morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-21
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

A nice short day for Big Dawg to rest a little. After eating breakfast at the hut we set our sights on the Big Meadows Wayside for lunch and hiked with vigor...kinda. Big Dawg's legs were sore and he was complaining about carrying the empty beer bottles - I told him so! Lots of day hikers and section hikers out and about today - a very nice day outside!With some rest and being close to the wayside, we pressed on and reached it just a little after breakfast - no mountaineer breakfast for me! Had a nice meal at the wayside still and learned a little about the park before rolling on to the shelter. Along the way we ran into a group from Maryland doing trail magic near the trail! Stopped by to rest and chat with them - great group of people! Because of the short day we were the first ones at the shelter and had first pick at camping spots. We set up our hammocks and the people started rolling in! First two guys were section hiking the park southbound and were from Texas. One of the guys works at Rolls-Royce and lives in Indianapolis - and has the same name as me! Next Webber arrived at camp and set up his hammock. It sprinkled a little bit on us in the afternoon but nothing heavy. Scott showed up with Snackpack and Push Up and then more people showed up! The three Marines and Matt showed up to sleep in the shelter and the Fort Wayne section hikers camped up the hill. Four young section hikers stopped by and then six other section hikers came up and set up a crazy double decker hammock tarp combo - see attached picture! A couple of hikers rolled in later and brought the total up to 25!Lots of activity and conversation going on around the shelter! Some people were cooking bacon, we were setting up a campfire, and people were coming in and out of the area to cook. Stepped away for a little bit to get some peace (no sunset tonight) and then enjoyed the campfire later on. Even though the shelter was full, it was a good evening all around. To Luray tomorrow!
Date: 2014-05-22
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Budget Inn - Luray, VA via US 211
Miles today: 14.1

The morning brought good weather after a good sleep - except for Big Dawg hearing deer fighting in the night! He was worried they were going to run into our hammocks and mess things up!Luckily that did not happen and we packed up and said farewell to the three Marines and the beagle Beans - they were finishing up today near Thornton's Gap. We finalized plans with Matt to meet in Luray for pizza and headed out.A quick hike to Skyland Resort where we stopped to look around ans have a snack before moving on - a neat place to stay and eat! From there we headed to the Little Stony Man Cliffs for some great views of the valley - a windy view that blew my hat off my head! Luckily it fell to the trail - crisis averted!.Moving on we ran into the Marines as they were resting. We hikes over the Pinnacle with them and rested at Byrd's Nest #3 hut for lunch before they headed out for home. Beans was getting pretty tired so it was a good thing!Nice day made for nice hiking! At lunch we met Problem Bear and Screaming Steve. Steve met my mom when she did the trail magic and remembered it well. Problem Bear started his hike on the Florida Trail and is working his way to the Canadian Border - a lot of hiking! Both were nice fellows and we left them to reach Thornton Gap early.From the shelter we only had one last climb to conquer - Mary's Rock. It was a nice climb up to the top but a very rocky climb down - tough way to end the day! The rocks ended near the parking area and we walked to US 211 to try our hand at hitchhiking. We managed to get picked up by the second car - a successful hitch!The gentleman who picked us up was Chuck Campbell and he had just dropped his wife off at Skyland Resort. He was local to the area so he took us right to the hotel and got us set up at the Budget Inn. We thanked him for the ride and enjoyed a hot shower before going to do laundry.Hot day down at the lower elevation! We only had a small jacket and swimsuit left clean so we looked a little odd walking around and the jacket was real warm. After the laundry was done we met Matt at Pizza Hut - a nice dinner but unfortunately he had caught some sand in his eye from the wind and it was bothering him.After the meal we restocked our food and rested in the hotel - another great day!
Date: 2014-05-23
From: US 211

