morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-05-24
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: US 52, Bland, Virginia (Zero Days Inn Hostel)
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

5/24Jenkins Shelter to US 52/Bland, Virginia  (Zero Days Inn Hostel)11.3 milesTotal miles: 590.1The rain ended during the night, and I was up at 6:00 and on the trail by 7:40.  It was cool and misty, and I made good time. Although I am pleased with how well I held up after the big miles the last two days, I decided to not push it today. As I started hiking, my plan was to get to Bland and stay at the Zero Days Inn Hostel.  As I walked, I decided I wasn't ready to be in a town yet, and I had enough supplies to make it the extra miles to Pearisburg.  I enjoyed crossing Laurel Creek on a really nice footbridge. While called a creek, it seems more like a river to me.  I hiked through an area of American Chestnuts, none any taller than I am. I stopped to photograph one that represents their plight. There are several sprigs of new growth growing up from a slightly larger tree that had already succumbed to the blight. I was in no hurry, since I didn't plan on going that far anyway. Plans changed again when I got to US 52 on the outskirts of Bland. There is a brand new outfitters right along the trail, which opened two days earlier. They were selling BBQ sandwiches and hot dogs for cheap, and I certainly took advantage. A thru hiker named Patch has a radar weather app, which showed a major thunderstorm with possible tornado-force winds was heading our way. The TV in the outfitters was showing Bonanza (how cool is that?), and there were severe storm warnings scrolling across the screen. I decided to return to my original plan and took the shuttle to the Zero Days Inn Hostel.  I had a good time at the hostel and, frankly,  enjoyed staying inside during the storm. I spent time with Extra Mile and Leapfrog, who I haven't seen in several weeks. I am continually amazed at the quality of people I meet on the trail. We had a great conversation that ranged from everything from what makes a good dad, power lifting, body building, and dealing with stress on the trail. Leapfrog helped get the laundry situation organized, which was no small feat with the amount of dirty, muddy laundry hikers brought in. There was a common area and a kitchen area where we took turns congregating. As soon as my laundry got done (after 10:30) I went to bed. I'm planning on catching the 7:00 shuttle back to the trail, as I hope to make it to Trent's Grocery tomorrow, which will be an 18.4 mile day. The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow morning with rain developing in the afternoon. I'll be glad to be back on the trail tommorow.
Date: 2017-06-05
From: VA 624, Newport Road/Four Pines Hostel 

To: Catawba Mountain Shelter Tent site 
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

6/5Carnegie Hotel, Johnson City, Tennessee/VA 624, Newport Road to Catawba Mountain Shelter Tent Site7.9 milesTotal miles:  710.3The convention was a huge success, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but the time has come to get back on the trail.  Patricia and I left Johnson City at 7:30 and drove through a steady rain back to Catawba.  We met Gravity at Four Pines Hostel at 10:30, and Patricia then took us to the trail junction at Newport Road.  I thanked her again as we said goodbye, since she is the only reason I was able to attend the convention.  Thanks, Patricia! I hope you continue to enjoy Spam Singles! Gravity and I hiked through a steady rain from 11:00 until just before we called it a day at the Catawba Mountain Shelter tent site a little after 3:30. My new shoes were dry for less than thirty minutes.  They are very comfortable, though. I enjoyed hiking through fields of cows which we entered through stiles and through gates that used springs to make sure they stayed closed. One group of cows were clustered directly on the trail, and it took awhile to convince them to move along and share the trail. I hiked 7.9 miles and decided to call it a day due to the weather. We are less than two miles from McAfee Knob, one of the best known and most photographed locations on the AT.  The forecast is for the rain to end this evening with clearing skies tomorrow.  It is 17.8 miles to the next resupply stop in Daleville which is certainly doable in a day.  The plan is to get up early, hopefully have good views at McAfee Knob, and then finish up in Daleville tomorrow evening.  It didn't take me long to get back into a hiking rhythm. The trail was pretty typical with some rock scrambling but not too much.  I saw a deer as it burst across the trail in front of me, and a few frogs as they hopped across the trail in front of me. The deer was in all kinds of hurry, but the frogs didn't mind sharing a few minutes of time and posing for photos.  As I lie here in my tent, a whipporwill is singing outside.  It's the first one I have heard on the trip. The rain started up awhile ago but has once again stopped.  Hopefully, there will be good photo opportunities tomorrow morning on McAfee Knob, but, whether there are or not, the hike continues. I'm back at it and have no other scheduled interruptions, so, hopefully, I will continue my slow but steady progress all the way to Katahdin.
Date: 2017-07-14
From: New Tripoli Campsite 

