morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-25
From: Swift Run Gap

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 0.0

May 25: stayed at my son's house in Harrisonburg, he gave us a ride back up to the trailhead. Actually, we went into the park, he drove 20 miles north, depositing us at big Meadows Campground, and we walked on the Appalachian Trail the 17.4 miles back to the swift run gap intersection of the Appalachian Trail and US 33 (Elkton, Virginia). Father's Day came early this year, James offered to Slack us ("slack-packing": when somebody moves your pack from one location to another so that you can walk unencumbered by weight¢¦ Great way to get in some big miles). So we slacked from north to south, and James picked us up at the park entrance and drove us back up to big Meadows Campground, where we camped for the night. An added bonus, he picked up some pizza, beer, and wine, and we had a great visit at the campground. Looking forward to getting him out on the trail next week.
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Big Meadows Campground

To: Pass Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Big Meadows Wayside (mile 919.4)¢¦ Lunch at Skyland resort and restaurant (mile 928.2). Needed to get on their Wi-Fi to edit a letter of recommendation. Continuing along, mid-afternoon, we came upon the "Pinnacles picnic area", where we put on our saddest eyes, and caught some the tail end of a memorial day picnic. Lots of fruit and vegetables. Continuing along, shortly after departing the Bird's nest number three hut (mile 934.7), I came upon a bear, photograph attached. He was an exceptionally friendly little fellow, was not much interested in beef jerky, but he LOVED Cliff bars! We camped at Pass Mountain "Hut" (SNP-speak for shelters). (editor's note: I received some correspondence from an individual who neglected to identify him (or her) self, expressing shock and horror that I was feeding wild animals. For the record, I do not feed animals, it was just some off-color humor. See blog entry for June 9 for further details).
Date: 2014-05-27
From: Pass Mountain Shelter

To: Gravel Spgs Shelter 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Pass©d through Elk Wallow wayside, had a hiker special for brunches. Bumped into some old friends including Right Here and Jo. Nice terrain during the afternoon, lousy phone reception as usual. Today is one of the few days we did NOT see a bear. A relatively low-mile day, but shelter and tentage is a little sparse over next stretch, and we're poised for an easy walk into Front Royal tomorrow. This may be the earliest I've stopped yet (4:30 PM). Hoping to take a day off soon. This evening, it rained after dinner. As I had my stuff sitting out of the tent, I hurried to it from where we were talking and got in the tent to wait for it to pass. I made the mistake of laying down and naturally, fell asleep. It's now 11 PM... Sensing a long night in my future...
Date: 2014-05-28
From: Gravel Spgs Shelter 

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

May 28, 2014: front Royal, Virginia¢¦ Hiked about 11 miles today from gravel Springs shelter, arrived at the trailhead and got a ride into town. Was trying to get to my home in Springfield Virginia, but decided to continue walking until the weekend, so I could spend time with my wife. Ended up getting a hotel for the evening and getting back on the trail the next morning.
Date: 2014-05-29
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.0

Steve and I hiked from Route 522 just outside of front Royal to Dick's ("Geo-desic") Dome shelter, about 15 miles. It rained the whole time, no fun walking was soaking wet feet all day. Our (well, at least my) feet were pretty macerated by the time we finished walking. A pleasant surprise, in addition to having the whole (somewhat small in size) shelter, which had a very cool shape and design, we were joined by our old friend Steve (a.k.a. "M¶bius").
Date: 2014-05-30
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Snickers Gap (weekend at home in Springfield, VA)
Miles today: 0.0

We were expecting a decent forecast for walking today, however it rained for a good part of the morning, and even when it stopped, we were hiking through wet weeds, so again walked all day with soaking wet feet. Blisters starting to form¢¦ Had plenty of time to think of a strategy for prevention for next time. Think I will obtain some Vaseline to improve the water repellency (with the additional benefit of prevention of friction). I have really enjoyed hiking with my friend Steve, although looking forward to my first day off in three weeks tomorrow. Made it to 19 miles to Snickers gap, where my wife picked me up. Will spend the weekend at my own house in Springfield, Virginia and hit it again Monday morning.
Date: 2014-06-02
From: Snickers Gap (weekend at home in Springfield, VA)

