morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-08
From: Cedar Cliffs 

To: Waynesboro - Belle Hearth B&B 
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: broken clouds

Well it finally happened. Today I had my first complete fall of this thru-hike. At mile 858.1, I slipped on a wet rock and fell on my side. No injury, and it was completely avoidable if I had been paying closer attention to where I was stepping. I confess that I tented last night in an area where camping was prohibited at Cedar Cliffs. There were no stealth sites between Reids Gap and Cedar Cliffs, and it was only a half mile before Dripping Rock, where camping was recently prohibited for the next 9 miles due to bear activity. Today I hiked through that 9 mile section and did not see any bears. However I did see lots of Squawroot, which is a delicacy for bears, which tells me there aren't many bears around. Later I came across a ribbon snake which quickly got out of my way. When I got to Rockfish Gap, a pickup truck pulled up to me as soon as I came out of the woods, offering to drive me to Waynesboro. It was fabulous trail magic by John, who drove me to where I wanted to go in Waynesboro. I'm at the Belle Hearth B&B, a Victorian house built in 1907, which includes breakfast and a ride back to Rockfish Gap tomorrow morning.
Date: 2015-06-09
From: Waynesboro - Belle Hearth B&B 

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I had a wonderful stay at the Belle Hearth B&B and a delicious breakfast. The AWOL AT guide said the hiker rate was $75, but when I got there yesterday I was told that the minimum rate was $90, still a good discount from their regular rate. The B&B was a significant improvement in quality over the nearby Quality Inn where many hikers stay, and worth the extra money to me. I was the only thru-hiker there, the other guests were traveling from Georgia, Texas and Blacksburg. The woman from Georgia was interested in old churches and I told her about Aquia Church and recommended they visit it on the way back from Mount Vernon. Wayne from the B&B gave me a ride back to Rockfish Gap and I hit the trail at 10:10 am. I only saw two thru-hikers on the trail all day, Tink and Wheaties, but Blackrock Hut was crowded when I got here at 7:15 pm. The tent sites here are terrible, but I had to come here as there was no water in the previous 12 miles. Earlier at 3:30 pm, I was hiking down the trail minding my own business when I heard the distinctive sound of a rattlesnake rattling in the bush just two feet to my left. I immediately went full astern two steps and saw a 3 foot timber rattlesnake. I yielded the right of way and allowed time for the snake to slither across the trail and into the woods to my right. This is why I don't wear earbuds listening to rock music like all the twenty-something hikers do.
Date: 2015-06-10
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Powell Gap 
Miles today: 18.6

Not much exciting today. I ate lunch at the Loft Mountain camp store, consisting of a can of Hormel chili (which I ate cold and was not appetizing), parapet desert, Ritz crackers and V8. It totaled 1,000 calories, but did not give me much energy throughout the day. I had a lack of motivation all day. I haven't had a zero (day without hiking) since Damascus on May 10th. I need a day off and will be taking two at the end of Shenandoah National Park. There was not much to see on the trail today. The overlooks were unimpressive and the sky was hazy.
Date: 2015-06-11
From: Powell Gap 

To: Hazeltop Mountain summit 
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

I think the Hormel chili I ate yesterday made me ill this morning, the effects of which I will spare this audience. Let's just say that I won't be eating chili out of a can again. I had lunch out of my food bag at the South River picnic area with the hiker family and Parkey, then Jester and Harry Potter showed up. There was a comfort station (rest room) there with flush toilets where I resupplied with TP. I haven't seen Walnut since Hot Springs, but he sent me a text a few days ago advising of trail angel Max Factor who had a place for thru-hikers to spend the night. I called Max Factor at 6:15 pm from Bootens Gap, but it was a 60 mile round trip for him and he was full for the night anyway. This turned out better for me. Although there are very few stealth campsites in SNP, there usually is one at the summit of mountains. So I continued on up Hazeltop Mountain where there was a rock outcropping at the summit and some grassy areas near it. I set up my tent right next to the overview and watched the sunset.
Date: 2015-06-12
From: Hazeltop Mountain summit 

To: Stealth campsite before Pinnacles picnic area
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: broken clouds

