morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-05-30
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: StanimalÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs 328 Hostel Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Rained all night and I started out in the rain. About mid-day there was some weak sunshine and I thought things might be clearing up. After about 12 miles, I got to Matt¢s Creek Shelter and suddenly there was a huge downpour. Jukebox and Head Chef were in the shelter trying to guess how many people were at the next shelter. Although there were only 3 other people at the shelter where I stayed, there were about 25 at the previous one. I¢m not sure where all these people are coming from; I hardly see anyone all day.The skies cleared up again and I was congratulating myself for missing the downpour. I had only two miles left but got hit my another shower during the last mile. *sigh*The last part of my hike was over the James River Foot Bridge, which is a long, cool pedestrian bridge over the James River. It is named after Bill Foot, a local hiker. When I got to the parking lot, I barely had a phone signal. I called the hostel several times for a shuttle, but would only connect for a few seconds. I got a couple texts through to Dreamcatcher and Workhorse, and tried calling my sister so she could try the hostel. I realized the hostel was a little over 4 miles away, and I had plenty of daylight left, so I started walking. Fortunately, Donna, the caretaker, drove up just then. She drove me to the hostel which is so nice. I showered, did laundry, and dried out my stuff. I went with Workhorse, Bilbo, and Kalamazoo to the one restaurant in this little town and had eggplant parmigiana. Workhorse is excited to do his first slackpack tomorrow (basically the hike I did today, but without a full pack). I told him for tomorrow he would have to change his name to Racehorse. Then back to the hostel for going through my maildrop and getting ready to head out tomorrow.
Date: 2018-06-01
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The frogs were making an unbelievable amount of noise last night! I think there were three different species, from the sound of it.When I got up, my tent floor was dry. For the morning walk, we had sunshine, low humidity, and a breeze. I made the 10 miles to Brown Mountain Creek Shelter with no problem and stopped for lunch. Dandelion and Springbok, the South African couple stopped too. They were trying to convince me to go two more miles to Hogpen Gap, which has nice campsites. The AT hikers seem reluctant to go to this shelter because it¢s 0.5 miles off the AT.The afternoon was hot and there was a 5-mile, 2600¢ climb, so I soon gave up hope of making it any farther today. About an hour before the summit, I started to hear thunder which continued, but always far away. When I turned off the AT, the sky got dark but I made it to the shelter before a brief shower. I had been expecting to be here alone, but I was happy to see that Shadow was here.The bugs are horrible here! As I was making dinner, it was mostly tiny biting midges. All day long I was being driven crazy by gnats flying at my eyes. I am bug free in my tent, listening to the sound of the creek close by.
Date: 2018-06-02
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: Spy Rock Junction
Miles today: 13.4

Woke up to mist and overcast skies. I went over some balds that probably have great views but all I saw was mist.I got to Hog Camp Gap and met 50 cent, who was just packing up. I met him again talking to a Ridge Runner at Salt Log Gap. Boy that Ridge Runner could talk! He asked us where we were going and I said Spy Rock and 50 cent said the Priest Shelter. The Ridge Runner said there would probably be a lot of weekenders at both locations. I asked him if the forecast wouldn¢t deter them and he did say last weekend (Memorial Day weekend) there no weekenders out because of the rain.Shortly after I left there, it started to rain and it poured buckets for the three hours it took me to get to the Seeley-Woodworth Shelter. Shadow and 50 cent were there, planning to spend the night.I could have stayed there, but I really wanted to move on. Maybe to spite the rain, or to show the thru-hikers who are so condescending to me because I¢m an old, slow section hiker. I was there for a while though. I was out of water, and there is no water here, so I got a bunch of water and filtered it. I made and ate dinner there, since it was easier there than it would be while tenting in the rain. As I was packing up, I dropped my lighter on the ground and it wouldn¢t light. I tried using Shadow¢s lighter to dry it out. 50 cent said to put it in my pocket, which seemed ridiculous considering my shorts were soaked. I stuck it in my bra, which was also soaked but it was just convenient. By the time I left, it was hardly raining.It was a 2.7 mile walk from the shelter to here. I wasn¢t sure what I would find here, and right before here was a dirt road that said it was 1.9miles to the town of Montebello. I did think about going there, even though I wasn¢t sure what was there. But I think if I got there, I would end up quitting hiking and getting a shuttle to Waynesboro. It¢s amazing the effort I am putting into getting to a town that is such a short drive away.I came to a clearing and met an Australian woman on her way to the shelter I had just left. So nice to see a human! I saw a tent set up in a clearing (another human!). There was a campsite nearby, but I went further up to the trail to see if there were more protected spots. I ran into two Boy Scout leaders who seemed a little lost, or as they said, ¢disoriented¢. They said there weren¢t any camping sites ahead. They are hammocking nearby.I went back to the clearing, threw up my rope (which I got on the second try), set up my tent, ate some snacks, and hung my food bag. As I was setting up, the man in the other tent came out and we said hi.Now I am in my tent in my camp clothes, snug as a bug in a rug. I tried mylighter, and it works - phew. This campsite is so incredibly flat! Tomorrow is supposed to be the same weather-wise, and my pack and most of my stuff are wet. Think tomorrow will be pretty much miserable, but only three days and 38.5 miles left!
Date: 2018-06-03
From: Spy Rock Junction

