morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Graymoor 0 miles Zero day went back to the store a mile south and got lunch along with two day resupply which altogether cost almost fifty bucks! $0.99 for one rama noodle pack. The price we pay for convienince. Small group here to night mostly older section hikers. One New Filp flopper a woman who starterd April 23. Doesn't sound like there are any others close behind. Chafe and his daughter showed up again. I bought a package of hot dogs , rolls and chips at the deli which we grilled over wood coals and had for dinner. Eight-thirty finally got his hot dog fix which he's had since we passed a closed stand last week. Looks like I ran out of data bits today so can't connect. Will be off line until I can buy more bits.
Date: 2016-05-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

RPH CABIN 19 miles. I was last one out today, not until 8 AM. Mostly easy trail at long last but they were still able to find some rock scrambles to keep us cursing. This being Sunday a few day and weekend overnight hikers out. Made it to the shelter here about 7. Rambled had already split a pizza with someone so I ordered a chicken parmesan dinner ran me $23 with delivery fee and tip but got more food then I could eat. Will try the salid for breakfast. I don't know what happened to the rest of my gang none are here.
Date: 2016-05-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Morgan Stewart 9.0 milesUp early but left late. Tent had condensation last night. Had the salad from last night for breakfast. Only moderate climbs and easy trail but just couldn't get moving today. Pit stop at US52 mountain top deli. Spent another $16 on food. I've spent nearly 100 bucks on food in the last few days! Eight-thirty and Chafe showed up here finally. I thought I'd lost them. They camped back at the state park. Some scattered showers this afternoon and evening. Starting to get warm, summer is quickly arriving. Knees are getting sore and getting a stiff back from my pack. This old pack is starting to show some serious signs of wear not sure how long it will last.I bought a bar of soap at the store and did s sponge bath at the water pump here. Was getting just too gritty to sleep with my self and something had to be done. Feel much better now.
Date: 2016-05-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Mt Alto 13.7 miles Had a hard time getting to sleep the tooth root under an old cap is starting to root away and getting sensitive. Brushing and a few aspirin helped. Got some over the counter novacane today if It gets bad. Meet a hiker today who recognized me from 1988 when we spent some time hiking together through VA. What are the chances? Rain cleared up over night and was a misty morning giving the woods a surreal look. New England woods look real dark and spooky at times in the right light. Mostly easy trail today with a few stiff climbs as usual to keep us in shape. And just as it got hot and sticky in the afternoon. I went to town Kent CT after arriving at the shelter to resupply as I'm out of everything. Had dinner too but hard to eat a big meal when all you want to do is go to sleep.
Date: 2016-05-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Caeser campsite 13 miles. Hot today in the 80's. I blue blazed by doing the road walk along the river instead of doing a nasty and pointless climb over a ridge. I got to the same place hours earlier then everyone else. That gave me time to sit and enjoy the river to soak my feet. Stuart Hollow shelter had what looked to be another homeless couple camping there. I doubt they do much hiking. I got to Silver hill campsite well before eight-thirty so strung a line and dried all my damp stuff out. Nice campsite with a cooking pavilion and a swinging bench. But when eight-thirty did show up we moved on to this site but had to do the big climbs during the heat of the afternoon. One woman here with a dog then three thru hikers rolled in just before dusk. Memorial day weekend coming up and we'll be in a high usage area. Fun you bet
Date: 2016-05-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Bearded woods hostel 11 milesHot hot day. NASCAR race track in valley was in full swing for the holiday weekend and was very loud and annoying. We heard them for miles and miles which ment for hours. Deciding to come here today instead of Tomorrow was a good idea as the next shelter would be in ear shot of the race track and would have been a bear of a hike in the afternoon heat. Full house here tonight lucky there was room for eight-thirty and me.
Date: 2016-05-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Riga shelter 11.7 milesWe were woken up by the slack packing couple Rocket and Princess at 4:30 AM who then spent the next hour fiddling with their gear in the bunk room keeping us awake. Since they claimed to want an early start you'd think they would have gotten everything ready to go the night before. In the end they stayed for breakfast served at 6:30 and didn't get out until the rest of us at 7. So much for getting us all up so early. Just one of the down sides to staying at a hostel. We got on the trail about 7:30 just as it was warming up. The trail took us along the Housatonic abd the falls which were reasonably impressive. Then a slow climb up and along a ridge through nice forest finishing with a very steep decent. Along the way Bookworm and Lemon caught up to us. We hadn't seen them since Graymoor in NY. We all went to town (Salisbury) and spent way too much on food. It's amazing how quick that can add up. The about 2 , in the peak of the heat of the afternoon we started the last 4 miles android a 1000 foot climb. This being the holiday weekend the site is busy. Well after eight-thirty and I set up tents a group showed up and claimed we were in a group site and set up all around us. No clear signs designating this as a group site and all the solo sites full so nothing can be done but put up with it. But to take a group to a popular site on a holiday weekend and show up late is just inconsiderate. Tomorrow we get to MA and another popular site so might also be nuts there too. Black Flies starting to become annoying now that the summer heat is in full swing, 90's and humid. Hope this doesn't last long!
Date: 2016-05-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The Hemlocks 10 miles. Six week aniversity. Up early for the sunrise which was very nice from the shelter site. Another hot and humid day. It was slow hiking with the heat and steep climbs up the three mountains we had to do today. I took several tumbles on rocks slick from condensation and hidden by leads. No injures though. I wasn't the only one to fall down today either. Several ridgerunners on the trail today along with a number of the holiday odd balls, like the group hiking out of Sage Ravine with everything in their hands note one pack between them and everything but actual camping gear.Sage Ravine and Race Mt are the high lights of this section and quite interesting. It took eight-thirty and me 9 hours to hike 10 miles due to the difficulty of the climbs and the heat requiring us to take many breaks. Just five in the shelter tonight one SOBO section hikers and two other flip flippers. Tropical storm coming up the coast apparently which could affect our weather.
Date: 2016-05-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Tom Leonard shelter 10 milesRain early morning so late start waiting it out. Tappered off about 7. Slick rocks from the rain made the insanely steep decent off of Jug end very treacherous and very slow. My Vasque boots never were good on wet rock and now that they are near the end of their life are very dangerous. But managed to get down without incident. It took a long time to hitch into Great Barrington most of the traffic was out of state cars going too fast. An hour later I finally got a ride with a trail maintainer. I had him take me to the price chopper market at the north end of town. There I finally got more data time for the Tracfone along with food for the next leg. Getting back was quicker on RT 23 but this put me 2 miles north of the shelter I wanted to be at so had to hike south. We're having our first serious thunderstorm tonight glad to be in a shelter although it seems a porkiepine has been eating it lately.
Date: 2016-05-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Shaker campsite 10 milesThe porkie didn't vist last night maybe the thunder storm kept it away. The storm did clear the air and made it a much more pleasant day then it has been since the heat wave started back in CT. So it was a nice day to hike although we are still taking our time, going little more then 1 MPH on average. It's a diverse area with farm land, ponds , woods, bogs, crazy rocks and steep trail. Eight-thirty and I are the only ones at this site. Four thru hikers passed us today on their way to upper goose pond, where we will be tomorrow. Everyone has little red welts over any exposed skin due to black flies the last few days. The cooler and less humid air today has keeped the flies at bay but the mosquitos are also comming out big time now. 500 miles along and getting a little sore around the edges. Feet holding up but a little sore at the end of the day, which is to be expected. My right foot doesn't fit the boot real well and is the one which suffers. The knees don't like the long steep descents. They don't have the spring they to have years ago anymore. But tonight is the kind of night we spend time in the woods and makes any hardship worth it.
Date: 2016-06-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

