morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-15
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Fork Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: heavy intensity rain

It had been another chilly night. I was glad we were in a shelter that blocked most of the wind.   When we passed Dennis Cove Road, USFS 50, the trail was wide and well maintained. We passed many day hikers. We met a couple who have hiked many areas of the AT from the parking areas. Tag Along mentioned she was cold the night before because the cold wind came up through the floor. The man gave her a light weight large emergency blanket/pad with a reflective coating. They were very kind. They offered other items but we declined.   When we came to the switchback mentioned in The AT Guide by AWOL Miller, we met a woman and her four children. She asked us the way back to Hampton. We did not know. In hindsight, we were at the junction where straight ahead was the high water bypass and downhill to the left (where they had come from) was the low water trail pass Laurel Falls. We leap frogged over them and went down about a quarter mile of rock stairs. I was impressed the children were in such good spirits after coming up all these stairs. Just before the bottom, was the low water trail they had missed. The mother and children eventually found it. We went to the bottom and admired the Laurel Falls. No swimming for us. It was way too cold of a day. Warren Doyle and The AT Guide warns against swimming too close to the falls. Apparently the hydraulics pull a person towards the falls and under. There is a sign stating - Dwight & Dagan Cope - Father & Son. Adventurers - Died here July 2012. It is reported at http://www.wcpo.com/news/father-son-found-dead-in-tenn-waterfall. They had planned to hike the AT for 18 days. So tragic.   We continued hiking. With our backs to the falls, the trail went to the left about 100 feet from the bottom. The trail went along the river, then along a rock wall next to the river. On the rock wall, were beautiful bleeding heart flowers. This was the low water trail. It is easy to see how the rock wall could be submerged in high water.   At the intersection of the low water trail and other end of the high water trail, we met a person coming down the high water trail. The sign there was confusing. We would have missed the shelter if we had not met the person coming down. We went up the rocky ridge to the shelter and ended the day at 4 pm. We were planning to hike over 15 miles the next day through a known bear activity area, where we were not to stop. The water source for the shelter was a pretty little falls.   I called my husband (as I try to do every night) and got the weather report of a cool night with lots of wind.
Date: 2016-05-17
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: broken clouds

We were the last to leave Vandeventer Shelter. It is amazing to think that over 10 tents were packed up and left by 8:30 am. We had a relatively easy day with minor ups and downs. The flowers and green fields were beautiful.   We enjoyed trail magic of grilled cheese and hot dogs, along with an ice chest of drinks. A man who had thru hiked the trail years before, this year planned to thru hike with his daughter. Unfortunately, he injured his ankle. So now he was providing trail magic as he waited for his daughter at the road crossings. We enjoyed the trail magic with Mariposa and her husband. Mariposa told us she was slow but she was hiking more miles than us, and she is 10 years our senior!    We finished the day at Double Springs Shelter. We shared the shelter with the man from Bern Switzerland we met at the previous shelter.
Date: 2016-05-21
From: Manassas Gap Shelter