To: New Tripoli Campsite 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

7/14New Tripoli Campsite0.0 milesTotal miles:  1245.9I woke up at 6:00 to the sound of steady rain on my tent.  I delayed getting up and didn't start moving until about 6:30. Gravity told me that  rain and thunderstorms were in the forecast all day, and he was concerned about crossing the Knife Edge in the rain. The Knife Edge, as I mentioned before, is an exposed, rocky ridge that is reportedly quite challenging to cross.  I suppose the name, Knife Edge, says it all. It is not recommended to cross it in inclement weather.  Also, Gravity's ankle has him concerned, and he decided to take a zero today to rest his ankle and to await better weather.  I decided to stay as well.  Fortunately, I continue to feel great, but a day of rest certainly wouldn't hurt me either.  It rained all morning, and a strong thunderstorm moved through about 1:00.  I heard three more large branches fall from trees. I spent the day listening to Watership Down on my mp3 player.  It is one of my favorite Richard Adams books, and the first one of his books that I read.  It tells the tale of a group of rabbits, their warren destroyed by poison to make room for a new subdivision, and their epic quest to find a new home.  It is fantastically imaginative, and, although Adams denies any attempt at allegory, makes strong statements about different types of political systems.  Please don't let that frighten you away if you are considering reading Watership Down, as it is first and foremost a great adventure with many wonderful and memorable characters.  When choosing a tale of an epic quest for my mp3 player for times when I wanted to visit with old, literary friends, such as today, I immediately chose this tale of Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and the other rabbits trying to find a home.  Listening to it read by Adams is an added bonus.  I also dozed for several hours, so I'm thinking a day of rest was in order.  The few other zeros I have taken on the trail, with the single exception of the other time I zeroed in my tent due to inclement weather, I have kept myself busy with other things and haven't taken time to rest.  I'm in no way been bored, but am l looking forward to getting back on the trail tomorrow.  I got out of my tent around 5:00 this evening and cooked a leisurely dinner. I heard from my friend, Monty, today.  I've been following him via notes he leaves in journals, and he is three to four days ahead of me.  I just mentioned today that I wish I had a way to contact him, and he got in touch through my web journal.  It was great hearing from him.  I'm headed for an early bedtime, so I will be plenty rested as I aim for Delaware Water Gap in three days. It's supposed to be sunny and not too warm tomorrow as I get back on the trail, so I should be able to make as good progress as possible through the heart of Rocksylvania.
Date: 2017-08-28
From: Lonesome Lake Hut 

