morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-10-02
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-To

To: Stealth
Miles today: 15.4

I woke up feeling kind of meh, and it was SO COLD last night - a far cry from how warm it had been the last night I slept outside, right before Monson. Rabbit asked to hike with me for 1.2 miles until the 2100 mile mark, and I said ¢of course, you can hike with me until you get bored and run off¢ but these 1.2 miles was a grueling uphill over slate and I just wasn¢t feeling it this morning with snot running from my nose and coughing from the post-nasal drip. This had Rabbit worried but I told him it was fine, as the connection between my nose and throat is like a superhighway for nasal drip. We got to the 2100 marker and we both felt ambivalent about it - it was just another number you know? It wasn¢t like what it¢ll feel like when we have our first glimpse of Katahdin and this imaginary mountain becomes real and visible and tangible and oh too close. Instead of running off as usual Rabbit stuck with me, and we hiked the ridge and got to sun ourselves on some rocks and enjoy the gorgeous view of the road we had walked below in the valley - as we were on top of the mountain we had were walking up to last night - really nice view for a 2000 feeter. I got to dry my socks in the sun as well which was a bonus. We walked some more, took a break at the top of Barren Mountain at the base of a former fire tower and I dried my socks some more, and we had a precious shred of cell service. After that we passed the Fourth Mountain Bog which had PITCHER PLANTS (carnivorous northern purple pitched plant and round leaf sundew) which was crazy and we could see the gastric fluids inside at the bottom. We crossed the bog, and randomly passed a plane crash which had a ton of the fragments like fabric and paint chips still there and it was very sudden and jarring. But! Happily I heard (aka Rabbit heard from Poet and then told me) both passengers of the crash survived. Looking at the exposed framework of the plane, I could see how they didn¢t get crushed on impact as it seemed quite sturdy and not crushed. We hiked on, and I tripped on a root so we took a quick break and then decided to lunch at the next stealth spot which was shortly after. I had a peak refuel breakfast scramble which was eh, I remembered why I never got it again after trying it the first time back on day TWO. I passed it back and forth to Rabbit to try and finish it. After that we hiked to a trail junction and blue blazed down a gorgeous, well maintained, well graded, non-rooty day hiking trail (it is frustrating seeing day-hiker trails that run right by the AT be BEAUTIFUL AND FLAT AND NO ROCKS OR ROOTS and the AT is none of that - looking at you AMC in the Whites). We cut to a logging road where we walked to a parking lot with pit privies! We did our business and blue blazed back to trail and camped by the river; we were able to set up and eat before nightfall and now I am curled in my tent updating my diary for today and feeling sleepy.
Date: 2023-10-03
From: Stealth

To: East Branch Lean-To
Miles today: 16.4

Pretty uneventful, we crossed first thing and the water was more biting cold than usual. While filtering water and putting on shoes Smokey and the Golden Horde passed us (perhaps for the last time) going SOBO, with Funfacts behind them. Apparently they hike with them sometimes, perhaps as babysitting? I hiked through the Hermitage up and up through the endless climb over 7 miles for 4000¢ which was incredibly mellow and pretty except for the last 0.6 miles which felt like more exertion that the previous 6.4 miles. Very pretty, didn¢t see any of the ¢Grand Canyon of Maine¢ but longingly looked at the pools of water and wanted to take a dip because it was HOT out and I was soaked in sweat but I thought I¢d do it after the Avery peak summit. After the first summit I descended down to a campsite specifically to look for the piped spring that was cold and clear, reminding me of the spring on the climb to Mt Rogers back in early Virginia. I found Rabbit chilling out eating snacks, and I had lunch with him eating another delicious Heather¢s Choice - shepherd's pie flavor this time. Molto bene.The next peak (West) was very chill, Hay mountain was a little more demanding, and then Avery peak where I saw my first view of Katahdin in the distance! Seeing it real in the flesh (bedrock?) made me tear up. Since we were ahead of schedule I texted Shaw's to move our food drop up a day to tomorrow, and hiked down to the shelter for the night. I made the cheddar jalape±o grits I had been eyeing since Hot Springs, but sadly didn't prepare it correctly (too much water) but think it has a lot of potential.After dinner I laid against a rock and stared at the bowl of stars visible in the gap of forest trees and thought about how I was somewhere in the northern Maine woods and missed my departed loved ones.
Date: 2023-10-05
From: Antler Campsite

