morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-09-20
From: Wilson Valley Lean To

To: Fourth Mountain Bog
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Second day in the 100 Mile Wilderness. Temps stayed pretty warm last night. Nice hiking today. Barren mountain was a little slow hiking due to wet rocks and steepness. Once Cricket and I got to the Barren slide the skies cleared and we had great views. Sat there and had lunch. Stopped just before the Chairback mountains. We will tackle those tomorrow.
Date: 2016-09-21
From: Fourth Mountain Bog

To: Carl A Newhall Lean To
Miles today: 15.3

Hiked the Chairback Mountains today. The descent of Chairback Mountain was a little dicier than I was expecting. Perfect hiking weather, great views. Dunked my left foot while trying to rock hop a stream crossing. Did 15 to get us close and on schedule for our food drop on Friday. Had lunch with Wet Tent atop Chairback Mountain.
Date: 2016-09-22
From: Carl A Newhall Lean To

To: East Branch Lean To
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

Took it easy today because we just have 10 or so miles to position us at the shelter before our food drop. Great hiking weather again today. Our mountains today were: Gulf Hagas, West Peak, Hay Mtn. and Whitecap. The last substantial mountains before Katahdin. The mountain range today had a lot of trail maintenance in the form of steps and stepping stones. It was beautiful on top of Whitecap Mountain, out one mountain that was above tree line and gave us views. We sat up there for a couple hours with many other hikers.
Date: 2016-09-23
From: East Branch Lean To

To: Antlers campsite
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Today is food drop day!! Good thing because my food bag is empty. It rained during the night and we are getting cooler fall temps now. You had to keep moving to stay warm. We started the day just five miles from the food drop location so we slept in a bit and were on trail just after 8 am. Food drop was scheduled for noon. I arrived at the road at 10:45 am and the other three were already there. AJ from the hostel arrived at 11 am with out food boxes. We loaded the food into our packs and had mostly flat trail for the next 11 miles to Antlers campsite on Jo Mary Lake. Gorgeous location. So nice to hike with a full stride most of the day!
Date: 2016-09-24
From: Antlers campsite

To: Nahmakanta Lake campsite
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up to see the sunrise over the lake today. Chilly start and most of the day. Started with long pants, long shirt. Kept the long shirt on all day. It is definitely fall in Maine.Even the 100 Mile Wilderness is not impervious to day hikers on the weekend. Only saw a few and are surely locals that know there way around the logging roads.Easy terrain today made it to camp just before 3 pm. Gathered firewood for a fire on the beach tonight. Kimosabe, Cricket and I shared a site. Other hikers were up the beach at another site. Our site came with a camp chair someone left behind.Saw Katahdin across one of the lakes today. Awesome!
Date: 2016-09-25
From: Nahmakanta Lake campsite

To: Rainbow Lake campsite
Miles today: 12.3

Sunrise on the lake this morning, restarted the fire. There was a chewing noise last night that Cricket said was otters in the lake. We saw two otters floating on the lake in the morning. After sunrise we had full sun on our camp. We soaked it up because we knew it would be cold back in the woods. We had a mountain to climb this morning which helped warm me up. But the rest of the day was chilly and I had to add layers.During the afternoon while I was hiking along a stream a black bear crossed the stream and crossed the trail just 100 yards ahead of me. He never looked to his left so he never saw me. I have been on moose watch since entering Maine so I was shocked when I saw the bear.
Date: 2016-09-26
From: Rainbow Lake campsite

To: Abol Bridge campground
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up to a rutting bull moose chasing a lady moose through the woods very close to our camp. Today was the last day in the 100 Mile Wilderness. The weather was gorgeous and it even got a bit warmer. Amazing views from Rainbow Ledges and Abol Bridge of Mt. Katahdin.I was pushing for Abol Bridge by lunch time to have real food instead of trail food. On a final stretch a bee stung me in the shoulder. Once at Abol Bridge we had lunch, got a cabin, shower, laundry, resupply and dinner. Our cabin stay comes with breakfast in the morning.
Date: 2016-09-27
From: Abol Bridge campground

