morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-01
From: Trail of Hope Hostel

To: Pine Grove Furnace SP
Miles today: 19.8

Today was the 2nd time to slack pack. And first time to do it southbound. Why can't it always be this easy.Passed the official Midway point, finally more miles behind then are ahead..First part of PA has been good! Hope to be in, or near Boiling Springs tomorrow! So far loving PA.
Date: 2015-06-02
From: Pine Grove Furnace SP

To: Boiling Springs, PA
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: light rain

It was raining hard this morning, and Bob, at Trail of Hope Hostel talked me into another slack pack day. South bound, Boiling Springs to Pine Grove, 2 days in a row. Loved it.Rained all day, temps in the 50's, fell once. Felt like I made good miles. 2 wet for pic's, the rock Maze was easy after Virginia. Really enjoying PA.
Date: 2015-06-03
From: Boiling Springs, PA

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Slack packing can't be beat, but today it was back to normal. Very flat and easy, I started later then usual, and only stopped once. Beautiful PA farmland, they like corn here. The temp never got above 70, but we were spared the rain, and it looks like it will hold off till I'm in Duncannon.Met some new people today, Voltrun, turtur, and Last Chance. Great guys, hope to see more of them.Tomorrow is Duncannon, i'll stay till Friday, one of my brothers is coming over from Pittsburgh, it'll be good to see him and his wife. Looking forward to it!   Should be back on the trail Saturday morning.
Date: 2015-06-04
From: Darlington Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

After making it to Duncann, and 1149 miles, I decided I was ready to stop hiking and go home.It has been a wonderful adventure, and I've had the time of my life. I met so many great people, and made some great friends. Day hikers, section, and thru hikers, all just living the dream! I'm proud of what I did, and proud of all those that are still hiking.Thank you all who have follow my hike, thanks for the words of encouragement, and the positive comments. I've enjoyed reading them all.I'm glad I had this chance to hike, I'm no longer a thru hiker, but a section hiker. maybe one day I will get the chance to finish the second half! For now its great to be home and with family.Good luck to all still hiking, and best wishes!                                                   J
Date: 2015-03-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It is now one month before I start my next hike. This year I am going to hike with my sister Breezy. She has done the whole trail except for the south. She did Maine to the Delaware Water Gap south in 2012 and the northern section of Shenandoah north to the Delaware Water Gap in 2013. In 2012 she hiked with her son, Kevin. In 2013 she hiked with our sister, Tracy Mcg (now Daybreak). Last year I hiked with Tracy McG. We call ourselves the Sisterhood of Payne. Payne is our maiden name. There are five sisters in all and four of us have hiked sections of the AT. Our other sister, Blondie has hiked half of Shenandoah, a section of Pennsylvania and the entire state of Vermont.I am very excited about getting started on hiking again this year, but I am glad to be starting later than last year. Breezy is planning to complete the AT this year. The section south from Shenandoah to Springer is the only section she has not yet hiked. I will still have some missing sections, but will be getting closer.The hike this year will be unsupported, so much different from last year when Foodwalker was always nearby to resupply, provide fresh water or take us to a motel. The hike last year was very hard, but when I look back I mostly remember all of the amazing things we saw and did on our hike. I wouldn't trade that time with Tracy McG for anything. Breezy and I are hoping to run into her this year, as she will be hiking north.Of course, I will miss my family while I am gone. That was one of the harder parts of hiking for such a long time. I'm glad for cell phones and ways to stay in touch.
Date: 2015-04-06
To: Twenty Days
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, here it is, twenty days until I start my hike for this year. I have gone through my pack and eliminated as much as I can. I am trying to keep the weight as low as possible. I will have to carry more food this year since I won't have Foodwalker to help with resupply, but otherwise am mostly carrying only summer weight clothing and my summer sleep gear, which is my mattress, down quilt and a cocoon mummy sleep sheet. I have decided to bring only shorts and light shirts for hiking and sleeping, and my rain pants for colder weather. I will bring my down jacket, a fleece and a wind shirt. I have decided against a raincoat and am planning to use a poncho, which can be combined with the wind shirt. I am wearing lightweight Merrill shoes and am still undecided about gaitors. I have a mini Sawyer for filtering water. Since I will be with my sister who will also have a mini Sawyer, I won't need a backup water purification system. We are planning to share a stove and fuel, so that will eliminate a little more weight. We have planned out our trip down to Georgia and I have put the entire schedule into my phone calendar, so each day we will know how far we are planning to go, and where we are planning to stay. Of course I realize that things don't usually go according to plans, but at least it will give us some idea of how long it will take and when we can expect to be in an area. Knowing how long we will hike between resupply points will give us a better idea of how much food we need to carry too. I am wrapping things up at home. All seems well with my father-in-law for the time being. He celebrated his 96th birthday a few weeks ago and is still walking around the house and making his own breakfast and lunch. He follows politics avidly and loves to play the lottery. Maybe he will win yet. I don't think this journal is up yet because it is only the second entry. I will do a third soon and get things online.
Date: 2015-04-18
To: One More Week
Miles today: 0.0

