morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-27
From: Three Pines Hostel

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 28.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I barely got any sleep last night. We had a big time snorer and I am a very light sleeper. I slept a few hours and then around 3:00am I could not get back to sleep. I finally got up and went out in the common room and laid on the couch. I slept maybe an hour there and then the lady who runs the place was up getting breakfast ready so I got up too. I think I am going to forgo hostels unless it is to get out of a rainy night situation. I sleep way better outside in my tent anyways. So I did my slack packing today and it was amazing. I was dropped off where I left off at the bottom of a big climb and hiking never felt so good. I flew up the Priest. I hiked the first five miles in two hours and 2500 feet of it was uphill and steep on spots. My feet did not hurt at all. It was the best. All I had with me was my water, filter, food for the day and stuff for my feet. I ended up slack packing 25.4 miles. I saw Five Star early on. Then I ran into Hobo and he gave me some of his water so I did not have to go .8 miles off the trail. That saved me a lot of time and was very nice of him. I then ran into Slim Rim who I just met a few days ago and keep seeing. She also gave me some water so I did not have to get off trail. People are so nice. It was another hot day but we did get a pretty good shower around noon. It actually felt good and cooled things offfor a while, but soon enough it was hot again. I made my way down the four mile decent to where my pack was waiting for me. The lady from the hosted brought it to the trail head at the parking lot. I quickly took my stuff out of the day pack I was using and put everything in my big pack. I was on my way back on the trail with my full pack at 6:30pm. It felt like a hundred pounds. My feet immediately felt the weight and screamed at me. I was bummed. I now know I have to fix my pack so it does not weight so much. I will go into Waynesboro in a few days and look at some different options and I will be mailing some more stuff home. I slowly made my way up a big incline. I was sweating profusely. It was 2.7 miles to the shelter and camp area and it was all uphill. I made it there just after 7:30pm. It was nice to see Rucker, Forest, and Mud Puppy. They had a fire going and were finishing eating. I set up my tent and then sat with them and made my dinner. It is always nice to be with people who you get good vibes from and that is how it is tonight. After in ate I hung my bear bag and just after that the rain started coming down. It was really cool as you could hear it plowing through the forest towards us and then it hit all at once. Tomorrow I plan on only doing a 15 mile day and I will be taking my time and resting a lot, especially if it is hot again. The day will start out with a climb of over 2000 feet. I am ready for sleep now. I love the sound of the rain on my tent. Should be a good night.
Date: 2016-05-29
From: Mile 849 campsite with view

To: Waynesboro VA
Miles today: 12.3

I woke up this morning to the sound of a bumble bee buzzing away right outside my tent. It was kind of nice. It was a good night of sleep on top of a mountain. I was up and on the trail at 7:30am. The weather has been so nice these past mornings. I am loving it. The trail and forest continues to feel so alive to me. Today's hike was relatively easy and short, but very enjoyable. I took it nice and slow. I stopped for a break at the first shelter and saw Forest who was pretty excited because he saw a momma bear right on the trail with two baby cubs. He had to wait for them to clear the area before he could move up the trail. He was able to video it. It was pretty cool. The last five miles into town it warmed up a bit and then we got some refreshing light rain. All the rain up to this point has been a cold miserable rain. It was nice to get a refreshing rain that cooled you off but did not make you cold. I was passed on the trail by Slim Rim and then Mud Puppy passed me right before we came out to the road. He was excited because he too had seen a bear on his morning hike. The bears are everywhere lately. It is crazy. I had a half mile walk to the motel where I was staying and where I had my resupply sent. The father with two daughters who stayed with us last night picked me up and brought me the half mile down the road. They also were giving Forest and Mud Puppy a ride to the YMCA where there is free camping. I am at the hotel now and have been soaking my feet in Epsom Salt and doing chores. Tomorrow I am headed to the outfitter for a multitude of things. I talked to my brother earlier and he thinks I should get some heavy rugged hiking boots. I will talk to the outfitter about my feet issues and see what they say. So nothing too exciting today. I am watching the Coke 600 Nascar race now and I had Dominos delivered. It feels good to be resting. I think I need to do more of it going forward.
Date: 2016-05-30
From: Waynesboro VA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I have made the decision to get off the trail for a few days and go see my sister and her family in North Carolina. I need to make some gear adjustments and let my feet rest and heel. The outfitter here in town was limited in what they had. I really need to find a pair of hiking shoes that will work better for me. I also am feeling pretty beat up and a few good days off should do me a lot of good. It really stinks because I really like all the people I have been hiking with the past few weeks. Before today's zero I had only taken two zeros in the last forty two days dating back to Fontana on April 17th. I am kind of bummed to have to do this, but I know it is what I need. So tomorrow I am renting a car and leaving the trail for the rest of the week. I hope to be back on the trail this weekend. I already can not wait to be back hiking. Hopefully when I get back I can manage things better. You would think I would be figuring things out by now. I just get carried away and over excited by the trail and all it has to offer and all its incredible beauty. I go go go all the time. When I come back this weekend I need a new approach, a slower approach, a more patient approach.
Date: 2016-06-06
From: Waynesboro Va

