morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-08
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bear Fence Mt Hut
Miles today: 20.6

Day 78: My watch alarm goes off at 6:00 this morning. We have a 21 mile day planned for today, so an early start is necessary. During the night as I lay in my sleeping bag, I begin to feel my right shin getting sore. I know this feeling - shin splints. When I get up and stand on it, I almost fall down because it hurts so much. How in the world am I going to be able to hike 21 miles today, let alone 1 mile? As I try to gingerly walk around on it, we consider our options - stay here for another day or hike 2 miles down to the Ranger Station and call our son, Matt, to come pick us up for the weekend, one week earlier than planned. We decide to just see how it goes as we set off. I limp out of camp, but then within 1/2 mile, the pain begins to subside and I'm able to walk normally. What a lucky break. We are able to push on for the full 21 miles, and I feel great all day. The weather is perfect today - clear skies with temperatures in the 70s. During the morning, we climb Hightop Mt, where we are treated to a magnificent view of the western Shenandoah Valley. Coming down from Hightop Mt, we stop by the road at Swift Run Gap for lunch in the warm sunshine. We are really enjoying this life out here lately. After lunch, we climb back up into the woods. We see a few deer along the way and our 3rd bear in two days. He flees into the woods as soon as he hears us coming. By 3:30, we have already covered 20 miles and arrive at the Lewis Mt Campground, where we indulge in much of what the camp store has to offer.....delicious! After dinner, we take  a shower and brush our teeth before hiking the final 0.9 mile to Bear Fence Mt Hut. We are tenting here tonight. Just as we get inside the tent, a beautiful doe walks to within 10 ft of the tent. I am able to get a nice picture of her. We are really loving our hike through the Shenandoahs. The weather has been great, the terrain is pretty gentle, and there are lots of places to stop for food along the way. Tomorrow, we only plan to hike a little over 11 miles. We will enjoy another lunch at the Wayside at Big Meadows and spend the afternoon resting since we will arrive in camp early. Life is good out here.
Date: 2012-06-09
From: Bear Fence Mt Hut

To: Rock Springs Hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 79: With only 11.5 miles to hike today, we sleep in a bit, not waking up until 7:00. During the night, I again feel my right shin tightening up. It keeps me awake on and off during the second half of the night. By 8:40, we are on the trail. After walking for about 1/2 hour, I feel a sudden jolt of pain in my right shin. For the next 1-1/2 miles, I limp along in pain until we get to a parking area at Bootens Gap on Skyline Drive. We take a break there and I lay down to elevate my leg for about 10 minutes. After we get going again, my shin suddenly feels better, and for the rest of the day, I have no problems whatsoever. Shin splints are strange like that. One minute you can't walk, and a few minutes later you're feeling fine again. Today is another warm, sunny day and we enjoy easy walking during the morning over long, straight stretches of flat trail that seem to disappear in the distance in front of us. At about noon, we realize we have walked about a mile past the turn-off to the Big Meadows Wayside, where we are planning to have lunch. Instead of turning around, we take the short side trail to the Big Meadows Lodge and then walk down the road for a mile to the Wayside. There are many weekend tourists here now with vacation season in full swing. Our side trip to the Wayside and back chews up a couple of hours, but it's OK since we don't have much farther to go. After we get back on the trail, the terrain becomes a bit more rocky and up hill. We are happy when we reach the hut at 3:15. Even though the mileage was relatively short today, we are both a bit tired and irritable. We eat some leftover food that we bought at the store and then relax in the tent for awhile before dinner. There are many people here at the hut tonight, both in the hut and tenting. This must be typical for a nice sunny, summer weekend in the Shenandoahs. 2-1/2 more days until we are done with the Shenandoahs, and then another 3 days after that until we reach Harpers Ferry, where we will take a couple of days off to visit our son, Matt, and his wife, Emma, in Arlington. Can't wait to see them!
Date: 2012-06-10
From: Rock Springs Hut