To: Franconia Notch/Liberty Springs trailhead/Notch Hostel 
Miles today: 3.0

8/28Lonesome Lake Hut  to Franconia Notch/Liberty Springs trailhead/Notch Hostel 3.0 miles Total miles:  1816.7We were up early and on the trail by 6:00 this morning. We planned on meeting Tiny at the Liberty Springs parking area near Franconia Notch to share a taxi into Lincoln.  The taxi was scheduled for 10:00, and we wanted to make sure we allowed plenty of time since we weren't sure of the trail conditions. Lonesome Lake had an entirely different beauty in the morning as we hiked by her to begin our day. The trail was the easiest we've seen since northern Vermont, and we made our 10:00 appointment with the taxi with over an hour to spare. The taxi brought us directly to Notch Hostel where we spent the rest of the day getting clean, resting, and eating. Bookie runs the Notch Hostel with lots of help from her canine friend and trail dog, Star, aka No Shame. She helps Bookie run the hostel and is expert at "yogi-ing" food (begging without appearing to beg) and takes very good care of her human.  You can tell she is a true trail dog. Bookie is very friendly and made me feel right at home.  She thru hiked with No Shame in 2015, and is obviously deeply in love with the AT and its community. Unfortunately, she "stole" one of my ideas and has already published a calendar of privies on the AT.  Oh well, I'm sure there is room for more than one calendar about such an important topic. Thank you, Bookie, for making my stay at Notch Hostel so wonderful.  I got a chance to have my first conversation with Bartender today.  I first met her way back at Trail Angel Mary's hiker feed. We have seen each other several times since but got our first chance to talk today. She and I talked about how the trail continually provides what you need to keep you going and how it can be seen as a metaphor for real life post-trail.  It was a great conversation and was a real pick-me-up. I met Socks today at the hostel as he was giving orientations. He has been recovering from an illness and is doing work for stay by introducing new people to the hostel.  He is a natural, and he told me he has already been interviewed for a job at the hostel after he finishes his thru hike. He would be great at the position, and I wish him the best both in finishing his hike and in his future employment opportunities. Polecat caught a shuttle to Gorman this morning to get his car and drove back to Lincoln. After Polecat arrived, we drove into Lincoln for dinner and resupply.  We ate at the Woodstock Inn, a brewery/restaurant, and I had a turkey/ham sandwich and fries which were very tasty and a passable Scottish ale. We then went to resupply at Price Chopper. I went to bed early. The shuttle to the trailhead leaves tomorrow at 7:45. I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow as I hike up Franconia ridge.  The challenge of the Whites continues.
Date: 2017-08-30
From: Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite

To: Ethan Pond Campsite
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

8/30Garfield Ridge Shelter/Campsite to Ethan Pond Campsite 14.5 miles Total miles:  1841.5Dawn brought crisp, cool air, and I broke camp and was ready to go by 7:30. Gravity and Polecat did not make it in last night, and none of the northbound hikers who came in last night reported seeing them. With no way to find out where they were, I decided to go ahead and hike forward, figuring we can get things sorted out later down the trail.  The descent down Garfield was very steep and was complicated for awhile by sharing space with the stream that cascaded down the mountain from the spring near the campsite.  A relatively flat section followed before the ascent up South Twin Mountain began. The climb up was steep but more predictable than most. It primarily consisted of climbing up irregular stone, and I only had to resort to hand and foot climbing perhaps a dozen times on my way to the top. I posed for a photo at the top as I enjoyed the 360 degree views. A day hiker offered me a pepperoni sandwich, that I gratefully accepted.  The trail along the ridge led through a sparse woods of short trees that allowed the sun to shine on me. The descent from the ridge today was one of the least difficult I have encountered in the Whites. Zealand Falls and its Hut lie at the bottom, and the trail is heavily used by day hikers, which may be why it seemed like more care was taken to provide stone stairs through the steeper parts. I made it all the way to the hut without much difficulty. The trail north of the falls follows an old railroading grade for several miles, which provided very easy hiking for awhile this afternoon. It became obvious that camp was getting close, because, true to the AT way, rocks returned. At least the trail remained relatively flat. I was able to cover over fourteen miles today and arrived at Ethan Pond Campsite at 6:30. The pond is beautiful and popular with anglers.  I got water at the stream that flows into the pond, and went to set up camp.  Nora, the caretaker at the site, offered to help me set up my tent on a raised, wooden platform, since there are few conventional tent sites. Always willing to try something new, I gave it a go. By driving the stakes into cracks between the boards and utilizing some of the eyelets along the edges, I soon had my tent ready to go.  Thanks, Nora, for teaching an old dog a new trick.  After I was set up for the night, I went down to the pond and caught the very end of sunset. It was a beautiful site. Unfortunately, the forecast is for rain tomorrow with snow in the higher elevations. Friday's forecast is reported to be highs in the twenties with strong winds. It looks like my hike to the summit of Mount Washington will need to be delayed. My plan is to hike to Crawford Notch tomorrow and catch a shuttle into town to wait out the storm. Mount Washington is one of the deadliest mountains with very unpredictable and dangerous weather. I plan on getting up early to try to beat the rain and will just need to wait for a good time to climb to the summit.
Date: 2017-08-31
From: Ethan Pond Campsite

