arrived there to find a table and cooler loaded with food. Fruit, rolls, ham, cheese, salami, drinks, donuts. apple fritters and a bin with bandaids, earplugs, blister pads etc. Crazy trail magic and so appreciated. We are overwhelmed by the generosity shown by trail angels. We took a short break there and then hit the trail to Devils Creek Gap. We caught up with Jay and hiked together to No Business Knob Shelter. Lots of good tent sites available there. We haven't had a shower since Hot Springs; can't wait to get to Erwin TN.
Date: 2022-04-30
From: No Business Knob Shelter 

To: Erwin TN
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: broken clouds

It was a short hiking day into Erwin TN. We stopped at Uncle Johnny's to pick up Mark's new shoes. Enjoyed cold sodas at a picnic table with Jay, Phillip and Phillip's dad while we all waited for a shuttle. Checked in at Super 8, went to Erwin Outdoor Supply and then to Choo Choo Cafe for lunch. Stopped at Whisk Bakery for cookies and other goodies. Did our laundry at the hotel and line dried it on our bear line behind the hotel. Went to Food City for resupply; saw Huggy there. Walked through Pals drive through for dinner and ate at a picnic table by the river. Video chatted with Ashley. Katherine and Henry. Walked to Walgreens for milk, snacks and a finger splint. Looking forward to a lazy day at the hotel tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-01
From: Erwin TN

To: Erwin TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Mark and I walked to Dunkin for breakfast and then to CVS and Dollartree for snacks and a finger splint small enough for my pinkie. Hung out at the Super 8 for a while. We were able to see Phillip and his dad before they left for home. Hope to see them back on trail. Starting organizing and packing our gear. Went to Bojangles with Jay for dinner. Looking forward to seeing Kay and Bill tomorrow.
Date: 2022-05-02
From: Erwin TN

To: Beauty Spot
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Mark and I walked to Dunkin for coffee and donuts for breakfast. Kay and Bill arrived at 8:30 am to visit us on their way home from vacation. I visited with them at the hotel while Mark went for a long overdue haircut. We got organized and packed to get back on trail. Kay and Bill took Mark, Jay and I to Dari Ace for lunch and then dropped us off at Uncle Johnny's. They also brought us Uncrustables that we had requested and surprised us with fudge and maple sugar candy. It was great to have a visit from family. We had a long hot climb to Curly Maple Gap Shelter and took a break there. Pushed on to Indian Grave Gap and took another break before climbing to Beauty Spot. Pitched our tents and enjoyed an amazing sunset.
Date: 2022-05-03
From: Beauty Spot

To: Old Apple Orchard 
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up in time to watch the sunrise from Beauty Spot. Packed up and hiked north with Jay to the spring to fill water bottles. Hiked up Unaka Mountain. No views from the summit but the spruce forest was a nice change of scenery. Hiked through Low Gap and past Cherry Gap Shelter. Met and chatted with Lucky Charmer while taking a snack break. Took a break in Iron Mountain Gap and pushed on to the old apple orchard. The apple blossoms smelled amazing and the busy bees were buzzing. We camped on an old road bed above the official tentsites because of expected rain. It was a drier, less buggy option. Made dinner and had candy for dessert, hung food bags and crawled into the tent to catch up with online stuff. Yay, cell service! Made reservations at Station at 19E for Friday and Saturday. Mountain Harbor wad fully booked. Sad to be missing their breakfast.
Date: 2022-05-04
From: Old Apple Orchard 

To: Ash Gap
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: light rain

Spent a rainy morning hanging out in our tents and got a late start on the trail. Got caught in the rain on the way to Greasy Creek Gap and had to stop to put on rain jackets and pack covers. Stopped at Clyde Smith Shelter for lunch and hung our pack covers and rainjackets on bushes to dry. Met Trudge and saw Honeybee and her dad, 6 mil, from WI. Hiked to Little Rock Knob and through Hughes Gap. Received trail magic there, cold sodas, hotdogs and a campfire to cook them over. Simply perfect and well placed. Stopped to refill our water bottles after the Gap and made the climb to Ash Gap. Tortoise, Postman and Zena were there when we arrived. Trudge arrived later. Trudge tented next to Jay and us. Had dinner together and chatted. Mark hung Trudge's bear bag with ours and we called it a night way past hiker midnight.
Date: 2022-05-05
From: Ash Gap

