morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-09-02
From: Baldpate Lean-to

To: East B Hill Rd
Miles today: 8.0

Off at our normal time today with town food on our mind. For the second day, we climbed up through the clouds to some great views. We had one rock climbing section, but the rest of the day wasn't too bad. We called the local hostel from the last mountaintop and arranged a 2:00 pickup. We made it to the pickup point by 1:30. The hostel is in the town of Andover. We walked up town and had dinner and resupplied. We have a shuttle out at 7:00 in the morning to head north again. There are several hikers here tonight. It's always interesting to talk with other hikers. Until next time ...Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2015-09-03
From: East B Hill Rd

To: Black Brook Campsite
Miles today: 10.1

246.8 to goOur sleeping arrangement at the Pine Ellis Hostel last night, was basically 5 single beds in a single upstairs bedroom. The other bedroom was reserved for just two people. Having learned that the local eatery opened for breakfast at 5:30, naturally my eyes popped open at 5:00. I snuck out of the room without tripping over any beds and headed for town. It is about a three block walk. I was the young cook's first customer. I ordered eggs and bacon and dispatched them quickly. I must say that these townspeople are very nice to hikers. With 600-700 hikers a year staying at the hostel, the town probably does enjoy their business. Our shuttle driver was ready to go at 7:00. Three of us were headed out in it. The other fella had come in with us the day before. As he and I were talking during the ride, we realized we both raise beef cattle. Then we had a lot to talk about! About two miles from the drop off, the lady driving said "flat tire," but kept on driving. We were confused, but when we stopped at the drop off, sure enough, it was flat. We offered to change it, but she wasn't having it, and off she went. The first half of our day was on great trail. The brush hadn't been trimmed back, but the trail was great, and we were getting some good mileage finally. But then, Maine stuck Mt Moody in front of us. We had a 1500 ft climb in 1.8 miles. It was a tough one; and to top it off, there was nothing at the top to see! We came down the other side and are camped at the base tonight. Five other hikers have come in since we arrived. Tomorrow starts with a 2000 ft climb, then it's supposed to be easier. We have seen several moose tracks on the trail the last two days, but no moose yet. Until next time ...Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2015-09-04
From: Black Brook Campsite

To: Dirt road, campsite @ 1951.3
Miles today: 12.2

234.6 to goWell, the big climb up Old Blue Mountain was a tough one. It took us 2.5 hrs. There were some nice views. The rest of the day was just small ups and downs, with mostly decent trail. Later in the day we spent a lot of time in the open, where it was pretty hot, on what were basically ridges. We stopped at a lean-to later in the day for water and a break. They had just completed a new, wheel chair accessible, privy. It is a dandy. It even had bundles of wood chips from Tractor Supply to sprinkle in the hole after you do your business. They call that "flushing." I'm still a bit confused by the wheel chair accessibility. Tonight we are camped by a very nice stream. That allows for nice drinking water and cleaning up. We continue our lucky streak with the rain. There was a chance of rain yesterday, but it didn't happen. It's so much nicer when the rain stays away. One downside though, is that drinking water is getting harder to find. One of the through hikers here tonight has one of the cooking stoves that runs on wood and will charge your phone. I had checked into them years ago, but had never seen anyone use one. He was very good at it. Until next time ...Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2015-09-05
From: Dirt road, campsite @ 1951.3

To: ME 17
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: light rain

Hike #7 came to an end Saturday morning. I decided on Friday that I had had enough rock climbing for now, and that I was really holding Papaw back. It seemed that he was getting stronger and I was getting slower. I called for a shuttle from atop the last mountain of the day, but wanted to spend one more night before pickup. The following morning we had a short one mile climb to ME 17, where we said our good byes and Papaw moved on. A short while later, my ride back to the hostel showed up (the same hostel we stayed at a few days ago). I spent Saturday arranging my transportation back home (cars, buses, and trains). I decided to spend a couple days with my son and his family on my way home. Ironically, my son and his two boys were camping out the night I got there, so I got another night in a tent. I did hear from Papaw yesterday, and he did over 15 miles the first day without me, so his summit date should move up quite a bit. I wish him well, and can't wait to see that picture of him atop Mt Katahdan! Until next time ...Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-01-16
From: US250, Waynesboro, Va

