morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-31
From: Lewis Mt Campground

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 12.5

Updates: We forgot to mention a couple of neat events. At Blackrock Hut, we had a resident whippoorwill that hung out ALL NIGHT just outside the fire pit. You know how loud they can be at a distance; imagine one calling out over & over &over just 20 Ft from the hut. It called out most of the night! Then, last night at Lewis Mt Campground, we heard a few barred owls carrying on a lively conversation. It might even have been the one spotted yesterday. We awoke around 6 a.m., had coffee &breakfast bars, then hit the trail 7:30. The terrain today was gentle. We are above the 3,000 ft mark , and the next 18 miles or so stays between 3,000' and 3830'. So there is not a lot of elevation change. There is the heat though. So far, it has not gotten above 78 degrees up in the hills. But we still work up a pretty good sweat, thereby soaking our clothes (especially Quicksilver's) . We stopped in at the Big Meadow Lodge. We borrowed their WIFI to update our journal. Then went to the picnic area for lunch. It is a beautiful spot at about 3,500', so it was quite mild. Then we pressed on to Rock Spring Hut. We dipped down to 2,800', then began the steady climb along rocky trail. We saw several nice views along the trail to the west, overlooking Stanley, VA. We reached the hut at 2:30 after hiking 12.5 miles. Right before we reached the hut, we encountered 2 guys dragging a cooler, case if Heinies, and lots of other stuff towards the Rock Springs Cabin, which, turns out, is just below the Hut. Two more guys joined them, with more food, coolers & beer. Turns out they were high school friends from PA and were getting together for a good time reunion. They were having a blast! They invited Peach and me down to join. We cut up with them for them for awhile....lots of fun. Their names were Kevin, Matt, Eric and Vinny.
Date: 2013-06-01
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.2

Woke at 5:30, ate, then hit the trail by 6:50. We enjoyed an easy first 2 miles. We passed a couple of guys taking a break, and they mentioned that Skyland Resort which was 4.2 miles, had a restaurant just 0.1 mile off the trail. We started thinking how much we would enjoy a good breakfast, so we decided to check it out. We got to the restaurant at 9:00, and had a great omelet and coffee, then got back on the trail by 10:00. Awesome!!! We got to the Pinnacles picnic area around noon and took a break. I found a Bud Light trail magic. Later after I reached the top of Pinnacles and was enjoying the view, Peach was behind me, but somehow managed to pass me without me knowing it. So I waited, and waited, and no Peach. So I began to freak. I went back down the trail to the last point I remembered seeing her.....no Peach. I'm beginning to panic now. Meantime, Peach is wondering where I am, being nearly a mile up the trail from me. She's panicking too. She did not see me at the top and walked right past. When I finally realized she must have gotten ahead, I started racing up the trail, still not sure where she was. After a frantic few minutes, we finally caught up. Whew! We scrambled down Mary's Rock (1,300 ' down in 2 miles) to Thornton Gap (US 211 & Skyline Drive). There I found more trail magic-oatmeal cookies and combos. We finally reached Pass Mountain Hut trailhead; as we were walking to the Hut, three bears - two cubs and a mama-jumped out of the shrubs, the two cubs climbed up a tree and mama looked at me like, "What is your intent?" I backed off and the crises ended as all 3 bounded into the woods. We saw the German brother and sister there. Their names are Christian and Annalina. Later, Grey Cloud, Wolfman, Sugar Bomb, and many others showed up. We crawled into the tent around 8:15 after traveling 13.1 miles.
Date: 2013-06-02
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.1

Hit the trail at 7:21. Well, it was the same old story, up, down, uphill gradual, downhill gradual. At 7.4 miles we came to the Elkwallow Wayside. We got there at 10:40 and they were still serving breakfast. So, we chatted with some hikers we had met- Wolfman, Grey Cloud (both from Knoxville), Dan-o, and one other guy, Garfunkel (from Austria), Crush, and Colette. At 11 we ordered BBQ sandwiches and cokes. Yummy! It was cloudy this morning with a little thunder and some light rain. Quicksilver and I tossed about the idea of getting a shuttle from the wayside to Front Royal and then back tomorrow at the wayside and hike the rest of the way in to Front Royal with lighter packs. Turns out it was going to cost $100 just for the shuttle, so we decided to hike the remaining 5.7 miles to Gravel Springs Hut for the night and hike out tomorrow and hitch a ride into Front Royal. Had some very pretty views. We arrived at the hut at 2:50. There were already 4 people here and 1 guy walked up after us. It started getting real dark and it thundered. About an hour after we got here there was a very heavy rain with lots of thunder. We hiked 13.1 miles today. We hunkered down in the hut, fixed dinner and crashed for the night. We saw a bear on the trail and once he saw us he scampered away. We also saw a female turkey. There were 5 hikers who came to the hut at 9:00 p.m.! These are usually younger hikers making high-mile days-25-30 miles. They can have it!
Date: 2013-06-03
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 14.0

