morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-04-09
From: Days 43 & 44

To: Day 44
Miles today: 16.11
Weather: scattered clouds

DAMASCUS to Lost Mountain shelter 16.11 miles, 485 miles from Springer.Left the Lazy Fox B&B after an awesome breakfast around 900 this morning.   the owner/ host at the B&B is an 84 year old woman, Miss Carla.   The house was built in 1904 and Miss Carla bought it in 1991. All of the furniture is original. She runs the whole operation herself.   She has a handy man, Joe, that does yard work and helps with breakfast. Really great place to stay of you are in DAMASCUS.The AT follows the Creeper Trail part of the way today.   The Creeper Trail is a rails-to-trail conversion that is one of the best known ones in the country.   We did have a pretty steep climb after we left the creeper trail behind.   Overall it was not a bad 16 mile day and the weather was perfect!I'm camping Tonight with Popcorn, his sister, Mary kay, Sarge, Jay and a few other thru hikers I haven't seen in a while.   There's a group of section hikers that are in the shelter. They are welcome to it, my tent is much more comfortable and the mice don't run over me during the night!owner of the lazy fox b&b
Date: 2017-04-10
From: Day 44

To: Day 45
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Lost Mountain shelter to Wise shelter 17.5 miles, 502 miles from SpringerThis was a very tough, long day.   There was a 2000 ft climb to Buzzards Rock this morning.   I followed that up with a climb up to Thomas Knob which is just past Mt Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia. Past Thomas Knob to the shelter was 5 miles of nothing but rocks.We did cross the Grayson highlands and saw some of the wilds ponies!Pictures:very tough trail conditionsRocky terrain and a wild pony looking at me.wild ponies in the Grayson highlands
Date: 2017-04-11
From: Day 45

To: Day 46
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Wise shelter to Trimpi shelter 20.2 miles hiked, 522 miles from SpringerAnother long day, over 20 miles hiked but this sets us up with a short day to hike to Mt. Rogers visitor center, about 10 miles.   Jay and I plan to go to Marion, VA for resupply and stay over night in town. We'll start back on the trail Saturday morning, a low mileage day but not a zero. I've been hiking with another thru hiker, Jay, for several days. He's a retired fireman from the Atlanta area.   We hike about the Same pace and distances and get get along very well.cascade water fall
Date: 2017-04-12
From: Day 46

To: Day 47
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Trimpi shelter to Marion, VA, 9.8 miles 532.7 miles from Springer.We hiked 9.8 miles this morning to the Mount Rogers visitors center.   We caught a shuttle to Marion, VA for resupply.   Jay and I are spending the night in town and will be back on the trail in the morning. Nice hike today with a couple of hard climbs but nothing too taxing.   We made it in by 1230 with a good pace all day.Nice view from the top of a mountain this morning
Date: 2017-04-13
From: Day 47

To: Day 48
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

Marion, VA to crawfish trail campsite. 18.2 miles hiked today,   550.7 miles from Springer.   We caught a shuttle from Marion back to the mt rogers visitor center and began hiking about 830 am.   We went over several mountains and a whole bunch of PUDS (pointless ups and downs). (all PUD trails are very steep with no switchbacks, they are to climb and descend.) We passed an 1890s era school house by the trail. The school house has been restored and there was trail magic there.   We also got trail magic from a trail club meander that was out doing maintenance.   He had cones cooled in an icy stream, really hit the spot!We also ate lunch in Atkins, there is a restaurant just off the AT there called the barn and it caters to hikers. I had a 1 lb burger named the hikers special, and it was really good! There was a sign close to the restaurant that said the town was founded in 1747. I forget sometimes how long that this area had been settled.We camped for the night by a nice stream. The craw fish trail was so over grown that we almost missed the camp ground. Turned out we had all to ourselves, no one else found it either.one room school housepretty view from a PUD
Date: 2017-04-14
From: Day 48