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today the Bird was truly the Word! Many sightings of birds on the hike today.After a good sleep and a good breakfast, we caught a cab from Yellow Cab of the Shenandoah back to the trail and started out the day. We had a nice hike up to Elkwallow Wayside and along the way we passed the section hikers from Fort Wayne - Max and Don - and arrived at the wayside in time for lunch. We also saw a fledgling hawk before the wayside walking around and looking at us - could not get the best picture of it but still very cool!At the wayside we ran into all our section hiker friends - Webber, Scott, Max, Don, Snackpack, Push Up, and Matt. Cooked our own lunch and enjoyed a soda from the store and then moved on. A great day for hiking - nice cool weather and sunshine! Had great views from Hogback Overlook of the whole valley below - perfect since it was above the road and isolated from all the people! Also ran into a section of the trail that walked by a Peregrine Falcon nesting site! Very neat to see three falcons sitting on a box eating their meal - I only could get a picture of one because I scared the others by accident. Majestic birds by some majestic views - not something you normally see!From the falcons we arrived quickly at the Gravel Springs Hut and set up camp quickly - not many good camping sites there! After we got set up the people started rolling in. All of our section hiker friends arrived and several familiar thru-hikers arrived as well - Sole Power and Spiderman showed up along with Rugby and Big Tex (Brits from Texas). Great chatting with Sole Power who aquablazed (kayaked down to Harper's Ferry) and also went to Trail Days. After getting our famous fire going, we made s'mores with the section hikers - have not had them in forever! Enjoyed the meal and the companionship around the fire - many of the section hikers are leaving tomorrow and we will be leaving Shenandoah National Park! Good times were had in Shenandoah and we will be returning to the not so busy AT outside of the park - onward to Harper's Ferry!
Date: 2014-05-24
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: clear sky

Slept without the rain tarp on last night - good sleep except I was accidentally slanted downhill slightly so I got bunched up at one end. Woke up to the stars in the night - very peaceful.This morning we said goodbye to our friends doing a section hike. Webber and Scott and Max and Don were all getting off the trail today and Snackpack, Push Up, and Matt were all stopping short of shelter we were staying at. Great hiking with them and best of luck to them in the future!Left the shelter and had nice hiking through the morning. We passed the older thru-hiker couples who left the shelter early and enjoyed the cool morning. Ran into Webber and Scott for the final time at North Marshall Mountain and said goodbye with a great view together.Since we were feeling good we decided to stop at the first shelter for lunch - but we had to conquer Compton Peak first. A pretty good up with a tough stretch in it but not crazy. Rested at the top and I went to look at one of the viewpoints - cool view!Lots of day hikers out today! Many were doing the climb over Compton Peak from the parking area near the beginning of the park because of Memorial Day weekend. We did not get caught in the swarm and managed to make it to the park exit - goodbye SNP! It's been real, it's been fun, but I can't say it was real fun - just messing it was a blast!Immediately after leaving the park the trail became rocky and rough - what is up with that! Survived the rocks and made it to the Tom Floyd Wayside for lunch - nice but we had to make our own food! It is a hiker wayside not a road wayside. Had a cool porch and a long walk to water - still a nice shelter.After lunch we pushed on to the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter. Passed by Front Royal and US 522 by going down - which immediately told us we had a big up to climb. From the road to the peak was a long climb up to a Forest Service Road that marked 1.8 miles to the shelter.From there it was easy walking to the shelter. Got there early than anticipated because of our fast pace so we set up and settled in. I plucked two ticks from myself and after that chatted with two day hikers from Virginia who came into camp. The gentleman was very interested in hiking and asked lots of questions - we did not complain because they took our trash out with them and gave us two little pies - trail magic!Shortly after they left a group of four young section hikers came to camp and set up. Columbus and Queen also arrived a little later and set up as well - no one stayed in the shelter! Had a hard time collecting firewood but we got a fire going and sat around the campfire enjoying the evening. The section hikers gave us Gatorade packets for the trail since they are getting done early tomorrow - more trail magic!Onwards to the next shelter (back in the land of shelters and not huts)!
Date: 2014-05-25
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Another great day of hiking! Left the camp early and started our way to the Dick's Dome Shelter for lunch. After passing under I-66 and conquering the first climb, we ran into lots of day hikers and slackpacking thru-hikers going south back to Front Royal - a great day to do it too!Dick's Dome Shelter was nice and small - oddly shaped and the area is prone to flooding though! A good lunch at the shelter and then we moved on to Sky Meadows State Park. Ran into more day hikers and trail magic! Found a cooler near the trail with Gatorade, candy, and a banana that we enjoyed on the trail. After the trail magic Big Dawg was moving! The terrain was really nice and the magic energized him to move at 3+ miles per hour! We rested at the road and after that we climbed a little more slowly to our destination. Passed our first rattlesnake on the trail! It was in the woods off the trail but it sounded like it had a broken rattle. Startled us but no issues. Arrived early enough to get a good camping spot and settle in. Nice shelter but occupied with a corn snake in the rafters! As the day ended more and more hikers came in - Memorial Day weekend brings out everyone! Few thru-hikers and many weekend hikers but a great time at the shelter.Shared the evening with a group of Scouts preparing for Philmont! Great talking to them about the trail and Philmont - I even shared some of their meal with them - more trail magic! Plus I learned about peanut butter and Oreos - great combination!After starting our famous fire we heard a commotion by the shelter - turns out the snake had crapped on someone from above! He earned his trail name - Snake Poo.Sat around the campfire with the younger Scouts until bedtime. Slept the night away in the hammock while trying out the bug net - worked great! Roller Coaster tomorrow - Git R Done!
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Blackburn AT Center
Miles today: 17.9