We were on the trail at 6:30 this morning. Of course, it started uphill. Overall, the day was moderate hiking. There were some rocky Areas. Just as we began the ascent to Compton's Peak, we heard a drone that we couldn't identify. It continued for the rest of the hike. We think it must have been cicadas. It was the eeriest sound. There were several awesome views, especially going up Compton's Peak. We could see North and South Marshall Mt and the Pinnacle from yesterday. We got to US 522/Front Royal at 12:45 p.m. We crossed the street and Peach stuck out her thumb and the next car stopped and picked us up. The driver was Frank. He said he'd been picking up hikers since 1984. Another trail angel! Got to Quality Inn at 1:00 - showered, ate, did laundry, bought groceries and chilled for awhile.
Date: 2013-06-04
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Sky Meadows State Park
Miles today: 18.5

Ate breakfast at the QI, packed up and caught the shuttle to the trailhead at 8:30. The hike started out with a long gradual climb of 3 miles and went from 1,000' to 2,000'. For the most part, the hike today was easy. In fact, we did 8 miles the first three hours. Stopped at the Jim and Molly Denton shelter mid-morning. It was the prettiest shelter we have ever seen. There was an adirondack sofa (minus the cushions, of course.) on the front porch. Lunch was enjoyed at the Manassas Gap shelter. Our plan for the day was to go to Sky Meadows State Park to camp. Little did we know there was a 1.1 mile sharp descent to the park. We weighed going to the park or taking a chance on finding another site farther on. We decided to go on to the park. About a mile and a half before the park entrance, we found trail magic - juice boxes and ice in a cooler. We each had a juice box and put some of the ice in our camelbak water bladders. We got to the park around 6:30 and it was deserted. Quicksilver and I walked up to find a self-pay kiosk, but there wasn't one. So we went back to the site and set up camp. We thought a park ranger would make his rounds, see us, and we would pay him, but that didn't happen. We fixed dinner and crawled into the tent. We hiked 18.5 miles. We saw rabbits and lots of birds today. As we hiked, the aroma of honeysuckle, mountain laurel, and other flowers was very pleasant. The walk was really uneventful. We saw large, old growth trees and lts of thick, lush forest - not a single view!
Date: 2013-06-05
From: Sky Meadows State Park

To: campsite beyond the Roller Coaster
Miles today: 21.0

We awoke at 5:30 (already light outside), ate a quick breakfast & were on the trail at 6:30.....but we had that grueling 1.1 mile climb back to the AT to contend with. We finally regained the AT at 7:10 - a 40 minute climb. The trail began gentle enough. We went through broad sloping open meadows chest-high in wheat. Nice broad vistas, and lots of rabbits scurrying about. We reached Ashby Gap in three miles and then the fun started. We realized our day had "The Roller Coaster" in store for us: the roller coaster is a 13.5 mile long section of trail with "steep ascents and descents". What an understatement! Although the elevation gain was usually 400-600 feet per hill, it was straight up and straight down. (Almost no switchbacks) for 13.5 miles! I was soaked with sweat and was going through lots of water (we had to refill our water bladders twice today.). It was probably the most difficult day Peach and I can recall. And, there were only a couple of views. We DID reach the 1,000 mile mark (a simple piece of notebook paper affixed to a tree was the only fanfare). We reached our campsite near a communications tower about 6:30. A long 21 mile day. There was a whippoorwill close by tonight. The wind blew hard all night. We slept with the sides on our tent open - very nice.
Date: 2013-06-06
From: campsite beyond the Roller Coaster