To: Pass Mt Hut
Miles today: 15.3

Day 80: What a great day! We rise early this morning, eager to get to the Skyland Restaurant for breakfast between 8:00 and 10:00. The morning is beautiful - cool temperatures with sunny skies. The weather has been really good to us here in the Shenandoahs. We arrive at the Skyland Restaurant at 8:30 and find out that they have an all you can eat buffet - scrambled eggs, biscuits, sausage, bacon, French toast, fruit, oatmeal, cereal, and tea. I won't provide the details about how much we ate, but we were there for over an hour. With very happy and full stomachs, we reluctantly leave the restaurant and continue hiking. During the course of the day, we are treated to many panoramic views of the Shenandoah valley to the west. Pictures just do not do justice to what we actually see in person. At about 11:45, we arrive at the Pinnacles Parking Area. There is an RV sitting there and as we emerge from the woods, a man and woman invite us to come over for hot dogs, watermelon, canteloupe, and sodas. We are still pretty full from breakfast, but that does not stop us from further gorging. Do you get the impression that food is kind of a preoccupation here on the trail? After this second round of binge eating, we thank our guests and continue on. The afternoons hike becomes much more rocky as we pass by Marys Rock and on the way down to Thornton Gap. As we descend, Otto and Ramblin Man pass us. They are two are semi-career hikers, out on the trail almost every year. They are very proud of their hiking prowess and years of experience. Arriving at Pass Mt Hut at 3:00, we set up our tent on a nice flat site away from the shelter. While we rest inside the tent, a black bear comes walking through our camping area about 30 feet from us. He disappears into the woods before we can get a picture of him. After a quick nap in the tent, we join all of the other hikers who have arrived at the shelter picnic table for dinner. In two days, we will be leaving rhe Shenandoahs behind and moving on towards Harpers Ferry, where we plan to arrive this Friday. We're almost done with Virginia!
Date: 2012-06-11
From: Pass Mt Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 81: Our last full day of hiking in the Shenandoahs. Today is a relatively short day, 13.1 miles to Gravel Springs Hut. During the night, we were awakened three times by some large animal wandering around in the dry leaves about 10 feet from our tent. Each time it got close to our tent, I turned on my headlamp and shined it towards where the foot steps were coming from, but I couldn't see what it was - probably a deer I'm guessing. It ran away each time I turned my light on. The day starts off with milky sunshine and humid conditions. We are on the trail at 7:30. Our mission today is to get to the Elk WallowWayside and store, where we need to buy some food to get us to Harpers Ferry and to have lunch. On the way, we pass another hiker, Animal, who in addition to carrying a full pack on his back, lugs a 5 gallon plastic pail full of food with one hand.   His pail, when full, must weigh 20 lbs. We arrive at the Wayside at just after 10:00 and spend a small fortune for 2-1/2 days of food. The Wayside stores in the Shenandoahs are very convenient and the food is delicious, but they are also very expensive. After resupplying, we buy a couple of cheeseburgers, chips, drinks, and ice cream for lunch. Getting back on the trail after lunch, we notice the clouds starting to thicken a bit as we climb 1200 ft up to Matthews Arm. Not wanting to get caught in rain, we hike quickly, getting to Gravel Springs Hut at just after 2:00. We are the first ones there and decide to claim a couple of spots in the shelter. Good decision - within 5 minutes it starts to rain. Other hikers begin streaming in shortly after we have settled in. Some decide to stay, while other intrepid souls push on for another 10 miles to the next shelter. We are happy to be here tonight even though we generally don't like staying in shelters. There is a good group of thru-hikers and section hikers here with us tonight - Voltron, Solo, Talksalot, Sitcom, Blurg, Mongoloid, and FoxTrot. Tomorrow, SilverGirl and I will hike about 18-1/2 miles to the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter, about 5 miles beyond Front Royal. We have really enjoyed our past several days in the Shenandoahs and look forward to reaching Harpers Ferry and then Pennsylvania. We are quickly closing in on 1000 miles, which we'll hit in 3 days.
Date: 2012-06-12
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: moderate rain