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: few clouds

I headed back to the trail today after a full week off. I have new big high top heavy rugged soled boots. I hope these will help alleviate a lot of my foot problems. Today, however they felt very hard and very not broke in. It was pretty miserable, but I am am still hopeful they will be the solution in the long run. I had a very relaxing week at my sister with her family. They fed me exceptionally well and I am very thankful for that along with there gracious hospitality. Real food is so good after eating camping food for two months. I rested and iced my feet mostly, but on Saturday Doug, Jordan, and I went out and shot at clay disks with a shotgun on this course. It was my first time and it was fun. It was very hot and humid and we had some good storms come through which are always fun to watch, especially if you are on a house porch and not hiking on a exposed ridge line. I rented a car this morning and headed back to the trail. I was on the trail at 1:30pm. For some reason I was not feeling very energetic. My feet were uncomfortable and I hiked very slow and lethargically. I entered Shenandoah early on. The terrain was pretty easy but I just did not feel very good. I guess this is what thru hikers call the Virginia Blues. I did not see anyone until about 4:30pm. when I met a young hiker named Wicks. We shared a break together and hiked the last few miles to the shelter. I only hiked 7.7 miles but it seemed like a lot more. The shelter and tent area are packed here tonight and it is very loud. I thought that would be the case. I knew there was a big group behind me when I got off trail last week and now I am right smack in the middle of it. It's all good though. I think I need the people. They help a lot when myself and other people are down. People are good and I need to remember this. Along with new boots I also have a lighter tent. It is actually over a pound lighter. I also got rid of some cloths a few other things. My pack is feeling a lot better. Now I need to just not add anything to it. I hope I wake up tomorrow and feel better with more energy. I need to get back in the swing of this all.
Date: 2016-06-08
From: Loft Mountain Campground

To: Old South River Shelter Site
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: broken clouds

It was a windy and cool night at the Loft Mountain Campground last night. I stayed plenty warm and the air felt great. The morning light starts around 5:30am so that is pretty much when I wake up. Flannel and Stardust slept in a little and did not get up until around 7:00am. We all had a great night of sleep. I was first out of camp. I stopped at the camp store before hitting the trail just after 9:00am. It was another perfect day for hiking. Nice dry air, lots of sunshine and temps in the low 70's. The hiking today was incredible. A few more ups and downs, but the footing was great. I went through more flowering bushes and everything was so green and healthy looking. The scenery was gorgeous. I ran into my sixth bear today. It was right on the trail and walking straight at me and it was only about fifty feet in front on me. I banged my poles and yelled at it and it eventually jumped off the trail and into the forest and then I was able to scoot bye. I spent time on the trail with Puma, Good Talk, Flannel, Stardust, and half way through the day Chuckles caught up to me. I spent a decent amount of time with him all the way up to Hot Springs. I had not seen him since. It was great to see him and catch up on what each of us has experienced out here so far. He is a great guy. We both passed the 900 mile mark together so that was cool too. He was slackpacking today. I hiked with him until he got picked up at a trail head by one of his family members. Hopefully he will make it to Big Meadow Campground tomorrow which is where I am planning on staying. I ended up hiking around twenty one miles today. I was going to meet Puma at an old shelter which was listed in our guide book around mile 909. I was getting tired and just about to call it a few mile short of the site at a stealth site when Good Talk came by. He was also trying to reach that the old shelter. I decided to hiked with him the last few miles until we found the it. It ended up not being an old shelter. It was a converted shelter and was now a caretakers shelter and a really nice one at that. The caretaker was there with a fire going. Good Talk and I went up and introduced ourselves and what we were up too. It was getting late and the caretaker, whose name is Allen was extremely nice and friendly and let up camp at the shelter. He is also a fellow thru hiker having done the whole trail Thirty two years ago. His trail name is Uncle AL. He and his friend Tom have been there the last few nights while they have been doing trail maintenance. I set up my tent and then made my dinner at the picnic table next the the fire, which was in a nice pit. I stayed up until 9:30pm talking with Uncle AL, Tommy, and Good Talk. Now I am in my tent. I am so grateful he let us stay here. It was true trail magic. It was a great day with a great ending. Thanks again to Uncle AL from what I consider awesome trail magic
Date: 2016-06-09
From: Old South River Shelter Site

