morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-06-07
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Troutville, VA
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: mist

hiked Tinkerton cliffs this morning and had some fantastic views of the valley below, and rock formations on the trail. Also srarting to see edible blueberries and raspberries on the trail. Mostly in the sunny area¢s like under power line clearings. Probably in 1 to 2 weeks they will be all over the trail!. Other than that, it¢s been uneventfull. I took a day off on Friday, well I only hiked 2 miles, to recover, and get some extra calories in my body. Plus there is a small trail days in Troutville with free food on Friday/ Sat. I plan on doing the free dinner tonight, breakfast in the morning, check out the outfitters, and then be on trail by 10:00 SatWeather is suppose to be rainy for the next week. Hopefully not too bad, there aren¢t too many places to stop in the next 60 miles or so.Forgot to mention, had some great trail magic again. Ed if your reading this the hot dogs and burgers were great. Many thanks!!  Hit the spot, and just what we needed before the climb!
Date: 2019-06-08
From: Troutville, VA

To: BobbletÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Well let the rain begin... I took the day off in Troutville yesterday. It rained, and was the 1st day of the Troutville hiker fest ( free dinner). Was also fortunate to have both Principal and Wonder Woman show up in town. Principal is taking some down time to heal so it may be a while before we are all back together again. Woke up today to a nice steady rain, but too many hikers are in town waiting for weather to improve. I went to the free breakfast, after eating at the hotel, and picked up some free stuff, including another pair of socks. The weather is supposed to be rainy for the next 4 days so extra socks will come in handy.Hiked most of the day in rain. Yup I¢m drenched, but my sleeping stuff is dry , and I¢ll be in a shelter tonight at least. Hope I¢m right and a lot of people stay in town. Spent the afternoon hiking parallel to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It¢s scenic, but would rather not hear the cars.Settling down for the night. Gonna be a long week!!
Date: 2019-06-10
From: BobbletÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap shelter

To: Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 38.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Have now walked through 3+ days of rain. Nothing like getting up in the morning and putting on wet clothes. There¢s no sense putting on something dry since it will be wet within 30 minutes. Other than the clothes I wear, shoes  and backpack everything else is dry. I have also been fortunate to make it to the shelters early enough to get in and not have to set up a tent. Gotta take what wins you can getThe hikes themselves have been uneventful. I know this area must be beautiful, but it looks a lot like the smokies to me - all fogged in! There are some serious altitude changes in this part of the trail - both up and down. The ups don¢t physically hurt, but breathing is a challenge. The downs just physically hurt. I¢m still nursing my right foot. It¢s been 6 days now, and not getting better. I can¢t get full bend with my toes, and am hobbling on the flats and down hills. Been running into a group of about 10 hikers all targeting to complete the trail in less than 100 day. It¢s humbling to watch them book past me on the trail as they do their 25 miles a day. It¢s a very different hike, at least I keep telling myself that. As an example, my pack is between 35 and 40 lbs (depending on food/ water/ and how waterlogged from rain it is). The one guy that blew by me has a pack that was 12 lbs. big difference!Made it into town. Glasgow is a small place, but the Episcopal church runs a free shelter for hikers right in town. Just like a regular shelter, but with showers. I¢m choosing to stay at the Hostel down the street. They need a work for stay, and I may need to be here for a few days to heal my foot and recover from the wet weather over the last few days. The church also host a free dinner on Monday since the restaurant in town in closed - yes the only restaurant in town. Today is Monday. :)
Date: 2019-06-14
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Lewisburg, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well my journey is about to come to an end at least for this year. I have officially changed status from a throughhiker to a section hiker.I spent about a day and a half trying to recover in Glasgow. Things seemed to be getting worse not better. The rubbed area on my ankle is healing, but my ankle and the arch of my foot is still swollen.My Trail Angel (brother in law) picked me up on Wed from the hostel and drive me to PA. Spent the last few days resting, including some electro shock treatment. Lived thru it, now trying to figure out how to complete my hike to get to 800 trail miles hiked. Stay tuned. Trying to get the whole family here involved. I have a plan, but now have to convince everyone to join. :)
Date: 2019-06-19
From: PA 325