October mountain shelter. 8.8 milesBlueberry pancakes for breakfast at the cabin. Leisurely slow hike here with Rafe, no rush to do eight miles. Spent some time at Finerty pond. We are being introduced to the muddy buggy sections of trail which will become more often as we get onto Vermont and looks like some wet weather in a few days.
Date: 2016-06-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Bascom lodge , Mt Graylock 17 milesSpent last night in Dalton at the Shamrock motel. I took another shower before leaving, what the heck. Breakfast begal at the coffee shop. Not too bad a hike despite all the uphill. At least not much was rock climbs or too steep. Had a hot dog and some ice cream at a little place the trail passes in Cheshire. Who could resist? Not many on the trail today. A few day hikers and a couple of weekender backpackers. Eight-thirty stayed in town to take a zero so I might not see him again. I decided to stay at the Bascom lodge at the summit of Graylock instead of the shelter three miles south. This was because of rain and thunderstorms predicted for most of tomorrow. $44 with tax for a berth in the bunk house. I'm the only one in a room for 12 so pretty lucky it's not a full house or getting sleep would be next to impossible. Fantastic Sun set from the summit even if fore tells the rain tomorrow. The dinning area is busy here as there was a Willimstown collage graduation. They needed to quiet down soon.
Date: 2016-06-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Steth Warner 13 milesPoor night sleep uncomfortable bed then it got cold when the rain started and the blanket supplied was very thin. Waited out the rain in the morning which ended as scheduled at 9 AM. Reached town about 1 and walked half mile in wrong direction for the supermarket. Back on the trail about 2 when it started to rain. Not bad at first but turned into tropical down pour. Got soaking wet. Trial turned into a muddy river in places. Too much for the boots to handle and they filled with water. At the shelter found three girls already here with wet stuff all over the place. They are just starting out on way north. Then one more woman shows up so It's me and four girls. Rain is ending we get one good day tomorrow..
Date: 2016-06-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Melville Nauheim shelter 13.1. Mostly easy trail today with some serious muddy stretches made worse with the rain. The next few days should be cool and dry. Just before leaving Congdon shelter a couple showed up armed to the teeth. Big knife on one side , handgun on the other. " in case We get attacked by a bear" the woman explained. Yea right survivalist showing off their weapons. Another young( 20 something) showed up today also heading to Kathadin. That makes four of them now. Fair crowd here tonight June is also beginning of LT hikers.
Date: 2016-06-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Story spring shelter 17.4 milesEarly morning showers got the tent all wet and delayed departure. An older guy who was camped behind the shelter gave me his DryDucks rain jacket as he had a spare and was cutting the hike short. Not having a shell was becoming a liability so this will solve the problem. Once the sky cleared it was a nice day to hike. The trail pretty easy or me finally getting trail legs and hiking on familiar ground. A sunny spot on the trail about noon allowed drying the tent while eating. Great views from Glassenbury fire tower. Very windy at the top though. New faces at the shelter which is full. Mostly LT hikers starting out.
Date: 2016-06-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Stratton pond 10.4 milesThe day started out cold and it wasn't until 7 that I got up so late start. The walk towards Stratton was easy and not too muddy. Nearing the summit, it started to drizzle and then enough to put on the rain jacket. Finally made the summit and climbed the tower just as the rain was becoming heavy. It got very windy the higher up the tower I climbed. Then the storm really hit with hail mixed in with the driving wind. Fortunately the platform was glassed in so I was protected from the worst of it. Turned out to be good timing. I was able to get a few text messages out which has been difficult the last few days due to spotty coverage. By then the worst of the storm passed and I continued north and down the mountain and to the shelter. Lots of hikers here tonight. Some SOBO, a group of 5 thru hikers , the most we've seen in one group so far and first to be seen in a few days. Where have all the chipmunks gone ? It seems that since leaving Connecticut I haven't seen many. They are usually all over the forest. I'm in the tent as it will be warmer and quieter then the shelter crowded.   Unfortunately will have wet tent in the morning.
From: Hampton, TN