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 17.4

Got up early and hit the trail at 6:15. We had about 40 minutes on the roller coaster still, so we started with our hearts racing. It was a cool and breezy morning. There were so many rocks and boulders to walk over today. At about 7 miles into the hike, Peach slipped and fell. As she was trying to get up off the ground, she realized that she had hurt her left hand. Quicksilver helped her wrap it with her bandana. We stopped at the David Lesser Shelter which was about a quarter mile from where Peach fell. The French girls were at the shelter. We haven't seen them in several days. As we left the shelter, it started to rain and it rained and rained and rained. We still had 10 miles to hike to Harpers Ferry. The last miles were uneventful, but it was exciting to reach the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) headquarters in Harpers Ferry. We've been members for several years. We registered as section hikers, had our picture taken in front of the famous AT sign, then got help with where to take Peach for the medical attention she needed. We completed the walk into Harpers Ferry, got our "Half-Way" t-shirts, then got on the free shuttle back to our car. AND, it was still raining! We got dry clothes on then went into Charles Town, WV, to an Urgent Care Center. (It was broken at the wrist, so she got a temporary cast on it until we got home.) today we hiked 17.4 milesOur total hiking for this section was 223.1 which was an average of 14.87 miles a day. Total ATmiles is 1,019.
Date: 2014-05-24
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Harper's Ferry, WV
Miles today: 0.0

May 24, 2014Craig (Quicksilver) and I (Peach) left Atlanta on Amtrak at 10:00 p.m. We had a 4 hour layover in D.C. Then boarded another Amtrak bound for Chicago with a stop at Harper's Ferry, WV. It was a 1 &. 1/2 hour ride. We got to the hotel and promptly went to bed.
Date: 2014-05-25
From: Harper's Ferry, WV

To: Crampton Gap shelter
Miles today: 12.0

May 25, 2014The trail was ours at 9:30 a.m. It was a beautiful morning - 59 degrees. The trail was only 200 yards from the hotel. The trail took us through a neat area of Harper's Ferry. We saw the ruins of an Episcopal Church that was built in 1886. This town is built on top of a mountain and some things are built into it.Quicksilver and I crossed over the Potomac River on the Goodloe Byron Memorial Foot bridge which serves as the MD-WV state line.For the next 2.8 miles we hiked on a flat, gravel towpath that followed the Potomac and a railroad track was on the other side. It was a nice hike.The trail for the next 2 miles was a sharp ascent. Fortunately, there were some switchbacks. We walked out to Weverton Cliffs which had a beautiful view of the Potomac. We had a delicious lunch of peanut butter, triscuits, and an orange. From here the trail leveled out and it was great. As we were hiking, we noticed that we were on a ridge - can see views on both sides.We stopped at the Ed Garvey shelter and Quicksilver got water for us. The shelter is going to be packed tonight. We pushed on.About .2 miles beyond the shelter we noticed a great spot to see a view and relax a bit without the throngs of people.Two miles later we came to Gathland SP. We stopped and filled our water and met some nice south bounders.For the next 5 miles we climbed the trail to the Crampton Gap shelter, followed by a 2.5 mile descent. We set up camp just before the shelter. No one was there which was weird.We have seen more people today than ever. There are a group of boys camping above us. We had tuna and Mac and cheese for dinner. It was yummy.Hikers kept coming into the campground. There must be 15 tents here.We hiked 12 miles today.
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Crampton Gap shelter

To: Annapolis Rocks campground
Miles today: 14.1

May 26, 2014Quicksilver and I hit the trail this morning at 7:40. It was another pretty morning and a little cool. For the first 3 miles we hiked uphill. It wasn't too difficult. We took a break at White Rock Cliffs. There was a nice view. Just beyond the cliffs, there was a communication tower that we hiked up to see. There wasn't anything to it-no view. From here we hiked on the street for about .5 miles downhill. We picked up the trail again.Dahlgreen Backpacker campground was next. There were picnic tables, bathrooms, and water. We met a young couple who were doing a border to border hike which is 42 miles through MD.We pressed on and came to a road crossing. There was a neat chapel. It was built in 1887 and named Dahlgreen Chapel. The next four miles were up and down. Nothing too strenuous. But......the climb up Pine Knob was brutal! It was straight up with no switchbacks for almost a mile.From Pine Knob we were 1 & 1/2 miles from our campsite for the night. It was not too bad, just a steady incline. We have seen quite a few people today, especially as we neared Annapolis Rocks trail. They were all day hikers.We finally made it to the campsite at AR around 3:15 p.m. Nobody is here yet. Yippee!Heard turkeys and towhees. We are worn out this afternoon. We seemed to feel pretty good yesterday. I know we'll sleep well tonight.We hiked 14.1 miles today.
Date: 2014-05-27
From: Annapolis Rocks campground