To: Pa Section Hike
Miles today: 19.0

I finished my 2019 AT hiking on Sat. I hike with my nephew back to Duncannon, PA to at least experience part of PA. Finished the last bit of the trAil with the family, ending at the ice cream parlor. Duncannon had a trail festival, but we got to town at 5 and the hiker festival ended at 4.The hike went well. Saw two rattlesnakes sunning on the rocks. Gave them their space as we walked on by. Trail was noisy with road traffic, and lots of views of the power lines. Definitely not as scenic as the trail down south.Overall this was a great experience. Almost 2 months, over 800 miles, and countless feet of vertical elevation. I meet some terrific people, and saw some of the beauty the US has to offer, and we all to often take for granted. I¢ve hiked on all kinds of weather and slept in tents/shelters/ hostels,. I¢m done for 2019, but there is still the opportunity to come back to complete the remaining 1400 miles at some other time of my life. Maybe be able to share the experience with others as well. No dishonor in section hiking! Well time to board my bus for the trip back to MN. My hike my be over, but the adventure continues........ :)
Date: 2023-09-24
From: Footbridge over James River

To: Punch bowl shelter
Miles today: 9.5

tuff day - climbs were killer for my "new legs". Should have stopped earlier, but not too many tent sites after the monument. Stayed in the shelter with Aqua Man. Sunrise was tenting. He injured his knee on his first day and was now heading back home. Needless to say he was pretty miserable. Not a lot of activity on the trail. Saw 2 hikers all day. Seems the SB crew is thru. Plan an easy day today - try to avoid the predicament Sunrise is in. Too many miles to go yet!!
Date: 2023-09-25
From: Punch bowl shelter

To: Steely shelter
Miles today: 9.5

easy hike today. Got in about 1. I hate to stop hiking before mid afternoon - seems like a waste of a hiking day, but better to rest up for a longer hike tomorrow. As expected everything hurts. Shelter is great. Right on the trail with a creek running in front. South bounder- Linked In arrived late, and so did the rain. Getting ready for a difficult day tomorrow
Date: 2023-09-26
From: Brown Mtn Shelter

To: Harpers Creek Shelter?
Miles today: 15.8

hard day today. Rained all day with a big climb up Cole mountain. About 3k of climbs and it took its toll on my new legs. Meet 9 SB hikers through the day - lots of activity. Started getting blisters on heels of both feet - wet socks and shoes. Shared shelter with SB¢s Kit cat, Charmer and Doolittle - all good hikers, but I guess at this point every SBer is pretty dedicated to thru hiking and getting it done. Not too much more my friends!!
Date: 2023-09-28
From: Steely shelter

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 20.4

pretty easy 1st part of the day. Lots of fog, wet shoes and socks but easy. Took the Mail-Her trail. Not sure if that was really a good idea. It saved 4 miles of distance, but it was VERY steep, and took me down a distance that I had to climb out of. Lots of wet rock scrambles. Really tore up my feet. Trail ends right at the shelter so that was a big plus. Shared the shelter with aqua man and 2 and SB hikers. Saw 5 day hikers, but no sb hikers while on the trail today. This was my 1st experience off the white blazed AT trail, but timing/mile wise the blue blazed Mail-Her trail put me the little bit closer to Waynesboro that I needed. Plus with the fog I thought the ravine would be more scenic than the fogged in mountain view.
Date: 2023-09-29
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro 
Miles today: 5.0

easy hike in today to shower/ wash clothes/ resupply. Staying at Stanimals. Heard good things. Aqua Man, Poppy, and Claud are NB hikers, and so far Lobo and Albis are SB. Sure more folks will show up today. May take a 0, but that would be my first ever - see how my feet are in the morning. Heard the Federal Government may shut down (would impact facilities/water in Shenandoah Park) so will get some extra supplies to get me thru just in case
Date: 2023-09-30
From: Waynesboro 

To: Black rock hut
Miles today: 20.7

decided to leave the hostel vs take a 0. Was feeling good, and just wanted to get back on the trail. Long hike today but trail was really good. Last 13 miles were very dry. Snakes are out again. One rattlesnake, and 2 black snakes. Lots of day hikers. Met Beacon - southbound section, and Michael - weekend hiker at the shelter. Good conversation, and a good night with little mice activity.Done with the first week back on trail. Total of 93 miles, a bit less than I wanted, but respectable. Have 2 blisters, and a sore knee, but otherwise doing well. I'll save my 0 day for a later time
Date: 2023-10-01
From: Black rock hut

