morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-05-12
From: Mile 700.1

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: clear sky

Only 13.6 miles? Seemed like more! It was the most crowded day on the trail thus far. There¢s always more people on weekends but today the weather was awesome and I hiked by two popular, or shall I say iconic, protuberances: Dragon¢s Tooth and McAfee Knob. As you might expect, a short side trail led to each one. I stopped at Dragon¢s Tooth early this morning. Its formed by giant toothlike slabs of rock sticking straight up along the ridge line. The view from the tooth top was surely spectacular but climbing the 30ft up seemed too treacherous, best not to risk banging myself up for a photo. I had lunch and topped off my food bag at a gas station/deli/grocery about a half mile off trail. Lots of locals passed through while I ate at the picnic table outside but I was the only hiker. I¢m glad I stopped because I needed the calories for the long climb to McAfee Knob. Mcafee Knob is the most photographed spot along the entire AT. It¢s obvious why when you see it: the same type of rocks that form Dragon¢s Tooth are laying flat there and jut out from the ridge line forming a ledge where you can dangle your feet above the valley far below. It really is quite spectacular. A few hikers and I took turns taking each other¢s pictures. I¢ve got reservations for Sunday & Monday nights in Daleville - 15.4 trail miles from here. I¢ve pushed about as hard as my body allowed this week and need a recovery day. I¢m going to tweak  my food selections on the next section in an effort to squeeze a few more miles out of each day. I tend to get weak towards evening and need more afternoon calories. I put a lot of thought into figuring out what foods will work out here and also ask other hikers what they eat. Most recent change: I switched from Gatorade powder to Jello. Yup, a package of Jello added to a bottle of water, that¢ll power you up a mountain!
Date: 2018-05-14
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4

(I¢m writing this on Tuesday afternoon as I lay in my hammock waiting out a thunderstorm.)Sunday¢s weather was hot. I heard some hikers say it had affected their mileage but I had no problem, maybe I¢m not moving fast enough to get overheated. The Rhododendrons were blooming and the Mountain Laurels are getting ready. Late in the day I passed through a long tunnel of Honeysuckle bushes, sweet!Saw my first rattlesnake. The rattle end was two feet into the trail, the rest hidden in leaves. Hmmm...what to do. I spotted it easily but it wasn¢t hard to imagine someone else coming along and stepping on it. I tossed a few sticks to move it along but that only prompted it to lift its head and look at me, flicking its tongue...unnerving. A closer look revealed it had just eaten (Oh no! Mr. Chipmunk!) and was not inclined to yield so I passed leaving plenty of space between us, his head followed my movements. I trudged into Daleville Sunday evening with a dead phone and a very low personal energy level. Luckily the Howard Johnson¢s Hotel where I stayed was only a few hundred feet from the trail with a great BBQ a short walk up the highway. I got cleaned up, went to dinner, then played Rip Van Winkle through Tuesday morning, getting up only to eat and do some shopping.
Date: 2018-05-15
From: Daleville, VA

To: Mile 737.8
Miles today: 8.6

Left Daleville fully charged late this morning. Right outside town I met a couple mowing grass and brush along the trail. I thought seriously about joining in but the likelihood of aggravating my spring hay fever gave me pause...I thanked them for their work and moved on. Late afternoon brought the threat of thunderstorms again. I worked hard to get over a hill as the sky darkened and was descending the leeward side when the rain began. It took a while for the drops to ¢soak¢ their way through the now thick canopy and when they did I chose to set up and rest for a bit. Soon it was evening and I decided to stay the night. It¢s a nice spot and water is nearby so I can tank up before moving on tomorrow.
Date: 2018-05-16
From: Mile 737.8