To: Crawford Notch, US 302/Notch Hostel
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: light rain

8/31Ethan Pond Campsite to Crawford Notch, US 302/Notch Hostel2.9 miles Total miles:  1844.4The weather report for Mount Washington continued to be poor today, with rain and white-out conditions in the forecast.  An advisory was issued warning against attempting to climb it. I got up early to make sure I made it to the shuttle pick-up point by 10:30, as I didn't know the trail conditions coming off the mountain. As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about and was at the Willey Store by 9:00. I left at the same time that Mona did, and we hiked together the entire way to the store. The 2.9 miles proved to be quite easy trail, and we spent our time talking about all sorts of topics.  Inspired by a co-worker who battled cancer, Mona set out from Damascus in May to complete a flip-flop thru hike with no previous backpacking experience. Mona recently went back to school and plans on becoming a social worker to help people who are striving to overcome addictions. She is obviously an empathetic, compassionate person and will undoubtedly help many people in her future.  The time and miles flew by while we talked, and we soon found ourselves off the mountain and then to where we would meet our shuttle. The store opened at 9:30, and the group of hikers waiting for the shuttle spent our time talking and eating. Bookie from Notch Hostel was right on time, and I soon found myself back at the hostel. We got a shuttle into Lincoln at 2:00, ate lunch at the Gypsy Cafe, and resupplied. I only needed a few things, which I got at Dollar General. I also bought some items to pitch in for our spaghetti feast planned for tonight.  The forecast for tomorrow remains grim with dangerously low temperatures and very high winds.  While only cool and windy in Lincoln, the tops of the mountains were covered in fog as the storm and winds continued. Radio was in town after attempting to climb to Franconia Ridge this morning. He and some friends hiked a short distance and was confronted with the weather and came back off the mountain. Mount Washington is considered the most deadly of the "small" mountains and is nothing to trifle with.  The weather Saturday looks promising. Unfortunately, there is a 100% chance of rain on Sunday. Right now my thought is to get to at least Mizpah Spring Hut on Saturday and then hole up there if need be on Sunday. The power of Mother Nature is readily apparent in these mountains. I enjoyed a fun evening in the common room of the hostel before heading for bed. Hopefully, there won't be too many more weather-related delays as I close in on Katahdin.
Date: 2017-09-08
From: Stealth campsite near the summit of Mount Moriah

To: US 2/White Mountains Hostel
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