To: KSC Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

Went to the continental breakfast and took our time packing up. It was drizzling this morning and we had all day to do our 9.9 miles. It is moose hunting season and hunters were bringing their kills to Abol Bridge to get tagged. So I did see a bull moose in Maine like I wanted to. He just wasn't alive.Beautiful trail today into Baxter State Park with some rock hops across streams and some small waterfalls. Reached the campground just before 3 pm. Checked in at the ranger station and the three of us set up camp for the last time. I plan to summit tomorrow, Kimosabe on Thursday and Cricket is holding out for a better forecast on Friday.
Date: 2016-09-28
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: few clouds

I did it! I have completed the Appalachian Trail!The forecast was cloudy with drizzle so imagine my joy when I got above the tree line and saw blue sky. Katahdin is a tough climb but I was more worried about descending after I summitted.I hiked alone and was quite emotional on the climb up and the climb down. But when I reached the actual peak I was just happy and relieved. THANK YOU to everyone who followed my journey and left me encouraging words. I can't tell you how many times I went back to the guestbook to reread those postings while I was on the trail. It meant a lot to me. A special thank you to my mom for coming to Maine to take me home. We had no way to communicate the last week and just had to hope we could find each other after I summitted. It all worked out fine.
Date: 2016-06-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hello all! This post marks the beginning of a trail journal career and a distance hiking career. This summer I will be taking about 6 weeks to leisurely hike the Virginia section of the AT sobo from Harper's ferry to damascus. The hike is part of an internship with the Appalachian Trail Outreach Ministry and Appalachian Trail Chaplaincy of the Holston Conference of the UMC. All that being said, I'm thinking of this as another stroll through the woods. I'm looking forward to seeing some new parts of my home state as well as familiar paths. I'm also excited to meet some new people, many of whom will be nobo to Katahdin . I hope to one day join them. For now though, I'll start small and hopefully provide some encouragement to my fellow hikers on their own journey. A couple of weeks out, I'm about to embark on a couple of days for testing out gear and food with Short stop. I'm looking forward to a 2x thru veteran giving me some advice.   Until later, Nathan
Date: 2016-06-09
To: Vandeventer shelter, 435.9 nb
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Ahead of my SB hike through VA beginning in less than two weeks, I took a warm up hike of sorts with "short stop" and "brother baldy". They are both older hikers with more experience than me, short stop having hiked the at twice in the last 4 years. We took a route from Watauga Lake, TN to Damascus, VA, such that I wouldn't have overlap once I begin my hike. We had a pleasant walk from the shook branch rec area to the first open shelter being the vandeventer shelter. Here, we set up camp early and visited with other hikers as they came and went. I set up my tarp and the other two set up their tents. We met quite a few other hikers and chatted before making dinner. Short stop and brother baldy turned in early and I visited with the 5 hikers staying at the shelter, all of whom are younger than me. I guess I am an old man now.
Date: 2016-06-10
To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

On the second day of the warm-up section to Damascus, we hiked to the Double Spring Shelter. The fact that our tents were set up on a slope near the Vandeventer Shelter led to quite a slippery, restless night. In my tarp, I woke several times to my feet being outside of the tarp as I slid downhill. Needless to say, it was a night with a lot of noise of sleeping bags sliding on tarps and tents. Despite the lack of sleep, I think the sheer excitement of being in the woods backpacking again provided the adrenaline needed to get up early. After a breakfast of an instant breakfast drink, we began hiking through the green, overgrown trail. After a couple hours of pleasant walking, we stopped for lunch at the Iron Mountain shelter before continuing on to Double Spring. There, we set up our tents on the ridge with a group of three section hiking women and their dog. We spent a lot of time talking with these fellow short section hikers before we all retired for sleep, this time on a flat tentsite.
Date: 2016-06-11
To: Damascus
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