Only one more week to go before Breezy and I leave for Shenandoah and our journey south. I have all of my gear packed and ready to go. Today I added some Vitamin I and aspirin. I will add some real vitamins too. Things at home are wrapping up. I will see my daughter and son-in-law, and my son and daughter-in-law this week before I leave next Sunday. I will definitely miss my family again. It's one of the hard things about going hiking. Today my husband and I bought a new lawn mower and I cut the grass for the first time this year. It was very long and thick, and believe it or not, the weather was sunny and 80 degrees. I was very hot. I have done almost no training other than walking on sidewalks, so I guess it will be on-the-trail training. I think Breezy is about the same in her training, so we should be equally exhausted at the end of the day.
Date: 2015-04-25
To: Ready to Go
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Well, it is finally time to head on down to the trail. Breezy and I will be spending a night in Virginia tomorrow and then starting south from Shenandoah on Monday. I have packed and unpacked and repacked numerous times. I have a few new pieces of gear and have taken some things from last year out of my pack. My big concern is that it is still cold, but I don't want to take cold weather clothing or gear. I finally settled for adding a base layer to my pack. Other than that, I have been going out with family and just doing the things I normally do around the house. I'm both anxious to go and sad at leaving.
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Lewis Mountain Campground, Shenandoah

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning was spent getting ready to leave the motel to start our hike. Breezy and I went swimming last night in our shorts in the hotel pool. It was a great way to start our "vacation." This morning we packed up slowly and had breakfast at the hotel. Chuck (Breezy's husband) took lots of pictures. Once we got started, around 11:00, we got right into the hike. The weather got colder and windier throughout the day, and was very cold by the time we stopped at South River Picnic Area for lunch. After a quick lunch we headed on past Swift Run Gap where we had entered the park and gotten our backcountry permit. Finally we began the long hike up Hightop Mountain. The flowers were pretty. We saw lots of ripped up trees, evidence of bear activity. We got to Hightop Hut around 6:30 and found a nice warm fire and some friendly section hikers from Virginia, Canada and Belgium. It is very cold tonight and we decided to sleep inside the shelter.
Date: 2015-04-28
From: Hightop Hut

To: Stealth Camp at Cross Ivy Creek
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

When we woke up this morning it was 28 degrees! I was wearing everything I could. We took a while to get moving. Breezy heated water for my oatmeal and tea. Going down Hightop Mountain we met Yellow Beard's father. He had gotten up early and left Yellow Beard and Little Goat sleeping. About an hour later we met the young couple heading up the mountain. Today was a day of mountains and gaps. The uphills are very hard as usual, but the day warmed up and was very pleasant. Many flowers are blooming and the butterflies are flitting about. We stopped at Pinefield Hut and then headed up the next mountain. We came to Cross Ivy Creek and are camped next to it at a stealth site along the trail. We had dinner and hung our bear bags. Now we are ready for sleep.
Date: 2015-04-29
From: Stealth Camp at Cross Ivy Creek