9/8Stealth campsite near the summit of Mount Moriah to US 2/White Mountains Hostel5.7 milesTotal miles:  1891.5I was up and moving again before 5:30.  The days continue to get noticeably shorter, so I'm trying to get as early a start as possible. I was on trail at 6:40 and was pleased to see that I had already done the most difficult part of the descent last night. It was an odd feeling to be saying goodbye to the Whites.  I had been told that the last few miles into Gorham would be the easiest trail I had seen in a long time, and I found that to be true. In fact, I arrived at a bridge so early that I became totally disoriented. I told myself that there was no way I could be there that early. I'd forgotten that I can hike more than two miles per hour on easy trail. I am so glad that I hiked into the evening yesterday, as I arrived at the White Mountain Hostel just a bit after 10:00.  I was able to get my clothes in to be washed, and hung out my jackets, my sleeping bag, and my tent on a clothes line to dry. I showered for the first time in a while. I ordered a cheeseburger from a local restaurant that delivers and caught up with my journal. I expect Maine to be even more sparse with phone service, so I will be uploading my entries when I can. My understanding is that southern Maine is every bit as difficult as the Whites, so I still have my work cut out for me. The friction from my slide down the rock face yesterday burned through a strap on my pack that is used to keep tension on the stay rod. I was able to do a field repair that I hope will hold. I'm just thankful that it wasn't a shoulder strap. I took the 6:00 shuttle to Wal-Mart, and our driver, Mellow, told us it would be the last one we would see until after Katahdin. I resupplied for four days. I ended up purchasing a rather eclectic dinner menu for tonight. I bought an entire rotisserie chicken, a peach, a banana, a tub of whole milk cottage cheese, a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli, and two small bags of Cheetos. If that doesn't get me through the rest of New Hampshire and into Maine, I don't know what will.  Without fanfare today I crossed the less than 300 miles to go mark. There are 298.3 miles to the summit of Katahdin. Like all the miles before these, I find it best to concentrate on taking things one step at a time, but it will be exciting to get to Maine, which should happen the day after tomorrow.
Date: 2017-09-20
From: Stealth Campsite by Carrabassett River

To: ME 27/Stratton Motel/Hostel
Miles today: 8.4

9/20Stealth Campsite by Carrabassett River to ME 27/Stratton Motel/Hostel8.4 miles Total miles:  2001.6The rain stopped during the night, and I awoke to a damp, cool morning. I slept a bit later than usual. I broke camp and was on the trail by 7:45. The hike up South Crocker Mountain was uneventful. The cloudy weather precluded any chance of views, but the changing leaves only added more beauty to the forest itself.  The rocks and roots were all slick with the rain, so extra care was in order all day. I slipped several times but never fell.  The AT passes within fifty feet of the summit of South Crocker Mountain, but I saw no reason to hike to the summit since everything was clouded in anyway. The descent  of South and the subsequent ascent of North Crocker Mountain played out in a similar vein.  From North Crocker Mountain, the trail was a lengthy 5.2 mile descent to the road. I thoroughly enjoyed this last part of my day's journey, which was often somewhat steep but never really difficult.  About 1.6 miles from the road, I encountered the 2,000 mile mark. It's hard to believe I have covered 2,000 miles since I stood on Springer Mountain back in April. Tengo and I posed for photos. I set a bit of Beau free and hiked on.  I arrived at ME 27 around three o'clock. Here I met Sachin, who was waiting for his girlfriend, Hybrid, a northbound thru hiker. He was providing Trail Magic for all hikers, and I got an orange Fanta, a Reese's peanut butter cup, and a Twinkie. He hiked with Hybrid through the Whites, and we were able to swap stories.  Thanks, Sachin, for the conversation and the goodies, and good luck to Hybrid as she completes her thru hike. Tengo called for a shuttle, and we were soon at the Stratton Motel/Hostel, which is owned by the same folks who own the Farmhouse Inn Hostel in Rangeley. I got a room in the bunkhouse and was lucky to get a bottom bunk. There are three whimsical bear statues that greeted me at the hostel, so I added them to my list of non-wild bear sightings. At least I saw one bear on my trip, and I still have over 180 miles to see another. I ate lunch at the Stratton Plaza with Gravity and Tengo, and I also saw Boomer, Single T, Jason, and Maple. I resupplied at Fotter's market and got enough food for four days, although I hope to.make it to Caratunk, the next resupply point, in three. Gravity, Tengo, and I will catch the 7:30 shuttle back to the trailhead tomorrow and begin our traverse of the Bigelow Mountain Range. There are only two more resupply points, Caratunk and Monson, between me and Katahdin, a fact that is bringing home the reality that this little adventure of mine is actually drawing to a close. I've been told that the views from the Bigelow and Avery Mountains are some of the best on the AT. The forecast for tomorrow is for sunshine, so I look forward to finding out for myself.