morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-06-20
From: Fullhardt Knob Shelter

To: Tinker Cliffs
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I hopped out of my hammock this morning, prepared for a big day. Today felt like the first day I had my trail legs under me. We breezed down 3:6 miles of trail to Troutville, where Silverfox was going to join our adventure. She took us into town to wash up in her hotel room and refill on water since we had to hike 10 miles to the next water source. While we were there, we couldn¢t pass up an opportunity for a meal, so we gulped down some McDonald¢s and hit the trail before the rain. It was easy to keep pace with the powerline crossings every few miles. We counted them as we went. And there was even some wild blueberries and blackberries along the trail! My day instantly gets better whenever I come across wild berries. The afternoon passed without any rain. The breeze actually kept us cool for most of the day. We eventually ended up at Lambert¢s Meadow Shelter at the base of Tinker Cliffs. By that time it was already 7:00 pm. It¢s against the rules to camp anywhere other than a designated shelter, but we made it our mission to watch the sunset at the top of Tinker Cliffs. It was only one mile away, but it was a grueling climb, the steepest we have done on this trip. Along the way, we came upon four or five deer which is always neat to see. They aren¢t very scared of people around here, so we got pretty close. The last half mile of the climb consisted of cliff walking above a 30 foot drop. The wind was crazy! The sunset was well worth the risk of stealth camping at the top, though. And now we get to enjoy it again tomorrow. Somewhere along the way, I tweaked my left knee pretty bad. I feel a shooting pain under my knee cap every time I step up or down. Now that we stopped hiking, it¢s getting pretty stiff. I couldn¢t even squat to go to the bathroom! I¢m hoping I can make it through the rest of the trip with a wrap and some Vitamin I (ibuprofen for you non-hikers). Stay tuned.
Date: 2019-06-21
From: Tinker Cliffs

To: VA 624
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

span class="Apple-converted-space"> I¢m assuming there is a tear because my shin feels like it¢s detached from my knee. I have no support whatsoever. Although, I learned how to hike on it without inflicting too much pain by locking my leg straight or walking sideways down the hills. Our first climb today was to McAfee Knob, the most photographed site on the AT. It¢s also the second point of Virginia¢s Triple Crown. It did not disappoint! We got some amazing photos. We also met a trail maintainer there who asked us where we stayed, etc. to make sure we were following the rules. Luckily, we were able to cover for our illegal camping the night before. Again, bad idea. The rest of day seemed to drag on. There weren¢t any points of interest to look forward to, and we were all excited to get to Four Pines Hostel to relax. I put in my headphones to grin and bear it to our final road crossing at VA 624. As we walked up to the road, a former hiker was dropping some people off. She offered to give us a ride to the hostel. That was our 3rd hitch hike on this section! I¢m becoming a professional. Four Pines is quite a unique place. It¢s a donation-based hostel in a guy¢s garage in which he built a bunch of bunks and set up old couches. It kind of feels like a homeless shelter with all of the bunks lined up in rows. They don¢t offer towels, toiletries, food, or drinks. If you want to shower, you have to bring your own stuff or drip dry. They do offer laundry, but no dryer, so all of our clothes are going to be wet when we leave. I am wondering if it may have been simpler just to stay on trail, but everyone here is very hospitable and welcoming. The guys shuttle to The Homeplace, where I had all you can eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and peach cobbler with ice cream. How divine! And being able to shower and charge my devices was worth the trip. We¢ll be hiding out here tomorrow to get some sleep and avoid some of the storms coming in the morning. So far, we¢ve hiked  111 miles!
Date: 2019-06-22
From: VA 620

To: VA 624
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: scattered clouds