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

It got pretty cold last night but I managed to still stay warm. I still have a twenty degree down comforter that can cinch at both ends and I can button up the bottom to make a nice foot box. It is a very versatile quilt and I love it. I was up around 6:00am and talked to Uncle AL for a while before leaving camp a little after 8:00am. It was another picture perfect day. That is four in a row. What a treat. I stopped and got water and used the facilities at a picnic area just a mile from where I camped. There are so many a nice places in this park. I love it. The hiking was awesome again today. I saw at least ten deer on the day. I usually see at least two a day now for the past three weeks or so. I hiked six more miles to the Lewis Mountain Campground. I ran into a lot of hikers there. Fish and Chips, Tarzan, Slow Jam, Flannel. Good Talk, and a few others whose names are eluding me. I bought some resupply items and ate lunch while my phone was charging. I was there for over an hour. Slow Jams uncle had come up and was cooking hot dogs so I had one before heading back out onto the trail. The afternoon hike was nice. The forest was alive and looked beautiful as it has all week. There were also some very nice long distance views today and I stopped at a few to rest and air out my poor feet. The new boot are doing a number on them. It is kind of funny because I can not hike fast at all in them and everyone else is blowing by me. I am Mr. slow poke which is not how I like to hike, but at least I am able to hike and my big foot problem seems to have stabilized for now. I made it to Big Meadows Wayside around 4:30pm with Slow Jam. There were a bunch of other hikers there as well. I ordered a Cheeseburger and Fries with a Sprite, and then followed that up with a delicious Blackberry Shake. All of that cost twenty bucks. Pretty pricy, but it is what it is. I was kind of planning on staying at this place which has a nice big campground, but it was so nice out still and I decided to hike another four plus miles to the next shelter instead. It was a beautiful evening hike as I was on the west side of the mountain so I was watching the sun come down. There were a bunch of view point which were fantastic as well. I stopped at one where Wicks was taking a break and he was taking in the views for all they were worth. I made my way down to the shelter and there were only a few people here. I met some new folks and Wicks eventually made it here as well. When I got here there were four deer all around the shelter grazing. It was pretty cool. Now I am in my tent. I am tired and I should be tired. Good night.
Date: 2016-06-10
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

I woke this morning around 5:30am and when I got out of my tent to go get my food there was a deer ten feet away just starring at me. I said hi Mr. Deer and proceeded to walk right by it and it just stayed there grazing and looking at me. When I came back up it was still there and still unphased by me. I walked right by it again within ten feet and got back in my tent. I could have taken two steps over and touched it, it was that close. It was a nice way to start my day. I was up and spent some time chatting with Wicks before I left camp around 7:30pm. It was a carbon copy of the rest of the week. Perfect weather and perfect hiking conditions with spectacular terrain. I did struggle a bit mentally on my morning hike. I stopped at the Skyline Restaurant at 10:00am. I walked in and it was packed. There were a lot of hikers there but I felt uncomfortable so I just left and got back on the trail. My feet were again very uncomfortable, especially all my toes on my right foot. I am not sure what to do about that. I have spent about six hundred dollars on shoes so far so it is getting ridiculous. I do still enjoy the trail a great deal and today offered some more outstanding views and I stopped at most of them to take it all in and air out my feet. I can only hike about three miles at a time right now, but I am making the best of it. I had lunch with IPA who I met only yesterday. He is a very nice guy. I also crossed paths on and of with Flannel and Stardust. I also met Less Mayo for the first time. It has been nice to have these picnic areas every so often. In a few days I will be out of this park and back to real AT hiking, like sitting on dead logs in the woods and any open field or road crossing. I have really enjoyed this park and all not has to offer. Today I saw bear number seven and another half dozen deer including a momma and fawn. It was really little too. It was awesome. I am tenting at a shelter tonight. It is really loud right now, but it is still early. I stopped hiking for the day around 5:00pm which is really early for me. It is only 8:00pm now so hopefully people will quite down in the next hour. I am closing in on one thousand miles. I will be in Pennsylvania in about a week. Crazy, crazy, crazy.
Date: 2016-06-11
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Compton Peak
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