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

We started out this morning very tired from yesterday. After we stashed our backpacks behind a service cabin, we walked to Loft Mountain Wayside for a breakfast of an egg and cheese sandwich and coffee. A trail volunteer named Larry sat with us and told us many stories. It was a long, hot hike today. We stopped for water at Loft Mountain Campground. We met some NOBO's on the trail today. Lunch with a view was at Doyle's River Parking Area & Overlook. Black Rocks was a magnificent black boulder field. The views today were great. Tonight we are at Black Rock Hut. Andi and John are here. We met them at High Top Hut. Also California and two other men. John made us another fire which burned late into the night.
Date: 2015-04-30
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Calf Mountain Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

Everyone got up early this morning since we all had a big day in front of us. We were carrying a lot of water because the next ten miles south were dry. Within a few minutes of hiking we stopped to take off layers because we were too hot. We had three large climbs right away and then a long downhill Breezy and I are starting to get a rhythm to our hiking. We move along pretty quickly on the downhills and flats, and very slowly on the uphills. We are trying to regulate our breathing so that we don't get so out of breath. There were lots of flowers and the cherry trees are in bloom. The last mile up Calf Mountain to the hut was steep and difficult. Now we are here with Humpty Dumpty and his father who are section hikers doing 100 miles per year. John is also here and made a fire for us, but it is raining and we will probably go to bed very soon. We are looking forward to a shower and town food tomorrow in Waynesboro.
Date: 2015-05-01
From: Calf Mountain Hut

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: light rain

We woke up to a good rainstorm this morning. Two thru-hikers came in late last night and were glad to find room for them in the hut. Today's hike was very pleasant, even though it was a little drizzly and very foggy. The hike down to Rockfish Gap was very rocky. I had my first two falls, but other than a bruise on my knee I am fine. We said goodbye to John, who made us such great fires, just before the gap. We met two other pairs of sisters today on the trail. We got into Rockfish Gap about 3:00 and called a trail angel named John, who picked us up, gave us a tour of the town, and dropped us at the Quality Inn. We had showers, did laundry and resupply, and then went to Ming's for all you can eat Chinese. I had lots of shrimp and veggies, with ice cream for dessert. I am typing up my journal on the hotel computer. Tomorrow we will call for a ride back to the trail. Town visits are great! There is an art gallery here with the largest doll house I have ever seen. Tomorrow there is a triathlon in town.
Date: 2015-05-02
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Paul C Wolf Shelter
Miles today: 5.1

We got up a little later this morning. I slept so well in that nice, soft bed. We went and got fuel at Ace Hardware and then packed up after a good breakfast at the motel. I called Cindy, a trail angel, and she came out and drove us to the trailhead. After calling Breezy's son, Kevin, we started down from Rockfish Gap. It was a beautiful walk today with warm sun, easy trail and a lot of little streams. After coming down a lot of switchbacks we arrived at the shelter. It was only a little after 2:00 but we decided to stay because of reports of an aggressive bear bothering campers at stealth campsites in this area. The shelter is very nice, with a covered porch and a creek in front of it. A group of NOBO's came by doing a 27 mile day. Soon afterward, a group of Boy Scouts arrived and set up their tents near the creek. We hung out through the afternoon, then cooked and cleaned up dinner and filtered our water. Another SOBO section hiker, Corby, is here tonight. We all played a couple of games of Farkle and then tried to hang our food on the bear pole. Unfortunately none of us were tall enough to get the bags hung, so we threw up a bear line and hung all three bags together. It is getting dark now, the scouts are quiet, and we are ready for bed. A very nice day!
Date: 2015-05-03
From: Paul C Wolf Shelter