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

I woke to rain. I had already gone to the bathroom twice in the rain with my poncho. So I got our bear bags off the pole. I thought I would be nice and got the German couple's bear bags off the pole, too. They thanked me. A few minutes later a boy scout came by asking if someone had taken their bear bag off the pole. It was me. I thought both of the bags I took off the pole belonged to the German couple. Only one belonged to the German couple. The other belonged to the boy scout. Apologies accepted. No harm done.   The two women from the night before came by to have breakfast under shelter from the rain. As it turned out, the drip was only 5-6 drops. No big deal. Again asked how they knew each other. They laughed. One was Lenny's girl friend. The other was Lenny's ex-girl friend. They said he didn't seem to be a guy to date outdoor women. They said they could be called Lenny's girls. He was great to borrow gear from, especially since he was about their height. They finished their breakfast and packed up their tent.   We were reluctant to leave the dry shelter to hike in the rain. We took our time having breakfast and packing up. The women and the boy scouts were gone by the time we left the shelter. We hiked most of the day in the rain. Fortunately, it was not a down pour and the temperature was not too cold. Tag Along spotted a salamander. There were several showy orchis.   We had lunch at Dick's Dome Shelter. It was barely big enough for the three of us and our gear. As we were finishing lunch, the boy scouts showed up. Now it was a crowd. This was the last day for the boy scouts. Their vehicle was parked at US 50 about 3 miles away. We continued our hike in the rain.    The rain continued as we started into the Roller Coaster or as some call it Pointless Ups and Downs. The rain continued as we came to Rod Holler Shelter, to stay the night. When we arrived, the boy scouts were occupying the pavillion. They were training for Philmont in New Mexico.   In the shelter were two men, one upstairs on the right, the other downstairs on the left. They were together. We set up our sleeping bags in the shelter. The downstairs man was out for 5 weeks. He had 5 friends to join him for a week at a time. They were from Ohio. Again and I commented we were surprised he had 5 friends willing to join him. We didn't have that many people willing to commit to hike with us. The partner said it is better hiking with a partner. I said, "Yes, someone to complain to." The partner thought a moment and agreed. They had hiked some of the Roller Coaster and it was rocky. It seemed to be harder than they had thought. It seemed the hiker was considering quitting. I like to think we cheered him, enough to continue on.   A tall slender young woman in hiking boots, dress and Mennenite bonnet arrived. The men invited her to stay in the shelter. There was plenty of room. I joined in and invited her to sleep next to me. She set up her sleeping bag and disappeared for a while. She was quiet but seemed to enjoy our banter. We asked her name. She said Shooting Star.
Date: 2016-05-22
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Bears Den Hostel
Miles today: 9.9

It was still raining. Shooting Star left early in the morning. The previous day we had hiked all day in the rain. Today the temperature was cooler and the rain was heavier. Our plans were to go to the Bears Den Hostel and get the Hiker Special. $30 for a bed, shower, pizza, ice cream and soda.   We stopped at a shelter for lunch. Tag Along changed into dry clothes and fixed some tea and soup. She and Again were visibly shivering. I thought we should get moving to get warmer. It seems the answer to most problems on the AT is hike more. By hiking more, we would get to the Bears Den Hostel with warm showers.   We hiked on in the rain. It was cold. Our usual chatter had died down to silence. I thought this is not good. I started singing my usual repetoire of songs. "When you walk through the rain, hold your head up high. And don't be afraid of the wind. ..." "Climb Every Mountain" "Raindrops on Roses and whiskers on kittens (My Favorite Things)" "Holy, Holy, Holy" "The Battle is the Lord's" and Amazing Grace with the verse of "Praise God". There were moments I interrupted my singing to swallow a sob, hoping they did not notice how close I was to crying. As I finished the second round of Praise God, there was the sign for Bears Den Overlook and Bears Den Hostel. We did not even attempt to go to the overlook. We knew what we would see. Fog!   We hiked along the beautifully built tall rock wall to the entrance to Bears Den Hostel in the fog and rain. At the front door, Again read the sign that said they were closed, please enter at the back door. We walked around back. The door was locked. We tried knocking. Nothing. We looked for another door. Again noticed there were people on the other side of the window. Shooting Star opened the door for us. We were so relieved to be inside. We entered through the mud room and removed our packs, ponchos and shoes. The next room was the bunk room that smelled of the recent shower Shooting Star had just taken. Again wasted no time taking a shower; then Tag Along; then me. I was the only one who was not shivering at lunch.
Date: 2016-05-23
From: Bears Den Hostel

