morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-30
From: StanimalÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel 

To: Camping after Turk Gap
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 67I didn¢t know Shenandoah National Park exists until after many years I have been in US, even though the park was established pretty early in 1926! In my last couple of years living in NY state, I was thinking to visit the park but never made the trip. Until now, I am walking through the park.In the morning, the hostel owner Adam dropped a few of us back to the trail head. Soon, I reached the back country permits box and filled my permit. Attached this to my backpack and off I went. As all things have a good side and a bad side, the establishment of Shenandoah NP created the Yin & Yang as well. For a few hundred families of settlers who had to be relocated from the park, this means the loss of their life style and their memories. For millions of people who came to visit the park, this means recreation and adventure. For many wildlife being protected by the park, this means regain their habitats and their life. With this type of bitter sweet emotion I entered the park - on foot. I was not in a hurry, just walked at a slow pace of about 1.5 miles per hour, following the spine of the park¢s Skyline Drive, trying to feel the spirit, or looking for the spirit along the trail. At one spot, shortly after I crossed the Skyline Drive and re-entered A.T., a rabbit was at the center of the trail. When it saw me, it run towards me against the norm. In 4 hops, it came almost to my feet while I stood there taking its pictures. Then it realized something was not right. It run away quickly almost to the same spot that I saw it at the beginning. It turned its head back, looking straight in my direction and stayed still in that position for almost 2 minutes. Only when I moved towards it, it jumped away into the bushes.At one of the gaps, on both sides of Skyline Drive, there were pastures with grasses as high as my shoulder. They swing with the wind, making soft sounds to tell the stories of people who might have planted them long time ago. It did feel strange knowing that all the forest I saw in the park nowadays were planted by the CCC ¢boys¢ in early 1930s. One section of the A.T. was changed to a detour - a mile of gravel fire road. It was actually very nice detour for the road was easy to walk and there are many huge trees on the road side. It was also completely shaded. From time to time, honeysuckles gave away their secret location by emitting the sweet smell. A few apple trees have many small green apples already. And lots of wild grapes. Their curly young shoots provided very tasty snack, sour and juicy to make hiking in a warm day easier.
Date: 2019-05-31
From: Camping after Turk Gap

To: Loft Mountain campground 
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: few clouds

Day 68Today¢s trail was so easy, the 15 miles just cruising by in about 8 hours including lunch break and many mini water breaks. It hugged Skyline Drive tightly to a point that I have lost count of how many times I crossed the road. Near one crossing after Black Rock Summit I saw a big single bear. It could be an adult male based on the size of the bear. It was foraging in the forest edge next to the Skyline Drive. A day hiker walked in front of me pointed out the bear to me. Once the bear noticed it was seen by people, it run away from us, keeping low in the bushes.Whoever designed or approved the design of the trail signs in Shenandoah National Park should feel very bad of their decision. The characters on the signs are tiny, not much bigger than a ladybug. It¢s also punctured on a narrow metal strip that has no contract of color. It positioned below chest level. So to read the signs I had to bend my head below my chest while carrying a heavy pack, put my eyes not far than 3-4 inches from the words to make out what are they. And it has to be in a good lighting situation. Why the park cannot make meaningful signs is a mystery to me.It¢s been couple of weeks without significant rain. The springs and streams have reduced their volume. At noon time when I filled my 23oz water bottle from a spring at Blackrock shelter, it took about 3 minutes. And talking about rain, in this mid afternoon, I heard thunder in the last hour of hike. Just as I reached the Loft Mountain camp store, it rained very hard for a good hour and half. While I was waiting for the rain to stop at the store, 3 SoBos asked me to join them for the night to share a campsite. When the rain stopped, we checked into the campground, and set up our tents in a hurry as the next round of thunderstorm was starting. We stayed in the tent for the rest of the day, hearing thunders and seeing flashes of lightning. Just 5 minutes before Sunset, while there was still raining over our head, the red lights from the Sun on the far west filled the sky from cracks in the boiling clouds. Half of the sky was bright red orange!
Date: 2019-06-01
From: Loft Mountain campground 