I woke up this morning around daybreak as usual. I met a new hiker named Tarablizard. She came in late and set her tent up next to mine. She was very nice as we chatted for a short time as we packed up. Less Mayo, IPA, Flannel, and Star Dust were also in the immediate area. I was up and out of camp at 7:20am. That is pretty early for me. The morning air was mild and felt amazing. There was a nice light breeze and it was another fantastic day weather wise. It did warm up a bit more today, but with the breeze it just felt so good. I was at the Elkwallow Wayside by 10:30am and met up with a lot of hikers there. Flannel, Star Dust, Chuckles, Fish and Chips, Less Mayo, and Slow Jam just to name a few. I had a good breakfast and then another Blackberry Milkshake. I spent about twenty five bucks. It is like going to a Red Sox game and buying stuff. Crazy over priced but I did not care. It was all very good. This was the last Wayside and tomorrow I will be out of the park. It is an amazing park. I am pretty sure I will be back at some point. The afternoon hike was very nice and my feet felt better. I cut the right boot over my little toe and that seemed to help a lot. My right foot is bigger then my left. I have 9 1/2 boots. My right foot probably needs a 10. My left foot is totally fine. This is the last time I am writing about my feet. I am sick writing about them and I am sure if you read this you must be sick of reading about it. All of us out here have issues, problems, and pains. I am no different then anyone else. So unless my feet are so bad I have to get off the trail you will not be hearing about them. Back to the afternoon hike. I stopped in at a shelter for a break and to get water and met Flannel and Star dust. I seem to be crossing paths with them a lot this week. They are really nice and I like them. After a short visit I was on my way. I had Bear encounter eight and nine around mid afternoon and his time I videoed it. I will put it on Facebook next time I post there. It was a momma and cub. They did not seem to care much about me and they were pretty close to the trail. I saw a number of deer too. You can practically high five then as you walk by. It is crazy. I hiked alone all day and made it to the top of Compton Peak. I hiked twenty miles today, but it is because I hiked for about ten hours not because I hiked fast. I am camping all alone tonight. Hope no bears come by.
Date: 2016-06-12
From: Compton Peak

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 6.4

Last night was mild but crazy windy. I stealth camped on Compton Peak. I hung my bear bag with all my food and scenty stuff. I got up this morning and walked over to get it and I noticed it was not up in the air where I hung it. I thought, did a bear get it? Then as I got closer I saw my bag on the ground. It was untouched. I guess I did not tie it up good enough and with the strong winds it must have come untied and fallen down. I felt pretty lucky considering how many bears I have been seeing in this park. I was out of camp at 7:00am. I am getting better at getting up and getting going. I hiked the six plus miles out of the park and into the town of Front Royal. On my morning hike I saw my tenth bear as it jumped out of the bushes in front of me and took off running down the path in front of me. It was trucking. I was impressed with how fast it ran. After that it was just a nice slow hike into town. I am a little sad to be leaving the park because it was just so beautiful, but I am looking forward to the next part of the journey. I hitchhiked into town and am staying at the Quality Inn tonight. Tomorrow I will be back on the trail again. I am tired and an looking forward to sleeping in this nice bed. Good night.
Date: 2016-06-13
From: Front Royal

To: Signal Knob mile 985.5
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

There really is no way to put into words what is it like to wake up everyday and be in the woods all day until it is time for bed. There is no way to explain the sounds, the smells, the sites, the way the morning breeze feels as it blows on you all morning. The way that your sweat actually cools you under the forest canopy when that breeze blows on you. It is the coolest thing ever. All of it is just amazing. I was just thinking about this as I hiked today so I figured I would mention it here. Today started out on a very good note. The bed I slept on last night was so comfortable. If I was rich I would have stayed another night. I have spent way more so far on this adventure then I had anticipated. Hopefully I can spend less on the second half of it. I texted with Rucker before leaving for the trail this morning. She is one hundred and fifty miles ahead of me. That is how much ground I lost for being off the trail for a week. I will never catch Her, Forest, Mud puppy, or Slim Rim. That kind of stinks. It was nice to catch up a bit with her. She is an incredibly bright light out here that is for sure. I ended up back on the trail at 11:00am. The hotel shuttled me back to the trail head with Boston, Jersey, and Paul. I would cross paths with them a lot today and took some breaks with them through out the day as well. I also passed Lymme, who I saw way back in the The Grayson Highlands. Nothing too exciting happened today. The hiking was good and the footing was very good. No big views, but the forest is always beautiful. It is really noticeable now when you come out of the forest canopy and into meadows and fields. The temperature rises like twenty degrees. It is hot in that sun compared to being in the shade of the woods. It is always nice to re enter the woods that is for sure. I reached the Dicks Dome Shelter around 6:00pm. Another hiker was coming up from the shelter, which was several tenths of the trail to get to. His name is After and I met him at a shelter a few nights ago. He said all the tent sites were taken and there was a tribe of boy scouts down there as well. I decided not to go down to the shelter and to move down the trail another mile in a half to a campsite. After came as well. We got to the site together well before 7:00pm and set up camp. Lymme also showed up and camped near us. It was another nice day and a great day to be here. Tomorrow is a big milestone day for all the thru hikers who are right around me, as we will reach the 1000 mile mark. It should be another great day. I can not wait.