To: C&O Canal Tow Path
Miles today: 22.0

Great weekend visiting with my wife. Periodic phone conversations just don't cut it, no substitute for the real thing in person. Am therefore REALLY looking forward to completing this journey. Back on the trail at Snickers around 9 AM. Walked 22 miles to the far end of the C&O canal towpath. Was going to walk farther, but I saw clearing right next to the river was some flat spots for tents. Since it was after 8 o'clock, decided to set up while it was still light. Was decent weather, purchased a new pair of shoes (La Sportiva trail runners) this past weekend. While I think they will work out fine, breaking them in on the trail was probably not a brilliant idea. However, my other shoes were pretty well played out. Both cushion and treadwear gone. Also starting to come apart in spots. Got my money's worth out of them, thousand miles or so. Very scenic walk today, crossed the Potomac River bridge at Harpers Ferry. Walked into town, a lot of history here. Everyone stops at the AT conservancy to "register" as a through-hiker. They take your picture, assign you a number, and (?) Not sure what they do with it¢¦ They advised us that it is not a good idea to camp around there¢¦ It is not legal. Was considering just stretching out and cowboy-camping somewhere, but it looked like it might rain. So I find myself in a tent sandwiched between the Potomac River and a noisy railroad. Will try to think of it as "white-noise". All part of the fun. Finished the audiobook "thank you for your service", and started in on war and peace. After an hour or two, it just wasn't catching me. I ended up switching to Watership Down, which I find much more interesting. What can I say, child-like attention span. I loaded up this iPod with lots of Audiobooks, Podcasts, and some music. Should be good for another month or so¢¦ Spoke with my friend Al, we anticipate linking up in a week or so. It was interesting to look at the hiker book at the Conservancy, and see all of our friends from the trail that have passed through.
Date: 2014-06-03
From: C&O Canal Tow Path

To: pine knob shelter (mile 1042.5) 
Miles today: 20.0

Long night¢¦ Between train going by frequently, and having to reinflate my "rubber lady" (my inflatable air mattress) every hour or two, I was dragging a little bit during the day today. Stopped and rested for an hour or so at one of the shelters. Don't really think I slept much, mostly just rested. Took a Tylenol for headache, and was doing okay after a while. This morning, I submerged my air mattress in the Potomac River and found some bubbles emerging from a pinhole leak at one end of the mattress. I was able to repair it with just a dab of glue from the patch kit. We'll see how it holds up. Relatively uneventful hiking day, just walking and listening to audiobooks. Walked 20 miles to Pineknob shelter, got there around 8 o'clock, in bed by 10. I passed a hiker campground a few hours before (around 5:30 PM), but it was the shade early to stop. In hindsight, it might've been a good idea, since there were free showers (and I don't see any more showers available anytime soon).
Date: 2014-06-04
From: pine knob shelter (mile 1042.5) 

To: Falls Creek footbridge campsite (mile 1061.1)
Miles today: 0.0

Walked some familiar terrain today, We have done this section of the trail before. Fairly on eventful day, aside from a few chance encounters with my through-hiking colleagues. Fairly level terrain, decent weather. Ravenrock cliffs were nice (not getting to it, but nice views). Stopped at Penn-Mark County Park, just outside of Waynesboro Pennsylvania. Rest it for a few minutes and then pushed on, but only for a mile or so. Found a campsite and it was close to 8 PM, but aside from getting dark soon, it was definitely looking like it was getting ready to rain. In the AT guide (AWOL's, the gold standard among through-hikers), it mentions that the campsite has a water source. However, there was a sign on the bridge indicating that there had been a large discharge of un (or at least partially)-treated sewer water discharged some weeks previously. The sign recommended avoiding using the water, but I did not want to use the only quart of water I had that was clean for cooking, so I took my pot in there and just boiled it thoroughly. Aside from that, the discharge was indeed some weeks ago. I assumed that boiling it well would suffice. My friend, Jeremy, informed me that he would be coming out to meet me tomorrow. Looking forward to walking with him for a few days.
Date: 2014-06-05
From: Falls Creek footbridge campsite (mile 1061.1)