To: Antler Campsite
Miles today: 0.0

An amazing day and my only zero on the actual trail. One of the things I had wanted to do on trail was take an on-trail zero, and this seemed like a perfect place. Great cell service, beautiful views surrounded by a lake, privy (which... was INFESTED by wolf spiders which are terrifyingly large).  Woke up and got to lounge in my quilt with the tent rain fly rolled up so I could watch the water and read from bed. I went out and read some more, and then helped Rabbit build a fire with the ripped up pages from my book. A really nice day hanging around, and listening to music as there was no one else around so could be obnoxious and play music on speaker. In the afternoon Kodak, Gadget, Magic, and Jersey Shore came in which was awesome to see friends still in the 100 Mile.Despite the weather window it has been very quiet on trail, which is nice as I didn't want to be on a conveyer belt of 30+ hikers a day sadly hiking towards Katahdin and I wanted some alone time to reflect on my experience, cherish the last few days, and hog premium lakefront tenting space.
Date: 2023-10-06
From: Antler Campsite

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-To
Miles today: 21.6

We bushwhacked from camp to an abandoned logging road which felt truly post-apocalyptic and desolate with moss and grass growing over the road - NOLS bushwhacking skills coming in handy yet again! We walked back to Jo Mary, making up scenarios about why we¢d be walking cross-country post-apocalypse, admired the fall foliage which was out with a vengeance, and did a zesty road walk. We lunched by the river and watched a car parked there for the entire time we were there (which was weird because we were by a logging road in the middle of nowhere and this seemed like a tourist), and then walked the last few miles to the campsite which included a trail bed of super nice spongy moss. Felt like walking on brand new sneakers with pristine cushioning. There we met a section hiker who was treating his water by boiling them in metal pots which is weird but was made insane by the fact that he would cut down branches with a hatchet to start the fires. He didn't have a water bottle with him to store water, so every time he wanted water he would have to take out his metal bowls, cut down wood, and stoke a fire to boil it. That is crazy behavior, just putting it out there. A Sawyer Squeeze is 3oz, so much easier and less time-consuming, and I am pretty sure cutting down wood is illegal on the AT. This guy also said he worked at a campsite so it's not like he had never been exposed to backpacking / camping gear. Talking about this later with Rabbit, we realized we both were sketched out but unfortunately the other seemed OK with it so we didn¢t voice our concerns. Yet again people pleasing strikes. At least Gadget came along and slept in the shelter with us, and I felt that if the section hiker went crazy with the hatchet hopefully Gadget would get struck first and that would give me time to get up and run away womp (sorry Gadget).
Date: 2023-10-07
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-To

To: Abol Pines
Miles today: 15.1

We woke up on the early side to get to the next shelter before the rains started, as 3-4 inches was predicted to fall starting around 3pm. SO MUCH RAIN. We flew across the terrain, catching up to Ra and Mando quickly as they had left the campsite nearly an hour before us. I had been longing to canoe so Rabbit kindly agreed to stop for a final canoeing break, and I paddled us around in the misting rain while Ra and Mando kept their eyes out for their long hoped for moose sighting. We kept on, and made it to Hurd Lean-to which was the final 100MW shelter. We read through the trail log (bittersweet as it was the last trail log on trail) and chilled for a bit as it was our first actual break of the day after 12 miles. After this we got up and... headed out of the 100MW. It was crazy seeing the sign on the other side, and how easily and swiftly we had dispatched this supposedly ¢formidable¢ thing. Ra and Mando headed into town for food and shelter from the rain (smart call). From there we walked to Abol Pines and spoke to the nice ranger Donald Duck who walked with us to the state campground and helped us pick a shelter that was best shielded from the wind and rain. After setting up I sat by the river and watched for a bit, made a late lunch, and then spent the afternoon reading ¢The World According to Garp¢. When it got dark I put it away, got curled up and played the stupid iPhone jet pack game / told more random stories to Rabbit until we got sleepy and fell asleep.Apparently almost 30+ hikers a day had been summitting Katahdin the past week and I was so thankful I just missed that and was at the tail end, because that sounds way too crowded for my taste.
Date: 2023-10-08
From: Abol Pines

To: The Birches
Miles today: 5.0

I took the Blueberry Ledges blue blaze due to the flooding, actual hike was more like 5 miles. Katahdin... drains FAST as all the rains from yesterday was flooding down. This is how I felt entering Baxter State Park: AHHHHHHHHH. It was a super fast hike, at the Birches we got our spots and met up with Jersey Shore, Magic, Gadget, and his girlfriend. We sat around talking and they were laughing but we felt more quiet / somber about it ending. Talked to the ranger about what to expect and it just felt weird, like end of school or graduation.Super cold at night.
Date: 2023-02-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