For a multitude of reasons, our little tramily (trail family) decided to sleep in at Four Pines. It was going to rain; my knee hurt; Yardsale had blisters; Silverfox was worn out; and we got no sleep the night before. I still woke up at 8:30, but it was nice to roll out of bed and enjoy a cup of coffee. We finally ran into some other SOBOers who had the great idea of slack packing Dragon¢s Tooth back to Four Pines. It was only an eight-mile hike, but we thought it was a great idea. Nature Boi drove us to VA 620 where we started the five-mile climb up. It was so pleasant to hike without a pack and with a group of other hikers! Dragon¢s Tooth is no joke. The monolith is about 30 feet tall. I climbed half way up to see the view but didn¢t dare go any further, especially with a tweaked knee. The climb down was precarious, sliding down rock faces, climbing down ladders, and stepping down over large rocks. Back at the road, we walked the .3 miles back to Four Pines. I was so refreshed washing off with my towel and drinking a gatorade. I¢m happy we¢re back here tonight before our last day on the trail tomorrow. I¢m loving the camaraderie of all of the hikers here. We feel each other¢s pain and understand the struggle of getting on and off trail.
Date: 2019-06-23
From: VA 620

To: VA 621
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Waking up at 6:00 am, it was hard to imagine I would be getting back to reality in the afternoon. I quietly packed my bag for the last time while everyone in the hostel was still sleeping. Nature Boi dropped us off at the trail in the chilly morning. The four-mile climb to the Audie Murphy monument was dreaded by everyone, but it was the easiest incline we had done over the whole trip. The monument was incredibly celebrated. Murphy was the most decorated soldier in World War II. He died in a plane crash at that site. The way down to the parking lot was a winding trail through a pine forest and over footbridges, a perfect way to end the day. We enjoyed some final goodbyes in the parking lot while we waited for Deanna to pick us up. Our journey has ended for the moment. A year from now, we will be back in that same parking lot, headed south again.
Date: 2020-05-22
From: CT 341

To: Mt. Algo Shelter
Miles today: 0.4
Weather: light rain

After a late meeting over Google Meet at home, we finally left around 3:15 to head to our last NY section. It rained the entire ride. There was a line for gas and no restaurants nearby for food, so it took forever. Donna C. dropped us off at our starting point, so we could head south tomorrow. For now, we climbed the .3 miles to Mt. Algo shelter where we actually ran into some thru hikers! They haven¢t had much trouble with the COVID situation, so that makes me feel good about continuing on. Hoping the rain is shortlived ma±ana.
Date: 2020-05-23
From: Mt. Algo Shelter

To: Wiley Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: light rain

Expecting rain this morning, I was reluctant to get out of bed. To my surprise, it wasn¢t raining at all! I quickly packed up my stuff and started climbing out of the valley. The first 3 miles killed me today! It was obvious I hadn¢t been hiking recently. Light rain started coming down, but it felt so good. I was overheating going up those hills. After finishing my protein shake, complete cookie, and granola bar, the last few miles til lunch went by smoothly.  We counted 192 salamanders on the trail today! They were loving the damp weather. 8 miles in, we stopped for lunch at Ten Mile River Shelter. The shaded shelter overlooking a grassy field looked so welcoming! We got lucky. It started pouring as soon as we started lunch, so we huddled in the shelter til the rain stopped. I even took a little nap. The rain stopped around 4:15, so we left Ten Mile River to hike the last 4 miles to Wiley Shelter over Ten Mile Hill. I felt great. After setting up camp, I got out of my wet clothes and bundled up for a cold night. I can feel the temperature dropping already...
Date: 2020-05-24
From: Wiley Shelter