To: Huntsville, Alabama
Miles today: 0.0

Headed to Huntsville with Scout Master and Yukon for a few days and then headed home for my trip to Europe. Plans are in place to be back on the trail headed SOBO from Katahdin with most of the village on or about August 7. I went back and have started filling in more of the journal entries. I hope to have them all done by the time I get home Tuesday.
Date: 2015-09-11
To: Pre Trip 1 About Me and Plans
Miles today: 0.0

HelloI am a soon to be college graduate from metro Detroit, I plan to start my thru hike from Springer Mountians a few days after graduating next April. My current plan is to thru hike NOBO all the way, how ever this will be complicated by two factors. A) My late April start B) the fact that I will be stopping for 2.5 weeks in late July for a trip to Europe that's been in the works for 3 years. Because of these two challenges I will likely end up doing a flip flop to SOBO from Mt. Katahdin after returning from Europe, I will evaluate where I am at that point. I am also considering hiking at least some of the trail with my dog Manny, he is a 30 Lb black lab beagle mix (built like a lab but the size of a beagle). If anyone knows of any thru hike trail journals completed by people with their dogs please let me know. Manny has never been camping over night but has been on plenty of day hikes, so I'm not to sure I want to take him. I will probably try to take him on a weekend hike before it gets to cold.
Date: 2015-09-11
To: Pre Trip 2 Preperation
Miles today: 0.0

I decided to take this trip about 2.5 months ago after a long weekend with some friends backpacking Panther Creek in Georgia, and I have been loosly training ever sense. Over the last couple months I have tried to make time to do at least 15 miles a week with full trail weight. Unfortunately do to the constant chaos of life I have rarely been able to string together more than 3 hours of free time, so the most I have done in a single day is about 6.5 miles. Addtionally the chances of this improving are zero, since school started back up this week. Between a full time job, full time at school, and being the president of two student organizations it is unlikely that free time will do anything but vanish. For training purposes I usually carry 3 gallons of water jugs (24lbs) some blankets (to fill out the pack), full 3L water bladder, and some misc equipment for a total of about a 40 lb pack. I hope to have a pack lighter than this when I hit the trail, though I have not weighed all my gear together yet. I still need to obtain a few items the biggest of which is a new lighter more compact sleeping bag. I have been a camper my whole life although largly a car camper who just made day hikes from a base camp, as such much of my equipment was far to large and bulky for the AT. Over the summer I have purchased quite a bit of new equipment including a new large pack, new stove, hammock rain fly, water filter, cookset, and water bladder. I plan to hammock along the trail in my Enos Double Nest, however if I decide to take Manny with me I will likely get a small 2 two person tent since he is not a fan of the hammock.
Date: 2015-09-11
To: Pre Trip 3 More About Me
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I am a Detroiter born and raised, currently attending Eastern Michigan Universities Construction Management Program. I plan to graduate in April of 2016 and celebrate by taking a trip that hopefully be one of many highlight trips in my life. I have always loved to travel especially in the mountains, there is nothing I love more than a spontaneous road trip. At times I have literally just decided to go on a trip tomorrow, and been on the road without a set destination within 12 hours. I have spent time in pretty much ever state east of the Mississippi with the exceptionion of the states of the North East. Much of this traveling was done while working sports car races all over North America, my main hobby of the last 5-6 years. I hope to use the time on the AT to unwind and decompress some between the rat race that is my current life and the rat race that will be my post college "real life adult hood"
Date: 2015-09-13
To: Pre Trip 4 Preperations and planning
Miles today: 0.0