The final day of our warm-up hike, Short Stop, Brother Baldy, and I had a leisurely breakfast with the intent of hiking another shorter day, pitching camp about 5 miles from Damascus. The women and dog camping with us left before us, as did most of the folks sleeping down the hill at the shelter (except for a group of 3 guys who seem to enjoy a later start). The walk was nice, with a few nice pastures and ridge walks. The highlight was the number of church youth group backpackers we passed (all from Florida). We spent a few minutes here and there chatting with the kids as we walked. After lunch at the Abingdon Gap shelter with "J3", we went on towards Damascus. A few miles out, we realized that we were making good time. The temptation of real food, a shower, and a bed after three days of hot, sunny hiking was too much to resist. Shortstop decided that I should have a hostel experience on our warm-up, so we made it to Damascus to the Hiker Hostel were we got showers, did laundry, and then went to dinner down the street. It was certainly nice to get a shower after a few days hiking. We got breakfast the next morning before heading out of town and ending the trip. The trip was certainly a fun one, and an opportunity to meet some cool hikers and a chance to get a trail name myself. I look forward to passing these nobo-thru hikers when I head south (Cairn and friend, Cowboy, J3, Rocketman, and others....)
Date: 2016-06-22
From: Harper's Ferry ATC

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: scattered clouds

"It's a pleasure to hike, isn't it?" was the cheerful response I received from a hiker when I greeted him with a "morning, how's it going?" His response seems only fitting. I'm beginning a several week hike on the Appalachian trail and one of the first hikers I meet reminds me that it is a pleasure to hike and a gift to even be walking out here. The ability to put one foot in front of the other is in and of itself a gift. To be awake and alive is a gift. I hope I can not take that for granted this hike. As for the details of today: I left the econo lodge with a big breakfast before hitting the trail around a little before 8. I made really good time and passed over 50 thru hikers. Some were talkative and others not so much. I had a chance to talk to a few but most were keen on moving onwards either to Harper's ferry or one of the hostels over here. I got to the shelter for the night around 5 and slowly set up camp. I hung a bear line properly and set up the tent: deluxe model 2.0 since I left my old tarp at home and because I now have mosquito net for the opening. I filtered some water and began to make dinner when icey showed up. We talked quite a bit over dinner while the other guests, a couple, did their own thing. Then it's bedtime with another big day tomorrow. Icey recommends the shelter 20 miles up. I think I'll give it a try. Good day on the trail! It's a pleasure to hike.
Date: 2016-06-23
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: Manassas Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: broken clouds

It's a mighty rocky road...I began singing sacred harp on Tuesday nights in new Haven this winter/spring. Amidst all the judgment songs is the mighty rocky road. I remember nothing of this peppy little tune except the chorus: "it's a mighty rocky road, I'm almost done traveling, a mighty rocky road, I'm almost done traveling, a mighty rocky road I'm almost done traveling...." and then I couldn't remember the final line. Something about joining Jesus I think. It's another one of those songs about leaving this earth for heaven. This morning in the rain, I was traveling a mighty rocky trail at the southern half of the "roller coaster". As I slipped and slid, I couldn't help but despise the mighty rocky trail. Yet, I don't think despising the bumpy trail is a way to get anywhere. Those bumps are part of it. It's my response, perhaps, which matters more. Today I kept going and regained some speed in the afternoon after a dreadfully slow morning. It's a mighty rocky road, and though I'm far from being done traveling, I certainly think and hope that it's bringing me to something. I can't remember the final line of the hymn, and I do not know the final line of my hike's chorus but maybe in time I'll discover it. As for the hiking details: there were some pretty heavy storms early early in the morning well before dawn which continued as I got up around 630. The tent 2.0 did well, with the slight exception that the lack of tension allowed water to seep inside as well as on the side where the two edges meet. My pack got a little wet on one side, as did everything on that side. My sleeping pad also got wet. I packed up and made breakfast in the rain, trying to dry things as I went by laying them out on the covered picnic table. After a super slow clean up, I hit the trail around 815. The first couple of hours I was still in the roller coaster, an area of constant ups and downs. It was quite rocky and super slick in the rain as a result. around 10 the rain stopped but the ultra high humidity remained all day. I picked up some speed as the day went, but never having dried out I called it a day a shelter early at the manassas gap shelter. I'm glad I did as a late arriving hiker informed me he left the other because it got overrun by loud high school kids. I'm sleeping in the shelter tonight for a new experience. We'll see how it goes. Off to the mountain home hostel tomorrow. I hope to arrive by lunch so I can do laundry and then get banjo strings in town. The laundry is mostly for the socks....both pairs are drenched and won't dry in the humidity. I might add a third after Shenandoah when I near home. Until next time, it's a pleasure to hike, isn't it?
Date: 2016-06-24
From: Manassas Gap Shelter