To: Caledonia State Park campgrounds (mile 1079)
Miles today: 18.0

Tolerable terrain, decent weather. The new shoes are starting to feel okay, doing some trimwork on the insoles. The mattress repair seems to have helped. (Thankfully)¢¦ finished "Watership Down", and started a new audiobook (the day of the jackal). Arrived at the State Park campgrounds sometime between 5 and 6 PM. Spread out my tent to dry (it rained during the night), and took advantage of showers and washed my hiking clothes in the bathroom sink. Jeremy arrived shortly thereafter. We went into town (Fayetteville, Pennsylvania), a mere 4 miles away. I was out of food, so we stopped at Walmart. Naturally, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and I bought way too much food. Should make the next day's hiking loads of fun. After that, we stopped at Little Caesars and got some pizza. Jeremy was thoughtful enough to bring a small container of wine, since he knows I prefer that over the beer. We stopped at Starbucks, took a little advantage of Wi-Fi¢¦ then it was back to the campground. We pitched tents there, getting sleepy¢¦ Will do a better job of blogging tomorrow.
Date: 2014-06-06
From: Caledonia State Park campgrounds (mile 1079)

To: camp after Pine Grove furnace State Park (1100)
Miles today: 21.0

We had a great walk today, good conversation, and Jeremy is a strong hiker. (In fact, he goes up hills faster than I do). He got a chance to meet some of my hiking friends from the past few months. Pretty good terrain, and the weather was perfect. Not even to humid. Beautiful views, and we hiked to Pine Grove furnace State Park. We elected to pass on the "half-gallon challenge". Where they challenge hikers to consume a whole half gallon of ice cream. Many do, but I enjoy it in smaller quantities. We passed the actual mid-point of the Appalachian Trail, just off of Woods Road at mile 1092.2. We stopped for photographs and I signed the trail "register". Camping is not permitted on Park property, so we walked a mile out of the park and looked for a flat spot. Found one right next to the stream, so we took advantage of it.
Date: 2014-06-07
From: camp after Pine Grove furnace State Park (1100)

To: boiling Springs, Pennsylvania (1117.5)
Miles today: 17.5

Awesome weather again, and well the terrain was tolerable for the most part, we are, after all, in Pennsylvania, so we did have some fairly rocky spots. Some good climbs, although feet-punishing. Jeremy continues to be a strong hiker, out ahead of me for the most part. We made it into boiling Springs just a little before 7 PM. Unfortunately, it was not in time to take advantage of the free showers at the swimming pool, so we skipped the campsite on the south side of town and went to the local hotel. His wife picked him up this evening to take him back to his car, they have a few hours to go to get back to their home in Maryland. It was great to have some company for a few days, and gave us a chance to catch up on what's going on at work. (Not that it actually affects me at this point!) So it is back out on the trail in earnest for some big miles starting tomorrow. Spoke with Al by text message, we should be linking up midweek.
Date: 2014-06-08
From: boiling Springs, Pennsylvania (1117.5)

To: Darlington shelter (mile 1131.8)
Miles today: 15.0

Late start out of town today, spent a few minutes cutting and pasting blog entries, and then Skyped with my kids and grandkids, and was trying to give my feet a little bit of a break. Got started early afternoon, first half of the afternoon went smoothly, mostly flat terrain, fields and crossing roads. Then the fun started. Started raining lightly, pass through a couple of wooded sections heavily infested with mosquitoes. Then climbing the mountain to the shelter, the rain started in earnest. Got pounded on the way up, arrived around 9 PM, drenched. I received an email from someone on "no-reply"from trail journals, informing me that I may have harmed some bears and Shanendoah by feeding them. It occurred to me that there are people reading my journal who do not know me personally, or my sense of humor. For the record, I would never feed wild animals. In my blog entry where I said I gave a bear beef jerky and Cliff bars, seriously, I was just kidding. I had no idea anyone who did not know me would actually be interested in reading something I wrote, so I must admit I was honored. Thanks!All the best,Might
Date: 2014-06-09
From: Darlington shelter (mile 1131.8)