Over the last 2 months I have spent countless hours reading trail journals of previous thru hikers, people on the trail now, as well as people who I will hopefully meet on the trail next year. This has provided me with endless knowledge and insight into both life on the trail and what to look for in gear and planning. At some point I will put together a list of all the journals, I've read but for now I just want to say thank you to whole group for the collective wealth of knowledge you provide.
Date: 2015-11-30
To: Pre Trip 5 The Wait
Miles today: 0.0

Good Morning I know I kind of drop off the face of the earth for awhile but the hike is still happening, preparations have continued over the last few months. I have acquired all my major gear with the exception of new sleeping bag, the one I have is simply too bulky and heavy. I have also continued researching, reading many trail journals in my spare time. Haven't really had anytime to spend outdoors with work and school other than a long weekend hammocking in the rain in Georgia last month at a race. It was a really wet weekend but both my new hammock fly and my new hiking boots did great, check out my gear list. Now it's just a long wait for the day to come when I can head south to Springer, I spend most of my free time reading journals or looking at gear, it's a good thing I'm a broke college student I don't even want to think about the mountain of gear I would of bought if I actually had money. More than anything I just want to hit the trail. Anyone have any suggestions on what size and quantity of dry stuff sacks to buy to divide up my gear?
Date: 2015-12-25
To: Pre trip 6 
Miles today: 0.0

Merry Christmas all, I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has been so supportive of my plans, especially my parents and my sister. From the moment I decided I wanted to go on this trip I have had nothing but positive feed back and concerned informative questions. I'm also thankful for the gifts of gear I received this morning that help fill out my gear list; including longer darn tough socks, sleeping bag liner, backpacking trowel, and trekking poles. Reviews and info to come. I am also thankful to all my friends who have supported my plans with many kind words and encouragement.
Date: 2016-02-13
To: Pretrip 7 The wait goes on
Miles today: 0.0

Sitting here trying to focus on getting some studying done, instead I constantly find myself on trail journals, REI, and Trails.com. I'm so ready to be done with school and start hiking. Next week is my winter break from school so I'll probably try to do some long walks with my pack, I haven't been very good at keeping up with those since school started back up. I'm also planning on going down to Georgia early next month for my first "official" shake down hike, plans are still really loose but probably 2-3 days on or near the AT. Later in April I will probably try to do at least 2 local weekend trips. There is a park only abut an hour from my house that has a 22 mile loop with on trail camping so I'll probably head up there. The only gear I really still need to get is a different sleeping bag and decide on an outer wear coat of some sort. I also haven't made a decision on whether or not to get an outer quilt for my hammock, I usually sleep pretty hot so I'm not sure I'll really need it and I may just wait and make it an on trail decision. For now it's just about waiting and saving money, neither is easy.
Date: 2016-02-26
To: Next Phase
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

A couple weeks ago I realized my start date is only about 2 months away. With that realization I started trying to wrap my head around the idea that this is actually going to happen, along with the panic that there's still so much get ready. But most of all it made me excited to turn over a new page and start this great adventure. With this realization I also feel I have moved into a new phase of more urgent preparations. Last week I picked up an REI Stratocloud jacket on clearance half off, deals on coldweather gear are great right now because of the warm winter. Review of jacket still to come, but so far I've liked it and it fits into it's on pocket and will double as my pillow.I also have a little more solid plans now to do a shake down hike in early March, planning on just 2 day trip to do the AT approach trail and Amacalola Falls loop about 18 miles total. Hopefully this will give me a better feel for where I am with all the gear I have purchased over the last year and how ready I am for the trail. I'm also considering just continuing to use my old sleeping bag, it's heavy and bulky but I like it and it would save me money not to get a new one. If it becomes an issue on the trail I can pick up a different one, idk still undecided. In the mean time I just keep on going with work and school, there never seems to be enough time for anything else.