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter 
Miles today: 11.2

It was a very nice shelter, with a eating pavilion and large porch and hard wood floor. When we arrived, there was a male thru hiker and a military man and his son. The male thru hiker had started at Springer early in the season, but had some injuries that set him back a bit. He had lost 35 pounds and did not have that much too loose when he started.
Date: 2016-08-17
To: Preparation for Rangeley Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last year I section hiked from Katahdin to Rangeley Maine in 20 days, no zero days, by myself. I had a tough time of it. Maybe it was because I got Giardia somewhere in my travels. Maybe because I was hiking alone. So this time, I asked Tag Along to join me. I made reservations at 4 huts with AMC for $800 for the two of us. I let Tag Along know the dates. She could not go because she was already signed up to bicycle with her sister in Montana (?) for those dates. I emailed Red Squirrel. She said yes.   Red Squirrel is from my home town of Cashiers NC. She started section hiking the year after I started. She has hiked from Springer to Catawba Virginia. She said how hard could Maine be? She said she was nervous about doing Dragon's Tooth in Virginia. I told her after Maine, Dragon's Tooth will seem easy. She asked if Maine was hard because it was steep or scary. I said both. She said she hiked up the mountains like the 20 somethings but on rocks she was like an 80 year old. I told Red Squirrel I usually chat the whole time I am hiking. She said she would need some quiet time and she would let me know when she needed quiet.   I made an itinerary and made reservations for the air flight, The Farmhouse in Rangeley, The Barn in Gorham, four AMC huts, Crawford Notch Dry River Campground and parking near the Charlotte airport.   Red Squirrel said that she usually did things on the fly. She was glad she had met me who was so organized.   I had originally planned to stay in Portland with my caving friend Andrew. Red Squirrel said she did not sleep well in someone else's home. She had many Hilton points and would arrange for us to stay at the Portland airport Hilton. It would be her treat. As it turned out, Red Squirrel arranged for her to have a room and me to have the room next door. Such luxury! It seemed out of place for such an adventure.    Our plane was an hour late taking off and an hour late arriving in Portland. My friend Andrew still came to the Hilton. We talked until 11:30 pm despite his full day of work and 8:30 am meeting the next day. It was so good to see him.   The next day, Ken Hoyt drove us to The Farmhouse in Rangeley with a stop at Walmart for fuel canisters and a belt. He originally said it would be 50 cents a mile from his house. Since gas had gone down, he charged us 40 cents a mile. We tipped him on top of his charge and still were not sure how he made ANY money. He had never hiked the AT and seemed to have no connection to the trail. Ken is 84 years old. Red Squirrel stayed busy with her cell phone to distract her from the fact that an 84 year old was driving us. Years ago I came to the conclusion that if today is the day God choses to take me home, I am ready. I try to live my life with this in mind. I am not excited about years of rehabilitation though.
Date: 2016-08-19
From: ME 4 Rangeley Maine

To: Bemis stream campsite
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

We were dropped off by Ken Hoyt on Thursday 8/18 at The Farmhouse. The back of the building was under construction with the husband adding on a porch. A 8 foot deep hole had been dug to put in the footers for the porch. We walked across a plywood "bridge" from solid ground to the under construction porch, then into the building. We were shown our private room downstairs, with a sitting room and bedroom. We shared the bathroom with the ro om next door. The bunk room was upstairs. We got a ride to town for a small fee. Red Squirrel is accustomed to hiking with a certain AT map in her pocket. She wanted one for this area. The outfitter in town had several AT maps but not the one she wanted. At 4:15 pm, we had dinner at Parkside Food & Spirits. The greeter was less than friendly. Red Squirrel asked if I wanted to sit inside or outside. I said outside. We had dinner serenaded by a back hoe working the entire meal. I reminded myself that in Maine they have very little time to do construction. We walked to the ice cream shop. We took pictures at the photo op at the realty next door. Our shuttle driver confirmed the greeter at Parkside Food & Spirits was not a pleasant person. Her boyfriend works there.   On 8/19, we were finally going to hike. I went upstairs to the kitchen to fix quinoa. A hiker was already fixing pancakes and offered to fix my quinoa since he was already at the stove. Another hiker had purchased an abundance of fruit, strawberries, melon and blueberries, which she was freely sharing. Red Squirrel had mentioned she wanted some fruit, so I went downstairs and told her. She joined us for breakfast.   There was a full jovial group on the shuttle to Rte 2 in Rangeley this morning.   We took a picture of the hikers next to the AT sign. Then some headed north and we headed south. We had a good hike and arrived at the destination on our itinerary, Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To, early in the afternoon. We decided to hike an additional 5 miles to Bemis stream campsite. The itinerary had us hiking 17 miles the next day. I was not sure we could do that. Hiking the additional 5 miles would make it more possible.   I told Red Squirrel about my fall a month prior on the rocks in Pennsylvania. She pointed out that I hike with only one hiking stick. Perhaps I would not have fallen if I had two hiking sticks. As we were coming down rock steps to ME 17, there was a ski pole. If it's free, it's for me. I started hiking with it, even though it was at least 6 inches taller than my other hiking stick.There were two people on this side of the stream and additional people on the other side. We decided not to cross the stream so late in the day. It was starting to get dark. I picked out a branch for the bear bag and tried multiple times to throw it. Red Squirrel succeeded after some tries. I lit Red Squirrel's stove for her. We ate dinner and put up our bear bag. The bag was too heavy and the branch broke. Red Squirrel threw the rope again and succeeded after several tries, now in the dark.
Date: 2016-08-20
From: Bemis stream campsite