Day 82: A good nights sleep in the shelter last night. For most of the night, it rains on and off. We are up at 6:00 along with most of the other hikers in the shelter, getting ready to set out for the day. The weather is looking very ominous, with light rain falling from low, thick cloud cover. We eat a quick breakfast, don our rain gear, and begin hiking at 7:00. All morning long the intensity of the rain increases, and by 11:00, we are soaked as we reach the Tom Floyd Shelter for lunch. The half hour we spend in the relative dryness of the shelter is most welcome. As we get ready to continue hiking after lunch, we notice that the sky is brightening up a bit. The rain has also stopped. We hike for another 1/2 hour with our rain coats on, but then we put them away when we are convinced that the weather is improving. I don't take any pictures today due to the wet conditions and the  lack of any views worth capturing. By 2:45, we have covered the 18.6 miles to the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter. With the threat of more showers this afternoon and evening, we again set up inside the shelter for the night. This is a nice shelter, with a front porch and benches to sit on. There are quite a few other hikers here with us tonight, including Sitcom, Blurg, Talksalot, Otto, Ramblin Man, Dewey, Miles, Chamelion, Roboticus, Ranger Bill, and Sparky, whom we haven't seen since Erwin. We are happy to see Sparky again. He is one of our "hiker family" members who we were hiking with way back in Georgia and N. CarolinaTomorrow, we are planning another 18+ miles to the Rod Hollow Shelter. We are now out of the Shenandoahs and only have 3 more days of hiking until we reach Harpers Ferry, the symbolic half way point on the trail.
Date: 2012-06-13
From: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 83: A long, but fun day today. Sleeping in the shelter last night was not fun. There were 3 chain snorers doing their thing in unison all night long. It sounded like the scene from a Three Stooges episode when Moe, Larry, and Curly are all snoring together in rhythm. We are up again at 6:00 this morning. Sparky, whom we caught up with yesterday, is hiking with us today. By 7:30, we are on the trail with sunny and warm weather. After a few miles, we reach the crossing of I 66, where we call our son, Matt, to arrange for a pickup time in Harpers Ferry the day after tomorrow. It will be so nice to take a couple of days off this weekend to visit with them. As we get about 8 miles into the trail, Sitcom and Blurg catch up to us. They took a detour this morning to the Apple House Country Store for breakfast and brought back a dozen apple donuts, which they handed out to us and other hikers that they passed. What a welcome treat that was, as I'm feeling a bit calorie deprived today. We stop for lunch at the approach trail junction to Dicks Dome Shelter with Sitcom, Blurg, Dewey, and Sparky. Sitcom is eating a gigantic sub sandwich that he picked up at the store this morning. I eye it enviously as I sit eating crackers and tuna. After lunch, SilverGirl, Sparky, and I break out of the woods into a vast open field section in Sky Meadows St Park. It is beautiful and a welcome change from the woods. By 3:20, we arrive at Rod Hollow Shelter, where we set up our tent on a nice site away from the noise of the shelter. For dinner, we join, Otto, Ramblin Man, B1, Roboticus, Ranger Bill, Four Trees, Sparky, and Talksalot at the picnic table up by the shelter. Dinners are always fun with all of the other hikers. Tomorrow is a big day for us. We will be hiking a section of the trail known as the Roller Coaster because of its many ups and downs over the course of 13 miles. We will also pass the 1000 mile mark! We are almost half way done!
Date: 2012-06-15
From: Blackburn ATC Center

