morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-02-14
From: NOC

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Nancy and I dropped off a vehicle at the NOC and she ferried me up to Stecoah Gap. I walked SOBO today, for the first time on this hike. Why SOBO? Because for this stretch, SOBO is a whole lot easier. Nancy and I live right around the corner from here. I figure it's a long trail, and a man's gotta take advantage of home ice while he can.I was a cloudwalker from the get go, the fog at Stecoah Gap being roughly the same consistency as the inside of a marshmallow. The fog drip falling from the trees was constant and impressive. But a funny thing happened as I approached the top of Cheoah Bald. I emerged into a thin layer of clear dry air, above the fog but below the clouds. This phenomenon was very cool! I imagine airplane pilots experience it all the time, but for an earthbound slug like me it was rather on the spectacular side. It didn't last long, as I quickly descended back into the soup and stayed there the rest of the day.I crossed paths today with Phil, a nice guy I shuttled several days ago. He's doing a fairly long section hike which I think might just morph into a thru-hike. He has that look of perserverance in his eye. And I also met Evergreen and Mr. Freeze, NOBO thru-hikers who are off to a really great start. Nancy and I have been following and enjoying Mr. Freeze's Trail Journal, and it was so good to meet him in person. I wish all three of these guys the very best of luck.
Date: 2021-02-17
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Marina
Miles today: 13.7

Alas, the hiking opportunities are becoming fewer and fewer for me as warm weather approaches. On March 1 Nancy and I will open the Hike Inn for another season of welcoming foot travelers -- her twenty-eighth (how's that for awesome!!) and my fourth. In the past week I've driven a number of shuttles, trying to help folks find a stretch of trail that is reasonably hikeable amid all this lingering winter weather. Mother Nature seems grumpy this winter. So it's been a challenge. But a fun challenge. Eager hikers are my tribe. They put such a huge smile on my face. Today the stars suddenly aligned and I got another chance to pick off a few miles myself. Yippee!! Nancy and I planted a vehicle at the Fontana Marina and she deposited me at Stecoah Gap. I huffed and puffed up Jacob's Ladder, then for the rest of the day enjoyed a comparatively leisurely and wonderfully familiar walk in the woods. This stretch of trail is right outside my door. It's one of my go-to's when I'm training for any upcoming hike. So I've hiked it a bunch of times. The trail never gets above 4000' during this stretch, so today there wasn't much ice and snow to contend with. And -- just like the last few fries you always hope for and sometimes happily find at the bottom of the McDonald's bag after you've finished the rest of your meal -- what little there was, was blissful.I'm writing this on February 19. I have nine days left to get in a few more miles before taking three months away from hiking myself in order to help others with their journeys on this spectacular trail. Hopefully, there's a few more fries in that bag.