After looking at all the other stuff happening in my life, I have selected Sunday March 12 as my start date. My wife will drive me up to Damascus, VA. I should be able to be on the trail by noonish and still get 6-7 miles in before setting up first camp. Still have a lot of tasks to finish up on my list before I leave.  And I want to get at least one overnight trip in to do last minute gear shakedown. More to follow¢¦
Date: 2023-02-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

As many of you know, last year's attempt ended at mile 428.1 near Damascus, VA with a fall and a right leg broken in three places. It healed pretty well but over the Fall, I really never got past three days hiking without having to stop for two days of rest and recovery. That was not good enough to restart the trail and it wasn't good enough to get back in shape. So around Thanksgiving, I gave up and let the leg rest until January first. Then I started slow. For two weeks, I did 4 mile hikes without a pack. I was able to go every day and that's really my key indicator for being ready to start. Then I added a 16 pound pack on 4 mile hikes. Then every week, I added a mile and 1 or 2 pounds to the pack. By late February, I was at 7-8 miles and 22 pounds. That's good enough to get on the trail for me because those hikes were all under 4 hours. So I felt like a full day of hiking the AT could cover my starting goal of10 miles per day.For the the next two weeks, I plan on dropping back to 5-6 miles and keep increasing pack weight. That should reduce the risk of a last minute minor injury that would delay the start. Plus, I really need the extra couple of hours a day to get my To Do list under control. I'm getting excited! I feel ready to start and it's hard not to head to the trail now...
Date: 2023-03-12
From: Damascus, VA

To: MM 476.5
Miles today: 6.5

Day 1 6.5mi MM 476.5Clare & I made it to Damascus, VA about noon. Rain almost the whole way from SC. But stopped while we were having lunch. Showers were forecast for the afternoon but heavy rain was past so decided to chance it. [Clare¢s said: Awful weather, 40 degrees and raining.]. Started at 2:09pm Worked out great because all I had was a few very light showers and a lot of fog. I had a single 1100' up and down  which went surprisingly well. All in my pack was about 31 pounds which is 8 over where I ended training. Gonna be sore tomorrow and next day I am sure but it got done without problems. Very encouraging.Mid point of the day¢¦Top of the first mountain. Three miles from Damascus. All is well so far. Hike On!Stopped about 5:00 so I had plenty of time to set up camp since I knew I'd be rusty.  Had chicken with stuffing for dinner and now at 7:00 I'm all snuggled in under my new quilt. Another first tonight. It's starting to drizzle outside - right on time with the forecast. But I'm warm and dry inside the tent. Saw 4 day hikers today but no other thru hikers.  I expect it to be pretty quiet during the week.  I'm in the Grayson Highlands area which is super popular. So who knows???Many many thanks to all of you for supporting this crazy adventure. The trail goes ever on...
Date: 2023-03-13
From: MM 477

To: MM 488
Miles today: 10.0

Day 2. 10 miles.MM 488. Cold day but nothing like what's coming tomorrow!  One 1600' climb that wasn't too bad.Above 3000' it was in the clouds with snow and hoar frost on everything. It was pretty. I'll send pix when I have data. Basically no cell service anywhere today.  Physically, a little sore - moderate tired but I'm happy.
Date: 2023-03-14
To: MM 495
Miles today: 7.0

Day 3. 7 miles. MM 495.Waking up was fun today. Everything was frozen. Food, water shoes. Ya know. Anyway the day started with a 3 mile 2200' climb to get the motor running. With 2 inches of fresh snow that took 3 hours to do. I heard you can break a leg out here so I went slow.Topped the hill and it was a bald which I wasn't expecting. 40 mph winds- it was cold. Decided not to try for the next shelter and stopped wt 3:30 to get warm and eat. One had pop tarts at that point.  Water was frozen and couldn't cook lunch. So I stopped and pitched the tent and thawed water. Don't ask it was crazy. First melt snow to pour n bottles etc. It was 28 inside the tent a 4:00. It's down to 22 at 6:30. Probably hit teens tonight.  So focus now is to stay warm. All is well.
Date: 2023-03-15
To: MM 507
Miles today: 12.0