To: Pine field hut
Miles today: 13.2

beautiful day today. Lost the trail for a section. Somehow ended up on a blue blazed trail, but made my way back. Ate at my first wayside! It was about 1 mile off trail, way longer than I wanted to go, but also wanted to see what it was a wayside was all about. Had a burger and blackberry shake. Both were great! Ran into some trail magic at the ivy creek overlook. Thanks Mel and Chuck for the lighter, and Rondo and Carrie for the beer, energy bars and conversation.Having my first night alone at a shelter. Lucky I have the deer to keep my company. Deer in the park seem to have no fear of humans.
Date: 2023-10-02
From: Pine field hut

To: Bear fence hut
Miles today: 20.6

Big day today- both miles and climbs; probably too much. Left the Pine Field hut in the dark at 6:40 to get my first night hiking experience. Lots of deer in the morning. Hiked with a buck for about 1/4 mile again proving deer in this part are not very afraid of peopleTook a break at high top hut with Skypilot and her husband. Too early to stop for the day. Another 12 miles to go. Made it into camp at about 5:30, but that was a long day and I felt it.At the hut with a weekend hiker and 2 women hiking the length of Shenandoah park. Going north so may meet them again.
Date: 2023-10-04
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.3

Easy day today. Stopped at the Pinnacle to eat, but the bugs were really bad so didn¢t stay too long. Stopped at the Birds nest 3 to take a picture. It was right on the trail, and I could use the break. Wasn¢t sure if there was going to be anyone at the shelter, but there were several that stopped. Met Jim- stayed in a tent just out for a few days testing his new equipment, Hawkey traveling NB for a 5 day outing, and Jim who just stopped in during his day hike. A section hiker showed up at about 9/10 pm - scared the crud out of me, then settled down to a tent site.
Date: 2023-10-05
From: Pass mountain Hut

To: Gravel springs hut
Miles today: 13.1

real easy day today. I¢m trying to respect the park and hike hut to hut vs stealth camp. Just personal choice. Took some pictures at the various overlooks, and still got to the shelter by 2. I do hate to stop early like this, but would rather stop than stealth camp in the park. Decided to tent due to the reports of rats in the shelter. Particularly ¢Annabell¢ that is known to steal things like socks -anything she can grab. I will tent thanks. Many people at the shelter. Hawkeye came in about 4, followed by NB section hikers Jamie and Kimberly with Will Rodgers, and then 3 weekend hikers with their 2 German Shepards -no worries about bears tonight. Ate well tonight. Had my Ramen dinner, 1/2 of Hawkeye¢s rice dinner, and Kimberly¢s Hamburger and fries from the waysideThanks All!!!
Date: 2023-10-06
From: Gravel springs hut

To: Mountain House
Miles today: 13.4

was cruising today. Made it to the hostel by 2. Mixed emotions day. I finished the Shenandoah Park. It¢s nice to have that 100 mile stretch completed, but I¢m sad to be done with the park. Highly recommend visiting the Shenandoah Park. Even if you drive the park there is hundreds of miles of accessible hiking and it¢s absolutely beautiful. Ground bees were the major nemesis for me during the last 100 miles. Fortunately I didn't get stung, but lots of warnings from SB'ers over the last few days. Trail has been very dry too. Many watering spots are dry so have to carry more water than I typically do. Debating taking a zero here to recover or push on. We¢ll see what the weather brings. 50% chance of rain (it's needed), and I would rather be dry and good health to attack the roller coaster coming up. Mountain house B&B is fabulous also. They have put a ton of work into rebuilding the house and helping hikers on the trail.
Date: 2023-10-07
From: Mountain House