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Hello again! Let me tell you about section hike #8. My son, who is stationed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, asked me over Christmas, while he was home, if I wanted to put in a few miles on the AT this winter. Naturally, I jumped at the chance, so we started looking for dates he could get off and watching the weather. We decided on this weekend and went for it. It's only going to be 2+ days, but it's all good. I talked to Papaw about it and he was excited about going as well, but a family emergency occurred at the last minute. So it's just my son Adam and I. For my faithful followers, I'm happy to report that after I left Papaw on top of a mountain in Maine, with 200 miles to go last September, he finished! I will post his summit picture. Adam and I were dropped off at about 11:00 by by Aunt Linda (who continues to be so helpful) at Rockfish Gap where I completed my last "southern" section hike. Of course, I'm out of shape, so Adam drug me down the trail to the first shelter, called Calf Mountain Shelter. There was a sailer, who is getting ready to ship to Italy, and a lawyer, at the shelter with us. We had a good time getting to know each other, and when they pulled out some special refreshments, we solved all the world's problems! It's a bit chilly tonight, but we are prepared, so all is well. We only have two more days, so we will make the best of it. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-01-17
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What a day. The excitement started early this morning about 4:30. I heard two owls raising cane in our camping area. I peaked out of my tent and saw Adam shining his light up in a tree. Later, when we were all up, Adam filled us in on what was going on. It seems that it is owl mating season, and Adam had a ring side seat. I'm thinking that this could be the makings of a trail name. Any suggestions would be considered. We said good bye to our friends from last night, and headed out at 7:00. It immediately began snowing, and continued until about 3:00, for a total of about an inch. We asked a local about the possibilities of closing the access road and he assured us it wouldn't happen. And, of course, it's now closed end to end. Linda warned us about this before we left, but the forecast looked ok. Linda is currently checking on the situation for us. We do have plenty of food if worse comes to worse. We are at Blackrock Hut tonight and chose to stay in the shelter because of the snow. We are currently doing battle with the shelter mice. Just got a message from Linda that she's arranged for a Park Ranger to pick us up at the road in the morning and deliver us to her. Thank you Linda and Ranger Service! Now, back to these danged mice! Until next time.
Date: 2016-01-18
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Blackrock Parking Area
Miles today: 1.1

Temps last night were around 0F. The battle with the shelter mice ended in a draw. We didn't get any of them, and they didn't cause any damage. I took a video of the little rascals that you can see in the video section. We actually woke up a bit late and had to hustle to get ready and go up and over Blackrock Mountain to meet up with the Ranger to drive us out. After we got there we found out that the Ranger was going to be a bit late due to evacuating other hikers. When the Ranger did show up, she proved to be extremely nice and we had a great conversation on the drive out. My aunt Linda was waiting for us at the Ranger Station and drove us back to her house. After a shower and meal we were on our way back to Adam's house. Despite a lot of driving and planning for such a short hike, we had a great time. I look forward to continuing this Shenandoah hike later this summer. Until next time.
Date: 2016-06-22
From: Blackrock Parking Area

To: Loft Mountain Campground
Miles today: 5.0

Having completed the calving and hay season on the farm, I've carved out a few days for my 8th section hike. I headed north in Shenandoah National Park, where my son and I were rescued by the park rangers during my hike in January. This time I arrived in Virginia via Amtrak, and was picked up and accompanied by my hiking buddy, Papaw. When I began my hike in 2013, I wanted to carry something with me that I could pass along to my grandchildren. I chose to paint up hickory nuts from our woods, and write their names on them. The picture I took on top of Springer shows these momentos, but you'll notice there is one without a name. I called that one my grandchild to be named later. I suspected in 2013 that there may be another grandchild in the future, and I didn't want to have to hike it again, so I took a spare. As you can see in the second picture, I was right! Our new granddaughter is Katie, and she has taken her rightful place in my hickory nut container. After a 9 1/2 hour train ride, Papaw and his wife picked me up and we hit the trail at about 5:00. We hiked 5 miles to a campground. Great trail and great weather. It's 5 am now, and a thunderstorm just rolled through. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-06-23
From: Loft Mountain Campground

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: broken clouds

Great day. It didn't start out well. About 5am the storms started and kept us in our tents until 8am. It let up long enough for us to pack up and get started. Then it started raining again. That lasted for an hour, then the rest of the day it has acted like it will storm again, but hasn't yet. This resulted in cool temps, with wind, which = no bugs! The trail and scenery today was excellent. We also walked through around 3 miles where they had a fire this spring. We could still smell the smoke. From the looks of the branches and logs, it was a hot one. It's amazing how quickly the whole area has greened up already. We passed the 900 mile mark also. It's in a different place than my 2013 trail guide shows. There is always new trail being built or rerouted. The mileage on my journal is higher because it includes the 300 miles I've done up north. We had a couple pretty good climbs this afternoon, and are feeling it now, but we were rewarded with some great views. Don't forget to check out the pictures; I took a few today. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-06-24
From: Hightop Hut

To: Lewis Mountain Campground
Miles today: 11.6

The rain never came last night, so we had a good night for sleeping. We were on the trail by 6:45 this morning. It was a great day for hiking. Sunshine and 70 degree temps. We had many great views and ran across our first trail magic. This one offered Gatorade and oranges. Around 2:00 we arrived at the Lewis Mountain Campground. Considering that we were both feeling tired AND the camp store happened to have our favorite beverage and showers, we decided to stay. At six o'clock a big thunderstorm rolled through. I'm glad we had the tents up so we could jump in them. We should be well rested and ready to go in the morning. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-06-25
From: Lewis Mountain Campground