Date: 2021-10-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The Lone Ranger rides again!  OK, more like a shuffle, but I'm good with that.Time to knock off a few more miles on the AT. Over the past few years, my occasional section hikes have totaled up to a little over 600 miles, from Pen-Mar north to roughly mid Vermont. My most recent AT hike was Rocksylvania's roughly 230 miles last spring.This newest 'LASH' will cover 200 miles northbound from Rockfish Gap, the southern gateway to Shenandoah Nat'l Park, thru West Virginia and Maryland to the Pa. border, where I left off. The plan includes tent camping the length of the park, followed by a zero at the Mountain House B&B in Front Royal. Then a couple of days to the Quality Inn in Harpers Ferry, and finally an easy 3 days to Pen-Mar.My start day is Wednesday, October 20th and anticipated finish is October 31st. But I'll take what the trail gives me. Retirees can do that!I anticipate posting daily journals, but probably with some occasional cell-service delays. I'll also include a few photos each day.I've enjoyed following so many AT thru hikers over the years on Trailjournals. A modest section hike is definitely not the same experience, but I'm happy to take what I can get and I thank you for following along. Check back next week as the mini-adventure begins. 'Till then....Happy Trails!The Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Trailjournals will not begin publishing your journal until you post your third entry. So for entry number #2 and for the benefit of friends & family who are not hikers, I¢ll just hit on a few FAQs:  (seasoned hikers & regular Trailjournal readers may opt out at this time)Q: How are you getting there?A:  Flying from Rochester to Waynesboro, Va. on United with a stop in DC. My automatic seat assignment on the second leg is 1A. I¢m guessing not a real popular route! An A/T Trail Angel will pick me up at the airport and get me to the trailhead at Rockfish Gap for a modest donation.Q: How heavy is your pack?A:  About 40 pounds to start, including six days of food, 2 Liters of water and a bear vault. That should drop to an average of about 35 pounds after some food consumption and I get water needs dialed in. Heavy by long distance hiker standards, but manageable for a section hike.Q:  How far:A:  Roughly 200 miles. About 100 miles in Shenandoah National Park, followed by another 50 in northern Virginia and 50 in West Virginia and Maryland. 200 miles is about 9% of the A/T's 2290 mile total lengthQ:  Food?A:  Three of the 12 days are near restaurants, and there are a couple of waysides in Shenandoah that serve food. Beyond that, mostly freeze dried backpacker dinners, Carnation Essentials in instant milk when I start off in the morning, lots of candy bars/trail bars/power bars and a few other concoctions that just require adding hot water. The only "cooking" required is boiling water, and nothing but a spoon to wash afterwords. It¢s a simple life.Q:  Clothing?A:  Nylon, polyester, and wool. No Cotton unless you have a death wish. I hike in long nylon zip off pants and long sleeve polyester fishing shirt. Sleepwear is midweight wool base layer pants and midway short sleeve polyester shirt. Wool socks, a fleece vest, down puffy, and raingear pretty much round off the essentials.Q:  Shelter?A:  Two nights in a B&B, one at a motel and the remainder in my Dan Durston X-mid one person tent. It¢s quirky but well thought out, and weighs under 2 pounds. Google it. Many of he A/T shelters where I¢m hiking are officially closed for Covid, though that doesn¢t seem to stop people from using them. But they¢re magnets for mice, bears and snoring hikers so, unless I¢m caught in a storm, I¢ll stick to my mobile domicile and seek out stealth locations.Q.  Toilets?A:  It's called a "cathole". Dig a hole, do the do, cover the hole & move on. As I said, it's a simple life.I am an avid follower on Trailjournals, but I get bored easily reading very long ones, and I'm sure you would too. So I¢ll stop here. My next entry should be on-trail tomorrow evening, cell service permitting, and hopefully with pictures added.Happy Trails.  Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-20
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Calf Mountain Hut +1.5 miles
Miles today: 616.25
Weather: overcast clouds

