morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-13
From: Hamburg, Pa

To: Eckville Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

Rain, that is the word of the day. It wasn't a heavy rain, but it rained almost all day. Weather and I left around 9:30. We got a late start because I had to run into Walmart to pick up a ankle wrap/bandage for my ankle because it is quite sore and swollen, not sprained, but strained. Too much uneven terrain over the rocks, going too fast.Not much to say about the day, we hiked fast and didn't stop until we got to the shelter.The shelter was nice, fully enclosed, flushing toilets and a solar shower. We're the first ones there, eventually it is full, which leaves bumble bee and tomahawk sleeping on the floor.By 3:00 the rain is gone and everyone is hanging their stuff out to dry.
Date: 2016-05-14
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: clear sky

The weather forecast is calling for afternoon thunder storms so the plan is to only do 17 to the shelter and stay dry.We're the first ones out and the weather is nice. We still have not seen the Pennsylvania rocks everyone is worried about. Yeah there are rock patches, but it mostly flat easy terrain.Hiking with weather is a hoot and extremely beneficial. With his Aussie accent and quick wit, he can charm anyone. Around noon we cross a road with a diner just down the street and we decide to stop in and get a cold drink. It is closed, but wait there are a group of firefighters having a training exercise and their wives are putting on a cookout. Weather walks up, and starts laying on the charm and the next thing you know it we're eating hamburgers and drinking Pepsi for a small donation.By afternoon the sky starts to darken, but we make it to the shelter before any rain. Unfortunately the shelter is full. We wait out the rain, put in another 4 miles and camp. It is fairly cold and windy, but no rain to speak of. Not a bad day. Oh, my ankle is still swollen and still hurts, but considering it was a 24 mile day I think it's going to be ok.As I unpack I realize I left my camp shoes at the shelter, I can only hope bumble bee or tomahawk notices.
Date: 2016-05-15
From: Campsite

To: Leroy Smith Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: clear sky

We wake up with the plan to do the same thing today (e.g. doing 20+ miles and push past the shelter for an easy walk into town). The weather is supposed to be pretty good, cloudy and in the high 50s, but the weather man got it wrong. It is a cloud, windy day with occasional sleet. I'm worried about camping because I have my hammock.But even though my thoughts are on the weather, we do have moments of sunshine and great views. One of the best is the rock scramble climb out of Leigh Gap. Gorgeous and fun, sometimes it is hand holds and straight up over steep rock faces. Good times. The Pennsylvania rocks stretches are a little longer, but still not too bad because they are flat and always broken up with easy flat terrain.We get to the shelter by 3:00, but the weather has turned. Dark sky's, sleet and dropping temperatures. We decide to stay and not risk it.The shelter quickly fills up, bumble bee and tomahawk taking the last places. And, "YES", tomahawk has my shoes. As thanks, I do the .2 mile trek down hill to get their water.
Date: 2016-05-16
From: Leroy Smith Shelter

To: Deleware Water Gap
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: broken clouds

It was a cold night. Temperatures got down into the high 30s (38-39). I thought this is spring. I'm glad I kept my 20 degree bag!It is a beautiful day. The rocks are a little worse for first 13 miles, but still not too bad. Wolf Rock is actually quite fun, big rocks you need to hop/jump from one to another. A section hiker actually recommend we take a blue blaze trail to by pass them. Why?After Wolf rock the trail gets easier. We pass a number of section hikers, chatting it up and taking our time.We still make it into Delaware water gap by 3:00. Weather heads straight to the ice cream place, he orders a 3 scoop cone, and a milk shake.We shower, laundry and get the hot dog and pie special.Later we all head down to the diner. You got to love coming into town.
Date: 2016-05-18
From: Deleware Water Gap

To: Campsite
Miles today: 16.7

Crossed the bridge over the Delaware Water Gap and arrived in New Jersey, another state down.The rocks didn't end in PA but continued on, but nothing too bad.Going around Sunfish pond ran into 4 shakes sunning themselves in less then a 10th of a mile.Made to the campsite around 3:30. Camping here are Gary, Atlas, Cosmo, tomahawk, bumble bee and weather
Date: 2016-05-19
From: Campsite