To: Byrds Nest #3 Hut
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The rains came off and on through the night. We hit the trail at 6:30 for what would be another beautiful, cool day. The good news is, that with great conditions and great trail, I was able to get in some good miles. The bad news is, Papaw had a family emergency and had to leave the trail. He and his wife have been great help to me and my thoughts will be with them as they work through this. Two things stick out from today's hike. First, there were many Japanese tourists on the trail today. One group had a boom box playing. They asked me if I wanted beers. I told them it was a bit early, but thanks. I also have a family tenting next to me this evening from somewhere else. We can't even communicate enough to figure that out (Belarus). The other thing from today's hike was the wildlife. I saw countless squirrels and several deer. The deer are so tame, you almost have to push them out of the way. Here's the kicker. Papaw hiked the entire AT without seeing a bear. Mere hours after he leaves, yep, I saw a bear. He's gonna love that. It seems they've been having trouble with a bear coming up to the shelter here at night. It seems to be very common to see several a day in this area. I have decided that Harpers Ferry will be my goal for this section hike's ending point. That is the unofficial half way point, and it has Amtrak service! Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-06-26
From: Byrds Nest #3 Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Well, the Bear didn't show up last night, so no excitement. I was on the trail by 6:00, and felt a little tired after the big day Saturday. I was able to get 17.5 miles though, so I was happy with that. I have 10 miles of SNP left, so I should be out around noon. Around noon today I had reached a Wayside, so I decided I deserved a treat. I had a cheeseburger and a couple Gatorades. Saw a lot of wildlife again, including another bear.We have quite a collection of hikers at the shelter tonight. Two guys from South Carolina, and one from Toronto thru hiking, and several section hikers from - New Jersey and Chicago. The man from Chicago is working on an acting career and played The Prophet in the outdoor drama Tecumseh, near where I live, in 2005. Toward the end of my hike I turned a corner and there stood a huge red Doberman, with no owner in site. I tried to talk to him, but he was in attack mode. Finally the owner comes into view and races after him, telling me "he won't hurt you." Apparently he didn't read the leash rules at the beginning of the trail. Shortly after I arrive at the shelter, here comes the same dog toward the shelter (on a leash this time). The owner leads him over and let's him lay down in the drinking water spring. I let him know he was out of line doing that. A while later another hiker comes in and shows everyone that he'd been bit by a dog. Yep, that one. Forget the bears, beware of stupid dog owners. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-06-27
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: few clouds

Was on the trail around 6:00 this morning. Had several great views along the way. I ran into a trail maintainer for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club that maintains the trail through SNP. I thanked him and complimented him on the trail. I did see another bear. This makes three days in a row. This one took off like a rocket when it saw me. Toward the end of the day I was focused on reaching my goal shelter before the rain started. I made it, and we did get a pretty good rain later. This is a great shelter. It has a porch with chairs, horseshoe pits, cooking shelter, and a solar shower! I did enjoy the shower, but the solar part wasn't working very well. Lots of through hikers here. Wallet, Fireball, and I talked until dark. 48 miles to Harper's Ferry; hope to make it in three days, but will be tough. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-06-28
From: Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: clear sky

Well, I nearly walked a marathon today, but that wasn't the plan. More on that later. It took a bit longer to get ready this morning because the tent was muddy from the rain (why didn't I set up in grass?). I was on the trail by 6:45 planning an 18 mile day. One of the highlights was walking through some meadows. It's always nice to get out of the trees for a while. It seemed that there was even more wildlife than normal today. So much so, that I decided it would be a good thing to select an animal of the day. Nominated were squirrels, deer, various birds, toads, a frog, garter snake, lizard of some sort, rabbits, and chipmunks. I was all set to select the rabbit for animal of the day, until I reached the shelter where I planned to stop. While looking at all the available tent sites, I looked down by my foot, and there was a Copperhead snake. That is the reason for my marathon. It was 4:00, nobody at the shelter, Copperhead infested (in my mind anyway), I was suddenly feeling better, so I set off for the next shelter. Considering that I got two outstanding pictures of snakes today, I feel it appropriate to declare the snake, animal of the day. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-06-29
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: broken clouds