To: Day 49
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: few clouds

craw fish camp to chestnut knob shelter 18.5 miles, 568.1 miles from Springer. milestone today, We've officially passed one quarter of the trail completed.We climbed 3 major mountains nearly 7000 feet of climbing, all three were very steep in spots.   Even the college kids said that this was one of the toughest days since we started. The scenery was truly spectacular! The mountain tops are long grassy slopes that in times past cattle grazed here.   One of these mountain top meadows stretched 2 1/2 miles! We also passed a beautiful old farm that appeared to be in very good shape.   I also saw an old mill by a stream that was about to collapse. When we made our final climb we had to pick up water at a stream about 2 miles from our camp site, the seasonal stream at the camp was not running.   It was a pain lugging an extra gallon of water up but definitely worth the effort.my hiking partner Jayold mill next to a steam along the ATview from the top of chestnut knob
Date: 2017-04-15
From: Day 49

To: Day 50
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Chestnut Knob shelter to Laurel Creek campground 15.7 miles, 583.2 miles from SpringerWe have entered a rainy period that began earlier this week. Today we've been in the rain most of the day. We've been in very rough terrain again, with the rain adding to the hiking difficulty. Jay and I are going to Bland, VA tomorrow to resupply and get out of the weather. We plan to be back on the trail on Wed.Matter of fact, it's raining right now and I'm in my tent. I ate in my tent which I NEVER do under most any circumstances in bear country. Jay is doing the same thing. We both ate cold food and we're going to hang our food bags shortly. We are both careful not to spill or leave anything to attract a bear.Oh, a couple of young hikers just showed up and SET UP their tents under the location provided by the AT to hang our food bags. Not a smart place to set up your tent - bear bait!
Date: 2017-04-16
From: Day 50

To: Day 51
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Laurel Creek campground to Bland, VA 7.2 miles 590 miles from Springer. It rained most of the night last night.   Both Jay and I woke woke up to everything in our tents damp and smelly, YUK!We beat it the 7 miles to Bland, VA.   Very small town with one motel, the BIG WALKER.   It looks just like the motels my parents used to stop at on road trips back in the 60s. But the place is clean, the beds are comfortable, and you can have pizza delivered to our room...OH YEAH! All the comforts the AT has to offer!We've been drying out tents, sleeping bags and sleeping pads. We also washed clothes and got some supplies at the gas station across the street.Tomorrow we are headed to Trent's store about 18.5 miles up the AT from here. Since its going to be raining until Monday, we're trying to find places to stay out of the weather when we stop for the day.   Trent has a room he rents and we have it reserved for tomorrow night. Oh the joys of hiking in the rain on the AT! I'll take the rain over ice and snow any day!picture of jay and I this morning
Date: 2017-04-17
From: Day 51

To: Day 52
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Bland, VA to Trent's Store 19.3 miles, 608.5 miles from Springer..A really good hiking day today.   It was cloudy, foggy and at times rained on us today.   The trail conditions were not too bad.   The hills were not overly steep in most areas and the trail was pretty smooth. As a result, we covered nearly 20 miles in slightly less than 8 hours of hiking!   One of our best days yet!Me on a suspension bridge just before we got off the AT to go to Trent's Store.
Date: 2017-04-18
From: Day 52

To: Day 53
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Trent's store to Woods Hole hostel 15.3 miles, 623.8 miles from Springer.Jay and I left Trent's store about 8:30 headed for Woods Hole hostel about 15 miles away.   The trail was pretty tough in spots today.   We had a 1500 foot climb that on paper looked pretty gradual over several miles.   The reality was that most of the climb occurred in about 1 mile, very steep, rocky and hot!We made it to the hostel about 4:00 pm.   This is a very unique hostel ran by Neville and her husband Michael.   They have a farm to provide meat, dairy and produce for the meals they serve at the hostel.   Both Jay and I had smoothies right after we checked in made with fresh berries and milk from the farm...they we're fabulous.   Breakfast was covered as part of the room bill. For 14 dollars I had their evening meal which was again made from their locally produced veggies, dairy and meat. There were salads, homemade bread, dressing, hummus, rice and marinara sauce.   Again, everything was homemade, it was wonderful!   To hikers used to trail food and greasy pizzas in towns, what a treat! Neville is also a hoot, she's into mediation and yoga, she is a very inclusive and positive person.   She also has a talent for getting all of her guests involved in the meal preparation.   Michael is more in the background but he makes everything go. If you are thru-hiking or section hiking, stop in here you'll enjoy the experience. The back porch at woods hollow hostel!
Date: 2017-04-19
From: Day 53