To: Mountain Home "Cabbin" Hostel
Miles today: 10.7

After a couple of rainy days, I came to a hostel in Front Royal where I could shower, dry out, do laundry, and pick up a food resupply they were holding. Upon arriving, I was greeted by a NOBO thru hiker who was staying at the hostel for a week recovering from a tendon injury before determining if he could continue to Maine. Through our great conversations outside in the (for once) sunny weather, to conversations over dinner in the evening, this hiker and I often returned to a phrase he uttered frequently, "I guess it's all a matter of perspective." His hike was a ten year plan in the making, like so many long awaited hikes. Though, it became urgent after a "near death" experience. The hike became more important, but at the end of the day, he said it was just a hike. "It's a matter of perspective." Walking in the woods, away from the stresses of a routine pattern of life changes my perspective. What bcomes most important are the people I love, who I no longer am around. I reflect upon the housemates who I will no longer share a space with. I reflect upon my faith and the was it has evolved in the last three years. I reflect upon what matters to me. (hint: It's not decreasing my start to finish biscuit making process down from 47 minutes nor is it perfectly quoting United Methodist Eucharistic documents to a Board of Ordained Ministry.) If nothing else, hiking helps to put things in perspective. Travel details: I got up early after sleeping in a shelter for the first time, mostly because of fear of rain. A text from mom let me know she was visiting my sister in Alexandria and would be traveling home in the morning. Our paths would be so close, I asked if she would want to meet for lunch in Front Royal. I hiked a quick and early 11 miles, got to the hostel, took a shower and put on loaner clothes, and waited for mom to arrive. It was great to have a break from the pattern of hiking as we played tourist in Front Royal, did laundry, went on an unsuccessful search for replacement strings for the broken strings on my mini banjo, and got a book for me to read on the trail. After an afternoon, mom headed the rest of the way home and I returned to the hostel, made my dinner, and visited with the other two hikers and the owner of the hostel. She gave us a tour of the historic mansion they are turning into a B&B, and informed us how the hostel building was both a former slave quarters and the former county courthouse. History can be quite odd.
Date: 2016-06-25
From: Mountain Home 

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: light rain

Chaplaincy sometimes gets a bad reputation as "just listening". Sometimes, the work is listening, and sometimes it's more. Today, my work was listening. First, I listened as I passed a trail chaplain who tried to convince me that I would not be saved until I was baptized in the Spirit, not just the water. When I told him in my tradition we believe baptism is by water and the spirit, he was unconvinced. Realizing that an argument would not be fruitful, I listened as he spouted scripture and his theology to me. And then he prayed for me. I think he appreciated somebody actually hearing him out. He decided that maybe I was saved after all. Then, my listening continued at the shelter. After a relatively easy day, with the light rain giving way to sun in the afternoon, I spent a lot of time reading on some cliffs, joined by two women around my age hiking on the trail. We had all sorts of CT and MA connections! We all wandered to the shelter in the late afternoon where there was a crowd of 7 of us. Two weekend backpackers were there. The two men were retired Army Veterans who served in Vietnam. The evening, well later than my normal 2115 bedtime, consisted largely of them telling stories to me and the women. Stories of Vietnam, of training, of Alaskan adventures, of near death parachuting accidents. Of losing companions. We hardly spoke other than a brief remark or question here or there. Telling our stories sometimes seems to make them matter more. Sometimes I think our stories help us to matter more. And I was honored to "just listen".The details: The day was an easy one as I am already ahead of my food drop schedule based on 15-mile days. So, I sat on the rocks of Mount Marshall shortly after entering Shenandoah National Park and read from my new book for a while and had quite a relaxing day, filled with conversations with other passerbys at the overlook. I even met former United Methodist "Trail Chaplains". I pitched my tent near the shelter. So far, Shenandoah bear count is at 0.
Date: 2016-06-26
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Byrd's Nest #3 Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: overcast clouds