To: ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂDicks DomeÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂShelter
Miles today: 15.3

nice hike today. Great breakfast at the Mountain House. Waited a bit for the rain to pass then started the hike. Day cleared out nicely. No great views today other that the 2 ish miles of fencing around some US Biological study site. Not sure what they do there but it¢s a big place with a lot of fence.Found my 2019 ATC hikers guide is out of date today. Was going to stop at the Ducks Dome shelter, but it was replaced with the Whiskey Run Shelter. Beautiful shelter- lofted, finished floors. Met Will Rodgers again and shared the shelter with him, and 2 day hikers. 4 other day hikers camped near by. Had a nice fire that brought everyone together then to bed by 9. Chilly day, and expecting a cold night
Date: 2023-10-08
From: Whiskey Hallow Shelter

To: Bears Den
Miles today: 18.3

Woke to shoes filled with acorns. Something was busy last night. It was cold last night. Sleeping bag did well, just difficult to get out of it. Was on the trail by 7:30. Will wanted to hike together and push to Bears Den. I¢m not a big fan of hiking with people. I consider myself a horrible hiker - my pace is erratic, I like to take breaks a lot, and don¢t like people walking right behind me. We walked together for a bit, then agreed to meet at certain places. We did lunch at Rod Hallow shelter. Meet several day hikers, and a group of cadets from Annapolis. Also started/ completed the first 10 miles of the roller coaster. It's a lot of up then down, but so is the rest of the AT. Overall not too bad so far. Waited for Will at the trail exit to Bears Den. Glad he pushed me. I probably wouldn't have stayed at Bears Den if he hadn't suggested it, and Bears den hostel is amazing! Will and I had the bunk house to ourselves. Watched the movie Rudy, ate our dinner of frozen pizza, ice cream, and I had 2 bowls of pork curry Glen made. Met Apple Flower, and another section hiker. Annapolis cadets camped outside with several other groups It was a good night - cold outside though.Glenn - thanks for the curry and the cookies!!!
Date: 2023-10-09
From: Bears Den

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 20.6

Will made a great breakfast to get us going - pancakes. I did the dishes. Started about 8:30, 30 minutes later than I wanted, but not too bad.Passed the Va/WV state line. Yay!!!! It¢s good to be done with VA. I can't say I loved every minute of it, but VA definitely challenged me both mentally and physically. Finished the roller coaster after the last 2 climbs. I lost Will on the second climb. I meet Scott who owned a property bordering the trail, and out for a 2 mile walk on the trail. Asked him to tell Will I would meet him at the next shelter. Will texted me to go on and not wait for him. He wasn¢t going to make the 20 miles today. I¢ll call him when I¢m back in MN (Will also happens to be from the Minneapolis area)Cold and windy day today. Trail was good for the first 12 miles then started getting rocky. Several day hikers out, and I did run into 5 SB. They are all targeting to thru-hike and complete this year. Hope they make it!!!Stopped in at the ATC HQ. I was the only one there. No surprise. Got some info on local hostels and decided to stay in Harpers Ferry. I like this town and its quirky atmosphere. Plus the rain was moving in and I wanted something close. Hostel is right on High Street so it¢s almost right on the trail, and will give me a jump tomorrow to hopefully get some good miles in.
Date: 2023-10-10
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.9

fairly uneventful day. Left Harpers Ferry around 7:30 and passed into Maryland. Saw 4 bikers on the C&O, but several people out for the day on the trail. Lots of historical - Civil War- sites to see. All centered around the 1862 campaigns. It was interesting. Water is still hard to come by so I fill up every chance I can, usually in the parks. Pine Knob is an old shelter, and close to I70, but my legs are too spent to get another 2 miles to Annapolis Rocks. Have the shelter all to myself, with a slow but running water source.
Date: 2023-10-11
From: Pine Knob Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 22.7

Another big mile day today, but my body feels good, tired, and the trail is fairly smooth. Gotta say the section I have been hiking since the start of the Shenandoah Park has been pretty easy. Passed into PA today. The Penn-Mar Park is interesting and set up to watch the sun set on the valley below. Not too many people on the trail today but was advised about a Creeper in the Duncannon area. I have to check this out a bit more but may have to cut my hike a bit short if it's legit. Would rather end in Pine Grove and avoid any issues. I was going to go on to the Antietam shelter. Glad I stopped - the Antietam shelter was closed and relocated. Had this shelter all to myself.
Date: 2023-10-12
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.8