To: Mike 750.9
Miles today: 13.1

It rained nearly all day but was warm enough so that I went without rain gear. It¢s just water, it¢ll wash off. The big millipedes seem to have been replaced by little orange newts, they¢re everywhere! I wonder what they¢re thinking as I thunder through their world like Godzilla. The trail paralleled the Blue Ridge Parkway and crossed it several times at pullover viewing spots. Unfortunately it was foggy: no views for you! There were also some spots where all the trees had been cut down and left on the ground, presumably to provide better views from the road. I¢m sure that was controversial but because the new growth provides good cover there were many more birds in those spots than in the forest. I saw a bluebird and a scarlet tanager in one cleared area.I stopped at a shelter to cook lunch. Also there were Earthheart, Firefly, Switch, and a guy with, hands down, the best trail name so far: MUSTACHIO! It¢s supposed to rain a lot the next few days, a good thing as some of the water sources have begun to dry up. Tomorrow I¢m gonna try to get an early sta...who am I kidding, It¢ll be raining and I¢ll probably sleep in again. I don¢t like mornings!
Date: 2018-05-17
From: Mile 750.9

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Fog turned to clouds then to sun then rain then torrential rain. All the shrubs are blooming now and so are my allergies, meds are keeping it tolerable. I stopped at a shelter for lunch and met Engineer. He immigrated here from Africa 10 years ago and just graduated from Virginia Tech (yes, engineering...electrical) He doesn¢t know how far he¢ll hike, depends how it goes. It is not going well. He doesn¢t have a tent so he needs to stay at the shelters and somehow he lost his sleeping bag...??? I gave him some phone numbers from the guide so he could get a ride into town to get a new one, or at least a blanket. I got to this shelter just as hard rain began. Engineer was here so I offered him my hammock under quilt to use tonite. He was grateful but later decided to hike on into the teaming rain hoping to get into town...not a good idea but he seems confident. It¢s wet but not cold, he¢ll be miserable but ok. This is a pretty fancy shelter. Two levels, room for 20, and lots of hooks to hang stuff to dry. Kind of a treehouse/lodge design with with windows. There¢s only 5 of us so I¢ve got lots of room to sprawl out. It¢s not likely anyone else will arrive here tonight. The trail seems deserted as many hikers are making their way back to Damascus for the ¢Trail Days¢ festival this weekend. The town claims it¢s the ¢worlds biggest gathering of hiking enthusiasts¢ and no doubt it is as they¢re expecting up to 30,000 people. Yes, 30,000 in a town with a population of 600. I really liked Damascus when George and I were there along with a few dozen hikers and some cyclists. This weeks festivities sound a lot like August at the Jersey shore to me so I¢ll spend my Trail Days on the trail, thank you very much. Let¢s continue, shall we?
Date: 2018-05-18
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Thunder Hill Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I wrung as many miles as I could out of this soggy day while gaining almost 3000ft in elevation, the effort kept me warm despite the wetness. As I went higher it seemed the season went backwards. When I got up to 4000ft the trees were just beginning to get their leaves and Rhododendrons were not yet blooming. Interestingly though: Azaleas are blooming all up and down the mountain and the flowers along the ground are the same regardless of altitude. I¢m guessing that some plants time their growth to length of day and others go by air and/or soil temperature. But I¢m no botanist. Today¢s geological wonder: ¢The Guillotine¢, a narrow passage between rock faces with a round boulder wedged overhead. I fearlessly passed beneath as it looked to be stuck there pretty good. It¢s gotta come down sometime though, right? Todays best trail name: ¢Rambo Blood¢, I didn¢t ask. No sign of Engineer, I hope he made it to town. The shelter here only sleeps 6, has a very loud tin roof (rusted!), and was full when I arrived. I¢m hanging a few hundred feet away along with some tenters. It¢s raining hard and figures to continue through at least tomorrow when I get to go downhill all day, descending over 3000ft in the mud...slip sliding away!
Date: 2018-05-19
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: MattÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.4