Day 4. 12 miles almost. MM 507. Passed the 500 mark today. Yay. A good indicator that I'm making progress.I bet you are wondering how cold it was last night. 14 in the tent!  Lot of wind. So it was a good decision to bed down early.  I was fine - didn't even need to put on extra clothes to stay warm although I put my puffy over my face to keep it warm.Sun came out early so the trail mostly cleared off. Never got above freezing because water was an issue. Had to "camel" from source to source. No way to carry it. Luckily there were enough streams. One spring had to be an artesian well it was flowing in surges. Unexpected this high up.Passed by Mt. Roger's highest point in VA. 5700 something I think. Only one 1000' climb today so I made extra miles. Also too cold to sit and rest -- just kept plodding on. Saw another 4 people today but they drove up. Wimps! Two more on the trail. Might get to Dickeys Gap tomorrow. Have a resupply box in Troutdale. Hopefully it will be above freezing tomorrow. Having to sleep with everything in my sleeping bag. Already at 25 in the tent. Clear skies. I expect another cold one.(YES, I am keeping an eye on the weather. Liz & Rob are providing me with weather updates.)
Date: 2023-03-16
From: MM 507

To: MM 520 - Troutdale, VA
Miles today: 13.0

Day 5. 13 miles. MM520. Long day to push for getting to Troutdale but there weren't any big hills so it was easy- NOT. warm and sunny also helped.  Picked up my first resupply box and that worked like a champ.Staying at a church hostel tonight. I'm the first for this year. They opened for me and turned on the shower. What a blessing. The water can best be termed "liquid stink."I've taken pictures but haven't been able to send them because I've had no data. Hopefully in two or three days I'll be close enough to I81 to get some. Troutdale was a bit of a surprise. One church, bank, fire station and a post office. Maybe a dozen homes??? You can tell at one time it was much busier and it's probably the hub for many miles. Not big enough to get cell service though. I'm sending this text by standing next to the church's cross on top of the hill. A little sore but actually better than expected. I'll probably pay for the big miles tomorrow. Only ten planned to my next stop. Rain showers all day but reasonably warm.  I can live with that. Couple more sub-20 nights coming Saturday and Sunday.  Always fun!It's really beautiful. I wish you could all feel what I feel. God is great. Thanks to all my Prayer Warriors who are keeping me going. The Trail goes ever on...
Date: 2023-03-17
To: MM 534
Miles today: 14.0

Day 6. 14 mi. MM 534Good day for miles. Showers off and on all day but never enough to warrant a rain coat. Sleeping in a shelter tonight because tents aren't allowed for several miles around this point. Two other guys with me. Passed 2 more on the trail. Hasn't been a single day that I haven't seen at least 4 people.Got my ear phones and white noise app in case they snore. It's 8:00 as I write this and I'm already under my quilt. Tomorrow night is supposed to be in the teens again, forecasted to be 12 degrees. So we (me and the guys I shared the shelter with last night) are all going to hold up at the Long Neck Lair alpaca farm/hostel in Atkins VA.Couple of steep 500' climbs and then down to Atkins. 11 miles in total. They have Wi-Fi there so I will send some pictures.
Date: 2023-03-18
From: MM 534

To: MM 545 Long Neck Lair Hostel/Alpaca Farm
Miles today: 11.0

Day 7. 11 mi. MM 545. It was a cold 11 mile hike into Atkins. I made the decision pretty early in the day not to hike on Sunday.  Not an especially difficult day in general but about 5 mile descent into Atkins. About half was pretty rocky. I¢m still cautious with the ankle/leg and I¢ve never been very fast downhill so I didn¢t get into town until 4:00.Ate at the Sweetwater Venue restaurant on the way to the hostel. It was a fish fry night and was delicious. I¢m sure they don¢t do it every night but I was lucky and ate my fill. On to the Alpaca Farm and warmth. Staying with two other hikers in the bunk house and enjoying the company ¢ Mini HaHa and Surefoot.
Date: 2023-03-19
To: Staying put!
Miles today: 0.0

Day 8. 0 miles. MM 545.In Atkins, VA taking a ¢zero¢.  That means I am not going to hike any miles on the trail. The weather forecast was for 18 last night and 12 tonight. The high today was never going to get above freezing so water was going to be an issue. I am staying at the Long Neck Lair farm/ hostel/ BnB.  It¢s great. Highly recommended if you are going to be in the area.Taking that zero!  Went through my food bag and organized it this morning for the next two and half days. That will get me to the next stop and resupply. Quiet day. So if you have any burning questions, text them to me. A good day for clarifying any confusion I have so far created.
Date: 2023-03-20
From: MM 545 Long Neck Lair Hostel/Alpaca Farm

