morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-15
From: I70 Footbridge in northern MD

To: Crampon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1

Day 1Last night a guy from Bulgaria, girl from Germany and woman from Virginia joined us in the hostel's bunk room filling 10 out of the 12 bunks. The woman from Virginia shared some of her homemade dried kale (which looked like something that is now legal in Colorado!) which I will mix in w my pasta or ramen. There were extra waffles and banana from breakfast which I took for a snack and left with my shuttle driver who took me to the trailhead where I ended my month-long hike last fall. It was a nice cool day and the major difference from my last hike is the leaves aren't out yet so you can see further improving the views. I passed many Civil War markers and climbed up to the top of the "other" Washington monument (see photos section to left for more pictures. I can only post 1 w my blog). I hiked 12 miles to a shelter and decided to tent there since I wanted a refresher on how to set up my tarp tent. At the campsite was a Ridge Runner who monitors the Maryland section of the trail. For dinner I made some couscous and tuna but left my spork (combo spoon and fork) back at the hostel where I also temporarily stored some food and rain gear. As a result I had to eat my dinner like a frozen Icee, pushing the food up from the bottom- luckily no one else was there to see this messy dining method! Later a family of 3 I had met earlier arrived. The dad is a carpenter so he enjoys seeing the construction methods and materials of each of the shelters. There are about 250 of these 3 sided shelters along the 2,100 miles of the trail.
Date: 2015-04-16
From: Crampon Gap Shelter

To: Teahorse Hostel
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 2Had a great nights sleep and watched the sunrise coming up over another mountain range with a hot cup of coffee. Hiking was pretty easy except for a 3.5 uphill which seemed like it would never end. Even w my big safari hat (which I don't take pictures in!) I got more sun on my face than I wanted since there are few leaves out yet. I stopped at the Ed Garvey shelter and said a prayer at a makeshift rock memorial for a hiker who was killed by a falling branch when leaving the shelter. I ran into an Elderhostel hiking group near Weaver Cliffs which was a perfect vantage point to see Harpers Ferry in the distance (see photos section at left). After passing a number of bicyclists and several Flip Flop hikers (hikers who start the trail from the middle instead of the endpoints) on the C&O Towpath I stopped for a cold Yingling beer before heading to the hostel. Had another nice dinner w Timber and Pastor Tom where we solved the rest of the worlds problems.
Date: 2015-04-17
From: Teahorse Hostel

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: overcast clouds

At breakfast we met a woman from Florida who was planning a 200 mile AT hike in the south with her 4 children (age 5-13). Even Timber who recalls every part of his trip as pretty easy discouraged her plan. Stopped by the George Lesser Shelter for lunch. This shelter had an wood Adirondack sofa plus a wooden swing which I sat on for lunch. I had originally thought I'd stop here for the night but it was too early. Next in the hike was the "Rollercoaster", a 13.5 mile continuous series of pretty steep ascents and descents. I got through part of the Rollercoaster and stopped (and I was really tired) after 21.4 miles at the Bears Den Hostel. Before I stopped I ran into Flash, a fast and enthusiastic northbound thru hiker. At the Bears Den I took "hikers special" which included bunk, shower, full pizza, pint of Ben & Jerry's, drink, laundry and pancake breakfast for $30. Also staying there were a dad and son who were hiking and a group of volunteers from the South Jersey Outdoor Club. Two of the women had traveled all over the world and led skiing and hiking trips. Their volunteer trip was dedicated to one of the husbands who had hike the AT, Pacific Crest Trail, several trails in Europe but died at 72.
Date: 2015-04-18
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: broken clouds