To: Swift Run Gap
Miles today: 16.6

Day 69I left Loft Mountain campground in early morning and took the Frazier Discovery trail instead of A.T. since it was more straightforward to go there from the camp store where I also refilled my water bottle. The morning sunlight was lovely on the trail. After last night extensive rain, everything smelled so fresh again. The rain drops were still hanging on all the leaves, my boots and pants got wet in no time. This detour ended up rejoined the A.T. after a few hundred feet climbing, and made the hiking about a little less than a mile longer. But there were cool rock formations and nice view at the top, so I enjoyed it.Shortly after lunch at the Simmons Gap, I reached the 900 miles markers. Again there were three of them close to each other. And I used the one made of rocks as the real one. Since each year the distance grows longer. The first one made of small sticks might be more accurate. But rocks made it looked so cool!>span class="s1">Regarding my Knee boots, after more than 900 miles on trail plus about 150 miles before the trip, it was still in workable condition. Both sides got big cracks on side tops. But the bottom threads are still good. And my feet are still feeling good in them. There had been no blister in many weeks. The only problem is that they are not water proof anymore. So compare to others who used trail runners, I am pretty happy with my boots. Many of them had already bought the third pair of trail runners.
Date: 2019-06-02
To: Big Meadows Lodge
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 70The trail was zigzagging from backcountry to front country through out Shenandoah National Park as I passed campgrounds and lodge. The front country provided all comforts for human beings: shower, flush toilet, shops to buy snacks and quick foods. The lodge has a restaurant and a tap room for real meals and drinks. So today I felt more like a vacationer than a thru-hiker.The trail was also well maintained and gently graded. Most hikers I knew did more than 20 miles or more. I even walked more than 18 miles without feeling exhausted. Before 4:00pm, the weather turned to windy. It thundered for more than 2 hours, but the rain only came as a few drops. This kept the weather cold in the afternoon. Ask I checked into the lodge, I took a hot shower to get warmed up. Had dinner with a few hiking friends. Went to watch the Sunset, had more soup and desert. Time for the comfy bed in the Big Meadow Lodge.
Date: 2019-06-03
From: Big Meadows Lodge

To: Byrds Nest Hut #3
Miles today: 14.4

Day 71With the trails so easy, and miles passed by quickly, I started to questioning the mileage accuracy in my guide book. Of course they are not the same as the posted trail signs in the park. But who can believe those signs anyway? Yesterday, one sign said a place was 1.4 miles ahead. After I walked in that direction for 5 minutes, another sign said the same place was 1.6 miles ahead. It just increased by 0.2 mile! All my steps were wasted!And the trail really loves the front country. I passed Skyland resort at noon time and had a sit down lunch by a window seat in their big dining room. In the National Parks in CA, backcountry means half mile away from a paved road. Here, it is 50feet away. Today the trail went through a landmark called Pinnacle. I was expecting a needle like rock formation. That¢s what I believed based on the pinnacles in California, class 5 rock climbing needles! But this pinnacle was a gradual walking trail to a rounded hill, an easy stroll. On one hand, I was glad the trail is easy and good foods are very accessible here. On the other hand, I was hoping to be more remote, away from traffic sounds.
Date: 2019-06-04
From: Byrds Nest Hut #3