To: HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.5

Not a miserable day at all!It rained a lot during the night. I kept hitting a mental ¢snooze¢ alarm because I wasn¢t ready to face the day. A little after 7:00 I decided to get going because it was raining lightly and I should get going before it started raining heavily. I got changed into my wet cold slimy hiking clothes, got my food bag, ate breakfast, and got packed up. As I packed away my tent, the rain had stopped! And I didn¢t realize it then, but it didn¢t rain for the rest of the day. Mostly cool, overcast, and breezy.I passed The Priest shelter - you are supposed to confess your sins in the shelter register and I¢ve heard it¢s pretty entertaining reading. Then on the the summit of The Priest - for northbound thru-hikers, this is the last time they¢ll be above 4000¢ until Massachusetts. I met Half-slow? - maybe I don¢t have the name right, but the guy Miss Janet is slackpacking. I haven¢t seen him in a few weeks! He said there was trail magic at the bottom of the hill - specifically hamburgers and waffles.That hill was a doozy though - a 3000¢ drop in 5 miles. I was ready for some Trail Magic when I got there. The couple doing it had hiked the AT in 2009. They had planned to come this weekend to do some hiking, but when they saw the weather forecast, they decided to do Trail Magic instead. They said they started yesterday during the downpour. Today they were serving eggs and bacon and toast made from Dave¢s Killer Bread, my fave. Took another vero! And I had a Coor¢s Light. Nice break with Pied Piper, Rooster, Jukebox, and Wilt.Then up to this shelter. I set up my tent by the creek, then went up to the shelter to make dinner. Serentina, who thru-hiked in 2010 and who I¢ve met on the AT on other section hikes, was staying at the shelter. We had an interesting conversation about long distance hiking.There is also a couple tenting across the creek. I think most of the AT hikers went 7 miles further where there¢s a road where you can hitch to the Devil¢s Backbone brewpub. You have to hitch there, but they have free tenting for hikers, a $5 breakfast, and will shuttle hikers back to the trail. Sounds really fun, but I couldn¢t do the miles today.Two more days, 27 more miles!
Date: 2018-06-04
From: HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Shelter

To: StanimalÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs hostel, Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 8.9