Saw my bear on the AT, black bear with two tiny cubs coming down a tree. While I took a photo of the Bears I was regretting not putting the beef jerky j had set aside in a ziplock bag. There were lots of day hikers out and one family told me about a waterfall (see photos section) just off the trail. This year I'm using fallen trees and large rocks to cross rivers, last fall many of the streams and waterfalls were dry. I finished the 13.5 mile rollercoaster and came up to the next shelter where there was quite a crowd but didn't want to hike another 5 miles to the next shelter after the rollercoaster. The group turned out to be a fun group; Boy Scouts and Adventurer Scout, parents and a local hiker. It was pretty entertaining watching the boys help cook, clean and make camp. There was too much pasta (one boy tried to help out too much w leftovers and threw up the next morning) and I learned that pasta will burn in a campfire. Sitting around the campfire I learned that the scout leader hiked part of the AT w two women (a fact his wife didn't know till that night), one of the moms was a fantasy/science fiction writer and two of the men worked for the military. I also was able to listen to "The Word" ceremony of the scouts where they all share examples of one of the words of their code. It was nice to share an evening with these families enjoying a nice spring night.
Date: 2015-04-19
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Manasas Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.1

Said goodbye to the Scouts and families heading towards Sky Meadows State Park which was cool and windy. Also passed a lot of blackberry vines which will be a nice hiker (and bear) snack in the coming months. Heavy rain was in the forecast so I stopped at Manasas Gap Shelter by mid afternoon, one weekend hiker arrived in the rain at 7 as the shelter 5 miles earlier had no room. We had a very entertaining group to pass the time with including a couple from Boston and one from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We talked about kids, hiking gear and watching "trail porn" which what the guy from Boston called all the videos and journals about the AT. His wife caught him late at night hunger over the computer one night watching trail porn. Both couple had tracked "redbeard" and "upright Walker" learning from their journals and both were doing 5 to 10 day hikes. The couple from the UP were hiking with their dog who carried his own food on his dogpack.
Date: 2015-04-20
From: Manasas Gap Shelter

To: Quality Inn Ft Royal, VA
Miles today: 11.3

The heavy rain on the metal shelter roof didn't bother me during the night I was just glad to be dry. After oatmeal, coffee and the morning routine of getting ready for the day, I didn't leave till 8:45AM. Since we got almost an inch of rain the trails and steams were sometimes the same thing which made for muddy and slow going. At a lunch break at the Denton shelter (featuring an adirondack sofa and outdoor solar shower) a couple from Iowa told me that the hostel I was planning on staying wasn't open for another week. Amy and Drew (from the UP of Michigan) had previously offered to drive me the 5 miles into Ft Royal for lodging & food resupply so that was the new plan. Along the way I met Lewis & Clark (Jerry Lewis & Clark Kent), a couple of characters from Pennsylvania who are hiking sections. After missing the trail marker we got ourselves turned around but found Amy and Drew's car and drove to the Quality Inn and then I walked (or they call it be "hiker hobble" due to blisters and sore feet to the grocery store). I felt like the little kid in the grocery store shopping cart who points to all the stuff he wants. It all looks so good but weight, perishablity, calories and surviving being smashed into a backpack food bag are the selection criteria. I tagged along with Amy and Drew to Applebee's and we celebrated the completion of their 100 mile hike (Amy's first backpacking) and an early toast to my 58th birthday the next day!
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Quality Inn Ft Royal, VA

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Hotels do have their advantages: Hot shower (I never remember leaving a bathtub ring from a shower so I guess I was dirty), WiFi (easier to upload photos to journal), cell coverage (so I could call my wife and parents) and breakfast (fake eggs, real bacon, bagels, cinnamon rolls (3!), yogurt (2), juice, coffee and an apple for the trail. Amy & Drew and Lewis & Clark were also at breakfast so they wished me happy birthday. I figured out that as of my 58th birthday I have completed over 500 miles of the AT in my 2 section hikes. Coincidentally my youngest son,the engineer, points out that if you lay the 8 in 58 on its side..it becomes 500!The day started out next to a large fence which contains the Smithsonian's animal research institute. Then I crossed streams with water levels just higher than the rocks usually used for crossing so my feet got a little wet. Next I entered and registered in Shenandoah National Park which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Trail elevations run from 600 to over 3,000 feet and it made me feel kind of good when I chugged along past a kid in Army shorts and backpack who was complaining about the inclines and the effect of the altitude. I neglected to tell him how my blisters and knees felt. I passed more northbounders both flip flippers (Falconer and Charley Horse) then Little Debbie, Bird, Bridges and 3 other thru hikers. Gravel Springs Hut (they call shelters huts down here) was down the hill from the trail with another nice vista and the springs are more like streams so water is easy here.
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