It only rained in the morning but the whole day was soggy. The trees dripped water, the trail is muddy, and streams are overflowing. Not too slippery but extra caution was required on some steep downhills. The growing season advanced as I descended. Rhododendrons are shedding enough pink flowers to cover the trail in spots. The tall Ginkgo trees are dropping their blossoms too; the lime and salmon colored petals look out of place, like confetti left after a treetop party.Going downhill all day is hard on the knees. Actually all of this is. I want to make faster progress but it¢s looking more like that can¢t happen. I¢ll take what I can get, just glad to be out here taking one careful step at a time...
Date: 2018-05-20
From: MattÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Shelter

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

First a correction: I misidentified the flowers of the Tulip Poplar as Ginko. Apologies to the Great State of Tennessee who honor the Tulip Poplar as their State Tree. I¢m just winging the botany here as my Guide to North American Flora was too heavy to bring. It was unexpectedly warm and sunny today. I don¢t check the forecast every day so when there¢s a string of rainy days I just presume they¢ll keep coming. I crossed the James River today on what the guide says is the longest footbridge on the AT. It is indeed a long footbridge but the guide failed to mention that it is THE Foot Bridge: dedicated to to the memory of local hiker and trail advocate William T. Foot. Not kidding, look it up. Fauna: Lots and lots of butterflies today, all different kinds, some familiar, some new to me (that¢s right...guidebook too heavy). Peeper frogs are peeping tonight and some huge moths just buzzed my bug net. Tomorrow I¢m headed into Buena Vista for supplies. It¢s a small town about 9 miles from the trail. Lots of hikers will be returning from Trail Days in Damascus so I might get a lucky ride from the road crossing. Otherwise I¢ll call for a pick up. Cell reception has been dicey this week...wish me luck!
Date: 2018-05-21
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 11.5

Another very nice day. A nice breeze kicked in as I worked the uphill leg to the pickup spot on VA Rt 60. I was beginning to worry because there was no cell service all day when, just as I walked up to the road, ¢ding¢, 3 bars! I consulted the guide and the third number I called was able to pick me up and take me to a hotel in Buena Vista. Thunderstorms are passing through here now. I¢ve done my shopping and laundry and will be back to the trail by noon tomorrow.
Date: 2018-05-22
From: Buena Vista, VA

To: Mile 814.2
Miles today: 6.4

Hit the trail this morning at 11 with a heavy pack for the climb up and Bald Knob (4043 ft). Lightning was getting close as I crossed the open summit, when the storm passed through I was hiding in a grove of trees under my tarp cooking pasta. The rain eventually stopped and I emerged to tank up at a nearby spring. Two hikers across the field held up soda cans and pointed to a nearby parking area...I immediately changed course towards Andy and his Magic cooler. Andy is a vacationing Paramedic based on Ocracoke Island. We somehow got to talking about the differences in how NC and NJ provide emergency services and, specifically, helicopter medical transport. We talked long enough so that I decided to camp here.A look at the guide reveals I¢ll be near the famously hiker friendly Devils Backbone Brewery in a few days. Hmmmm...
Date: 2018-05-23
From: Mile 814.2

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: broken clouds

¢Twas a beautiful day for a hike. Yesterday¢s storms dumped a lot of rain and the trail is flooded with running water in sections. I took advantage and thoroughly rinsed my shoes. Many hikers who passed me earlier are passing me again now after returning from Trail Days in Damascus. They say it was muddy but a lot of fun.I heard from Plodalong and Grandma Shortie, they¢re cruising along about a week ahead of me. John, unfortunately, is still struggling with a foot injury and is off the trail again for medical attention. I ran into Crazy Brit for the first time in over a month.I spoke with a ¢Flip-flop¢ thru hiker named Popeye today. Flip-flop means a hiker breaks the trail into 2 or more sections but still completes the entire length in one year. The most common Flip-flop routine involves hiking north from Harpers Ferry to Maine then going back to Harpers Ferry and hiking south to Georgia. Popeye started near his home in northern Virginia and is hiking south. When he gets to Springer Mountain, GA he¢ll get a ride all the way to Mt. Katahdin in Maine and hike south from there, finishing back at home. Pretty neat, we¢ll pass each other again somewhere in New England. Sister Carol and family are coming down from New Jersey on Friday to pick me up for a break at their vacation home in Bayse, VA. It¢ll be good to spend time with family over the holiday weekend.
Date: 2018-05-24
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Maupin Fiels Shelter
Miles today: 13.8