To: Stealth Camp before Reeds Gap
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning we got up a little early, but everyone else at the shelter left before us. We started up towards Humpback Mountain. The whole morning was full of memories of a very hard climb in ever deepening snow last year. This year was sunny and warm, but the climb was still hard. The views were great today. We met a trail maintainer who told us about a piped spring partway up the mountain so we stopped there for water and a break. Around lunchtime we finally reached the top and had lunch on a rock with a nice view. We thought the afternoon would be easy, but it turned out to be hours of climbing over rocks. We met some dayhikers as we were again getting water at a spring. They thought we were just like the movie 'Wild.' Around 6:00 we reached the overlook for Three Ridges Mountain. We walked a little further and finally found a place we could camp. We cooked dinner right on the trail, ate, hung our food and are now exhausted and ready for bed.
Date: 2015-05-04
From: Stealth Camp before Reeds Gap

To: Tye River Stealth Camp
Miles today: 6.5

We got up before 6:00 this morning, planning to go to the Maupin Field Shelter for breakfast.   In a few minutes we were at Reed's Gap where we found trail magic. I took a Clementine orange, Rice Krispie treat and cheese crackers. We started right in with a steep climb and were hot within minutes. At the top we found a young man and his father out for a few days. The young man was having a miserable time and couldn't even muster a smile. When we reached the shelter we found Werewolf, Biscuit and two weekenders. We had breakfast with them, then started on the Mau Har trail. That trail is only three miles long and bypasses Three Ridges which we have done before. The trail was beautiful and went along a series of waterfalls and rapids. It was also quite steep and rugged. It goes through a beautiful gorge and through green forests. We stopped a lot for pictures and just to admire the views. When we got back to the AT we hiked down to the Tye River. We found a campsite on the river and set up our tents. We both sat by the river for a long time. I took a mini bath and washed some clothes, then filtered water for the rest of the day. Now we are sitting on rocks by the foot traffic suspension bridge, relaxing and writing in our journals. We have decided to hike to Rt. 60 near Buena Vista, then find a ride into Glasgow.
Date: 2015-05-05
From: Tye River Stealth Camp

To: Seely Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 11.4

Last night, about 10:00 a bunch of kids ran out onto the suspension bridge. I was pretty worried because we were camped right there, but I think our tents were not visible in the dark. We were worried about our food, which was hung from the bridge, but the kids didn't notice it. This morning we started up the Priest, a four mile difficult uphill. the day was hot and there were no clouds, so we were really sweating. We made it to the top around noon, took pictures, then went to the shelter for water and lunch. there were some other section hikers there taking a break, plus Tigger and Eyore, sisters from Canada, and Monk. After lunch we continued to hike, again lots of uphill and sweating. We finally got to the shelter about 6:00. Eyore was very kind and got water for us from the spring.
Date: 2015-05-06
From: Seely Woodworth Shelter

To: Stealth Site past Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.2

Last night at the shelter were Monk, Tigger and Eyore and Sparkle. A few other hikers came in late and the shelter was full. One of the hikers was sick in the night. We packed up early and left, not wanting to catch anything. We had breakfast a little way down the trail. Soon after breakfast, I took a spill and landed on a log. My chest took most of the fall, and now I have very sore ribs. It is hard to walk or bend over to pick anything up. A little later Breezy fell too and hit her head. We continued on anyway. During lunch it started to rain so we put on pack covers. During the afternoon we stopped at Hog Gap Camp and hiked the third of a mile down for water. Afterward we continued climbing over Cole Mountain, now with heavier packs. The top of Cole Mountain is a bald and the path goes right through the center. Of course, that is when a thunder storm hit. We hiked so fast up that bald, and eventually went over to some woods on the side. We sat there with my poncho over us and Breezy put on some music while we waited out the storm.   We continued on to the turnoff for Cow Camp Gap Shelter and made dinner there at the sign. We didn't want to hike the half mile to the shelter so we continued on. We are now camped on a little section of the mountain that is relatively flat. Tomorrow we head to Buena Vista.
Date: 2015-05-07
From: Stealth Site past Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: US 60 Buena Vista- Shuttle to Glasgow
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night, sleeping was difficult and painful with my hurt ribs. The hillside we camped on was sloped so I kept sliding around in the tent. I was tired though, so I slept in spite of it. There was a lot of lightening in the sky but we only got a brief rain shower. I tried to get Breezy up about 4:00 but she wasn't having anything to do with that so we waited until 6:00. After packing up camp we continued up the hillside and had breakfast at the top. Then it was a long downhill to the road. We weren't sure what to do about a ride into town since we had no cell service but we found a couple of hikers at the road waiting for a shuttle, so we asked if we could share. The shuttle turned out to be a race car called Evolution RS. The driver said his truck was in the shop, but he squeezed us all in and dropped us at the Hardees in Buena Vista. We had a late breakfast instead of lunch, then called another shuttle to Glasgosew. By noon we were at the town shelter. We set up our tents, visited the dollar store for snacks and did our laundry. We then went to the library to use the computers and had pizza for supper. There was a nice group sat the shelter - Corby, Superman, Wildman and several others. We had a nice conversation and s'mores around the campfire. Tomorrow we take a zero in town.
Date: 2015-05-08
From: US 60 Buena Vista- Shuttle to Glasgow