To: NY-55
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: light rain

Then, we hopped on a boardwalk through a marsh. There was tons of boardwalk today. They¢re always a welcome sight because that means the trail is flat. Finally, we started climbing the largest ascent of the day to the top of West Mountain. There were so many day hikers. It was hard to pass peopl, and there were so many kids, but we struggled up the mountain anyway. At the top was the nicest view of our weekend, overlooking the NY country side through which we just walked. I even got a little sun burn up there. The last four miles were extremely slow. I was so happy to see my car until Donna K. called to tell us our next parking spot was closed! We had planned to drive south to a small section we missed over the winter. Donna was going to shuttle us to the north end, so we could walk to our car and have a shorter drive home tomorrow. Luckily, the northern parking lot at Dennytown Rd. was open, so Donna picked us up there and we drove south to get dropped off. We even got some pizza along the way. At South Mountain Pass, we hopped out and trudged up the hill to find a little flat spot to stealth camp. My feet are pretty painful at the moment. I¢m worried my new Altras aren¢t working as well as I¢d hoped. It seems my heels and the ball of my foot are rubbing the side of the shoe. I¢m hoping once my feet toughen up again, I¢ll be good to go.
Date: 2020-05-25
From: South Mountain Pass

To: Dennytown Rd. 
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

Our stealth campsite turned out to be a good spot for the night. I was warm enough with leggings and a long sleeve shirt. It was quiet until morning when I woke up to rain. Luckily, I brought my pack in my hammock last night. The short, rocky climb from our campsite led to a nice ridge walk over flat rock slabs. The air was cool and refreshing. After a while, I noticed a sharp pain from the ball of my foot into my arch. It was hard to walk over rocks or extend my foot to climb. We made it about 6 miles before I had to wrap it with KT tape. Since we were halfway through the day, we ate lunch and I elevated my feet for a bit. The KT tape was enough to get me through the rest of the hike, but it wasn¢t pleasant. Plus there were a lot of inclines from the gravel road where we ate lunch to our parked car. It was hot, too! I sweated a lot but felt pretty good clmbing the ridges. My jeep was such a welcome sight. I could finally take my shoes off and rest my feet. Only one more section of NY for me!
Date: 2021-08-08
From: BelterÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Campsite

To: US 44
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

Last night, I didn¢t get much sleep. I tightened my hammock up without thinking, so I couldn¢t move much. Plus, it was very hot. In the morning, we packed up camp and headed 1 mile down the mountain to Mountainside Cafe. The cafe wasn¢t listed in my guidebook, so I wasn¢t convinced we would be getting breakfast until I could see it before my eyes. It was only 2 tenths of a mile off the trail. My hiker hunger kicked in, so I ordered coffee, orange juice, water, a skillet of eggs, bacon, and potatoes, along with streusel french toast. That french toast was the best I ever had. From there, we hiked a couple more miles until we ran into the girls we camped with. They were just leaving a swimming hole, so we headed down to the river and climbed in. The cold water felt so great on my blistered feet. Even though it was early, I had already broken a sweat, so I splashed water on my arms, legs, and face to cool off. A half mile ahead was a waterfall. Following the waterfall, we began the long and arduous climb up Mt. Prospect. The refreshment of the swimming hole wore off quickly. I was so drenched in sweat that I didn¢t even want to brush against my own body. Then, the mosquitos swarmed. I could feel the painful bites on my elbows and ankles. It got to the point that I had to stomp up the trail to keep them away. If I slowed down at all, I would get bit again. This made the climb exhausting and aggrivating. By the time we got to the top, we only had 4 miles left to go. I doused myself in bug spray once more, ate some almonds, and laid in the shade. The descent followed a smooth, gradual trail to a spring. From there, we slowly climbed out of the valley to head towards Salisbury, CT. I was on a mission to get the day over with until we reached the edge of the mountain where the trail led down to Route 44. I have never descended on a section that steep. We climbed down rocks and ladders and roots that shredded my feet along the way.   By the time we got to the bottom, I was just defeated. But our hostel was still a half mile away by road, so I gritted my teeth and made it there. I tried to shower the day away, and soaked my clothes in a bucket, hanging them to dry. The hostel owner¢s friend was kind enough to drive us to Mizza¢s Pizzeria where I hounded down some penne alla vodka and wine. Now, as I lay in bed, my feet continue to throb and flinch from the pain, reminding me of the day they endured.
Date: 2021-09-03
From: Arden Valley Rd. 