Started the day at 4000ft, descended to 800, then back up and over 4000. I¢m at 2700ft tonight after almost 11 hours of stepping on, over, and between jagged rocks. And I got stung by a bee. The weather is nice.The Mountain Laurel are in full bloom and the treetops are filling in to block more sunlight each day. There¢s very little left blooming on the ground now, everything is buried under knee high, quickly growing greenery. I¢m meeting sister Carol 8 miles from here tomorrow afternoon. I will pass near the Devils Backbone Brewery on the way, it¢s a 5 mile hitch to the brewpub and campground. As you might expect it is a highly anticipated and much talked about layover amongst my fellow hikers. I¢ve got to keep the daily miles up so I decided to pass it by and asked Godfather (NOBO) to have two for me. (Did I just say that?!)
Date: 2018-05-25
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Bayse, VA
Miles today: 7.8

Another beautiful day. There¢s a lot of people on the trail. Some of them saw something about me that said ¢thru hiker¢ and stopped to chat about my experience so far. I ran into Godfather as he was returning from a night at Devils Backbone. We hiked together for a bit and he confirmed that he did drink beer for me last night. Specifically a double imperial IPA (9%)...right up my alley!I met Carol, John and kin at a parking area and here I am in Bayse for resupply and family time. I¢ll continue the adventure on Sunday. Till then...
Date: 2018-05-27
From: Mile 850.0

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter 
Miles today: 8.0

Had a great zero yesterday with Carol, John and nephews Matt and Cameron. After resupply shopping we went to a local brewery where Cousin Sue and Doug joined us for delicious BBQ. ¢Twas very cool to be with family while resting my weary bones. Back to the trail today where Cameron joined me for the first few miles in the pouring rain. It¢s just water, it¢ll wash off. Thru hiker Tang (NOBO) was the lucky recipient of Magic snacks and bottled water that we brought along just for that. We parted ways along the blue ridge parkway and I ¢mummed¢ off into the rain. Heavy rain fell a few times during the afternoon making everything slick. I slipped while walking over a large rock slab and fell hard landing on my left side. I lay there for a few minutes cursing myself for the moment of inattention then wriggled free of my pack and assessed the damage: a badly bruised outer thigh seems to be the extent of. It¢ll hurt for a week or so but only when I walk.By the time I limped into the shelter area it was almost dark. Tang is here along with some others but it was too late for much chat, I set up, ate, hung my food bags, and zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
Date: 2018-05-28
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter 

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

I entered Shenandoah National Park today. The rain held off till late afternoon then came down in buckets. I just added an umbrella to my gear, it worked well except I can¢t use both tracking poles while holding it increasing the risk of a slipping. My leg hurts pretty bad from yesterday¢s fall, slowed me quite a bit. There¢s a lot of people on the trail here despite the crummy weather. The shelter is full and there¢s several of us set up outside. I passed Crazy Brit again slack packing SOBO with small group. There was a long stretch without water and a guy doing maintenance on a cell tower helped me out with a bottle. I asked him his name, ¢Hikers call me The Sprint Guy¢. I confessed that I use Verizon and he jokingly withheld the bottle. He said he gives out a case or so every time he¢s up there. Before the rains hit I stopped to prepare a meal in a parking area along a freshly paved part of Skyline Drive. There was construction equipment parked there for the job so I sat up in the comfy cab of a big steam roller and cooked my rice and bacon in style. The keys were in it but I resisted. Looks like a soggy week ahead. The trail runs alongside Skyline drive much of the time so I¢m hoping the ¢ups and downs¢ aren¢t too severe. On we go...
Date: 2018-05-29
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Black Rock Hut
Miles today: 14.0