To: Clark's ferry shelter (mile 1147.4)
Miles today: 15.5

Ground wet from yesterday's torrential downpour. Back to walking with wet feet! My shelter-mates at Darlington shelter last night included a section-hiking couple, spider and ET from San Francisco, "Tree-beard", and a couple of ladies who got up first thing this morning and left, so I didn't not get a chance to meet them. Also tenting nearby was Studebaker and her dog, foxy (Colorado). After I had gone to sleep around 10 PM, I woke up next morning to discover two more shelter companions, "mayonnaise-pockets" and "texty". They were very considerate and being quiet when they came in last night (they said they got in around 11 PM), as I heard nothing (and yes, they must've really gotten hammered as well by the rain).   Walked 11 miles into Duncannon, Pennsylvania. Interesting town, everyone said to make sure I hit the Doyle hotel. While it was too early for me to stop and spend the night, I did stop and have a hamburger and a beer. An interesting establishment, over 100 years old. It was originally and Anheuser-Busch hotel. It caters to through hikers (and, well others), and can best be described as "past it's prime". However, the owners were very friendly and accommodating, and the cheeseburger and beer were both decent. Then continued on to Clark's Ferry shelter, arriving around 6:20, only to discover that I must have dropped my AT Guide pages in my Ziploc baggy somewhere along the trail between Duncannon and here. I called the hotel and asked if they could ask their guests or any people launching at this late hour if they could keep an eye out for it on the trail. Thankfully, mayonnaise pockets and texty were just on their way out. They kept their eye out for my stuff and found it on the trail not far from here. I was actually preparing to retrace my steps after getting my tent set up, dining, and washing myself (and my clothes). I was most grateful to be repatriated with my "ectopic brains". Fortunately I only had a few days worth of travel in the baggy. But it would've been a pain to walk without knowing what to expect, and I was not looking forward to asking people if I could bum a glance at theirs. Although I am at a shelter, I decided to go ahead and pitch my tent, because there are a lot of mosquitoes here. It started raining as I type this out this evening. Hopefully, it'll dry up some tomorrow.
Date: 2014-06-10
From: Clark's ferry shelter (mile 1147.4)

To: yellow Springs Village site, old coal mining settlement ruins (1167.5)
Miles today: 20.0

Left Clark's ferry shelter, decent terrain all day, fairly level, Rocky in spots. Tons of mosquitoes. Cloudy most of the day, waited until a point when the sun was out briefly to spread out all my stuff and try to dry my laundry from yesterday and my tent from last night's (this morning's) rain. Saw a cool bird, believe it was a grouse (?) Or perhaps a Quail. Will have to look up and see what they look like in an almanac. I took a photograph, don't think it came out very well. (None of mine ever do). bumped into one of my former hiking colleagues, "time to eat", who was parked by one of the trailheads throwing down some trail magic (a Cooler full of sodas and taking people's trash¢¦ Every little bit helps!). We chatted briefly about some of our friends, and then I pressed. Was not going to be able to make the shelter this evening, so walked until a little before 8 o'clock and then found a flat spot in the woods to camp. Tried filtering some water from a stream, and as I was dipping my container, noticed upstream a big pile of yellow foam against some rocks in the stream. As I pulled my water bag out of the stream, I noticed it was colored green. Interestingly, it was green evening my drinking container after I filtered it. Later, I found a different stream and dumped the filtrate from the obviously polluted water source.
Date: 2014-06-11
From: yellow Springs Village site, old coal mining settlement ruins (1167.5)