The title of today's post is a clue that it was a bearly exciting day. I woke in the middle of last night to the sound of coyotes howling. I imagined them ripping open my tent and devouring my body. Then I went to sleep, or maybe I already was. I awoke at 6 am and got up at 6:30 (usually its 7), devoured a 300 calorie pastry, then hit the trail at 7:30 for the 5 mile hike to Big Meadows Lodge for breakfast. Along the way at 8:15 I heard a wrestling in the woods to my left. I must have spooked two bear cubs who climbed a tree while mama bear kept her eye on me at the base of the tree about 70 yards away. As I was taking pictures of them, the cubs climbed back down as Stumbles came up the trail behind me. It was the first time he had seen bears on the AT also. The three bears then wandered off in the opposite direction. I arrived at Big Meadows Lodge at 9:15 and had to wait 20 minutes to be seated, so I plugged in my phone to recharge while I waited. The three egg omelet with home fries and toast with blackberry jam was worth the wait. I updated my trail journal and hit the trail again at 11 am. The haze of the past few days was gone and there were nice views today. At 5 minutes past noon about two miles north of Big Meadows, I came within ten feet of a bear in the thick bushes to my right. We spooked each other as I quickly back peddled and almost fell off the trail while the bear ran off in the other direction. There was a trail maintainer up ahead whose gas powered grass trimmer drowned out the sound of my approach, which probably explains how I got so close to a wild bear in the woods. Butt I only saw the tail end of that bear. At 2:30 pm I arrived at the Skyland Resort & Restaurant for a very expensive lunch, consisting of a bowl of corn and crab soup, the Gormet Hamburger, and a 22 ounce IPA. I left there after an hour with a full stomach. Such is the life of an AT thru-hiker!
Date: 2015-06-13
From: Stealth campsite before Pinnacles picnic area

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I've learned that the odds of trail magic are greater on the weekend. True to form, I encountered the first trail magic five miles into the day at VA 211 by a local couple. I had a banana, orange, Gatorade, and crackers with pepperoni. Later I encountered a group of young day hikers just south of Elkwallow Wayside who gave me a can of beer, a cookie and fudge. At Elkwallow Wayside, I purchased a cheeseburger, hot dog and fries for lunch while watching a Park Service ranger giving a presentation on bears to the tourists. When I got to my destination, Gravel Springs Hut, there was more trail magic by Jam Session, a 2012 AT thru-hiker. He and two of his friends were there since Thursday feeding the hikers that came to the shelter. There I had spaghetti, beer, muffins and banana bread. I don't think I ate anything from my food bag all day.
Date: 2015-06-14
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: US 522, then home
Miles today: 13.4

The AT after Gravel Springs Hut was the easiest of Shenandoah National Park, hiking the 13.4 miles by 1 pm. I was glad to leave SNP as the AT through SNP is mostly gravel and stones, which is hard on the feet. We encountered trail magic at Skyline Drive mile 14.2 by a couple from Texas, where I had a Coke and Pringles. Another reason I was glad to leave SNP was because my wife was meeting me at US 522 with trail magic and a ride home for a few days to rest and prepare for the second half of my thru-hike. We had a good time there. In addition to the thru-hikers in the photo at left, Hiker Mom, She-Wei, and Food Truck were there earlier. No other thru-hikers came through after two hours, so we left a cooler with water, Gatorade, crackers and chips at the trailhead.
Date: 2015-06-16
From: home

To: home
Miles today: 0.0

Lots of running around town today, including a visit to REI where I purchased a new sleeping pad, the Neo-Air Trekker. My Exped UL 7 had busted several internal seams, which made it bulge uncomfortably when blown up. I prepared my remaining mail drops, particularly for the change back to winter gear in Glencliff, NH. Now I'm ready to go back to the trail.
Date: 2015-06-17
From: US 522