To: South Arm Road Andover ME
Miles today: 8.0

I got up around 5:30 am and got the food bag. I boiled my quinoa for 5 minutes, turned off the stove and covered it. I did my morning ritual of a facial wipe on my face and underarms. Then Anti-Wrinkle cream with SPF 15. Then facial wipe on my lower regions and a new Poise pad.I backpack with two pair of underwear. One I wear. The other in case, the first one gets wet in the rain. As I was eating my quinoa, I could hear Red Squirrel stirring.We got underway before 8 am. We were lulled into the belief we need not be in too much of a hurry, since we only had 12 miles to go. The weather was good. We took a long break on Bemis Mountain Second Peak. At the Bemis Mountain Lean-to, I took 45 minutes getting water. My son had given me a Mini Sawyer filter and Squeeze pouch two Christmases ago.The original pouch sprung a leak near the collar. I was using a generic pouch I purchased at Walmart. The generic pouch had a small hole at collar. I spent a lot of time trying to fill the pouch in the pool of water. Eventually I came to the conclusion more water was going out of the leaks than into my water bottle. I gave up and decided to only use my Aquamira drops the rest of the trip. We had difficulty finding the privy. I read in the register that there was a very nice privy here. We took the prospective trail further downhill.It was a lovely new privy with a porch. An hour and a half after arriving, we left the Lean-to.Red Squirrel was fast going uphill. The terrain had rock slabs at the mountain top, lots of rocks and roots on the rest of the trail. Red Squirrel said her knees were bothering her. I insisted she wear my knee braces. At 5:30 pm, we were hiking a level boggy area. Red Squirrel was in front. She met Mike a trail maintainer and his grandson Noah. Mike said we had three options.1. back track less than a mile and stealth camp2. back track "not too far" with Mike and Noah to his car and he would drive us to the hostel where we had reservations for that night.3. power through - up 600 foot elevation then steep down 2200 feet. We would probably get to the road at dark.We were concerned about Marcia's knees and how late it was. I did not want to blow us out on the second day out. I also was not excited about skipping 4 miles of the trail.We made the safe decision and took Mike up on his kind offer. Mike and Noah moved quickly and I tried to keep up. We back tracked to the unnamed Gap where the AT used to go. At the gap, we turned west on a trail marked with flagging and shoulder high grass. About a mile or so down this trail, we came to the car.Mike drove us to the hostel. After Marcia and Mike did some negotiation, it was decided we would be staying at the Covered Bridge Campground. We went to dinner at Little Red Hen with a pizza, spaghetti and salad all you can eat. Mike drove us to the campground and we set up our tents/tarp in the dark.
Date: 2016-08-21
From: South Arm Road Andover ME