To: Harpers Ferry, Arlington VA
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 85: Today is an exciting day. We are hiking into Harpers Ferry today where we will meet out son, Matt. We leave the Blackburn ATC Center at 7:45 and climb the steep 0.2 mile section back up to the trail. After 3 long days in a row, we are tired this morning. Our minds are already in Harpers Ferry, but our bodies still have to get us there. The trail is generally flat as we we walk, but there are many stretches that are very rocky. Walking through these rocky sections is an act of concentration. Our eyes are glued to our feet and the rocks below us as we scramble over them. One small lapse in concentration will lead to a fall. We reach WV 9 at about 10:15. We had planned to walk 0.3 miles down the road here for pizza, but the pizza place does not open until 11:00, so walk to a nearby convenience store, where we order subs and have lunch there. By 1:30, we reach Harpers Ferry. What a thrill it is to be here! We register as the 501st and 502nd thru-hikers to pass through here this year and have our picture taken for their records. While we wait for Matt to arrive, we walk down into the historic section of town near the train station, where we stop in at the outfitter for some cooking fuel....and of course we buy some ice cream after that. Harpers Ferry is a very pretty, historic town. We'd like to spend some more time here exploring. We walk back up the road to the ATC headquarters, where Matt arrives at 4:15 to bring us back to Arlington for the weekend. Riding in the car back towards DC is fun, as we watch the scenery roll quickly by us. We have not been in a car much during the past 3 months and we're used to the scenery rolling by us at a walking pace. When we arrive at Matt and Emma's apartment, we immediately throw our hiking clothes into the washer. Poor Emma....having to put up with the foul stench of our dirty hiking clothes. After we finish our laundry and shower, we all go out to eat at a very nice Chinese restaurant within walking distance of their apartment. We have a wonderful dinner together. It is so nice to be here, taking a short break from the trail and reconnecting with family. We have missed our family so much. Tomorrow, we will spend another full day here and then on Sunday we will return to Harpers Ferry and spend a night there, getting ready to resume our hike on Monday.
Date: 2012-06-16
From: Harpers Ferry, Arlington VA

To: Arlington, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Day 86: Zero day for us today. We are in Arlington, VA spending today and tomorrow with Matt and Emma. It is so good to see them and to spend a little time away from the trail. This morning, we all went out to a nice little restaurant in town for breakfast. We also stopped in at a local EMS store to buy a wind screen for our cook stove, a pair of sock liners, and a sleeping bag liner for SilverGirl. The rest of the day was spent simply relaxing and visiting with Matt and Emma. Tomorrow, Matt will drive us back to Harpers Ferry later in the day, where we will spend the night at the Towns Inn before heading back out onto the trail on the 19th. Having a wonderful time and looking forward to getting back up north.
Date: 2012-06-17
From: Arlington, VA

To: Arlington, VA / Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 87: Spent this morning relaxing in Arlington, VA with Matt and Emma. It has been so nice taking a couple of days off from hiking to reconnect with family. Now it's back to business. Matt drove us back to Harpers Ferry and dropped us off there at 3:30. We checked into the Towns Inn and then spent the rest of the afternoon poking about town, visiting the various shops and museums before stopping into a small restaurant for pizza and ice cream. Now we are just relaxing in our room, getting ready to resume our hike. Tomorrow, we are planning a 17 mile hike out of Harpers Ferry to the Dahlgren Backpack Campground. Maryland, here we come.
Date: 2012-06-18
From: Arlington, VA / Harpers Ferry

To: Dahlgren Backpackers Campsite
Miles today: 17.2

Day 88: We had a restful nights sleep at the Towns Inn in Harpers Ferry last night. We wake up at about 6:15 this morning and look out the window. It is foggy and raining lightly - not the type of day that we were hoping for to get back on the trail. Oh well...we just have to play the cards we are are dealt. After breakfast at the restaurant here, we pack up and are back on the trail at 8:15. We cross the railroad bridge and enter our 6th state, Maryland. The first 3 miles north out of Harpers Ferry follow the C&O Canal tow path. Walking is a breeze on it since it is straight, flat, and wide. Leaving the tow path, we climb several hundred feet as the light rain continues. We pass Socks along the way. She tells us her knees are bothering her a bit. Once we reach the top of our climb, walking becomes very easy again. We pass through an occasional rocky section, but for the most part we are able to move along very quickly. By 11:45, we have covered 10 miles, reaching Gathland State Park. There is a large memorial archway there commemorating all of the war correspondents who reported the news during the Civil War. We stop under the picnic table pavillion here for lunch. After lunch, the final 7 miles we cover are generally flat with some rocky stretches - nothing bad though. We reach the Dahlgren Backpack Campsite at 3:30 and set up our tent. A couple of thru-hikers stop for a look while we are here but move on. This is a pretty nice spot to camp. Each tent site has its own picnic table. There is also a building on site with flush toilets, hot showers, and sinks, all for no charge. The rain has stopped, and we hear that it is supposed to get very hot within a couple of days. In 2 days, we will enter Pennsylvania!
Date: 2012-06-19
From: Dahlgren Backpackers Campsite