So... didn¢t make it. I got up, and has been the case for for the past 4 days, I couldn¢t put any weight on my right leg because of knee pain. It would loosen up after a couple miles, but each day seemed a little worse. I thought that since I only did 11.5 miles yesterday, I would be a little better, but that didn¢t turn out to be the case. I got off to a late start (8 am), and made very slow progress up Three Ridges. Although The Priest was the last 4000¢+ point, Three Ridges was 3966¢. Then my next goal was the Three Ridges Overlook, a pullout on the Blue Ridge Parkway that had a trashcan. I took a break there, and tried to see my other options for the day since I didn¢t think I would make the 14.5 miles that I planned. I decided to go to another parking area 4.3 miles ahead, that seemed to have water, and try to figure out a place to camp. There was a lot of hemming and hawing, and I started out. After a half mile, I called Adam (Stanimal) and he said he could pick me up, so I went back to the pullout I had just left. On a side note - an absolutely perfect June day - sunny, breezy, low humidity, and 78 degrees. When I got back to the pullout, Miss Janet drove by and pulled over to see if I was OK. I explained my situation and she gave me a Coke. I sat there listening to Dear Evan Hansen on my phone¢End of May or early JuneThis picture-perfect afternoon we sharedDrive the winding country roadGrab a scoop at  La ModeAnd then we're thereAll we see is sky for foreverWe let the world pass by for foreverFeels like we could go on for forever this wayTwo friends on a perfect dayWe walk a while and talk aboutThe things we'll do when we get out of schoolHike the Appalachian trail orWrite a book or learn to sailWouldn't that be cool?There's nothing that we can't discussLike girls we wish would notice us but never doHe looks around and says to me"There's nowhere else I'd rather be"And I say, "me too"And we talk and take in the viewWe just talk and take in the view¢And then Adam drove up and I got in the car.
Date: 2018-05-04
To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

Whew! I'm heading to Stehekin after all. I thought I would only have enough time to try to finish the AT from Hot Springs to Katahdin, but my post-trail plans have changed. I'm going to have to get into an EMS career through an actual community college program, or else I'll have problems getting licensed in any of the states I'd like to live in, including my once and current home state of Wisconsin. Not to mention that there'll be job placement, which will remove most of the stress I've been feeling about the change. Now I just have to decide between WI and TN, but that's probably material for a different kind of journal.PCT, as planned. Yes.
Date: 2018-05-16
To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I just returned from the post office in my small Wisconsin town, where the person behind the counter informed me that they could have accidentally returned my driver license. I'm supposed to be getting on a plane to San Diego on Tuesday, the 22nd, to start the trail on the 23rd. There is no telling now whether or not I'll be delayed, and how many hundreds of dollars I'll lose if I don't get the license. I have a motel reservation in El Cajon and reservations at Lake Morena and Burnt Rancheria. Not to mention that I upgraded to Economy Plus for the 4 hour leg of my flight.Last week I was vacillating between returning to Tennessee after my hike, or becoming a Wisconsin resident. At the last minute, I decided to stay in Wisconsin. So, I cancelled a mail forward that was supposed to go into effect on Saturday, and went to the DMV and got my license. As my usual anti-luck would have it, the license was supposed to be delivered on Saturday. The clerk told me that they got the cancellation, and I have an email receipt saying that I'd successfully cancelled it on the 8th, yet it could have been returned by accident. (The DMV's envelopes are marked Return Service Requested and aren't supposed to be forwarded.)I guess we'll see what happens. The DMV told me that they can't do anything until my temporary driving receipt expires, on the 22nd, so I expect to be delayed by a week and lose a lot of money. I would be much more distraught if I didn't have a daily meditation practice. Still, this sucks. I'm going to drink another cup of coffee, meditate for an hour, and go do my training run / walk. And maybe look into delaying my flight...
Date: 2018-05-27
To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

I have two full days before my start on May 30th. My driver's license arrived as soon as I had paid to change my ticket. For the past three months I've been challenged and delayed by high blood pressure, family matters, car trouble, indecision, and even a newfound dedication to meditation. The hike itself will be relatively chill.I'm not going to divulge what kind of shape I'm in, but it's nothing close to when I was living in the Smokies. Still, I managed a 20 mile run/walk yesterday in some unseasonable 90° weather, so this hike is sounding completely plausible.I'm planning on going fast and light through the desert and mailing my heavy rig to Kennedy Meadows. I'll finish packing tomorrow and post a final pack weight then, but my base should be below 10 lbs for this first section, if I can help it.
Date: 2018-05-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I've been delayed again, due to July deadlines at the EMT program I'm going to be attending next spring. An already late start, and the prospect of having to leave the tail to take care of immunizations and take a BLS course, has made me decide to just hike SOBO instead. Will I ever make it to the trail? I still think so, but I understand that you may be doubtful.This resets my time window, and gives me an extra month to get in shape, which is nice. But I will be starting with a heavier pack.
Date: 2018-07-04
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: clear sky