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 72Couple of hours later, while I was walking down from Pass Mountain, focusing my attention to the footing, a big black shadow jumped in front of me. Looking up, there was a juvenile bear just run across the trail less than 20 ft from me. It was big and fluffy, cubby by any means. It must have been well fed! Good job, big Teen! You are on a great start for a successful life!Another hour passed, following some ruffling sounds from the left of the trail, I saw a yearling bear. Small and skinny. By itself, it run across the trail and hid in the grasses. But it didn¢t run away. Just retreated a few steps each time, studying me, watching my movements. This little bear must have a hard time to find food since its so small. I wish you the best. By 2pm, I reached Elkhollow Wayside. The country store has grill and the park¢s signature blackberry milkshake. So my lunch was a cheese burger, onion rings and the milkshake. Every day is so convenient in this park! Near Little Hogback Mountain, there was a sea of ferns on both sides of Skyline Drive. Their leaves waved with breezes, forming dark and light patterns as fans waved away stall air. Large tall trees standing in the fern waves, pillars of mottled gray, pointing into the sky. Some with funny shapes. Now under a big poplar tree, I am ready to rest.
Date: 2019-06-05
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Mountain Home B&B
Miles today: 13.4

Day 73The last day in Shenandoah NP! The creek bubbled cheerily all night near my tent. Again, deer came to the hut to say good morning just after daylight. While I cruising down from Compton Peak, 3 bears, two adults and one cub run in the forest, trying to put large distance between themselves and the hikers. I can smell cinnamon rolls sweet smell at the location they were running away. Maybe someone cooking at home near there attracted them?By noontime, I have reached the registration box at the park¢s boundary. I put the permit tag back to the box and leaving Shenandoah for good. It¢s been an easy week in the park with nice comfortable weather, a little bit on the colder side. I can see the park, being so different from the National parks in the western states, plays a very important role on conservation, restoration, and education in the eastern of US. Not all people can go to the far west to experience the wilderness there. But being so accessible near their home, they can also enjoy outdoors peace and awe.
Date: 2019-06-06
From: Mountain Home B&B

To: Bears Den Hostel 
Miles today: 20.0

Day 74Scott who runs Mountain Home B&B was so nice to our hikers. He got up at 5am to prepare our breakfast which was made to order for each individual person. I loved his tea collection too. Hard to decide which flavor I should take. LOL! He also shuttled us to Front Royal downtown last night for dinner and resupply shopping. Gave a tour of the lovely town. It has a few unique museums, wonderful architecture of historic buildings, and many nice restaurant. Quite charming town, indeed. I was glad to have the opportunity to visit this town.It rained last night. So the air was pretty wet in the morning. The sunlight put on nice ¢spot light from heaven¢ effect when it shone through the water vapor in the forest. It made the forest more special. At every edge of dense forest, honeysuckles always grew nicely, filled the air in seductive fragrance. Many mulberry trees have lots of ripe berries now, from creamy white, to pink, to red, and to purple colors. I snacked on them as I walked along the trail, finger and tongue colored purple. The berries were sweet and juicy - the pleasure of living in the forest in summer. Flaming red strawberries were also decorating the ground covers. But they are not as tasty as the cultivated variety. So they looked great, but not my choice of good eats. Blackberries and gooseberries are not ripe yet. Their fuzzy fruits are quite funny looking now.Turtles were also out today in force. I saw two, other hikers told me that they saw 4 and 5!Expecting tougher trail tomorrow on the infamous ¢Roller Coaster¢ section, I decided to hike longer, past the Whiskey Hollow shelter to camp somewhere between Sky Meadows State Park and hwy 17. When I got there in late afternoon, I found the sign prohibiting any camping in that area. So I had to push on to the hwy which made the total distance of today¢s hike 20.8 miles. At that time, I decided the best option for me was to get a Uber to Bears Den hostel for the night. Then slackpacking from hwy 17 back to Bears Den tomorrow. I was very happy that this plan worked so nicely. Bears Den is so special and beautiful. The volunteers working in there were so nice. For $30 I got a very clean bunkbed, shower, laundry which I didn¢t need, a large pizza, a Mountain Dew, a pint of tasty ice cream, a breakfast for tomorrow morning, and a shuttle back to the trail head! What a value! Oh, did I mention the hostel is actually a European style castle which sits on a hill with great views?
Date: 2019-06-07
From: Bears Den Hostel 

To: FriendÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house 
Miles today: 13.5