Day-1:  Today¢s miles-9.25. The total above includes previously hiked A/T miles.The first day went pretty well. The flight was uneventful and I arrived on trail at 2:30, courtesy of Pastor Wayne, my shuttle driver. Nice guy who offered to rescue me, if needed, at any point in Shenandoah. Nice to know someone¢s got your back!I was able to go 1 1/2 miles past my goal, Calf Mountain shelter, and found a perfect stealth campsite just as sun was setting. Grabbed my headlight, pushed the button, and¢¦. Nothing! Batteries were completely dead even though I put new ones in before leaving home. I used the spares I carry and it¢s working fine. I¢m just concerned there may be a short causing them to drain. I have a small back up light.Weather was perfect, mid 60s with clear blue skies.Leaf peeper report: still a little early. I Call it 20-30%. No bright red¢s or oranges like we have up north.The trail itself is in great shape. Biggest problem is lack of water. I¢ll have 13 miles, followed by 10 miles tomorrow with no water. I¢ve got enough, but that means extra weight in the pack.Sorry this is going out late. No cell service where I camped. Pics are also still a work in progress.Happy trails!  Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-21
From: Calf Mountain Hut +1.5 miles

To: Loft Mtn Campground
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

My phone alarm woke me at 5:45 and I stumbled out to a pitch black morning. I usually don¢t roll out of my sleeping bag before daybreak but I wanted to get an early start. Somehow it all worked and I don¢t think I left anything behind. I was on the trail at seven following my headlight, with the first tinge of daylight filtering through the trees. These shorter days are a real pain!The trail here is as good as it gets, but that doesn¢t necessarily mean it¢s easy. It was pretty steady ups and downs all day. It definitely took a toll on my not yet hiker-acclimated legs. As it turned out, I fell a couple miles short of my daily goal, but that¢s a moving target anyway. The legs just said  ¢that¢s it, you¢ll have to go on without me¢. That doesn¢t usually work.It was another great weather day, and the views, those sparse, were spectacular. I must have passed at least 75 people today. I expected a lot of day-hikers, but I was also surprised with how many SOBO thru-hikers I saw.I chatted with Cowboy today at the Black rock shelter. He¢s flip-flopping and got back on trail at the north end of Shanandoah. He¢s planning on finishing all of Virginia and then coming back in the spring to knock off the remaining miles to Springer Mountain to finish off his E2E. Funny the Lone Ranger and Cowboy should bump into each other!We¢ll see how the legs feel tomorrow. I¢d like to pick up the miles I lost today.Happy trails!  Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-22
From: Loft Mtn Campground

To: South River Picnic Area Stealth
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Day-3:  52,799 stepsLast night it got a little breezy. Then it got a lot breezy. The wind roaring through the trees sounded like a freight train. There was no rain, but boy did the leaves blow! I couldn¢t open my tent without a pile of them blowing in. This went on pretty much all night, so not a lot of sleep.Of course when I finally did fall asleep, the alarm went off.I was on the trail at 7 AM, per plan. The legs feel much better. Even my feet and ankle feel good. Full disclosure: during my 230 mile Finger Lakes Trail hike this spring, I developed a ganglion cyst right at the tip of my right ankle bone. The short story is it had to be surgically removed about 10 weeks ago, but the incision has not yet healed. So,antibiotic meds and waterproof dressing during this hike. It feels fine, but it prevented me from wearing my usual hi topped leather boots. Had to default to trail runners. Not nearly as sturdy and my feet get filthy, but largely due to the great condition of the trail here, my feet are happy. Not even a blister!Two end-of-day problems. There was no water near the location I wanted to camp.  The park rangers turned it off last week. Couldn¢t walk much further without water, so I had to Stealth camp in, shall we say, a technically illegal spot. Then, after getting camp all squared away for the night, my toothbrush mysteriously vanished! At least I had dental floss.On a positive note, the weather and the views were spectacular! Looking forward to tomorrow as the mountains get higher.Happy Trails!  Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-23
From: South River Picnic Area Stealth

To: Rock Springs Hut +3.1 mi.
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: few clouds

It was a tale of two trails today. First half was a walk in the woods. Second half, well, they must have imported some rocks from Pennsylvania. Definitely slowed things down. The highlight of today was going to be real food at the Big Meadows wayside. To say they were busy, well, just can¢t describe it. Hundreds and hundreds of cars!So here¢s how it went: grabbed a can of beer from the cooler while in line to order my cheeseburger and fries. Got to the front of the line. ¢You¢ll have to pay for that beer in the gift store¢.HUH? Another line. Paid for and collected my food, then got in line in the gift shop. Worked my way to the front and put my can of beer on the counter. ¢Anything else, sir¢? ¢Yes, do you have AAA batteries¢? ¢Yes, here they are¢. ¢These are AA¢. ¢Well, these are what we have¢. OK ¢By any chance do you sell toothbrushes¢? ¢Yes sir we do¢. ¢I¢ll take one¢. ¢Were sold out¢.AAARGHHHHH!!!! No, I didn¢t kill anyone.No indoor dining so I went outside in the cold howling wind to eat my lunch. The cheeseburger was tasteless, the fries were cold and the beer tasted like water. I didn¢t finish any of it and was happy to be back on trail after 45 minutes of nonsense. But the trail made up for it with numerous spectacular views.Once again, I ended up camping in a no-camping zone. Not my fault this time as they detoured me around some construction and I ran out of daylight. Found a perfect stealth campsite, but unfortunately encircled by arguably the most popular day-hiking trail in the park, the Stony Man Summit Trail. After sunset I was entertained by dozen of twinkling headlights of tourists returning to the resort after their walk up to the summit. I was just waiting for one of those headlights to be a park ranger walking over to kick me out. But it didn¢t happen, and I had a good nights sleep.Who knew stealth camping could be such an adventure!Happy Trails!  Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-24
From: Rock Springs Hut +3.1 mi.