To: Day 54
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woods Hollow hostel to Pearisburg 12 miles mile 635.4 from SpringerWe didn't leave the hostel until about 830 after an awesome breakfast.   It rained during the night so it was nice to not be outside. We hiked to town and made it by 200 pm, we got in just ahead of a thunderstorm. We're going to zero here in Pearisburg on Saturday. On Sunday, we've got a shuttle driver lined up to haul us 22 miles up the trail. We're going to slack pack back to town. It's supposed to rain most of Sunday.   We'll hike in the rain but have a dry place to sleep Sunday night.   On Monday the shuttle operator will take us back to the same drop off point and we'll start hiking north once again. Weather forecast for next week is finally looking better.View of pearisburg from high above
Date: 2017-04-20
From: Day 54

To: Day 55 and 56
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero day 55, slack pack day 56, 20.5 miles 655 miles from SpringerWe spent Saturday (day 55) doing laundry and resupply.   I also had a bit of a stomach bug, but that cleared up Saturday night. For Sunday, we lined up a shuttle driver, Don Raines to transport us to Stoney Creek Valley so we could slack pack back to Pearisburg, a distance of about 21 miles.   We chose to slack pack because the weather continues to be very crappy with rain in the forecast thru Tuesday morning.   Slack packing is about the same as day hiking, you only carry what you will need for the day.   The lighter load enables us to go faster than we normally would with our normal loaded packs. Hiking was quick, it did rain all day and we got wet head to toe.   I'm glad we have a dry place to sleep tonight!
Date: 2017-04-26
To: Day 57 and 58
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: clear sky

Day 57 total distance from Springer 655 miles Zero day today, raining too hard to hike, plus creeks and rivers are flooding.  The wet weather pattern is supposed to move north east tonight and continue moving tomorrow.  We're hiking first thing in the morning and hoping it'll be dry enough to tent tomorrow evening. Anyway this weather is driving me crazy! Day 58 total miles hiked 19.2 distance from Springer is 673.2 miles. We are hiking today! Our shuttle driver dropped us off about 730 this morning at mile 655 on the AT. This is the same spot we slack packed back south to Pearisburg on Sunday from.  This time we continued on north.  We covered 19 miles per my gps, however the book shows the distance set 18.2 miles. It appears the weather system that had us stuck in Pearisburg since Friday is slowly moving northeast.  This area got more than 6 inches of rain since Saturday.  We forded many streams today, some were a bit hairy too get over. Southern Virginia is very rocky steep terrain, we had been told that hiking got easier in Virginia, well we are still waiting for that to happen!rain swollen stream today, one of many we encountered.
Date: 2017-04-27
To: Day 59
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Laurel Creek shelter to Pickle Branch shelter24.1 miles distance from Springer 695.7 miles. We left camp at 630 this morning since we had such a long day planned.  About 0.2 miles from camp we had two tough stream crossings.  Either crossing could have left one of us drenched but we both made it thru ok.  Our first climb was up Bruiser's Knob. Very steep climb up a muddy trail across a number of boulder fields.  That first climb kicked our butts good!  We saw a 300 year old massive oak tree known as the Keffer oak, over 18 feet around the trunk. Largest oak on THE AT.The temperature was rising and the clouds burned off which dried up the rocks and boulders.  I'm glad it did because the ridge walk on the knob involved walking a cliff with angled boulders this lasted about a mile. This was one of the scarier things I've done on the AT. Wet boulders would have been much more dangerous. In the afternoon, we climbed Brushy Mountain which was a 2.5 mile 1600 ft climb in 90 deg heat. I also the Audie Murphy memorial on top of the mountain.  Audie was the most decorated soldier of WW2 and he was a movie star for a while. He was killed in 1971 when his plane crashed here. It was a full 12 hour hiking day we didn't get into camp until about 630 tonight. We also have a third camper tonight, Trippin is here, she is married to a deployed soldier.  She is raising money for the USO as she hikes.Keffer oakAudie Murphy memorial
Date: 2017-04-30
To: DAy 60
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Pickle branch shelter to Campbell shelter 17 miles 712.7 miles from Springer. Today we climbed Dragon's tooth and McAfee's knob. Dragon's tooth is very steep and very rocky at the top. It was more like a MOUTH FULL of dragons teeth to me! Views from the top were nice.   The descent was another matter, very tricky hand over hand down very large boulders.  This was a slow process as thou might imagine. McAfee was an easier climb than I'd anticipated.  This is a very popular destination and the trail is kept in first rate condition. Beautiful views from the top. I really felt the 24 mile day we had yesterday.  I had low energy until about 3 pm then out of the blue I started climbing McAfee and I realized my legs weren't aching any more and I wasn't stopping to catch my breath, go figure...  trail up dragon's toothtrail down dragon's toothview from the top of McAfee
Date: 2017-04-30
To: Day 61 and 62
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