To: Raven Rock Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: haze

Day 89: Last night, it rained steadily all night long. We slept very well through it and are slow to get moving this morning. We wake up at about 6:00, but it is still raining, so we nod back to sleep until about 7:00, when we notice that the rain has stopped. Venturing out of the tent, the day greets us with cloudy, humid, and thick air. We decide to hike without our rain coats, chancing that the weather will improve as the day progresses. The morning hiking is easy as we walk along long, straight, flat sections of trail. There are very few rocks on the trail during these stretches. After a few miles, we reach Washington Monument State Park, where we take the short side trail up to view the monument. Walking the AT through Maryland is like a walking history lesson, with Gathland State Park yesterday and Washington Monument State Park today. For lunch, we stop at Annapolis Rocks, where we enjoy a sweeping view of the Maryland countryside below. As we eat, we watch several hawks soaring on the thermal updrafts. The sun has come out now and it is getting quite hot. During much of the afternoon, the trail is littered with many rocky sections, which slow us down considerably. By the end of the day, we are quite tired. The concentration and physical effort required to negotiate these rocky sections takes a lot out of us. Later during the afternoon, we do get a reprieve from the rocks when we break out into about a mile of pretty pastureland. We arrive at Raven Rock Shelter at 5:00, very hot, tired, and hungry and waste no time getting water, setting up the tent, and cooking dinner. Today was the hottest day yet for us on the trail, with the temperature topping out in the 90s with very humid air. Tomorrow, we are planning a shorter day so we can hitch a ride into Waynesboro, PA for some grocery shopping and binge eating at the Golden Corral. We enter our 7th state, PA, tomorrow. Can't wait!
Date: 2012-06-20
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: few clouds

Day 90: Last night, sleeping was difficult with the night time temperature not falling below 75 degrees. We rise at at 6:15 to a warm and humid morning. It is going to be another very hot day today. By 7:30, we are on the trail. Within a couple of miles, we arrive at a side trail to High Rock Overlook. The view from there is spectacular. There are some Army men and women here also, running up and down the steps to the view point. By 9:30, we arrive at PenMar Park, close to the MD/PA border. We take a picture of an AT sign here with mileage indicators that are off by almost 200 miles. Moving on, we soon cross the railroad tracks into PA and take a picture at the Mason Dixon Line. We are in the north now (relatively speaking)! The temperature is already pushing into the 90s as we descend to Rt 16. At Rt 16, I stick out my thumb, and within 5 minutes we are zooming down the road towards Waynesboro, where we plan to pick up a few groceries and then have lunch at the Golden Corral. Lunch at the Golden Corral is heavenly! Their buffet is extensive and we enjoy just about everything they have to offer - well worth the side trip into town. With full stomachs, we leave the Golden Corral, cross the road, and begin hitching for a ride back to the trail. Again, within 5 minutes, we catch a ride and arrive back at the trailhead at about 1:00. It is blazing hot now, but we only have 5.7 miles of flat hiking before we reach our destination for the day. With just over a mile left to go, we arrive at Antietam Shelter. There is a nice cool river flowing adjacent to the shelter, so we stop for awhile and cool off in the river. While we cool off, Guitar Man is in the shelter playing various songs on his guitar. He is very good and we enjoy his songs as we refresh in the river.  By 3:30, we arrive at Tumbling Run Shelters and set up our tent. There are 2 shelters here: one for snorers and one for non-snorers. We walk down to the stream that is close by and again clean up and cool off in the cold water. We are alone here until about 7:00, when Pickwick arrives. Shortly after he arrives, one other woman arrives. It will be quiet in camp tonight. Tomorrow is supposed to be another very hot day. Our plan is to hike about 17 miles and then camp near the PATC Milesburn Cabin. On Friday, we cross the official half way point of our journey to Mt Katahdin.