To: Rutherford Shelter
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: overcast clouds

New Jersey is turning out to be quite nice. Pretty level terrain, up on the ridge most of the time, and lots of great views.Another highlight of today was the diner. We stopped in at a little place on a lake, had burgers and fries, and just chilled for awhile.
Date: 2016-05-20
From: Rutherford Shelter

To: Vernon NJ
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Saw my first bear today. We're coming down the hill at High Point Park and he was just right there on the side of the trail. He didn't startle so we got great pictures. The day was pleasant. Most of the terrain was flat, especially the section around wallkill wildlife refuge.There was a little climb after that, once that was done it was another nice walk on the board walk around and through a swap.Made into town around 5:00, showered, laundry, resupplied and fed.Staying at the church hostel, nice place.
Date: 2016-05-25
From: Clarence Fahnestock State Park

To: Telephone Pioneers Shelter
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: scattered clouds

The weather is getting warmer, but still nice weather. The terrain is also changing, it's getting a little more hilly, so the bigger mileages are getting a little harder (we're spoiled by all the flat terrain).(Sorry for the shorter entries, getting harder to update)
Date: 2016-05-26
From: Telephone Pioneers Shelter

To: Mt Algo Shelter
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Started the day with a short hike down to the Appalachian trail railroad station and the garden center there.We got some cold drinks and snacks, and had a cold shower (invigorating!). But wait, left over Donuts, trail magic!Another hot day and some bigger climbs, but also a nice hike along 10 mile River.Passed into Connecticut! Another state down!
Date: 2016-05-30
From: Glen Brook Shelter

To: Mt Wilcox South Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Another nice day. We took time at the end of the day to swim (and wash up) in Benedict pond.Weather and tomahawk are tenting (so their tents dry out) so I'm spending the night in the old shelter (which has tent platforms) even though there is a brand new one just down the trail.A 9:00 pm a huge thunderstorm storm rolls in. I'm dry and cozy in the shelter, can't say the same for the tenters
Date: 2016-05-31
From: Mt Wilcox South Shelter

To: Upper Goose Pond Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

We temporarily lost Weather. Tomahawk and I climbed to the top Cobble Mtn and waited for Weather, but after a half hour he still hadn't shown up and we got worried. Tomahawk partially climbed down without her pack, but no Weather. So we both climbed down, still no Weather, and no other north bounders had seen him, so we decided to continue to the shelter.Well he was there, he'd taken the old trail.Upper Goose pond is amazing. Swimming, canoeing and pancakes for breakfast!A great day.
Date: 2016-06-02
From: Dalton, MA

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I got off to a late start after mailing a few things home. We also said goodbye to Weather (for awhile). He is skipping ahead to hike the White Mountains with a friend.The weather was beautiful, if not a little warming. The trail went right thru Cheshire where we stopped in the ice cream shop for a quick cold drink.We're starting to see bigger climbs again, today's climb was 1500 foot climb up to Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in MA.
Date: 2016-06-03
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter

To: Bennington, VT
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Another nice day on the trail, and most importantly another state down.   We're in Vermont.The trail though not a lot of elevation gain, was difficult in many places due to the swampy nature. The we're a lot of exposed roots, muddy bogs, and puddles to work our way on and around.The original plan was to stop at the shelter before town, and re-supply tomorrow in Bennington, where Tomahawk would get off to visit family. Well we got to the shelter early and Wanna Chair and I thought we'd push on resupply tonight and push on to the shelter right out of town.   Well after more talk we decided to head into town and get a cheap hotel.
Date: 2016-06-04
From: Bennington, VT

To: Story Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: few clouds

After a longer than normal wait to hitch out of town (no girl power), Wanna Chair and I, hit the trail around 8:40.Wanna Chair doesn't like the VT trail very much, it's bothering his knee, so he told me to go on ahead. I spent much of the day by myself, I hadn't done that in a long time.I got to the shelter early only to find it mostly full, only one spot left. Apparently the Long Trail opened on June 1st and those thru hikers have their own little bubble. It was a good crowd, it funny, they're just starting and to here them talking is kind of fun.
Date: 2016-06-05
From: Story Spring Shelter