To: Doll Flats
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Departed Ash Gap after making the steep trek to the water source, having breakfast and drying out the tent as much as possible. Hiked to Tollhouse Gap, stopped at The Cloudland Motel Site. Then hiked to Roan High Knob Shelter. Mark and I took a snack break. Tortoise was there taking a break too. Caught up with Jay at Carvers Gap. Climbed Round Bald and Jane Bald. Saw the park service helping an injured day hiker off the Bald. Stopped at Stan Murray Shelter for water and a break. It was a hot hike to Yellow Mountain Gap. Viewed Overmountain Shelter (decommissioned) from a distance. Climbed Little Hump Mountain. Planned to stay at Bradley Gap but it was extremely windy and there is nothing close to level there. Really nice tent sites before the gap but we needed water so we passed them by. Ended up climbing Hump Mountain, stopped at the Stan Murray Plaque, passed the fences and did the rock scramble down to Doll Flats. Barely made it before dark. Set up camp and then ate dinner and hung our food bags in the dark. Pushed it farther than we planned today but extremely glad to be off of the windy mountain tonight .
Date: 2022-05-06
From: Doll Flats

To: Station at 19E or so we thought.
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We waited for the rain to let up and broke camp under extremely windy conditions. A huge branch that we had hung our food bags on broke off and crashed to the ground as Mark was lowering our bags. Tree was leafed out, no indication the branch was rotten. Yikes, a close call. A huge crack and crash. That's how you get a trail name, CLR (Cat Like Reflexes). We passed Trudge as we were leaving Doll Flats. Also passed the leaving NC sign. Woo Hoo, at last! Chatted with Postman and Zena on the trail. They stated that the weather on Hump Mountain was crazy this morning. Hiked down to 19E and received awesome trail magic from Butterfly and her family. Burgers, hotdogs, chips, fruit, veggies, soda, Liquid IV... We are so grateful for trail angels. We walked to Mountain Harbor to pick up Jay's resupply box. Then walked up to Station at 19E only to find out that the owner had never put our reservations in the system. Heavy rain predicted for the next 2 days. Not a happy camper to say the least. We waited for quite some time for the owner, who took us to the Americourt Hotel in Elizabethton TN. He stated that he would take us back to trail when we wanted and that we would be a priority since it was his mistake. Missed out on some good food and time with hiker friends, messed up our plans for Roan Mountain TN and made laundry and resupply interesting. Welcome to life on the AT. We dare you to make plans. Walked to Arby's for lunch and then to the laundrymat and CVS in the rain. Long walk to Food City tomorrow; hopefully we get a break in the weather.
Date: 2022-05-07
From: Elizabethton TN

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We walked to Wayne and Nancy's with Jay for breakfast. Walked over a mile back in a misty rain. Hung out in our room for the morning. Walked to the covered bridge and Food City. Then walked to Jiggy Ray's Pizza for lunch. It's in an old drug store, food and service were great. Walked back to the hotel in the rain. Called Station at 19E to arrange a shuttle back to the trail at 8:00 tomorrow morning but was told that time wasn't available. Says he will be here at 9:00. Time will tell.
Date: 2022-05-08
From: Elizabethton TN

To: Slide Hollow Campsite 
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: light rain