Boy was it cold last night. Shelter had a breeze blowing in and made it a bit chilly. There were actually 2 shelter's at Deer Lick. I considered moving to the other one, but didn't think it would make a difference. Sleeping bag was good, just getting out of it was a challenge. Again not many people on the trail - a few section hikers. More people were in Caledonia Park and that was good to see. This shelter is one of the best I¢ve been to on the trail. It's "cute" 3 SB section hikers arrived early evening and shared the other part of the shelter "complex". One SB section hiker arrived late and set up a tent. This will be my last night on this segment of my hike. I was going to press on, but it¢s only 17 miles to Pine Grove Furnace, the end of my hike, and I should be there by 4 tomorrow if the trail ahead is anything like today.
Date: 2023-10-13
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Pine Grove Furnace
Miles today: 17.6

Well last day of hiking this section. Day 73 is the total number of days I have been hiking the trail in the 2 section hikes. I decided to cut this section short by 45 miles - food situation/ weather/ trail issues in Duncannon. Body feels great sore knees, but overall the body is holding up great! I have really enjoyed this 300+mile section. I do miss the comradery of being with other NB'ers but the solitude has its benefits as well. I left Quarry Gap early, about 6:30. One of the SB section hikers - guy in the tent - said the trail to Pine Grove was horrible and the hike took him almost 12 hours. Boy was that bad info. Little bit of an uphill to start the morning, but the rest of the day was awesome. Made it to the Milesburn PATC cabin by 9:30 and decided to stop for water and breakfast (cabin wasn't being used). I met Katiedid as I was finishing up my coffee. What and accomplished woman!! Triple triple-crowner and has completed the AT trail 11 times in her 50 years of hiking. She was giving a speech at the AT museum in Pine Grove on Sat, would have liked to see that!! Honored to have met her. Took me until about noon to realize it was hunting season (dear/bow) so I stopped at Tom's Run shelter and put on my orange shirt. Other than that it was an uneventful trip to the park. Only saw a couple of day hikers that weren't real interested in talking. Made it to Pine Grove furnace by 2:30. Well in advance of my sister picking me up so I walked the AT thru the park to the snack bar at the beach and toured through the park/ AT museum. Tagged along with one of the tours through the mansion, and dropped off my knee brace in the hiker box for some other needy hiker to use!! I was going to do the 1/2 gallon challenge, but the only ice cream flavor they had was butter pecan. Pretty sure I couldn't eat a pint let alone a 1/2 gallon of butter pecan ice cream! You get what you get this late in the season.Met several SB thru hikers at the store. I was surprised to see any SB's this late and this far north. They were all trying to plan resupply and what to do about the storm coming in tonight.Since I had a few hours I also thought about future hikes. Back in Glasgow in September I wasn't sure if I was going to get back on the trail after completing this section. Now after about 3 more weeks of hiking it's a lot more probable that I will continue the trek. I like the idea of longer section hikes 300 to 400+ mile sections (I learned a new term this trip LASH hiker) for me seem to work, but we'll see. That's a plan that can be worked on next year. Till then happy winter, and safe travels to the SB'ers I met on the trail this year. Hike your hike................
Date: 2018-10-15
From: Woody Gap

To: Blood Mnt
Miles today: 0.0

Today I started my four day section hike to test my gear and see what I might need or not need. My lovely wife dropped Gary and Susan (dear friends and trail mentors) and me at Woody Gap early this morning.We covered a little over 8 miles at a nice slow pace of five hours. We plan to do 12 miles tomorrow Lord Wiiling! My body is holding up well no blisters, I¢m using the Altra Lone Peaks 3.5 , with the Injinji liners and Darn tough socks. My Osprey  Atmos 50 fully loaded came in at 32 lbs but was extremely comfortable. The only gear failure was my Sawyer squeeze as it would not flow it¢s practically brand new and is a favorite amongst hikers. I will see if the folks at Neel Gap can help me out. Fortunately my friends have a nice pump Katadyn brand. We met several section and day hikers along the way.Lessons learned or reminded of; fist bumps not handshakes is the accepted greeting amongst us dirty hikers.Hikers going uphill always have the right away (except for speedy kids!)Great day today but the views were socked in , still we had a blast.Good night from the AT!