To: Manchester Center, VT
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: light rain

I'm glad I got a space in the shelter because it starting raining last night.To my surprise the LT hikers are up early, which is fine with me, and I'm off before 7:00 AM.It is raining when I left and it is supposed to rain all day.I'm not having a good day, too much time to think. I begin to regret my decision to push on and skip my son's graduation, and this builds all day.I climb the Stratton Mtn lookout tower even though it is raining and very windy. The wind is so strong the sheet metal sides of the tower move in and out, making popping and pinging noises, but it is fully enclosed and dry. I have good reception, so I call my wife and discuss my situation (bad mood), and she understands and tells me to come home for a break (she's too good for me).So I change my plan and decide to head into Manchester Center to think and plan.On the plus side, I've passed the 3/4 mark today, only 538.4 miles left.
Date: 2016-06-06
From: Manchester Center, VT

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Well I'm going to take a break. But before I can do that I need to handle a few logistic problems, namely getting my drivers license at the Inn at the Long Trail in Rutland where I had my wife mail it.So first is a bus ride from Manchester Center to Rutland, next it a bus from Rutland to the Inn. I get there and no mail, but they haven't gone to the post office in two days, so I wait from the postal run. Whew, they've got my letter, with license in hand, it is back on the bus to Rutland.   I hadn't booked my air plane tickets in advance because I didn't have my license. So now I try, only to find out expedia can't book flights unless it 3 hours in advance, to I end up booking my trip in pieces, problem solved. Next a taxi to the airport.I hop on my puddle jumper (8 seater) for a short trip to Boston. From Boston it is on the DC, and then DC to Raleigh.   Arrive in Raleigh at 11:30 and Connor (my son) just wants to drive straight home (fine with me). We arrive home about 1:30 AM. A long day, but I made it.So the plan is to take a week, rest, go to graduation and return to the trail next Monday.
Date: 2016-03-19
To: Blue Ridge, GA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

When we finished our hike last year, I said I wouldn't do it again. Then again, I said the same thing when we finished in 2014. However, each year adds more aches & pains. Princess tells me that it would be much worse if I ever quit hiking and I suspect that she is right. But here's a short list of the real reasons: (1) the incredible beauty and variety of the trail, (2) the hiking friends that we've met and shared memories with, (3) the friends that we've met in the AT support community (trail maintainers, hostel & B&B owners, shuttlers, etc.), and (4) the personal challenge and satisfaction of walking from Georgia to Maine. We have changed our strategy and approach each year. The first year we were heavy into preps and planning, and we started off backpacking and camping. But several forces conspired to draw us into "slack-packing", and after Harpers Ferry (NoBo) we slept in the woods less than a dozen times. Last year our goal was to attempt to do the entire trail without camping at all (arranging shuttles to and from B&B's, motels, hostels, etc.) and ultimately we camped out only 4 nights on the way to Katahdin. This year, we're trying a different twist on the slack-packing theme, we're taking our car. There are several ways to integrate a car with shuttles and the car makes resupply, meals, etc. much easier. I'll describe the schemes in my daily journal as we try them out. We're starting later this year in hopes of avoiding some of the really cold weather, and we may jump over some sections and come back to finish them later in order to do New England earlier in the year.Why are we so enamored with slack-packing? The WEIGHT of course!! The first year our Springer pack weights were good - we thought. Fully loaded we each hefted 25 to 35 lbs (there were 3 of us then). We planned 20+ mail drops ranging from about 6 to 9 days apart. Now our slack-packs are much lighter, in the range of 5 to 7 pounds (much of it is water). AT our age, if we had to carry the full load all the way, our backs, our knees, our feet would probably break down before we finished. But implicit in our slack-packing concept is that we transform a thru-hike into a series of day hikes. This means that we don't stay in the woods, instead we arrange rides to and from the trail and sleep, eat, wash and enjoy the comforts of off-trail accommodations. Some people don't want to do the trail this way and some can't afford it. I'm not judging the motives of anyone else, but this approach works well for us and we thoroughly enjoy the trail. As it turns out, others have tried it when they heard about it and some have even joined us as we hike. We've upgraded some of our gear this year and I really like what we have. I wish I had done more conditioning, but it's too late now. We also have a draft of a book on how we've been hiking and we hope to finish it soon. We think this could make the trail accessible to folks who have wanted to hike the trail, but felt it was beyond their reach.In the meantime. we're striking out on Monday, March 19.
Date: 2016-03-20
To: Blue Ridge, GA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Today is a rest day. We gave ourselves a one-day break after driving all day yesterday from Norfolk, VA to Blue Ridge, GA. We¢re staying with Princess¢ brother, Ranger (and his wife Gay) who hiked parts of the trail with us in 2014 and 2015. They have a home that¢s conveniently located not far from the AT southern terminus at Springer. It¢s in the woods and we¢re usually treated to some wildlife. This year a local bear has been stealing the food they leave out for deer. They say it¢s pretty big and they have a picture to prove it. We may get a chance to check it out, since we¢ll likely stay here for a couple of days. Yesterday was a beautiful drive, possibly the nicest that we¢ve ever had. The long stretch of unseasonably warm weather held out one more day and it was cloudless most of the way. The roadside was awash in color - redbuds, cherry, pear and apple trees, forsythia, daffodils, and emerging green everywhere. We were tempted to wish that we started earlier, but spring should come a little later higher up in the hills. Mountain weather savants are talking about some freezing this week, that will be OK as long as it doesn¢t include snow. Cooler weather will be fine with us, it reduces the snake and tick encounters.We think we have everything ready for tomorrow. It¢s going to freeze tonight, and of course there¢s a warning out for freezing rain and black ice through tomorrow morning. We seem to attract bad weather. We¢ll make a decision in the morning. We need a good night¢s sleep tonight.
Date: 2016-03-23
From: Horse Gap