To: Manassas Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Happy birthday to my brother Brian. This morning I bought a $7 poncho at Walmart and cut half the front so it came down to my waist instead of my knees. The back side covers my backpack so I left my backpack rain cover, which weighs more, at home. I also left my 12 oz rain jacket at home since I have a 10 oz umbrella. On Monday I treated my clothes with Permithrin. I left the house today with a total pack weight of 25 lbs, including 3 days of food and 1.2 liters of water. This a pound heavier than when I started at Springer Mountain, even though I switched to summer gear! Pam dropped me off at the US 522 trailhead at 2 pm, so I've really had three full days off since 1 pm Sunday. My goal was to get to the Jim & Molly Denton Shelter 5.5 miles up the trail, and I got there my 4 pm, where I met Sharkbait and Ozark. I mentioned to Sharkbait that his trail name was ominous given the recent news, which he admitted that he had not heard. Ozark, as it became evident later, is the local hobo. He said he was a section hiker going north, but then he told me about trail magic after the I-66 underpass that he had this morning, and what the next shelter was like, which means he was going south. Even though the Denton shelter is one of the nicest on the AT, after Sharkbait left I decided to do the same after I ate the two Whopper Juniors I got in Front Royal. I found the trail magic after the I-66 underpass, a cooler full of sodas, chips and honey buns, thanks to Dragin' Fly, a 2013 thru-hiker. I'm now in a 6 person shelter with 7 other people. I saw four rabbits and one turtle on the trail today.
Date: 2015-06-18
From: Manassas Gap Shelter 

To: Bears Den Hostel 
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Holy mackerel Batman, did I really hike 1,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, sometimes in rain or hale storms? And I'm not halfway there yet? Well I'm almost halfway there now. I woke up at 6 am this morning and hit the trail at 7:15 am. I hiked until 7 pm, stopping for only a half-hour lunch break in between. A few miles after crossing Rt 50, I saw bear #5. The bear darted across the trail about 40 yards in front of me. I only saw it fora fraction of a second due to heavy bush on either side. Today was like a carnival. First there was the mud slide. Due to heavy rain last night, there was lots of mud on the trail. Then came the roller-coaster, a series of 18 very steep ups and downs, all very rocky. I stayed at Bears Den Hostel and got the hiker special - bunk, shower, laundry, frozen pizza, soda, pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, and pancakes in the morning.
Date: 2015-06-19
From: Bears Den Hostel 

To: Blackburn AT Center 
Miles today: 8.0

After a strenuous 23 mile day yesterday, I decided to take it easy today and just did 8 miles to the Blackburn AT Center, giving my feet a break and staying in the bunkhouse. Besides, there's no water between here and Harpers Ferry unless I go 0.3 miles off trail. Thunder has been rumbling all day but hasn't rained yet, so its good to have a roof over my head and not pack up a wet tent. I crossed into West Virginia today, but Virginia is not over yet. The AT goes back and forth between the two states 10 times before Harpers Ferry. The Blackburn AT Center is one the Virginia side. There is supposed to be a hiker feed tomorrow night at the Harpers Ferry Hostel, an easy 16 miles from here. Trail magic strikes again. The caretakers at Blackburn AT Center are providing a turkey dinner tonight at 7 pm for the hikers staying here. Update: We had a great turkey dinner on the porch of the Blackburn AT Center. I volunteered to carve the 18 lb turkey and the caretakers, Trail Boss and Sandi, will post photos on the Blackburn AT Center's Facebook page. It was a special treat by the Center as the turkey had been in the freezer since Thanksgiving.
Date: 2015-06-20
From: Blackburn AT Center 

To: Ed Garvey Shelter 
Miles today: 18.8

Today I said goodbye to Virginia, and West Virginia. I'm now in Maryland. I stopped at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Harpers Ferry for the traditional thru-hiker photo. I'm thru-hiker No. 738 to come through Harpers Ferry this year. I picked up my maildrop there, and my pack weight must be 30 lbs now. I was going to stop at the Cannonball Deli, but Harpers Ferry was full of tourists on a Saturday afternoon. Good thing, as I need to eat through my food bag.
Date: 2015-06-21
From: Ed Garvey Shelter 

To: Black Rock Cliffs 
Miles today: 19.2

Today is Farther Day (pronounced with a Boston accent where the R is silent). I wanted to go farther today than my longest day so far, which is 22.8 miles, but at 6 pm my feet wanted to stop. I actually hiked 19.8 miles to Pogo Campground, but that is a lousy campground with lousy water, so I backtracked 0.6 miles back to Black Rock Cliffs, which has a fantastic open view to the west where I am watching the sunset as I type this. Today is also the first day of summer, which is the traditional Naked Hiking Day. Sorry, but there were no bare sightings today. Around noon I passed the Old South Mountain Inn, whose sign reads "Food and drink for all". The AT guide warns that the restaurant wants hikers to shower before going to their establishment, so I passed up eating there. It looks like a nice place (see pics), and I'd like to come back when I'm more appropriately attired. I also went to the Washington Monument today. No not that one. The original one built in 1827 in Boonsboro. MD. Unfortunately the stairway to the top is closed due to a recent lightning strike until repairs are made. See pics for today's sunset at 8:30 pm.
Date: 2015-06-22
From: Black Rock Cliffs 