To: Raven Rocks Shelter
Miles today: 12.5

May 27, 2014Slept like babies last night, all alone at Annapolis Rocks, and with a babbling brook next to our tent.Peach and I awoke at 6:30, ate breakfast while breaking camp, and hit the trail at 8:00. Peach and I strode by the view from the cliffs, then headed north. We had a few nice views along the ridge (1,700 ft.). We saw a beautiful scarlet tanager along the way.The hike was a moderate climb for the first 2.5 miles, then it got much rockier along South Mountain ridge (a preview of what's to come in PA.)We spotted our first fauna (deer) today, but not much other wildlife. We descended sharply towards Cowall Shelter, but did not stop here. From here we ascended sharply then a moderate downhill into Warner Gap. We came to a shady, cool stream. We decided to cool our feet and took a 30 minute break.It's a good thing we did, because we had the two sharpest climb of the day: Buzzard Knob and Raven Rocks. No real elevation gain. Just two tough climb with lots of rocks and boulders.Peach and I arrived at Raven Rocks shelter after a killer 700 ft. climb in .75 miles. We had to stop several times to catch our breath.We dropped our packs and found the sign indicating that the spring was .3 miles....all steeply downhill. Let me describe the process of getting fresh water for the evenings: First, determine where the water is. Then get water filter, bottles, and camel paks. Pump filtered water into all vessels and then carry back to campsite which is usually uphill. This task makes us really appreciate running water in our home.We set up our tent, at dinner, then visited with our new hiker friends, Petra, Goat, Firemeister, chicken neck, and some late arrivers.We heard thunder for awhile before we got to the shelter. It started to rain around 4 and it rained hard for a little while.
Date: 2014-05-28
From: Raven Rocks Shelter

To: Waynesboro, PA
Miles today: 5.0

May 28, 2014It rained off and on during the night.Quicksilver and I got up at 6:30. Quicksilver fixed coffee for us. We packed up, had breakfast, and hit the trail at 8:25. It was cloudy but there was no more rain. It was very humid.The hike started out with a moderate uphill for 1.5 miles and it started getting very rocky. The southbound (SoBo) hikers we met at the shelter warned us of the upcoming downhill going into PenMar. I was a little nervous, especially with wet rocks. After an easy 1.5 mile we began our descent. It started pretty easy with some rocks. But then we saw the boulders we had to traverse. There were times when QS and I had to hold our trekking poles in one hand and hold onto the boulder with our other hand. This went on for .75 mile. However, it wasn't as bad as we'd been led to believe. We had 5 miles to hike from the shelter to the take-out spot on PenMar road.We crossed the Mason-Dixon Line just as we crossed into PA.We have reservations at Burgundy Lane B&B in Waynesboro, PA. David Smeltzer picked us up and took us to the B&B. We stayed in the Castle Room which had a kingsize bed and a private bath. We are living large!!David showed us to our room and told us where we could get lunch. He even did our laundry while we were eating.QS and I showered and got into clean clothes. We walked one block to Waynesburger Restaurant. The lunch was awesome.This town is so picturesque. It was established in 1777. Some of the architecture of the buildings is gothic looking. The businesses and residences are all mixed in together.We are relaxing this afternoon. We are going to go to a restaurant that has good ribs, then we will restock our groceries at the local WalMart.
Date: 2014-05-29
From: Waynesboro, PA