No rain today, yet. My leg still hurts but it helps to think it doesn¢t hurt every step, it¢s only every other step. It¢s also good that the trail is pretty smooth through here with few big elevation changes. The problem is there¢s very little water. My pack is still heavy with food so I only started with 2 liters of water this morning figuring that it rained so hard yesterday there would be water somewhere. There was not. I was ok but had the weather been hot I would have been in trouble, lesson learned. In my research for this adventure many sources mentioned that the middle part of an AT thru hike is a mental challenge and I¢m beginning to see they are right. Im still happy to be out here but the novelty is gone and I¢m beginning to obsess about how far I¢ve yet to go. My slow pace means that everyone I meet is soon miles ahead so I¢ve become less gregarious (not less friendly). Solution: set small goals and keep walking! I usually don¢t plan ahead more than a couple of days but tonite I took the time to map out the rest of the week. Lately I¢ve been more comfortable staying near the shelters and they¢re not always well spaced. So a shortish day tomorrow to a campground will get me a good meal, laundry and a shower, and perhaps avoid hiking in thunderstorms tomorrow evening. It¢ll also set me up for good daily mileage while staying near shelters until I get to Big Meadows for resupply.Oh great...there¢s a whip-or-will doing his thing nearby. It¢ll be tough sleeping with THAT going on but it¢s his forest, I¢m just visiting. Ahh nature...
Date: 2018-05-30
From: Black Rock Hut

To: Loft Mountain Campground 
Miles today: 6.2

An easy day. Early this afternoon I arrived and registered at the campground then set up my shelter. Then I put all my stuff in the provided bear box and headed off to do laundry and take a shower. As I was there a hard, windy rain began to fall. After my clothes were done I walked a mile in the rain to a restaurant and had dinner. When I returned to my dry cozy hammock it was nearly dark.Tomorrow will be rainy too but less so in the morning. Next stop is about 15 miles up trail.Q&A: Manasquan Elementary asked if I get scared. I thought a lot about how to answer that. -Animals? There¢s nothing out here that is interested in hurting me. Bears and other critters are interested in my food, not me. I make sure my stuff is stored properly. -Snakes? Watch where I¢m stepping and sitting. -Bugs? I could get sick from a mosquito or tick bite but that¢s part of being outdoors anywhere.-Cold? Wet? My gear protects me from the elements, usually. -Injury? I¢ve already dealt with that. If I get hurt badly there are always other hikers around to help.-Lost? The Trail is easy to follow, It¢d be nearly impossible to really get lost. So the short answer is no. I don¢t get scared. I will say that before I started this adventure the enormity of it frightened me, especially how long it¢ll take. Until now I¢ve never been away from home for longer than a couple weeks. Will I get homesick? Will people at home miss me. Or worse will they not miss me. I still worry about those things...and here I am. So lets continue...
Date: 2018-05-31
From: Loft Mountain Campground 

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Oh boy did it rain last night! Buckets! And it didn¢t stop till dawn. I was dry but I could hear the water running over the ground beneath me. When I poked my head out in the morning the people in the campsites nearby were all gone, got swamped in their tents I suppose. The trail went from running water to muddy quagmire all day but I still made good miles. Ran into my first bear. I was walking along and didn¢t see him till I was about 20ft away. He was right next to the trail foraging in the low brush. I stopped and asked him to move. He just looked at me. I banged my hiking poles together and asked again but he just kept poking around eating stuff. I couldn¢t continue on the trail without getting closer to him so I took a few steps back and stood there talking to him. Just as was about to take a picture 2 hikers came along from the other direction. Now there were 3 people talking at him so, just to get us to shut up, he decided to let us through. He slowly grazed his way away from the trail and we passed without incident. I kept moving till he was out of sight then realized I never took a picture. Just then I saw another bear running away from me on the trail ahead, missed that picture too. Oh well. It rained again this evening but the sun came out for a bit before setting. Maybe it¢ll be dry tomorrow for a change.