To: Deer Lick Shelter 
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

Maryland is done. 6 states down. Maryland was pretty rocky though. The three miles before Pen-Mar Park was particularly tough. Rocks and boulders of all shapes and sizes were a challenge to hike over and it really slowed me down. It was 5 pm by the time I got to Pen-Mar Park and I was exhausted. After a short break I managed to keep going for another five miles. I got to Deer Lick Shelter at 7:30 pm and started to set up my tent when some Boy Scouts gave me a Mountain House Raspberry Crumble desert. Trail magic and 600 calories to boot! Earlier I had to ford Little Antietam Creek where the water level was higher than some of the stepping stones that make the path over the creek. Since I wear trail runners with a mesh top, I knew I would be getting both my socks and shoes soaked if I tried the stepping stones. So I took off my shoes and socks, tied the shoe laces to my sternum strap, and waded across in my crocs in knee deep water. I crossed without incident and dried my feet with the top end of my socks. That was good practice for what will be a regular routine in Maine.
Date: 2015-06-23
From: Deer Lick Shelter 

To: Quarry Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I was packing up this morning, and had my glasses off wiping my face with a wet-one when two boy scouts came over and asked if I would like something for breakfast. Having already eaten cereal and without seeing what they had, I instinctively said I already ate. Then I thought to myself "I just turned down food"!! This morning included a 900 foot climb up to Chimney Rocks. 900 feet is harder than it used to be when you're sweating bullets and dodging a minefield of rocks. At the summit I took the side trail to the view from atop Chimney Rocks. Once I climbed on top of the rocks, the view was of another ridge. It wasn't worth it as I've seen the same view hundreds of times from the AT. A little after noon I reached the side trail to the Rocky Mountain Shelters where I was going to stop for lunch. The shelter was 0.2 miles off the AT and water was 0.5 mile off trail. No thanks. I decided to bypass that and press on to Caledonia State Park where there is a concession stand. Cheeseburger here I come! With thunder roiling in the air, I was afraid it would be closed if it were raining. I reached the Park, mostly devoid of people, shortly after 2 pm. I got a cheeseburger, fries and hot dog. I even sucked out the contents of an extra single serving packet of mayonnaise because it was another 90 calories. Then I ordered a double dip ice cream cone. I was given three dips instead, with a scoop of butter pecan between two scoops of raspberry. The guy at the concession stand told me of the sever thunderstorm forecast for late this afternoon. I reached Quarry Gap Shelters at 3:45 pm, about a half-hour before the torrential downpour began. My legs were aching getting here, probably because I have no more fat in my body to burn for energy. I'm resting for the rest of today, but I need to eat more.
Date: 2015-06-24
From: Quarry Gap Shelter 

To: Pine Grove Furnace - Ironmasters Hostel 
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a great day. Sunny, cool in the 70s and low humidity. I did my miles by 3 pm and didn't break a sweat. At mile 1,094.6 I reached the official 2015 Appalachian Trail halfway mark. The picture at left is the nicer halfway sign installed four miles later in 2011 when the AT was 8 miles shorter than it is today. Also, I've reached the 1,100 mile mark on the AT. The mosquitoes are starting to come out in force. I think my greatest challenge of the 2nd half of this journey will be to not go insane from the blood sucking pests, the unofficial state bird of the New England states. Upon reaching the general store at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, I got a great burger, fries and double-dip ice cream. Unlike some other thru-hikers, I declined the half-gallon challenge, which is to eat a half-gallon of ice cream within 30 minutes. I'm staying tonight at the Ironmasters Mansion Hostel, a red brick English Tudor mansion house built in 1829, restored in 2010 and owned by the State of Pennsylvania for exclusive use as a hiker hostel with full-time caretakers. There was a rock show today at the hostel as part of the historical tour of the mansion, starring iron ore and limestone. I didn't take it for granite and I didn't get stoned. (Pine Grove Furnace produced iron and wrought iron during the late 18th century and early 19th century, including ammo and cannon shot for the Revolutionary War. The Ironmaster was the head of the operation and the wealthiest guy around.)
Date: 2015-06-25
From: Pine Grove Furnace - Ironmasters Hostel 