Got coffee at the hotel and started organizing and packing to get back on trail. Called to confirm our shuttle and were told pickup would be delayed. Got the run around when we asked what time we could expect him. Didn't trust him to show up, so we asked the front desk if they knew of anyone. One of their employees was leaving after working 3rd shift. He drove out of his way to get us back to the trail. Jay hiked ahead of us today. Mark and I hiked to Jones Falls and used the ropes to climb the muddy side trail to the top. We saw Butterfly, Trudge, Inch and Seashell. Followed the white blazes to Elk River and saw Old'un there. Stopped and ate our lunch at a tentsite near the river. Pushed on to Mountaineer Falls and caught up with Jay at Slide Hollow Campsite. Pitched our tent and sat around the fire ring area for dinner with Jay, Old'un, Glamazon, Inch and Seashell. Chatted with everyone, then hung our food bags and crawled into our tents at hiker midnight.
Date: 2022-05-09
From: Slide Hollow Campsite 

To: Dennis Cove Road
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: few clouds

We chatted with Inch and Seashell while breaking camp. Hiked north and took a break on a nice bench that had a view of Hump and Little Hump. We saw Old'un, Knee High and leap frogged Inch and Seashell for most of the day. Took our lunch break at Hardcore Cascades. Met a member of the Honor Hike at Moreland Shelter. He was carrying tags with the names of 75 police officers who were killed in the line of duty last year. There are 574 total tags being carried this year. We hiked past an old barn and continued on to Dennis Cove Road. We received trail magic there; drinks, snacks and poetry from Marlene. So begins my Hostess mini lemon bundt cake addiction Pitched our tents near the river next to Dolly and Sticks, cooked dinner and hung our food bags on a branch over the river. Gathered some firewood for Stick's campfire, visited with Jay and called it a night.
Date: 2022-05-31
From: High Point State Park Headquarters. New Jersey

To: Secret Shelter 
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What a great day to start a hike! We woke up in Stroudsburg Hampton Inn and loaded up for the hour drive to High Point. We spent about 30 minutes at the car shaking down and saying goodbyes to Jordan and Susan. It was hot and sunny (high 92F) but breezy and easy trail. Arrived at the Secret Shelter about 4:00 and met Swollen, Hanky, and the resident donkey, Jake. We set up tents and made dinner (chili Mac). Jasper and I took a shower at the outdoor shower head. This shelter is on private land and is made available to hikers on the trail. The AT crosses the driveway and the shelter is a short walk from the trail. All in all the day was a great start. Everyone is in high spirits.
Date: 2022-06-01
From: Secret Shelter 

To: Pochuck Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: clear sky

Left secret shelter last this morning and slow-walked about 2 miles into Unionville NY. Horlers General Store had much to offer for breakfast: bagels with cream cheese, gatorades, coffee, candy. We hung out on the front porch eating and charging phones for about 30 minutes.Today was much cooler than yesterday. We hiked through some pastures, did some road walking (saw a huge gopher tortoise!) and circumnavigated the Wallkill Nature Preserve. We detoured to a vacant house to refill water bottles from the spigot before arriving at the shelter around 3:00. Swollen, the section hiker we met at the secret shelter, was already set up when we got to the shelter. We set up inside the shelter just before two other hikers-Margaritaville and Lightyear- rolled in. They are campus ministers at Virginia Tech. Dinner was Mountain House flavors around the picnic table with the three others. The rain started and we climbed into the shelter with M & L - We scooched over and made room for 7 people in the 6 person shelter. They offered some great advice and we traded riddles until the sun went down. The shelter was mice-free and kept us dry in some hard rain.
Date: 2022-06-02
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: NJ 17A - Warwick Turnpike
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