To: Elkwallow Wayside +1.1 mi. Stealth
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: scattered clouds

I can¢t believe how I¢ve lucked out with the weather for this trip. Blue skies and sunshine every day. The leaves are probably still only about 50%, but as the days go by and I continue north, the color should intensify. And it looks like the weather will hold for the next few days.I¢ve been waking up every day before 6 AM and I am typically on the trail before sunrise. I¢m starting to enjoy this. Particularly if my start begins a long climb. The headlight forces you to walk slowly and you can¢t see the agony of the steep trail in front of you. Just one slow step at a time and you¢re still making progress without huffing and puffing. It¢s also kind of cool to see eyeballs staring back at you in the night. I walked right up to a deer that was standing in the middle of the trail¢¦. I was probably within 5 feet of him when he casually walked to the side. Still no bears, though.I ran into ¢Crunch¢ This afternoon. He¢s a SOBO through hiker with a true story of determination. He started the Pacific Crest Trail this spring headed southbound. He got 1300 miles and had to leave the trail do to forest fires. He got to the nearest airport and flew directly to Bangor, Maine, then got a ride to Baxter State Park and started the A/T southbound. He now has about 1300 miles in on the A/T, planning to continue through to Springer Mountain, then return to the PCT and finish that. Probably a full year on the trail!The tourists were out in hordes again today. Can¢t blame them as the scenery is unbeatable. I may have passed as many as 200 per day this Saturday and Sunday.I found another great stealth campsite deep in the woods tonight. I have 18 miles to Front Royal tomorrow and will be staying two nights at the Mountain Home B&B, where I hope a decent Wi-Fi connection will let me catch up on these postings. Cell service in the park is extremely poor.Happy Trails!  Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-25
From: Elkwallow Wayside +1.1 mi. Stealth

To: Mountain Home B&B
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The hiking today was really enjoyable. Maybe it¢s just because I¢ve gotten my trail legs, but cruising up and down over the mountains seemed a whole lot easier. Or maybe it was just because I knew I had a great destination for tonight. After six days in the back country, a hot shower and a real bed at a nice B&B will feel great. Not to mention clean laundry!I say the hiking was great, but it was interesting that as soon as I crossed out of Shenandoah Park, the trail entered a crazy steep and rocky descent with what must¢ve been 20 switchbacks. I¢ll admit my knees were a little achy by the time I landed in the valley. But I made it to the B&B at four, took a shower, deposited my clothes for laundering and was shuttled into town for a great Italian meal by 5:00. Scott and Lisa here are wonderful hosts and will take you in and out of town  for meals or re-supplies whenever you desire at no charge. It¢s only about a 5 mile drive but it¢s amazing how many times they go back-and-forth in a day.The main house here is a bed-and-breakfast with three nice rooms, but they also have a small building called the ¢cabbin¢ which operates as a hostel and I believe sleeps up to eight. So at breakfast time you get an interesting mix of folks sharing their stories.There are four of us here tonight, all section hikers. The other three, though not here as acquaintances, all seem to be doing about the same 100 mile stretch between Pennsylvania and a bit of Shanandoah. Tomorrow they anticipate about 10 guests altogether.I¢ll be staying here a second night tomorrow, the plan being about a 9 mile slack pack and then a nice long rest with a chance to catch up on these journals.Happy Trails!  Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-26
From: Mountain Home B&B

To: Manassas Gap
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: light rain