Day 75I failed to locate any shuttle taken me back to the trail head where I had finished yesterday. So I decided to slackpacking SoBo for the day, and have my friend picking me up from the road in the evening.It worked so well. I only carried my drawstring day pack with minimal stuff. It felt so light. Even though the drawstring cut into my shoulders and not very comfortable, I used my  bandana and buff as extra padding, it still allowed me to move quickly. Without the heavy pack, every step felt like walking on the air cushion. I was happily bunching up and down along the trail. When people were talking about the infamous ¢Roller-Coaster¢ I just thought ¢where is it?¢ and smiled inside of my mind. Another benefit of the doing SoBo was I got the chance to see hi to the friends I have made in the past a few days! Most of them surprised to see me walking in the opposite direction.A little after noontime, I reached the $1000 miles marker! A nice achievement with so little effort today. It made me so excited and motivated. In the mid afternoon, I reached Rod Hollow shelter. Immediately a rabbit came to welcome me. Later two other hikers came. While I sat there chatting with them, a large black rat snake climbed up to the far side of the shelter, checking on the stuff one hiker spread out on the platform. It took a while to convince the snake that it should hide in the grass. When I left the shelter, there was another snake on the trail near the shelter. This place was a magnate for wildlife! Being on a Friday afternoon, many boy scouts also came to the place. Hopefully they share the shelter peacefully with the snakes tonight!My friend made so many tasty dishes for me. I ate a lot! Thanks, Bin!
Date: 2019-06-08
From: FriendÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house 

To: FriendÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ House
Miles today: 0.0

Day 76This was my 3rd zero day so far. My best friend in high school picked me up from the trail last evening. We went to DC today as a day off trail rewards.We went to National Geographic Museum to see its history and famous photos throughout the years by some of the best photographers and explorers. There was also Queens of Egypt exhibition. We also visited the Freer Museum of Art for Asia arts exhibitions. There are so many museums in DC. Even though I have been here 3 times, It would be one more month for me to visit all the museums I want to visit in here. On the way back to her home, I bought a pair of hiking pants to replace the torn pants I have now. Also More food for the next 6 days.She made wonderful food for me for breakfast and dinner. I was so pampered. A very nice day to see friend and being relaxed.
Date: 2019-06-09
From: FriendÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ House

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 19.0

Day 77In mid morning after I stepped on top of a predominant rock with fine views, I knew that I have missed something. Two day hikers asked me and the other two backpackers if we had seen the Virginia/West Virginia state line trail marker? All three of us looked at each other, and answered in unison: NO! I can¢t believe that after all these 500 miles, with the eagerness to get out of Virginia, I could miss that sign! We backpackers have been too focused on our footings that we don¢t look around, especially when the terrain is tough. And yes, that sign was in the middle of a rocky field called ¢devil¢s race course¢.  The other two backpackers continued their way to the north. I run down to hill, found the sign and took proud pictures. Since 5/3 when I entered Virginia just before Damascus, it¢s been more than a month, on 541 miles in this state. I think I indeed got some Virginia blue when I encountered PUD - pointless ups and downs, on at lease one hot and humid afternoon. But overall, I enjoyed the trails in Virginia. Now, the classic country song of John Denver¢s ¢Country Roads take me home¢ filled in my mind.The rain finally started in the early afternoon. By evening it was in a steady state. There were pockets of fogs in the forest, reminded me of the cold earlier times in the spring. The forest became magical again. The sound of rain and wind, accompanying my walking rhythm of footsteps and hiking poles hit the ground, was quite calming. It also gave me expectation of reaching Harper Ferry very soon. Before 8:00pm, I had emerged from the forest and taking in the mighty views of Shenandoah River on the bridge. A grand river with rocks and cairns in the middle, roaring below my feet just before the trail goes into the town - a symbol of A.T. Half point!
Date: 2019-06-10
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Crampton Gap shelter 
Miles today: 11.4