It was man vs mouse last night and mouse was winning for awhile going after my pack which was next to me in the upper bunk of the shelter. I kept on hitting the pack to scare the mouse away but i finally got up and hung my pack from a wooden beam. No food was in my pack and my food bag was hung on the bear pole so not sure what the attraction was, it may have just been a day for mice and me as one ran right next to me when I was sitting in the privy later in the day. Great views again today made the climbs worth it. The views are especially good as the trees haven't leafed out yet. Stopped at Elkwallow Wayside for a late breakfast, cell charge and some supplies. Weather turned from sunny and nice to cool, windy and rainy w some hail mixed in for good measure. When I got to Pass Mountain Hut there were two others ready to get out of the rain: Twisted (I had read his trail journal with its Wisconsin logos) and a teacher from Maine. Later came a Virginian on a religious fasting hike, then thru hikers from Michigan (Merry & Pippen (from Lord of Rings)) who left Georgia in late February. Pippen told me about one hiker who did practice runs each night, left the trail to run the Boston Marathon and is now back on the trail. As I was setting sleeping bag on the top bunk level I heard another mouse and Pippen informed me that mice like corners, I quickly set up my net tent over me so I would not be in the traffic pattern of the mice.
Date: 2015-04-23
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Rock Springs Hut
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

Everyone was up by 6:15AM even though it was only 36 degrees. I started out with down jacket, hat and gloves but the initial ascent up to Mary's Rock had me shedding layers. It was very windy at the top of the ridges (which provided some of the longest uninterrupted views of the Shenandoah Park) and since it reach 50 degrees deciding which layers to wear was a challenge. I stopped and had my pita, pepperoni and cheese sandwich on a nice sunny rock and met northbound thru hiker Sycamore who was pretty amazing and we had a great conversation. When he finishes the AT he will have completed his "triple crown" which consists of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the AT. In addition he is adding some more trails to the AT hike which will add something like 1200 miles on top of the 2100 mile AT! I passed about 10 northbound thru hikers today who had primarily started in Georgia in February. Also passed beautiful rock ledges with flowing springs and icicles. At the shelter were a local hiker, a man with daughter and friend, thru hikers Scavenger, Eddy and a German woman and her son. Unfortunately the Germans had just sent their cold weather gear home and we're trying to find a ride out of the park when someone gave them 2 warm sleeping bags. Other than the cold they've had an excellent trip, they said Germany has plenty of short trails but no long primitive trails like the AT. The dad and girls rigged up tarps to the front of the shelter (which is the only shelter so far that faces the wind so that help keep the shelter warmer (plus 9 bodies on 2 levels). Note: cell coverage is limited so I'm only able to update my journal occasionally (it's been 3 days since I've had data coverage)
Date: 2015-04-24
From: Rock Springs Hut

To: Stealth camp on tent near Pocosin Cabin
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: few clouds

Trying to get packed up was painful because my fingers were so cold and it's hard to do too much with gloves on. I didn't leave till 8:40am and it was still only 28 degrees. I couldn't feel too bad because a couple people had no gloves. Also when some of thru hikers started in February in Georgia they had temperature in the teens. I stopped at the Big Meadow Wayside for lunch, hot chocolate, their blackberry cobbler special and some groceries. The weather warmed up in the afternoon and I talked to some weekend campers about the trail plus met northbound hikers including the Hiking Vikings and Rambler. I also saw a half dozen big deer today, other than that it has been rabbits, squirrels and a big turkey who surprised me when he flew up behind me. Since it is the weekend there are bicyclists, hikers and motorcyclists in Shenandoah. The Bearfence Hut, where I intended to stay, wasn't well marked and I walked 1.3 miles past it so I went another mile or so and found a nice spot off the trail (this called stealth camping but it is permitted). This will give me a head start on tomorrow.
Date: 2015-04-25
From: Stealth camp on tent near Pocosin Cabin