We did it! Reached 1000 miles while conquering the dreaded Roller Coaster - a big accomplishment!Today turned out to be a very long tough day. The Roller Coaster is not as easy as it looks on paper! The hills are much steeper and rockier and constant - made the going very slow. Glad to have completed it all in one go though!Started out fine in the morning and no real issues with the first hill. After that it started to go downhill for Big Dawg (no pun intended). He got tired really quick after the first set of hills and was drained all day. The pounding of the hills wore him down and eventually we made it to Bear's Den Hostel for lunch.Bear's Den was a neat place and a nice spot for lunch. Unfortunately the camp store was not open so we could not get any extra snacks. Also I could not get into the hiker room to check it out - I used the right mileage code but the door would not open!After resting for some time we decided to go to a little restaurant near the trail at Snickers Gap but unfortunately it was closed - forgot it was Memorial Day. The antique store nearby did not have many snacks at all but we told her what hikers want and she is going to improve her stock hopefully.From there we just had to press on through the coaster to the Blackburn AT Center - the trip required a lot of stops and slow going and finally we had to eat our dinner early so Big Dawg would have some energy. As we were finishing up Columbus and Queen stopped for water - they also had a tough day.We pushed up the last hill out of the Roller Coaster and slowly moved onto the the side trail for the center - it goes down quite a bit but the place is well worth it! Small hiker hostel with four bunks, tenting pads nearby, a solar shower that was kinda warm, and a friendly caretaker that provided us with sodas and fruit and beer - exactly what we needed after the long day! The Lorax and Wikipedia showed up after coming back from aquablazing - had a good time doing it and we will lose them for a bit since they are going into Washington DC. Later on Columbus and Queen showed up and everyone chilled on the porch with the caretaker - nice to sit back and relax!Pancakes in the morning - so pumped!
Date: 2014-05-30
From: Powerlines

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: light rain

It rained all night on us! Luckily it was not real heavy rain but nothing got a reprieve from the moisture. Most of our gear was soaked and it was a slow start to the morning - especially since we slept in a little later after our late night adventure.Since the area we camped at did not have any water, we ate the non-cook portion of the meal and packed up our wet gear. We had to walk to the next shelter to eat the rest of breakfast. Not much to see along the way and we ran into a section hiker going to the Washington Monument - very interested in our hike and the trail!Crossed over I-70 footbridge that goes right over the rushing traffic and we had to walk a little further to reach the shelter. The camp was mostly empty so we cooked our breakfast and chatted with two section hikers going to Harpers Ferry.From there we entered a long section of the trail with not much to see and not many views except for Annapolis Rock and Black Rock Cliffs. We passed by Annapolis Rocks but stopped at Black Rock Cliffs - great views of Maryland below!After passing the Pogo Memorial Campsite we entered a very rough and rocky section of the trail - so far the Maryland AT had been really smooth and nice but I guess they needed to add a few rocks to the trail! The rocks were split up by a long stretch of nice trail but it was still tough walking on some of it. After clearing the last rocks we stopped at the Ensign Cowall Shelter for lunch and we decided to stay to get things dry. The weather was nice so we hung everything up and all the gear dried out! Not many people passing by today - several section hikers walked by and we ran into Thirsty again - last saw him at Four Pines Hostel! Chatted with him and he pushed on to the next shelter. A good rest at the shelter and relaxed after our adventure the previous day.Ended up being the only two at shelter this evening - we hammocked outside and enjoyed the night with a nice fire.
Date: 2014-06-01
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Quarry Gap Shelters
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