To: Island Pond Rd. 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After work, we headed up to the Arden Valley Rd. parking lot in NY. We hiked a little over a mile in while it was getting dark. We came up to Island Pond Rd., but there was a sign that said hikers can only camp in designated areas. So we backtracked a bit to find a stealth site in the woods. Our site is not ideal at all. A few dead trees loom overhead and spiders are crawling around everywhere. Plus, Jesse¢s new hammock was either too long or too short where ever he tried to string it! At least the weather is nice.
Date: 2021-09-04
From: Island Pond Rd. 

To: West Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

This morning, I woke up around 8:00, ready to hit the trail running. We soon came up to the Lemon Squeezer which was a pretty tight fit, but the hardest part was climbing out of it. I was too short to get a grip on the rocks above me, so I had to leap off my only footing to grab hold. Luckily, I made up with only a few scrapes. I really thought I might fall backwards on to the rocks below. We had to time our water fill ups well today because AWOL¢s guide only showed two brooks throughout the whole day. However, because of the hurricane, water was flowing everywhere. Most of the trail was a rocky stream in itself. We spent about an hour over lunch relaxing by a footbridge before Seven Lakes Rd. which set us back a little, but I definitely caught my second wind and caught up on time. Our last good break was at William Brien Memorial Shelter before we started the climb to Black Mountain and then West Mountain Shelter. Both climbs really kicked my butt. I had to stop and get some energy back every .1 or .2 miles. The skyline view of NYC was definitely one that couldn¢t be missed, though. On the way to the shelter, I was pretty concerned about water, as there was no water source at the shelter, and no natural water sources the following day. We also needed a bunch of water to cook our dinner. I then discovered that I lost one of my water bottles, too. Fortunately, we crossed some runoff from the hurricane, so we¢ll be able to fill up there in the morning until we get to the vending machine at Bear Mountain. Tonight, Jesse and I overlooked NYC from the shelter and watched a ton of fireworks. What a view!
Date: 2023-04-05
From: Jug End Rd. 

To: US 7
Miles today: 4.5

Today felt like 3 days in one after working a half day, driving four hours, and hiking 4.4 miles. However, I was excited to get to Massachusetts to finish what I started. It seems like ages since we last hiked a section of the trail. I just hope my ankle holds up through it. I definitely didn¢t train as much as I should have. Upon arrival, I parked my car at Jug End Rd., while Yardsale took us both north to Route 7 where an antique store owner was kind enough to let us park in her lot. The hike was relatively flat with lots of board walks through bogs and walking through fields. It was a nice way to ease into the trip. Til tomorrow!
Date: 2023-04-06
From: Benedict Pond

To: US 7
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: moderate rain

Desipte a pounding headache since last night, I got up early to try to beat the rain. My head hurt from the cold and not eating much because of the busy. But I felt better after a Dunkin coffee and sandwich on the way to the trail. We dropped Yardsale¢s car at Route 7 and drove mine to Benedict Pond. It was an easy start to the morning since we walked a half mile around the pond to get to the AT with coffee in hand. It was quite foggy and wet, but the temperature couldn¢t have been better. After a few miles, we walked into an area full of downed trees covered in moss. It looked like they¢d been there for ages. Then, we noticed a sign for Tornado Alley! The tornado obviously did quite a bit of damage, but it was odd to see it all covered in moss, like it was frozen in time. The ice gulch through the next mountain was very much still full of snow, living up to its name. The trail was icy and treacherous, but I was happy to be able to see the ice gulch while the snow remained. The gulch led us to Tom Leonard shelter which was quite the oasis! The only sound was the creek rolling by, the only sight being a grove of pines. I stretched out my ankles and feet, but by the time we climbed East Mountain, I knew they needed some attention. Luckily, a footbridge awaited us just past the peak. I stripped my gators, shoes, brace, and socks, and stuck my feet in the water. It was FREEZING, but it worked! My ankle shrank back down and my arches stopped hurting. I put some blister bandages on my heels and kept going. The last few miles went quickly, descending the mountain and walking along the Hoosatonic River. I even saw a Kingfisher burrow into the river bank! I debated going back out tonight for a few more miles, but I think my ankle deserves some rest tonight.
Date: 2023-04-07
From: Main Rd. 