Although I¢m staying here at the Mountain Home B&B tonight, I did a slack pack to Manassas Gap this morning. Incredible how easy it is to hike with just a little day pack. The 8+ miles flew by in under three hours and I was back ¢home¢ before 1130. I immediately asked Scott to drive me into town where I had a bowl of potato soup, a turkey dinner and a slice of strawberry cheesecake for lunch at Mom¢s Country Diner.Then I walked over to the neighboring supermarket and bought some yogurt and a nice big muffin to add to my breakfast tomorrow. My secondary goal on this trip is to not lose any weight, and I may be a little bit behind on that plan!On my hike this morning, I passed the Jim and Molly Denton shelter. Pretty cool! It has a deck with Adirondack chairs, a covered picnic table and fireplace, horse shoes and a solar shower. And it was in pristine condition! Hats off to the maintainers!From here, I have about 45 miles to Harpers Ferry in two days. A good chunk of it is a pretty rugged stretch called the ¢roller coaster¢. To make life a little easier, I¢m going to slack pack the first 12 miles of it. A shuttle driver will pick me up here at 7 AM after my two breakfasts and drive me to where I finished this morning in Manassas gap, and then meet me further up the trail in Ashby Gap to deliver my backpack. From there I hope to walk another 10 miles to the vicinity of the Sam Moore shelter. That will leave a somewhat easier 22 miles the following day to get to the Quality Inn in Harpers Ferry.After that, things are looking a little dicey. The weather forecast is for heavy all day rain on Friday with the possibility of same the following day. I have three more days budgeted to make it to the Pennsylvania line and if necessary I could probably do that in two days, so that¢s one option. But if it looks like two full days of steady rain I may have to finish the trip short of completion. I wouldn¢t like that, but no use in enduring two days of misery. We¢ll just see how it goes.As for today, I¢m looking forward to a nice Mexican meal for dinner and maybe conversation with the new guests. Then re-pack my bag and get ready for tomorrow.Happy Trails!  Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-27
From: Manassas Gap

To: Sam Moore Shelter Area
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: clear sky

Day-8:  50,104 stepsAfter yesterday¢s NERO, a big Mexican dinner and a good nights sleep, I was up at 5:45 and ready to go. The first thing I was ready for was my first breakfast, the yogurt and muffin that I bought yesterday. That was followed by my second breakfast, scrambled eggs with veggies, toast, and a big plate of fruit. Washed down by a cup of tea, a cup of coffee and a glass of fresh ¢ pressed cider. OK, NOW I¢m ready to go.Nina (Nina¢s shuttle service) picked me up at 6:45 and dropped me off at Manassas Gap,where I finished yesterday. 4 1/2 hours and 12 1/2 miles later, she met me at Ashby gap with my backpack. Even though that section of trail was relatively easy, it once again felt great with just a day pack, and my legs still felt fresh.Then back to reality with a full pack. 4 miles of modest hills and then the start of the infamous ¢roller coaster¢. The roller coaster is a 14 mile stretch of relentless straight up then straight down mountains with no breaks in between. Oh, and did I mention nothing but rocks. Seen on an elevation map, this stretch should¢ve been called ¢sawteeth¢ with the rocks playing the part of the carbide blade tips.6 miles into the roller coaster I arrived at Sam Moore Shelter, occupied by what appeared to be three generations of somewhat rowdy campers. Several other tenters had already claimed the few available good tent sites. I finally found a less than perfect one, slopey (?) enough that I thought I might slide out one end of my tent. As it turned out, I had a pretty good nights sleep despite the noise from the shelter, and remained safely enclosed in my domicile.It was a pretty satisfying day of hiking.Happy Trails!   Lone Ranger
Date: 2021-10-28
From: Sam Moore Shelter Area

To: Harpers Ferry Quality Inn
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I knew this was going to be a difficult day but I couldn¢t anticipate how much the roller coaster would slow me down. I got off to my usual pre-dawn start and immediately began my slow but steady ascent of the first mountain guided by my headlight, and fully expecting my pace to pick up with the break of dawn, but it was not to be. The trail today was continuously littered with a hodgepodge of rocks, making it impossible to establish any sort of steady rhythm.After five hours, I had only covered 7 1/2 miles and I still wasn¢t out of the roller coaster! Yesterday I was at the 13 mile point at this time. It was looking like I would be arriving in Harpers Ferry following the beam of my headlight.After finally exiting the roller coaster the trail gradually improved and I was able to pick up my pace.  I somehow managed to get into town just as dusk was turning into night. But it was at the expense of not stopping all day, meaning no food other than three trail bars and no stops other than twice to water up.When I got to the hotel (yeah)! I found out that all area restaurants closed at 7 PM. In the end, it was a blessing in disguise. There was an Italian restaurant 5 miles away that would deliver, and frankly, I didn¢t have the energy to go out again for food. So, chicken parm with spaghetti, an order of chicken wings, a salad, bottle of Coke and a bag of Cheetos later and I¢m feeling a little better.The weather forecast for tomorrow still calls for all day rain. I¢m planning on sleeping in late then re-checking the forecast and then assess my options.But for now, Happy Trails!  Lone Ranger