15.9 miles today, 728.1 miles from SpringerWe made it to Daleville today, 4/28. The scenery was beautiful today. That was especially true along Tinker's cliff early in the morning as the sun came up over the valleys.  I took several pictures, but none seemed to do it justice. I made it to the Howard Johnson hotel around 230. Daleville is a little larger town than the last few we've stopped at.  there's a Kroger and outfitter nearby. Oh, I also got my hair cut, I was getting a bit shaggy. (Check out the 'after haircut' pics in the gallery)Jay needs to make more miles to get to Maine by August.  I'm not under the same constraints, so I'm slowing just a bit.  He's going on this morning and I'm taking the day off.  I wish him well with his journey we has lots of good times hiking together the past 250 miles since Damascus. view from tinker' s cliffme after a haircut
Date: 2017-04-30
From: Daleville, VA

To: Baytown, TX
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I've had some issues with my feet that needed some downtime to fix. I had planned to take about two weeks off toward the end of May to be home when my youngest daughter graduates from High School. In short, I've decided to take the month of May off. I plan to pick up in Daleville in early June to complete my thru-hike. Please check back then for a continuation of the journey.
Date: 2017-07-14
From: Katadin stream campground

To: I'll start at Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I'm restarting my hike by doing a flip flop.  I'm going to Maine on Monday the 17 the of July.  I'll be hiking South, the goal is to hike back to Daleville to complete my thru hike.
Date: 2017-07-17
From: Mt Katahdin

To: Southbound from Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Joanna updates this journal for Phil:Phil has not had a good cell signal, so I only have a couple of pics to share and a few texts that have made it thru :)July 17th - Joanna took Phil to the airport this morning. He was like a kid at Christmas waiting to open his presents! He grabbed his backpack, gave me a deep, long, furry kiss, and disappeared into the rush of travelers...it was 4:00 am! After a 3 hour delay at La Guardia, NY (the friggin computer system was DOWN), he made it to Bangor, Maine. Unfortunately, the bus that was to transport him to Millinocket had already departed by the time he made it to the departure meet-up. He had to hire a taxi service to transport him - $150 to make it to the next location! The owner of the Appalachian Trail Lodge provides transportation from that point to the lodge, but they assumed that Phil was not coming so they left without him. He was able to contact the wife of the owner who had him turn around and pick Phil up. Whew! He made it LATE that evening! He texted me at 8:32 PM that he was about to eat a lobster roll at the only restaurant open that late. I'll attach a pic of the Appalachian Trail Lodge in Millinocket.Phil's texts:July 18th, 2:10 pm - Got my 100 mile food delivery set up. Fixing to eat a pizza at Angelo's - alleged to be the best pizza in town! I walked to the grocery store to pick up the food. Everybody here sounds like Jackie Ashford! (Jackie is a dear friend from up north, married to Art Ashford <3) Everyone that I talk to wants to know what foreign country that I'm from! They all agree that TEXAS is a foreign country, lol!July 19th, 6:15 am - Getting ready to leave for Baxter State Park. Love you!July 19th, 12:35 pm - I made it to the top of Katahdin! Tried to send a pic but didn't have enough signal.July 20th, 3:37 pm - Going good here! My hiking buddy Jeff and I just entered the 100 mile Wilderness. Can't send a pic, only text.July 22nd, 11:39 pm - All good in the 100 mile Wilderness. About 40 miles in.July 22nd, 6:54 pm - Hi babe! 44 miles in the Wilderness. All good here - scenery in Maine is INCREDIBLE! I am sending you a pic of me at the top of Mount Katahdin - I made it to mile 0.0 on the AT!July 23rd, 2:29 pm - Hi beautiful lady! (that's me :) We're about 60 miles into the Wilderness. We've got nearly 60 to go. We'll be to Munson by Friday I think. We've got a big mountain to cross over tomorrow at about mile 75.July 24th, 4:01 pm - Hi babe! We are on top of Whitecap Mountain! It is the highest point in the Hundred Mile Wilderness. It's been a long hard day and we still have 4 miles to go. Everything is good here and the views from Whitecap are incredible!NOTE: Check out the Pictures for the AT Lodge and me standing on Mt. Katahdin at mile 0.0! Please sign my guestbook and leave me encouraging posts! Safe journey!
Date: 2017-07-19
From: Baxter State Park