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Maybe it was because I tented a few miles away from another human (for the first time in my life) that I didn't sleep well. Weather turned from light dry snow to rain so I was hoping the hut would have room. Not only did this hut have room, it had beer! Joe, a Beer Brewmaster moving from Texas to DC, stopped to tent in Shenandoah and the 8 of us staying at the hut lucked out. Joe brought a growler of beer from his brewery in Texas plus specialty six packs and scotch. Enjoying this trail magic were Slapshot (who carries a hockey stick as his trekking pole), Mike (a 72 year old who has done 35 years of section hikes), Two young Brits who were bartenders (or pub tenders), Buzzsaw (who I'd call a semi professional hiker) and two other groups of friends. We had a fire burning, beer and good conversation - one of the best shelter nights ever!
Date: 2015-04-26
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Comfort Inn Waynesboro
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

Turns out one of Joe's beers was mixed with coffee as a base and even though I didn't have much, the caffeine kept me awake so I was dragging after two nights with little sleep. There was a beautiful waterfall on the hike up. Buzzsaw caught with me near the Loft Mountain Wayside. He was he heading south to Norfolk and he offered me to drop me off in Waynesboro after lunch which I really appreciated. A hotel room, dinner at Outback Steak, wash a few clothes and a resupply trip to Walmart was just what I needed.
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Comfort Inn Waynesboro

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

As I was getting ready to leave the Loft Mountain Wayside a couple from LA stopped me to ask questions about hiking the AT (mainly because the woman was reading Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods"). Once they had determined I wasn't completely crazy I continued my hike; it felt good to be back out on the trail on a cool but sunny day. As I got closer to the hut there was a huge tumble of boulders above and below. I hadn't seen rock formations like this since last year during my bike further north. There was quite a crowd at Black Rock Hut including lots of twenty somethings, Pa Bert (who has hiked the AT three times), a couple who had been married 25 years and were testing that relationship and K2 from New Hampshire. The younger crowd spent plenty of time teasing each other re trail names and other stories plus read a chapter of Harry Potter before bedtime (8:30pm). I think there were 10 in the shelter and 6 tenting.
Date: 2015-04-28
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: broken clouds

With the cold weather the trees seem to be holding back their leaves and spring is on hold. Since I spend a lot of time looking at trees I started seeing trees that look like animals; horse and dragon heads seem to be the most common (when my wife reads this she'll probably yank me off the trail, but see the photos and you might see the same thing). Of course there was a big uphill on the way to Calf Mountain Shelter and then a very long .3 mile off the trail to get to the shelter. At the shelter were California and Jellyfish who are both working this summer in Duxbury, MA (a town where our good friends the Murphy's live) at a camp for at risk children. Jellyfish is from England and got his trail name by his signature dance move where his legs flail like tentacles (lucky for me California had music so I could see the move). Jellyfish also had some of the largest items I've seen including a huge bag of oatmeal, cook pot, fennel-flavored toothpaste and giant sponge. The only small item was his sleeping bag which the mice liked because he woke California and me up when it happened. That evening a local couple who work at the local Little Debbie factory hiked up to the shelter - we told them Little Debbie was one of the main food groups for hikers and there is a thru hiker I met named Little Debbie.
Date: 2015-04-29
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Humpback Mountain
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: light rain

Started hiking at 7AM working on a long day. Stopped at the Kings Famous Hot Dogs trailer for a chili dog & BBQ pork rinds (they feature 15 flavors). South of Waynesboro the trees and temperature seemed more typical of summer than the winter/spring we had been experiencing. Little Calf Mountain Microwave Summit featured a collection of microwave transmission towers and random tractor seats cemented into the ground. Passed by John Wolfe Shelter, a perfectly maintained shelter right by a waterfall but continued up Humpback Mountain to at campsite right next to an overlook. The sunset on the summit over the 7 mountain ridges was spectacular, called my wife from the overlook and told her I wished she could be there to share the sunset.Off to the east, another camper Jeremiah, pointed out a ski resort, not someone from Chicago would expect to see in Virginia. After multiple attempts, including a branch breaking on a perfectly hung bear bag, I secured my food for the night which was good since I heard a bear skirting the campsite about 4AM. Earlier in the day a hiker from West Virginia a emphatically assured me that the bears are very afraid of us- so why worry?
Date: 2015-04-30
From: Humpback Mountain