To: Rocky Mountain shelter
Miles today: 15.0

May 29, 2014Quicksilver and I want to thank David Schmeltzer, the owner if the B&B where we stayed last night. He picked us up - promptly! - from the trail at the Mason-Dixon Line. He took us to the B&B, showed us to our room, he did our laundry, and finally shuttled us to dinner and Walmart. Thanks also to Margaret Schmelter for an awesome breakfast. Great hosts!There are two other hikers at breakfast with us who were from CT. They were to shuttled back the same place on the trail we were, so we loaded up in the van and headed out a little after 9.We hit the trail at 9:30. It was a cool 52 degrees and cloudy with light rain.Our hike started where we left off at Pen-Mar road. The trail descended for a short while. We crossed a creek and started a steady 700 ft climb. We passed Deer Lick shelter and Antietam shelter which were the nicest shelters we've seen in PA so far.Just afterwards we came to Old Forge picnic area and stopped for lunch. We saw a water faucet that had a sign that said "fresh water year round". We had leftover ribs from our dinner last night. They were delicious. Beyond Tumbling Run shelter, we began a climb of 1,200 ft over the next three miles. It was a heart pumping, sweat producing hour long climb. Once we crested the top, we reached the highest point of our hike at 2,000 ft.The hike from here was nice, a bit rocky, but not too bad.We arrived at the Rocky Mountain shelter at 4:15. It was .3 miles down a side trail. We set up our tent on a nice spot just below the shelter. We had to walk another .2 mile to get water.It never did really rain today until after dinner as we crawled into our tent. It was 6:30!!!We crossed 9 roads today and countless creeks, streams and springs. The trail was very wet. Today we hiked 15 miles.
Date: 2014-05-30
From: Rocky Mountain shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

May 30, 2014Update on Rocky Mountain shelter: we met Antler, Big Daddy, Shaggy, Rock Hound, Genesis (a solo female) and one other.We heard a barred owl last night. We slept in a little (6:30), then I (QS) made coffee (to go with our delicious pumpkin spice muffins we brought from Burgundy Lane B&B). Yum!We got on the trail at 8:40 and had a good first portion of the hike: we walked along and over a boulder strewn ridge, having to maneuver the rocks while still damp from last night's rain. We soon arrived at Caledonia State Park. We got a picnic table along the roaring creek....beautiful place! They have a snack bar that lures us with hot dogs and hamburgers, but, alas, it is not open for business yet.Peach and I lingered in this paradise for nearly an hour and a half before we got back on the trail. The trail started out aggressively-we ascended steeply for 500 feet then another 700 feet over the next two miles.We had a nice 5 mile stroll at around 2,000 feet elevation, then descended to the Birch Run shelter. We got to the shelter and found that many sites were occupied. We searched along the stream until we found this awesome campsite, complete with "sofa"and tables. The "Yeti-Men" constructed everything from forest material, like a pioneer would....so cool.We lounged for awhile, ate dinner, then got in the tent around 7:45.We hiked 13 miles today.
Date: 2014-05-31
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: James Fry Shelter
Miles today: 17.1

May 31, 2014We heard what we thought were peacocks last night. There was a wildlife refuge in this area. Maybe it came from there. It got cold last night! It was 45 degrees this morning. Quicksilver and I got up at 6:30 and got dressed, ate breakfast, packed up, and hit the road at 7:50.The morning was beautiful. Great hiking temperature. The hike started out at a slow, gradual incline for the next 1 and a half miles.We stopped at Toms Run shelter for a break. We met a couple of guys earlier who were out for a day hike. They were at this shelter. They were from Waynesboro, PA.When we walked up to the shelter, there was a real creepy guy sitting on the picnic table. He had on a hoodie and ratty blue jeans - NOT hiking wear. We noticed one other young guy who was just leaving. QS and I were the only ones left with the creep. We got out of there quick.Over the next five miles, we walked along a nice trail with moderate ups and downs.We stopped at Pine Grove Furnace General store. They had a short order grill, so we feasted on burgers, fries, and coca-cola. Yummy!The young man that we saw at the last shelter was eating at this store, so we joined him. He is so nice. His name is Siesta. He just finished his MBA. He started his hike at Harper's Ferry and he's going to ME.We've talked about camping at shelters, but we actually tent camp. We haven't stayed in one yet. PTL! There are three reasons: mice; stinking and/or snoring people; hard wood floors.The AT goes right through this park for 2 miles. It's a pretty place.From here we ascended 700 ft over 2 and three quarters miles. It wasn't too bad, just long.There were a couple of ups as we hiked from here and, of course, there was a tough one just before we reached our day's destination. Arrival at James Fry (Tagg Run) shelter at 4:45. The tent sites weren't very good unless you like sleeping on an incline. We found one that was ok, set up the tent, and got water.QS and I walked to the shelter and prepared dinner - chicken flavored ginger soy rice with Libby's chunky chicken. Scrumptious! We share the picnic table with Siesta and Kentucky, who is a single lady we met today.At the shelters in PA, some of them have caretakers. We went by Antietam shelter and there were baskets of flowers all around it.Today we hiked 17.1 miles.