We got into the Pochuck Valley boardwalks today. The trail crosses a wetland for about a mile on an elevated boardwalk with a suspension bridge. Lots of Redwinged Blackbirds in the marsh. Walking on hard surface felt strange! Heaven Hills Farm was at mile 6.5. It was a bakery/farmers market/ nursery. We raided the ice cream stand and got drinks, too. Had lunch outside with Swollen and met a NOBO doing 35 mile days. His pack was smaller than what kids at school carry down the halls. He had started way before us and was ending way after us. All kinds are out here. A steep climb up The Stairway to Heaven followed. It was a ¢Georgia Mountain¢ and we took a long break at the top watching a rain storm to the west cover successively closer ridges. We packed up as the temperature dropped and started walking. The forest got remarkably dark just before the rain started. It turned the trail into a river in short order and we were walking with wet socks and shoes. Everyone stayed in high spirits. Mile 9.6 was Trail Magic! Our first. The boys came on a blue cooler sitting about 30 yards into the woods from the Barrett Road crossing. A journal on top wishes us well while sodas, gatorades, and candy bars boosted morale after the downpour. We hiked on glad to know trail magic was alive!We pushed on to Wawayanda Shelter where we saw Swollen again. I tossed several water bottles in an empty pack to go get water from the park office. It was an easy 0.3 mile walk to a spigot. When I got back Swollen had called a shuttle to take him to the Warwick Drive In movie theater. While he was on the phone with the driver he asked if there was room for 6.  The guy (Mike) said he¢d make two trips! So we hoofed it to the road and spent 30 minutes getting all of us into Warwick by 5:30. On the walk from the road to the shelter I call Jim in Greenwod Lakes - proprietor of Lake Lodging - and arranged for a room the following night. Greenwood Lake is 10 trail miles north. He also agreed to meet us at the theater at 9 in the morning tomorrow to pick up our stuff and shuttle us back to the trail. So we¢re slackpacking tomorrow to ice cream and a stay indoors!Upon arrival at the Warwick Drive In we got tents set up on the hill overlooking the 3 movie screens. Then the 6 of us left out gear and walked across the road to the burger place for $15 hamburgers. They lived up to the price! A candy resupply at Shoprite and a walk back to the theater followed. We got back at 8:30 just before Top Gun Maverick started. The drive in has loaner radios for hikers so we could hear the audio. The boys stayed up and watched the whole movie. Joni and I fell asleep to the sounds of afterburners.
Date: 2022-06-03
From: NJ 17A - Warwick Turnpike

To: NJ 17A - Bellvale Creamery
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: overcast clouds

There was uncertainty this morning about how we would get back to the trail. Mike had brought us from 17 A to the Warwick drive-in but I had not arranged a way to get us from the Drive in back to the trail. Jim was scheduled to meet us at 9 o¢clock at the Warwick theater to pick our stuff up and take it to Greenwood Lake so that we could slack pack today. When he arrived he was in a pick up truck but told us that he could shuttle the six of us back to the trail in two trips. Joni and Baxter had gone to the nearby bagel shop to get breakfast. So I sent Jasper to meet them before getting in the truck with Swollen and Grayson. Jasper, Joni, and Baxter followed shortly behind.The map has the following warning for this section of trail: ¢despite the unimposing profile, rocks and abrupt ups and downs make this section challenging.¢ The profile map is fairly flat but the warning proved true. The ridge we hiked most of the day overlooking Greenwood lake was sharp and rocky. When the trail gets more difficult the boys seem to lean in to it. The weather was hot and breezy and made for pleasant hiking sans packs. We spent much of the day counting Eastern Newts on the trail. In their juvenile stages they are small and bright red. They are slow and harmless (unless eaten) but they are fun to spot! We officially crossed into New York today!Bellvale Creamery was at the road crossing where Jim was meeting us. Double scoop waffle cones for everyone and a chocolate milk for me. Joni had gone inside with the boys while I watched our stuff. Baxter come out with a mass of dairy in-hand. I asked, ¢How much did that cost!?¢ He shrugged and said ¢Idunno¢ to the amusement of the onlookers. Joni followed shortly behind. I asked her the same question. ¢Six-fifty¢, to which Baxter exclaimed ¢What a deal!¢  Jim arrived in a Subaru Impreza. We said goodbye to Swollen before Joni and the boys piled into the backseat. We arrived in Greenwood Lake in less than 10 minutes. Jim gave us a short driving tour of the town before heading to Lake Lodging, his 8-room motel just outside town. Showers and YouTube on the TV occupied the next hour. Joni and I left the boys to go to the CVS for candy and drinks, then on to Planet Pizza. Walking back, Joni said ¢we¢ve become those people on the side of the road walking with bags.¢ For better or for worse¢¦Joni got a banging taco salad from the nearby food truck and we enjoyed our drinks and hot meals together on the porch of the motel. The slackpack and the motel worked out so well today that we arranged with Jim to do it all again tomorrow!
Date: 2022-06-05
From: NY 17