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: broken clouds

Jeremiah (the other tenter at Humpback Mountain campsite) and I both packed up quickly since thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon. Jeremiah works for a local Habitat for Humanity and we had some nice conversations throughout the morning. There were Lots of water features today including huge black boulders with water cascading over them, waterfalls and following mountain streams for long distances. I suited up with my raincoat and rainpants which is always counterproductive since you get wet on the inside from sweating while hiking. As the rain subsided it seemed all the poplar tree leaves were glowing bright green against the wet trees and ground. To reach Harpers Creek Shelter you cross rocks over a rapidly moving stream which was our water source and a nice background noise for sleeping. At the shelter were Banana Boat (kayaker from Indiana), Heat Pack, Roadside and Luke the Trailwalker (a 17 year-old high school student who is thru hiking) who were entertaining as they reminisced and joked about the 800 miles they've hiked so far. Stories included how 8 of them only paid $6.50 each by sharing a hotel room (4 on the bed, 4 on the floor!). In addition to the white blazes (the 2" x 6" white paint marks) that mark the AT I learned about aqua blazing (taking a side kayak or canoeing while hiking) and pink blazing (slowing down or speeding up your hike to follow a potential love interest). Yes the AT is dominated by the young in numbers but it is entertaining for us older hikers to hear these stories!
Date: 2015-05-01
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Rain continued through the morning so I decided to wait it out and didn't leave the shelter until 10:30AM. I passed over the Tye River Suspension Bridge and tackled the 4,000 foot Priest Mountain. There were a lot of switchbacks near the bottom but creepy fog (or clouds) and rockier footings made the top more of a challenge. I met quite a few people at the Priest Shelter since it is a tradition to confess your sins in the journal there. As you can imagine this journal was one of the most entertaining of all the shelter journals! One of the hikers who logged into the journal was doing a 24 hour challenge, hiking for 24 hours straight using a headlamp at night. Also met Mozart a German hiker and a woman from Netherlands. I asked her about hiking in Austria and Switzerland and she said it is too crowded and she prefers Scandinavian countries or the U.S. Also met Jeff from Norfolk who hiked all the way up the Priest, set up 2 tents, hiked back down met his friends and hiked back up in the dark and rain at 1:30AM. Slapshot (the hiked who uses a hockey stick as a trekking pole) arrived later and he and I agreed Jeff was "too good a friend" going to that extreme to hike back in with his friends who should have left the city earlier.
Date: 2015-05-02
From: The Priest Shelter

To: Cow Camp Shelter
Miles today: 17.7

Slapshot and I got an early start and the day started w a descent the hiking at an angle on the side of the mountains. We scrambled up Spy Rock for some views and later climbed though widen open pasture-like fields to the top of Cole Mountain (up over 4000 feet again). There were expansive views on both sides of the mountain and several groups of day hikers making it to the summit. The shelter was .6 miles off the trail so we didn't think it would be crowded. At the shelter were Major (military retiree) and his wife Sweep. They sold their home and most of their belongings in the state of Washington and now their home is a 40 foot RV. They are enjoying the AT but joked that they could do "shelter reviews" since they don't do high mileage days, they stop at most shelters. Since Slapshot is a professional chef we talked about food choices and recipes on the trail and Major challenged Slapshot to come up with some trail recipes as he wasn't too impressed with what he's seen. Sweep is working on toning her guns (biceps) and to do this she has added lead weights to her trekking poles, this is one of the last things I would do but I'm sure her arms will be in top shape by the time she reaches Maine.