To: MM 558 Ceres, VA
Miles today: 13.0

Day 9. 13 mi. MM 558.A cold start this morning. It was 19 at 8:30 when I started but no wind and sunny. So believe it or not, I was almost too warm after a couple of miles. Passed a big milestone - the quarter way point to Katahdin. Still a long way to go but an achievement for three partial years. I feel good. First time I have had a little pain in my right ankle. Not bad but I was happy to stop walking on it this afternoon.  It feels much better after some Voltaren and food. Trying to make it to Burkes Garden hostel tomorrow where I have another resupply box waiting.  It¢s 13 miles away and I¢ll have to see how the ankle does.  If I have to there is a tent spot 8 miles from here and a shelter 11.  I can stop at either of those and walk in the next day.  That¢s how it works on the trail. Every day is different and plans have to adapt. Weather is supposed to be excellent!See attached photo¢¦ This is how you cross a barbed wire fence on the AT. *There are 2 additional photos in the photo list.
Date: 2023-03-21
From: MM 558 Ceres, VA

To: MM 571 - Burkes Garden Hostel - Tazewell, VA
Miles today: 13.0

Day 10. 13 mi. MM 571.Butt kicker today. The miles weren¢t bad but there was a 800¢, 900¢ and 2100¢ climb in that order. Would have much easier had they been reversed. A two thousand foot mountain in the afternoon is at my limit right now. Easier in the morning when legs are fresh. But I got it done and made it to the hostel. It¢s an old Amish barn that is being converted. And it¢s beautiful. Burkes Garden Hostel. Burkes Garden is a four by eight mile limestone sink hole!  The picture shows it off. Appears to me to have dropped about a thousand feet. That is a big sinkhole. It happened long ago so I don¢t think anyone was bothered.Also had to ford a stream about 20 feet wide; water was 10-12 inches deep and cold!!! I went barefoot. The bottom was smooth river rock - a little slippery but otherwise ok. Needless to say, I went as fast as possible. Going to try for a smaller day tomorrow. I¢m getting a little tired with all the 13 mile days. I¢m glad I can do them this early but I don¢t want to overdo it early and slow my progress in the long run.
Date: 2023-03-22
From: MM 571 - Burkes Garden Hostel - Tazewell, VA

To: MM 581
Miles today: 10.0

Day 11. 10 mi. MM 581. Even though it was a short mileage day, it was still tough. Only about 1200' of 'up' but the trail was 90% rocks.  Very hard on my feet -- they are complaining tonight! Also very mentally stressing as you have to really watch every step to keep from falling. Very light rain was falling most of the day and with some wind it was a little chilly.  When it wasn't raining, the trail was in the clouds so there was never a good view. Definitely not as much fun as a sunny day. On the plus side, I had a couple of hiking buddies today - Shades and Blaze. The most amazing team I have ever seen. Shades is visually challenged and Blaze is her guide dog. The two of them were just unbelievable to watch. With direction from Blaze, Shades went over, under and around every obstacle that I did without being able to see them. Living proof that to walk the AT, you have to really want it -- the rest can be overcome. WOW!
Date: 2023-03-23
From: MM 581

To: MM 592
Miles today: 11.0

Day 12. 11 mi. MM 592. Gotta love the AT. Two days ago we were all freezing and today in the low 70¢s. You have to be ready for anything.I spent the first four miles with Shades & Blaze this morning then they caught a ride to a hostel for the evening.(Photos included under ¢photos¢).I wish I could really convey to you how difficult what they are doing is. The AT is a huge challenge on a minute by minute basis. You have to choose your path and foot placement so precisely at times ¢ watching them do it as a team is fascinating. She spent two years training Blaze to do the work needed on the trail. A real inspiration ¢ their work has spread up and down the trail. Everyone we met already knew who they were. I clocked another 7 after leaving them. I wanted to go only 5 or so but made a water mistake. Thought there was a source that turned out not to be there. So I was very dry getting into camp. On the plus side, I should have real breakfast at a restaurant tomorrow. Yum yum!!!In the morning I¢ll be all over I-77.  I can hear it now. May need to use headphones tonight. Well I¢m tired. Later¢¦.