To: Day 1 Southbound
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

Day one 5.2 miles south bound. Total mileage on the AT is 740 miles approx. Hiked to the top of Mount Katahdin today. So I now hiked to Mile 0.0 on the North end of the AT. I was told that Katahdin is the toughest mountain on the AT. After today I believe it. It took nearly 10 hours to hike 11 miles! About 2500 feet of the 4000 feet of the climb are nearly vertical. All except for the first mile are boulder scrambles. I'm really tired tonight! Beautiful scenery all the way up. I'm staying tonight in lean-to no. 9 at Baxter State Park. I'm sharing it with a South bound hiker named Jeff and he reminds me of my brother in law Jeff.
Date: 2017-07-20
To: Day 2 Southbound
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Katadin stream campground to Hurd Brook Lean to. 13.3 miles. I've been hiking with a South bounder from North Carolina named Jeff. Today we left Baxter State Park and entered the 100 mile wilderness. Within the park we walked past a number of ponds. Apparently they are favorite hang outs of moose but we didn't see any moose today. We hiked for a time along the Pinobscot River. There were a large number of rafters running the rapids, sure looked like fun. The terrain is not especially hilly. It is however muddy, swampy, rocky and filled with roots. In short it is difficult to make good time. We're also contending with black flies and mosquitoes. We heard thunder tonight; it's possible we'll get some rain, it would be nice to have some cooler weather.We met several North bounders that are finishing up their hike today. I heard about friends I hiked with that are getting close. It will be good to see them.
Date: 2017-07-21
To: Day 3 Southbound
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Hurd Brook Lean to to rainbow stream shelter 11.5 milesWow miles are tough in the Maine 100 mile wilderness! The trail today was filled with water, mud, rocks, and tree roots. In places all at the same time. Numerous streams crossed the trail all had to be forded. We did walk past a beautiful lake, Rainbow Lake. I took some pictures, beautiful, pristine with no road access. I did see a float plane land once. Jeff and I are camping tonight at rainbow stream shelter along with about 5 section hikers. Nice fellows, two are finishing their last section and will climb katadin on Sunday or Monday. They've been hiking 22 years to cover the whole AT! This is a great place to camp lots of water nice flat ground to pitch a tent on and tonight we have great weather.
Date: 2017-07-22
To: Day 4 Southbound
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Rainbow stream lean-to to Nahmakanta stream campground 14.4 miles. Miles from katadin 44.0. total miles hiked North and South bound are 772. The trail continues to be very difficult to negotiate. Tree roots, rocks, mud abound, Jeff and I think that of the 44 miles hiked so far all but 4 have been on roots or rocks.The scenery is spectacular, we walk past large isolated lakes that no one is fishing at. We wonder if they've ever been fished... We also saw a great view of Mt katadin. Another good day to be on the AT.
Date: 2017-07-23
To: Day 5 Southbound
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Nahmakanta spring campground to Cooper Brook falls lean-to. 16.2 miles, 59.5 from katadin.Our best hiking day to date! The trail finally leveled out some and we made great time. Had time to get wet in the swimming hole this evening. It sure felt good! We again passed beautiful lakes totally uninhabited by humans. I really like this aspect of hiking in Maine.Tonight we're sharing camp with GI Joe, retired army officer, Squach, and No-Name. GI is hiking to katadin to complete a section hike. Everyone else is heading south. We had a good time talking around a fire tonight.
Date: 2017-07-24
To: Day 6 Southbound
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

Cooper Brook Lean- to to Sydney tappin camp site. 17.3 miles. We hiked over Whitecap mountain today, the highest point in the 100 mile wilderness. This was a tough day, the hardest since katadin. We're in our tents early tonight, light rain is falling and it's cold. Great view from the top of Whitecap.