To: William Penn shelter (mile 1185.5)
Miles today: 18.0

I crashed just shy of the old mining town last night, considered trying to catch a ride into Lickville, Pennsylvania for resupply. Nearly out of food. However, think I have enough till tomorrow, so I plan to spend the night at William Penn shelter, ride into the town there immediately afterwards, and be back in time to crash at the 501 shelter or further. Slowing down Al¢¦ So you can catch up! Got a nice late start this morning, slept and didn't start until 8:30 or so. Really got dumped on last night (well, early this morning). Heard the crack of thunder and lightning around 5 AM, scrambled out of the tent and ran for my bear bag, had a little trouble locating it in the dark, but snagged it and got back in the tent. Didn't get too wet at all, and it stopped a couple of hours later. It was good to sleep in. Later: even though it did not rain today, this morning's heavy rain did the job. Walking through wet grass and bushes (not to mention numerous unavoidable "lagoons" right on the trail), it was another day of walking with wet feet. I do not think the body glide that I've been applying is working very well. I intend to try Petroleum jelly, a recommendation I read in the book "fixing your feet". That should definitely help to waterproof my skin and lessen the damage. So far, okay on blisters. Looks like rain is in the forecast next few days. So I am glad I have to hit town in the morning for resupply/laundry/shower. Should be back out on the trail this afternoon/evening. If I hurry, I might even be able to get in some miles.
Date: 2014-06-12
From: William Penn shelter (mile 1185.5)

To: unnamed campsite (approximately mile 1191)
Miles today: 0.0

Had the whole shelter to myself last night. Rain heavily most of the night. Fortunately, not much water on the trail down to the road. Some rocks, though. Shoes were still wet. Stuck out my thumb, and almost immediately got a ride from Aron, a town policeman. Got breakfast/laundry/shower at a local truck stop and then walked a few miles to another part of town, to hit a grocery store. It was an Amish grocery store, so they did not have a few items I was looking for (tortillas/petroleum jelly). Then walked another mile or so back up to an intersection where I hoped to catch a ride back to the trail. Although not much luck with hitchhiking IN town, I was fortunate to bump into my old friend, Aron, who was at this point off-duty and in his personal vehicle, and he graciously gave me a lift back up to the trail. (Thank you!). I stopped at the 501 shelter and ate my sub sandwich that I purchased at the Amish grocery store. It was only around 5 PM, and I thought I would put down some more miles before calling it a day. I'd only traveled for an hour or so (approximately 2 miles), when it began to rain, heavily. A little disappointing since I had JUST gotten everything dried out and clean. I hastily assembled my tent and threw everything inside. It did not let up all evening, so I stayed in place. Did not even hang my food bag from a tree (in the vernacular, "toss a bear bag"). Tried to face-time with the family, not much luck. Reception poor. Well, I at least got a shower and some food.
Date: 2014-06-13
From: unnamed campsite (approximately mile 1191)

To: Port Clinton, Pennsylvania (mile 1213.7)
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Tough night. The rain came down heavily, easily penetrating the fabric of my tent. Sleeping bag, spare blanket, fleece, everything pretty much wet. I heard some animals walking around during the night, which surprised me, don't know if it was a bear or not¢¦ My food bag was right in my tent with me, might have been interesting. Was planning to take it easy today and just walk to Eagle's nest shelter, an easy 14 miles or so. Since everything is pretty much wet (including my sleeping bag), so I elected to press on to the next town. Was considering getting a hotel room, but the sun came out long enough for me to dry my sleeping bag and blanket. Not completely though¢¦ After I got everything spread out, Mr. Sun said goodbye and a large thundercloud loomed overhead. I hastily stuffed everything back in my pack and made for the woods. SHEESH!! So back to not getting a hotel room¢¦ The town of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania graciously accommodates long-distance hikers with a town "pavilion". I stopped at the Port Clinton hotel for a beer and a sandwich, and a quick Skype session with my granddaughter who is one-year-old today. She was having a blast in the bathtub, and evidently had a very nice party. I then fumbled my way through town and found the Pavilion, with some difficulty, since it is dark and that area did not have streetlights. I shared the pavilion with a gentleman who is evidently living there in a tent, and although he acknowledged being a little down on his luck, was doing a good job of keeping himself clean and was optimistic about his prospects for improving his situation. Although I did remove my shoes and dry out my feet during my midday break, the trail was completely filled with water in many areas. At the beginning of the day, I tried to step on rocks and walk on the sides, but there were some places where that was impossible, and at some point my shoes were filled with water, anyway. It didn't take long to just start walking down the middle of the trail. My feet were white and waterlogged when I got to town. Switched to flip-flops as soon as I was off the trail. I have a sore on the back of my foot, and will therefore consider taking a day off tomorrow. I need to do a little tent shopping anyway. There is a Cabela's outfitter in Hamburg, the next town over (less than 2 miles away).