To: Benedict Pond
Miles today: 10.4

After a good night¢s sleep, I felt pretty good going into today! We left my car at Benedict Pond yesterday, and took Yardsale¢s car to Main Rd., after a stop at Marketplace Kitchen for a delicious egg, goat cheese, tomato, arugala, and pesto sandwich. The first mile or so was easy! The sun was shining and much of the trail was board walking across a large swamp. The fun didn¢t last long, though. Over the next few miles, the incline really killed my calf. I also developed two huge blisters on my heels from constantly stretching my achilles. Then, the sun went away and the cold air set my lungs on fire. To make matters worse, my stomach was turning for the rest of the day. All of these factors made the day quite unpleasant, and just plan hard to be honest. It was pretty difficult to identify the trail in this area due to the leaves, downed trees, snow, and water along the trail. Yet, I have to be grateful that I completed another 10 miles of the AT, and the view from the Ledges and Benedict Pond at the end were nice. Back at the hotel, I just wanted a nice shower to wash the day away. All I can hope is that my blisters scab over, tomorrow is a sunny day, and the trail is flat.
Date: 2023-04-08
From: Becket Rd. 

To: Main Rd. 
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

When I woke up this morning, I was weary of hiking with how bad my heel blisters were. I¢s been so long since I¢ve had blisters that I forgot what it felt like! I definitely need new socks, but the outfitter in town didn¢t have any Injinjis. I put some KT tape on them, tightened my boots, and hoped for the best. We ended up getting breakfast at a little coffee stand that turned out to be amazing! They had a phenomenal grab and go sandwich with egg, sausage, cream cheese, gouda, fig, and pears baked into a homemade bun. Hitting the trail at Becket Rd., I felt like I was walking on stilts. My legs and feet were so stiff for the first few miles. Plus, I was careful not to put too much pressure on my blisters. Hiking over Route 20 was impressive! The trail maintainers created a jug handle under the overpass and up to a walkway across it. Then, we hit another jug handle to cross the next road. Once I loosened up, the hike got easier. We easily hiked to Upper Goose Pond and Knee-Deep Pond since the trail was smooth and inclines were mild. It seemed like an easy day until we crested Baldy Mountain. The trail had clearly not been maintained since before winter, as blow-downs and debris covered the trail to the extent that it wasn¢t even visible to the naked eye. It seemed as if the winter weather purposely blew trees and branches right in the middle of the path, to the extent that we¢d have to climb around entire trees or try to maneuver through them while getting smacked in the face with branches. Not to mention, the trail wasn¢t well marked. With detouring and trying to decipher where the path was headed, we got turned around several times. I¢d search high and low for a white blaze, even turning around look for the last one I saw, and no trail was evident. It felt like I was walking blindly through a forest, blazing my own trail through rocks, branches, pine needles, and leaves. Every time I was able to make headway towards another blaze, the trail disappeared again. I¢d have to start the process of retracing my steps once more. Being so close to the end of the day made this extremely frustrating. Finally, we crossed a rock wall and started to descend, so the trail was more visible. Towards the end of the hike, we ran into a former thru hiker and his wife who were overjoyed to chat with us about the area and our hiking experience. It was a pleasant surprise to run into them since we haven¢t seen any hikers over the last few days, and the landmarks have been minimal. This makes for quite a boring day compared to some of our other hikes. After making the drive back to our hotel, I thought my feet would be even more shredded, but they¢ve maintained their condition which I was happy to see. Getting some ice cream at SoCo Creamery made a great end to the day.