To: Boiling Springs 
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: broken clouds

The included breakfast at the Ironmasters Mansion Hostel was a little disappointing, frozen waffles, fruit cup and coffee. Still the experience of staying in a old mansion was worth it, but just once. I left there and hiked as quickly as I could to get to Boiling Springs, 19 miles away. I really wanted to stay at the Allenberry resort, which had a hiker rate of $40, plus $10 for a live theater show and $10 for AYCE breakfast, but the hiker rate was non-reservation. The hike along the way today included the "rock maze", a rock climbers playground where my hiking poles were of no help. Once I got to Boiling Springs I called the Allenberry only to learn that they had no remaining rooms for thru-hikers. I was disappointed big time as there are no other accommodations in Boiling Springs other than two expensive B&Bs, and the next shelter was 16 miles north. Prefontaine arrived in town ahead of me and had already decided to tent at the campsite at the south end of town. EZ arrived shortly after me, and we decided the tenting was our only logical option. Drop Bear arrived as EZ and I were setting up our tents. The four of us then went to the Boiling Springs Tavern for a delicious dinner and several beers. While we had individual checks, EZ offered to buy everyone's desert. Thru-hikers never turn down food, so we all accepted the offer. It was a fun evening and I saved $60 not going to the Allenberry resort. We got back to the campsite just before 9 pm. The forecasted downpour has not arrived yet, just light rain so far as of 9:45 pm.
Date: 2015-06-26
From: Boiling Springs 

To: Duncannon 
Miles today: 25.6

It hardly rained last night but my tent was soaked none the less. The campsite at the south side of Boiling Springs is right next to the train tracks and there must have been about ten trains rolling through during the night, with whistles blasting warnings for the intersection with the nearby road. Several other thru-hikers set up camp there late last night, and nearly everyone started getting up at 6 am to pack up. Prefontaine, EZ, Drop Bear and I had a great breakfast at the Caff  101 in Boiling Springs at 7 am. I didn't get out of town until 8:30 as I met Sublime on the road out, who I hadn't seen since Catawba, VA. Today was my longest day yet, arriving in Duncannon at 8:30 pm. This was possible since the first 12 miles north of Boiling Springs is flat, alternating between the perimeter of farms and the woods between farms. I was also driven by the weather forecast, which predicted rain tonight and all day tomorrow. The infamous Pennsylvania rocks began before Duncannon and I didn't want to do those rocks in the rain. A few miles after Boiling Springs, I had my second fall of this thru-hike. The trail was flat but sloped on its width, and narrow and muddy. My right shoe slipped sideways in the mud and I landed on my shoulder in the brush (See pic). At Scott Farm I took a 45 minute break to dry out my tent in the sun. My original plan was to hike 14 miles from Boiling Springs to the Darlington Shelter, which I arrived at at 3 pm. The AT guide said that shelter has the "Taj Mahal privy", so I had to check it out (see pic). It's a two-seat privy and the door does not lock (for when you just can't wait for the person before you, or when you want to share the movement with that special someone or no one in particular). It was 6 pm when I had already hiked 19 miles and the infamous Pennsylvania rocks began. I decided to take the challenge and pick up my pace to get to the next shelter 2.6 miles away. I had to think five steps ahead, zigzaging between rocks or hopping from one to another, all while taking 3 or 4 steps per second. I did that 2.6 miles in one hour, and decided there to go the remaining four miles into Duncannon since I was rolling through the rocks. I got to the Doyle Hotel (to be described in tomorrow's post) at 8:30 pm as it was starting to get dark. The registration desk is the bar on the first floor. While checking in at the bar I met Parkey, who I hadn't seen since my wife's trail magic at VA 522. I took a shower and went to Sorrento's for a large stromboli, which was about 14 by 5 inches. The locals there were amazed that I ate the whole thing.