To: Glasgow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Breezy started our morning off with scrambled eggs at the shelter. Since we were not leaving town, we had a very leisurely morning. After breakfast we said goodbye to Corby and the hiker from Sweden, then we went back to the laundromat to wash Breezy's sleeping bag. We did little repairs, took showers and cleaned up the hostel. Afterward we took a walk to the post office to mail a card and picked up some things at Dollar General. We went to Scottos for some good pasta, garlic bread and salad. While we were there about 20 hikers arrived. There is now a tent city at the shelter. Out on a Limb and Foodwalker called to say they were not far away and would drive over for a visit. They arrived shortly afterward and we had a nice reunion. We will see them again next weekend at Trail Days. So many unexpected things happen on this hike!
Date: 2015-05-09
From: Bland

To: Stealth Camp at View
Miles today: 2.6

Most of the campers at the Glasgow shelter were up by 7:00 and about half were gone by 8:00. We waited for Kevin and Becky, and then we all took off for Bland. Breezy and I have both done the section between Glasgow and Bland and so we did not feel a need to repeat it. Bland felt very familiar. We stopped in Daleville where Kevin and Becky took us to the outfitter and then bought us lunch at the 3 Pigs. It was delicious and very filling. We went to the grocery to pick up a few items and there we meet Foodwalker! What a surprise. After shopping we continued to Bland. We packed up our food in a parking lot and then went to the trailhead. There was a group of NOBO's there and two of them were looking for a ride into town. Kevin and Becky handed out homemade cookies and then we said our goodbyes. They took the hikers and we headed up the gravel road. Soon we turned into the woods and hiked a few miles to a stealth site at a view. We ate a cold supper of yogurt, hard boiled eggs and cookies while we watched the sun set over the mountain.
Date: 2015-05-10
From: Stealth Camp at View

To: Stealth site near Davis Farm Campsite
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: broken clouds

Happy Mother's Day! Breezy and I got up at 6:00 and packed up. The day is a little cloudy and threatening rain. We walked to the Trail Boss Trail intersection and stopped for breakfast. We went through some rhododendron tunnels today. After breakfast we saw a cute but ugly toad. I also saw some chipmunks. The hiking was easy for most of the day. We went over a nice waterfall at Laurel Falls. They have a new footbridge there for crossing. Afterward we stopped for a break and met a couple in their 70's named Will and Way. Way had fallen a few weeks ago and her eyes and nose are still showing bruises. It turns out we had been carrying a note fit them from another hiker at the Maupin Field Shelter. Breezy figured out that it was them. They were very excited and texted their friend right away. It was quite a happy scene. We continued to the shelter for lunch and met Iron Lady who retired recently from the Navy. Everyone we meet seems to know Out on a Limb. We started up a 3 1/2 mile climb and don came to a stream. It was very pretty, nestled into the rhododendrons. We took off our shoes and put our feet in while we filtered water. Afterward we continued up the hill, meeting many NOBO's along the way. Finally we reached the top and found a place to pitch our tents. Some of the late NOBO's coming down the trail kind of whined at us about how tired they were. Others offered water, but we had plenty. All in all, a nice Mother's Day. All that was missing was my family. Can't wait to see them again