Well, I'm not hiking the PCT. I'm hiking the AT, and I actually made it to a trailhead this time.Today a few hikers and I rode from the Appalachian Trail Lodge hostel in Millinocket, to Katahdin Stream Campground in Baxter State Park, to start our Southbound hikes. The driver, "Ole Man" said the hike would take 8-10 hours, so I figured 6 at most. I was wrong, it took me almost 9 to ascend the Hunt Trail and descend the Abol Trail. It doesn't help that I'm fat, out of shape, and haven't had trail legs in two years.I used to think that some of the trails in the Smokies were badass (Rainbow Falls and Low Gap come to mind) but this one involved scrambling up some boulders to a place I called the "Hillary Step" and then some more minor scrambling up to the "Tablelands" (actual name this time), from where it was a flat, rocky mile to the true summit. In total there were 4019 feet of gain in 9.47 miles, KSC to Baxter Peak to Abol Campground.I decided to take the Abol Trail down, basically for safety, since I'm good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It's a steep, rocky, rooty mess but the smell of death is fainter. From Abol Campground to KSC is about a mile on the park road, but I got a ride from a nice ranger.Regardless of Katahdin, this park is one of the most beautiful places I've seen. The campground was pretty and well-maintained, and stocked with toilet paper. There are sites with wooden shelters they call "lean-tos", if you don't mind laying out a buffet table for blackflies and mosquitoes.I shared a campsite with another SOBO from the hostel. We turned in very early.
Date: 2018-07-05
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Golden Road
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up at around 4:30 to the annoying sounds of birds, but happy to be a little cool for a change. My legs were starting to get sore, but not as sore as they would be tomorrow. I packed up quickly, ate a couple of Clif Bars, and started for Abol Bridge and the park boundary. I wished my sitemate well on his hike and told him I saw white blazes up on the road behind us (Tower Road). With consumables, my "slack" pack weighed about 16 pounds.It was very buggy, but my natural bugspray (the Repel Eucalyptus) worked pretty well. I got to see the ponds in the early morning golden hour. Since I had plenty of time to hike the short distance before my pick up at 2, I took the short side trail to Little Niagara Falls. When I got out onto the boulder, there were no bugs. None at all. I sat there for about half an hour enjoying the view. (It's the picture you see.)The trail had started out gnarly, but thankfully smoothed out as the trail began to follow the river. The mosquitoes started to thin out around 9, but were replaced by deer flies and heat. It got up to 97 degrees in Millinocket, but I'm sure the woods were slightly cooler. Still, my water consumption went up and the hike became a bit of a chore as I got jaded on the scenery.Near Abol bridge I ran into a ranger who told me where to deposit the yellow sheet. I forgot that it came with the red permit card, slightly displeasing the ranger. Next he called it a slip, so I finally remembered. The slip is safely in the drop box.There was a majestic view of Katahdin from Abol Bridge, followed by a short, hot road walk between the trailhead and the store. I was glad I payed 50 grams to haul my Outdoor Research sun hat.At the store, I drank a cold Coke and orange juice and made a call via satellite phone to the AT Lodge. Fortunately they were able to pick me up early and I didn't have to wait around in the heat until 2.The driver was great (Sprinkles' husband, I forgot his name though) and we talked the whole way back on the rough road. It was nice to have air conditioning in the car. Civilization is great when you're tired and out of shape.
Date: 2018-07-06
From: Millinocket