To: East B Hill Road Andover ME
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We were shuttled from The Covered Bridge Campground in Andover ME at 7:45 am and taken to Pine Ellis Lodging.Red Squirrel had a REI cloth pack with strings for straps that she used to slack pack.I emptied my big pack. Naomi at Pine Ellis said she would put my stuff on my bed after she made it.Red Squirrel asked Naomi to purchase some knee braces for her. Naomi would be going to Walmart 20 miles away in the afternoon.Gloria drove us to South Arm Road Andover ME. The terrain was rough but not impossible. There was a rebar ladder with hand rails. See picture. It was great slackpacking.This was the first trek Red Squirrel had a hiking partner. She preferred to hike in silence and commune with nature. As we went uphill, she was soon out of sight. Occassionally I caught a glimpse of her.Red Squirrel was waiting for me at Hall Mountain Lean-to, where we had lunch. Per instructions, we called from the Hall Mountain Lean-to, 6 miles from our destination of East B Hill Road. We were told it would take us 2 hours to get to the road.I got to the road in 3 hours, which included a long bathroom break where I took several pictures of Closed Gentian flowers, the largest clump I have ever seen. They were in the ditch, in the sun, on the north side of a dirt road, before Surplus Pond.At Surplus Pond, I met two hikers who gave me the message from Red Squirrel that she would meet me at East B Hill. Red Squirrel who is a runner, ran most of the way and completed it in 2.5 hours. Gloria picked us up a little after 4:30. She had mud on the right side of the wind shield. When she was driving with her daughter, a moose came into the road. Gloria stopped short, not hitting the moose but resulting in whiplash to her daughter.At Pine Ellis Lodging, in the bunk room I met a NOBO woman who had been nursing a knee injury for a few days. Her boyfriend was hiking without her. She was planning on rejoining him in a day or two.I also met NOBO Maxine who said her knees were hanging by a thread. She would know since her profession was sports medicine.Red Squirrel originally planned to tent camp behind Little Red Hen. She called the phone number on The Tiny House.Since the forecast was for rain, the owner said she could stay the night and pay $100 the next night. Red Squirrel agreed. It was a charming house with living room, full kitchen, bathroom and bedroom with back porch.
Date: 2016-08-27
From: The Barn Gorham NH

To: Gorham NH
Miles today: 0.0

It was Saturday. Since dinner last night, I was missing my cash. I paid cash for one night's stay yesterday afternoon. I used my credit card for dinner. I had my credit card and driver license. I started the trip with $800. I had spent over $100 with the Portland-Rangeley shuttle, leaving over $600 in cash that was missing. I had left my pants in Red Squirrel's room. Maybe that is where it was.As I was fixing breakfast, Paul told me Bobbie was not well. Bobbie waited until morning to tell anyone. The two nurses that were staying in the B&B checked him and thought it was his heart. Bobbie was at the hospital where they were running tests. I cried. How fragile life is. I had just seen Bobbie yesterday asking if we wanted to go to Wal-Mart.After Red Squirrel texted me, I went to her room. She chatted away as I checked my pants for cash. Nope. Not there. Another moment of panic. I told Red Squirrel I was missing my cash. She was concerned. We collected our clothes, so I could do laundry. I went back to the bunk room, still looking for my cash and collecting clothes. Paul was striping the beds. He said his foot knocked something under the bed near where I slept. I looked under the bed and there was my toiletry sack with my cash. Phew! What a relief! I collected my clothes for laundry. I was missing a sock. I looked three times. No sock. I gave up. I went downstairs and started laundry. I came back to my bed and there was my sock in the middle of the floor! I put it in the washing machine. I was mentally exhausted and it was not even noon.Miss Claire came to watch over the Barn and B&B while Paul went to the hospital to see Bobbie.Red Squirrel and I went to lunch. On the way to lunch, we stopped at Gorham Hardware and Sports. I needed a new pair of hiking pants but they did not have any clothing. We each purchased MSR canister fuel and Z track thermorests. The canister fuel we purchased at Wal-Mart did not flow well with my MSR pocket rocket stove. Either it was full on or sputtered. We had lunch at Mr. Pizza. We had wonderful New England clam chowder, salad and entree. Red Squirrel went to have her hair shampooed and conditioned. I went back to the Barn for a nap. We went on the shuttle to Wal-Mart. Paul kept us up to date on the status of Bobbie. Paul was very stressed. The tests indicated Bobbie had had a heart attack. He was going to be transferred to a hospital two hours away. I purchased minutes for my TracPhone, Gas-X, quinoa, fresh blueberries, hiking poles, etc. The women working in the ladies department said Wal-Mart did not have hiking pants with four front pockets. I really like 4 front pockets, one has my camera, another has my handkerchief, another has my hand sanitizer, Kleenex, whistle and pepper spray, the last for food bars. After I put my purchases away, I texted Red Squirrel, asking if she wanted to have dinner. She said she was going to rest and stay in. I went back to Mr. Pizza.