To: William Brien Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

Ate some killer breakfast sandwiches from the food truck in Greenwood Lake. Crammed 5 packs and 6 people into a small Subaru Impreza and headed to the trail at NY 17 where Fred doled out his Trail Magic yesterday. We spent the 10-mile walk today through a beautiful forest in incredible weather. Hardwoods and poplars were spaced widely across boulder strewn knolls and hollows. Ferns and grass filled in the undergrowth. Songbirds we¢re everywhere. We passed many trail runners and day hikers sharing the morning with us.We had hoped to swim at Tiorati Lake but learned after the 0.3 mile detour that the lake was closed. We ate lunch at the picnic tables, availed ourselves of the bathrooms and water bottle station, and headed back to the AT. Mountain House for dinner. Hung our food bags. Laid down in the tents at 6:45. My third attempt at mattress repair has failed. I¢ll try again sometime tomorrow. I¢m glad I opted to bring an extra foam pad!We¢re camping without a rain fly tonight and enjoying the cool weather.
Date: 2022-06-06
From: William Brien Shelter

To: Hemlock Springs Campsite
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up slowly this morning and left camp just before 9:00. This was our first morning trying hot drinks for breakfast so that slowed us down some.We came to Black Mountain pretty soon and got our first view of the NYC skyline. We took a break there for awhile in the shade. The Palisades Parkway is a busy 4 lane that the trail crosses. The AT has been rerouted to the north so that hikers can cross the parkway on a bridge. It added about a mile to the walk today and took some careful attention (lots of intersecting trails) but we got through it fine. We climbed Bear Mountain, got water from the vending machine (sob in dollars) and checked out the view of the Hudson River from the observation tower.I spent a lot of the day thinking about what¢s in my pack and what I could get rid of or trade for lighter options. My pack isn¢t getting as light as I had hoped (as it usually does after eating food and burning fuel). We planned every piece of gear we¢re carrying (right down to the frisbee) but actually carrying it all for a week helps bring focus to what¢s really important. Pounds are about to get shaved!A steep downhill got us to Bear Mountain Recreation area. Grayson and I still want to swim but the lake there is closed (like yesterday!) and we didn¢t have time for the public pool. We cooked dinner there and ate about 4:00. I attempted another Fox of the leaky sleeping pad - I think this is number 4.This would have been a good place to stop but there was no camping and we didn¢t want to spend money on another hotel room in nearby Fort Montgomery. So we pushed on another 3 miles to Hemlock Springs Campsite.Getting across the Hudson was a little dicey. We crossed Bear Mountain Bridge on foot. It¢s a two lane suspension bridge over the river with sidewalks on both sides. As we neared the far shore we realized we¢d need to cross the road. The crossing was not standard and traffic was busy but tailing off for the day. We made it across with the help of a heads-up driver who stopped a lane of traffic for us. Just before getting to the campsite, Margaritaville and Lightyear caught up with us. They had gotten off trail for a wedding and spent two days catching up with us. They¢ll pass us for the last time in the morning. We picked their brains again on food, clothing, tents, and budget. We haven¢t had a chance to talk it over together yet but it¢s good to get another perspective on how to do this hike. Hung a bear bag. Dunked my salty shirt in the creek. Laid down on the sleeping pad to see if my patch attempt works. So far so good¢¦