To: Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Yesterday, Ole Man and the shuttle driver called me a Gram Nazi when I playfully complained about the weight of sunscreen. I may be a little broiled but yesterday's trial pack in my new Osprey Exos 58 was under 7,000 grams. Yes, I brought a 95g American Weigh SR-20 luggage scale. It shares AAA batteries with my headlamp though. That makes it alright.It's raining and the weather is thankfully going to cool off into the 70s. It'll be back up to 92 on Monday the 9th, though. Today I have to shop for food, do laundry, mail my temporary pack home, fill my drop bucket, and pack for the Hundred Mile Wilderness. Basically, more chores than I've ever done in a single day.Since I wanted to enter the HMW with some antioxidants in my system, I schlepped it over to the Hannaford supermarket. If your resupply is simple, or you don't care about fresh produce, my advice would be to try Rideout's first. They're maybe 1/4 mile up Poplar Street and there's even a sidewalk the whole way. (Which reminds me, I still need toilet paper--and extra bug spray.)On the way, I stopped at the Dollar General and managed to cut the weight of my camp shoes in half, for $1.06, less than a penny per gram. REI isn't nearly as efficient! OTOH, that actually raises my pack weight by 160g.I also made a plan to stash a can of beans and a can of spinach in my drop bucket. I can eat those at the drop point and the hostel will take it back with my garbage. I also stashed most of my pound of matcha [sic!] and my running tights. I mean long baselayer. And my albatross of an Ursack.My food has a low calorie density so the bucket is completely full. I'm taking 10,700 calories in with me, and stashing the remaining 7,300. Since the bulk of the calories come from oatmeal, raisins, and other tasteless vegan foods, 3k Calories a day would take a serious commitment to eating. I doubt that will happen until I've lost a little weight, so I figure I have 6-9 days of food.I spent most of my free time this afternoon trading notes with a younger guy who's starting at Katahdin tomorrow. I told him how terrible it would be and that he'll never make it with that heavy pack of his. He probably will, though.Total pack weight going into the HMW: 10,500 grams. Give or take, without toilet paper.I've been hobbling around town with DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) today, so I'm glad it's flat tomorrow, except for a climb to a viewpoint at Rainbow Ledges. The steepest part is 950 feet per mile... but only for 0.2 miles.
Date: 2018-07-16
From: Golden Road

To: Monson, ME via Historic AT Route (Mile 117.8)
Miles today: 102.2
Weather: mist

Well, that was humbling. I've just hiked some of the most gratuitously rocky and rooty trail ever created, through the buggiest wild lands in the East. But that's the cliche, and as such it's partly true. There were also beautiful pond scenes, hard-won summits, and even some surprisingly easy trail tread that I was very grateful for.This was my itinerary:07-07 004 30.1 Rainbow Stream Leanto07-08 005 44.0 Nahmakanta Stream Campsite07-09 006 45.7 Nearo to WHL Pickup07-10 007 45.7 Zero at WHL07-11 008 59.7 (14.0) Cooper Brook Falls LT(Pick up 7,300 Calorie food drop on the 12th.)07-12 009 71.4 (11.7) Logan Brook Leanto07-13 010 85.9 (14.5) East Chairback Pond07-14 011 95.4 (9.5) Cloud Pond Leanto07-15 012 111.5 (16.1) Leeman Brook Leanto07-16 013 117.8 (6.3) Nearo to MonsonIt's too onerous to type html on my phone, especially on my wilderness adventure.That's an average of 10.3 miles a day, exactly what Ole Man predicted. (11.4 on trail, not counting the zero.)I'm not sure if it's the heat, elevation, or season, but bugs weren't really a problem either. Based on reports, the thought of being sucked down to a raisin by a cloud of mosquitoes was always in the back of my mind. Especially since I didn't bring enough spray. And the "Made In Maine" natural spray I bought at Ride Out's didn't work as well as Repel. The best way I found to stay sane when followed by deer flies is to try to kill them, patiently using myself as bait. It's so satisfying, you'll soon be questioning it as a technique for staying sane.I also didn't pack in enough food or leave enough in my drop bucket. That realization was responsible for my decision to stay at Whitehouse Landing. It's a great place, regardless. My advice would be to save up the money to be able to take a zero there. You can't beat the experience of getting picked up in a boat after calling your hosts on a radio. The site is off the grid, but has the latest in 19th century technology: multi-stall outhouses, gaslight, and even a tub and washboard so you can do your laundry. The food is great and they pack your leftover pizza for the next morning's hike. The resupply is mostly snacks and bars--no bug spray.As Shaw's internet allows, I'll upload a dozen of the many pictures I took. I hope they give you some idea of what it was like. Many of my photos are of the trail itself--I thought that maybe, in a few years time, when the memories start to fade, I might want to remind myself what the actual trail was like, too--not just the scenery. The hike and the effort.And last but not least, I still have not seen a moose. A hiker named Nome de Jour has seen two. Maybe you have to get up early in the morning or something.