Another great day in Pennsylvania! Got off to an early start so we could make lunch at an Italian place near Caledonia State Park and to get an early rest at another great Pennsylvania shelter! Said goodbye to Devon and the other section hikers - should have chatted longer but I dropped the ball!Climbed up the big hill of the day to Chimney Rocks for some great views - should have eaten breakfast at the top it was great! Chatted with the Boy Scouts that had stopped there for food and moved on towards lunch.As we were heading towards the town we ran into Mission resting on a rock near the path to the shelter - we have not seen him since Damascus! It was great to catch up with him and see how things were going - unfortunately Youngster had to get off the trail because of her foot problems :/.We arrived at the road crossing and left a note for Joe, Mission, and Sole Power telling them we were eating at the Italian place La Mattina's - a little more than the listed 0.4 miles in the AWOL guide! A great place to eat and the meal filled us up and prevented us from having to go into town to resupply!From the restaurant we stopped at Caledonia State Park to explore the park and rest some more. Ran into Joe and Mission near the pool and Big Dawg and I shared a chocolate milkshake! We did not go into the pool and later on I found out it had a wave pool built in - I wish I had gone in!We left the park and quickly climbed up to the Quarry Gap Shelters - if you hike this section of trail you must stop by these shelters! The shelters are connected with a huge roof and a sheltered cooking area. The water source runs very close to camp and the area is well-maintained by the shelter maintainer Jim Stauch.We set up camp and enjoyed a nice rest day since we arrived at the shelter very early. While we were waiting in camp Sole Power arrived and rested for a while before moving on - we got our photo taken with him just in case we did not see him again!More thru-hikers rolled into camp as the day went on. Long Haul Trucker and his son set up in the shelter with Shivers (flip-flop '14). Mission arrived with the G.O.A.T (who we have not seen since Tennessee!) and they put both of their tents on a tent platform. Big Tex and Rugby arrived late in camp and set up in the camping area.Several section hikers also stayed the night at the shelter. Joe set up on the other tent pad and we met three section hikers who stayed in the other shelter. The two older kids were preparing to do a section from VT to NJ starting June 15th and were out hiking with the boyfriend's younger brother. A nice couple and we will see them again later on! Also met section hiker Boomerang who is hiking out to Duncannon and does sound engineering for concerts and other events.Enjoyed a nice time around the campfire and gave the young couple good tips for long-distance hiking! Prepared to tackle the Half Gallon tomorrow after reaching the halfway point of the AT!
Date: 2014-06-02
To: Halfway Reflections
Miles today: 0.0

Since we have just reached the halfway point of our journey it is only fitting to look back and reflect on what I have seen and encountered on the trail.1) The trail community out here is amazing. All sorts of different individuals - old, young, male, female, from all walks of life - getting along, helping each other out, and looking after each other. This kind of community is hard to find in large numbers in the world today but thrives strongly here on the AT! Most everyone out here is nice and friendly and easy to get along with. You look forward to meeting new people and cannot wait to see old friends again.2) It is crazy how word travels up and down the trail! Hikers have heard about us before meeting us - either as the father son pair or the guys who make great fires! You hear about people before meeting them but no one seems to prejudge the others. 3) Out here the simple things on the trail stand out. From waking up to views of the stars at night to early morning sunrises from a mountain to some simple trail magic of soda in a cooler - those small moments stick with me and are some of the great moments out here. Being on the trail allows you to truly enjoy a simple life and the simple pleasures of life - all we do everyday is hike sleep eat and chat. There is no need to worry much out here on the trail and the days can be spent enjoying the hike instead of stressing.4) The scenery out here is amazing. We have walked through forests and towns and meadows and balds and rocky ridges - every day is a different day! The trail provides us with the opportunity to access nature and the world in a way that cannot be seen from a car. Although you can drive to a viewpoint and see the views, everything is much more impressive when you walk to it and work hard to get to that beautiful view. And out here, some views you cannot drive to!5) Being out here has given me a new respect for people, nature, and the world around me - nothing is too minute or unimportant to be overlooked and the world is full of amazing things and amazing people. I cannot wait so see what we come across next on the trail ahead. Nothing here is earth-shattering or grand but just truths that I have picked up from walking with nature.
Date: 2014-06-06
From: Spring Before PA 325

To: Campsite After PA 443
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: light rain

Not much happened on the trail today. We had an early start to the morning and said goodbye to Sole Power, Chocolate, and Cheese. Hiked a long time until lunch and we did not have any views off of the trail or anywhere. Walked through Rausch Gap which used to be an old coal mining town - kinda neat.Ran into Tofer and his dog after climbing up from Rausch Gap.Passed the first campsite listed in the book and talked briefly with Reset (twice)Found a little campsite off of the trail and set up shop. Left notes for Chocolate and Cheese to find us at this campsite. Sole Power and the G.O.A.T. walked by heading to the next shelter - long day for them.Rested and relaxed after consecutive days of long hiking. Still on schedule to get into Port Clinton on time. Nice evening with the Swiss and we did not see many other people. Very quiet minus the road sounds.