All the hikers I passed prior to entering Shenandoah National Park told me about all the bears I would find in Shenandoah. I was excited. Their bear counts were in the teens through the park. I hiked off and on through the day with a fellow southbound section hiker. As we flip-flopped throughout the day due to various breaks we both took, we saw 3 bears. I saw 0. Everybody was seeing bears and I have not. It kind of makes me question my attentiveness to my surroundings. So far, I have felt more attentive to the natural surroundings as I hike than most hikers I pass. Most have headphones in an listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks as they walk. Many do not take any side trails to vistas, as where I take most side trails. Yet, I haven't seen any bears. Maybe I'm not giving my fellow hikers enough credit in their walking. It makes me think back to my preschool-teaching days of undergrad, when the most distracted and antsy student was the one who remembered our story time the best. It's always good to be reminded how my assumptions can be wrong. The hike: No bears, but snakes. Hiking with another hiker shortly after leaving the shelter after breakfast, we encountered a 5+ foot rattlesnake on the side of the trail. The snake rattled and would not budge despite our coaxing, gentle rock tosses, and retreat. We eventually had to detour around it on the road, before continuing our hike. After a nice lunch break at one of the park bathroom/parking areas, I took a little sink shower and visited with a few thru hikers for a few hours before climbing up to Mary's Rock and enjoying the first purely sunny day on the trail. After sitting and reading on the rock, I left for the shelter. I was the first day and decided to be lazy and stay in the shelter. 5 of us ended up there together and had dinner and conversation about ultralight backpacking and ultramarathons (4 of us had run them). It was a pleasant evening with a nice cool breeze on the ridgeline with a beautiful sunset. A ridgeline shelter is a rare luxury on the trail.
Date: 2016-06-27
From: Byrd's Nest #3 Shelter

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I never would have predicted that I would feel bored on the trail, but I do. Many days, the trail is in deep woods with few vistas and I just walk. My routine is breakfast, walk, granola break, walk, lunch/water filter break, walk, get to camp, dinner, talk, bed. The majority of my day is walking. And today, I hardly passed any hikers. I had no good conversations with hikers. The few I passed were hurrying, trying to beat the rain we all new was returning in the afternoon. For the first time, I got really frustrated with the trail. Walking all day everyday gets old, fast. Perhaps the thru hiking life is not for me. Maybe it's the matter of perspective, but today just felt like walking. A few years ago at a monastery in Spain, a monk told me that anything can be prayer if you allow it to be. I try to always remember that. Today's walking did not feel at all prayerful. I will work on that. Details: I saw bears!!! Finally, I saw a bear and a half today. Not actually half a bear, but I got a full look at a cub before it ran from me. Then a half mile or so later, a glimpsed a bear just as it ran out of view at a distance. Hence, the bear and a half. At least I don't feel completely unobservant now. After hiking in the fog and dense humidity all day with little interaction with other hikers, I arrived at the buggy shelter just as the rain began to fall. I decided to sleep in the shelter yet again for convenience sake. After setting up my pad and bag, I left the shelter to wander another mile up the trail to the campsite store to pick up my next food box. I had some nice conversations with the workers and other hikers at the store before returning to the buggy hut in the ravine. The mysterious knot on my ankle became more sore today, so I'll keep an eye on that as well as the increasingly annoying blisters. Just a part of hiking I suppose. I had some nice conversations with hikers at the hut about the trail community before watching the owls fly in the opening in front of the shelter. My companions went to bed as I watched for another hour as the late arriving hikers showed up around 2200. I can't quite understand night hiking yet I guess. I hated it the time I did that in New Hampshire.....