Didn't have many miles to cover today, so I took my time getting ready. I started around 7:00, and it was a beautiful morning. I love hiking in the early morning. I ran into three groups of kids that were participating in a camp. There looked to be an elementary, middle school, and high school group. It's fun to step aside and watch and talk to the kids as they go by. They were doing some pretty tough trail. I did run into Fireball on the trail. He stopped for a while at the shelter where I'm staying, but left to hike into Harper's Ferry, where I'm headed in the morning. After reviewing what food I had left for my last two days, I realized I was one breakfast (candy bars) short. I rationed it out, and made due. Breakfast this morning was one little tub of peanut butter. About mid morning, I crossed a four lane highway (VA 7 & 679). When entering the forest on the other side, there it was! Trail Magic! You talk about timing. There is a saying out here that "the trail will provide." I had about a dozen vanilla cookies, grapes, can of coke, and grabbed a couple snickers bars for tomorrow. I'm at a shelter tonight that is dedicated to David Lesser. It's top notch. Beautiful log shelter, eating area, and huge camping area. I'll be heading out early in the morning to meet my son in Harper's Ferry. I'll go play with the grandkids for a bit then hop the train for Ohio. Section hike # 8 has been a great one, time to start planning 9. Until next time.
Date: 2016-06-30
From: David Lesser Memorial Shelter

To: ATC
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: broken clouds

Was up early to hike the last 8.7 miles of section 8. Was a great morning. The hike was pretty uneventful except for meeting a lady leading 7 dogs. It was quite a chore keeping the leashes untangled. I entered Harper's Ferry crossing the Shenandoah River on the Rt 340 bridge. A short climb afterward and a blue blaze trail through some back streets led me to the Appalachian Trail Conservatory (ATC). This is the headquarters of the AT. It's the unofficial halfway point, although it's actually several miles short of halfway. The building has some great displays and very helpful people. They take pictures of, and log in all through and section hikers. I am section hiker # 337. My son picked me up at the ATC and I am spending some time with his family before flying back to Ohio. Thanks for reading and stand by for # 9. Until next time.
Date: 2016-09-04
From: ATC

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Section hike #10 began today. I flew out of Cincinnati at 8:30am and arrived in Baltimore at 9:40. My son was to pick me up and drive me to meet Papaw (my hiking partner) in Harper's Ferry. That's where it got interesting. We were told, as we offloaded the plane, that we could not leave that floor, due to a security breach. While I was waiting this out, my son was caught up in the problems outside. After an hour, we were released. Adam was told it was due to an unattended car in the parking garage. We got our hike started shortly after noon. We walked through Harper's Ferry, which is very nice and was very crowded. We then continued on the C&O Canal Towpath. We spent an hour or two dodging bicycles. Finally, the trail led into the woods and a 1000ft climb. No more bicycles, but lots of day hikers. Once we got to the top, the day hikers disappeared and only overnight backpackers were left. We walked through Gathland State Park where the War Correspondents Monument is located. It was pretty impressive. We loaded up with water there for our shelter for the night (Crampton Gap) that was .4 mile up a mountain. There are several weekenders here tonight. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-09-05
From: Crampton Gap Shelter

To: Pogo Memorial Campsite
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: few clouds

We certainly had a lively bunch at the campground last night. They finally shut it down and we were able to get some sleep. We were on the trail by 7:00 and had several interesting stops along the way. First was the Reno Monument at the site of a Civil War battle that saw a general from each side killed. Next came the Washington Monument. Most people aren't aware that there was a previous Washington Monument. The one at this site was torn down and rebuilt by the CCC in 1935. It is significantly shorter than the DC version. We also stopped by a backpack campsite that had a shower. Always have time for a quick shower! Tonight we are staying at the Pogo Memorial campsite. It honors a young man that lived from 1958-1974. Don't know the story, but will find out. This site has a very nice, ice cold spring. Tonight was actually the first time we've treated water. There have been many attractions where water was available. We did have a lot of people out on the trail again today, but the crowds should thin out now. While I was sitting my tent up this evening, a snake crawled up. We spent the rest of the evening trying to get it to leave. It just keeps coming back. Hopefully it cools off enough to shut him down. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone
Date: 2016-09-06
From: Pogo Memorial Campsite

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, the snake stayed away, or at least we didn't see him, last night. We were on the trail at 7:00 again, and the number of human sightings was way down. I guess the people have to go to work or school. We had a lot of variety as far as trail today. We had a couple rock (Boulder) scrambles, two tough climbs, a couple hay fields, and a lot of rock hopping. So far, both of us have stayed on our feet. No interesting sites to visit today. Just one park where we were able to get water, rest, and charge phones. I did cross the Mason-Dixon Line and pass into Pennsylvania today, which makes the tenth state I've been in. We are at the Deer Lick Shelters tonight. That's right, there are two of them. Since they went to all the trouble to build them, and no one was sleeping in them, I decided to do so. There is a group of about 15 young adults, I'd guess to be a college group, sleeping outside on a tarp. I hope it doesn't rain, or I may have a lot of company! I neglected to mention yesterday that we walked across the I-70 pedestrian bridge. I had seen it a couple times driving to see my son and his family. Pretty neat! Gonna get hotter this week, so the mileage may get smaller. Until next time. Sent from my iPhone