Day 78Before I could sing a full verse of ¢Country road, take me home. To the place I belong ...¢, West Virginia was gone! Just like that! And I entered Maryland for more than 10 miles already. I stayed in Harpers Ferry for the whole morning, doing chores: got a new iPhone charging cable to replace the broken one, mailed unneeded stuff and souvenirs from Shenandoah NP back home, dried my boots and socks before resumed the hike. I also visited ATC office to register. They took my photo. I wrote my information and signed photo release. Back on trail, I enjoyed the view of Jefferson Rock, the historical downtown, and the views of Potomac River. The downtown was very charming with many shops, restaurants and museums. I can see it is a place that can easily consume a whole day there.By crossing the foot bridge on Potomac River, I have left West Virginia behind. A.T. then runs flat along the river for about 3 miles, sharing a nice bike trail. A small creek goes in parallel with the river. It was filled with duckweed and decaying branches. The whole creek was bright green. Many turtles were in there, camouflaged with duckweed, staying perfectly still. A few little ducklings wandered around in the water. Here or there, bright red orange day lilies stood out on the bank. Large tall trees covered with leafy vines lined up the trail. Mosquitoes swarmed in as soon as I stopped to take photos. A lovely wildlife habitat in a peaceful setting. Only a passing train occasionally broke the silence.Up to the hill, it¢s as flat as a trail can be again along the ridge line. In the middle of civilized world not far below, I found a nice camping site. The sun had set, darkness filled the hill. A soft rain started to sing lullabies for the night.
Date: 2019-06-11
From: Crampton Gap shelter 

To: Pogo mountain camp site 
Miles today: 15.7

Day 79I walked through the area of battle ground in the civil war era over 100 years ago - battle of South Mountain. The battle was intense. Many casualties on both sides. Generals lost their lives together with soldiers. At the end, the Union took control of this area. At Fox Gap, the gravels of General Reno and General Garland marked that historical battle field. I stopped there for my lunch break, drying my tent at the same time. Across the small road from the graves, a black and two white hikers (2 young thru-hikers and one 18 years old section hiker) enjoyed each other¢s accompany, music from their ukulele flew in the breezy air, their chatters and laughters reach my ears from time to time. All of a sudden I realized that without General Reno¢s sacrifice long time ago, it may not be possible for these young men¢s enjoyments and brotherly good time together today. That was a very moving moment for me to remember.In the afternoon I entered Washington Monument State Park. The first Washington monument built. Along the walkway to the monument, wooden signs listed the timeline of his great achievements. The monument is under construction. So I couldn¢t go up to have the view. But it was still a reminder of the greatness of our first president.>span class="s1">There was a special kid on trail today. It was a fawn. Maybe only a few days old. Still drank Mother¢s milk, and walked wobbly some times. It was so lovely to watch them and saw how caring the mother was.
Date: 2019-06-12
From: Pogo mountain camp site 

To: Falls Creek Campsite 
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 80Last night I got lazy and didn¢t prepare water. After breakfast, I had only 3oz of water left. Fortunately, the clear stream just a very short distance on the other side of the trail across the campsite. After I got water, I was cruising through Maryland. The weather was cool, the trail was pretty easy.In 5 miles I reached a shelter and had an early lunch break there. Another lady was there too. ¢3rd Time¢ is from Australia, doing the A.T. for a third time. She had done A.T. they-hike two times, and half of PCT in the past 9 years! It¢s so inspirational after I learned that she¢s in her early 70s!Around 5:00 pm, I reached the Pen Mar state park picnic area. It¢s a huge area with excellent views of the flat land below. Built-in picnic tables and park benches are plenty. Many of them facing the valley below to take full advantage of the nice views. I took one table, cooked and ate my dinner in the park, bathed under warm late afternoon sun, enjoyed the view. It was a rare luxury to have a table for cooking and a bench to sit and eat while enjoying the views. To make it better, I can wash my pot in the restroom with running water after the meal. No need to drink the dishwasher water. By evening time, the State of Maryland was in my hiking history! Mason-Dixon Line was crossed. Goodbye Maryland, here I come, Pennsylvania. I have completed 6 of the 14 states!