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: few clouds

Woody Gap was full of Trail Magic today. Two different groups had tables set out in the parking lot and they had plenty of hikers when we finished there around noon. They had a full spectrum of goodies and I couldn¢t pass up a hot dog. It was a great way to end a great hike. While we were there several hikers we had passed earlier on the trail drifted in and took a break with refreshments. We chatted for a while and thanked the hosts for their generosity before leaving.We had shuttle assistance from Ranger again today. He drove his Explorer to our finishing point (Woody Gap) and we followed him there. Then we left our car at Woody Gap and drove with him to our starting point at Horse Gap. The road from Woody to Horse was gravel and Ranger felt that his Explorer was better equipped for the road than our car. So Princess and I were able to hike together from Horse Gap back to our car at Woody Gap. It was cold (30¢s) again at the outset, but it warmed quickly to the mid-60¢s when we finished. Our first challenge was Sassafras Mountain, we remember this climb from our first year - a pretty aggressive climb for about a mile. Justus Mountain was next, a shorter climb and the remainder of the hike was a series of short ups and downs. Just as yesterday, the trail was very busy. We saw a few souls out early, but a lot of hikers were still snoozing in their tents. Later as the sun warmed the air the trail traffic thickened and we passed a number of hikers that we¢ve seen over the past 2 days. A few names stick, like KiltWookie, Chef Ducky, Patriot, Popeye, Rosie, Momma Goose, and Farmer. We¢re also finding that a number of hikers don¢t have trail names yet. Years ago, trail names were apparently bestowed by fellow hikers, based on a humorous event or an unusual quirk, etc. Today, many decide to self-assign their trail name, to avoid the potential of a less-flattering alternative. As we came around one bend we saw a tent set up by the trail with 20 or so folks milling around. I think it was a club of some sort (hiking) and we passed on by. In general, everyone is in a very good mood. The temperatures have been very mild this week and no one has had to deal with a lot of rain or snow. But there is rain in the forecast tomorrow afternoon and Friday AM as a front passes through with some possibly severe storms. Our hike tomorrow is about the same length as today and we hope to get an early start and be off the trail before the bad weather arrives.
Date: 2016-03-25
From: Neel Gap

To: Hog Pen Gap
Miles today: 6.9

I think I may have discussed this last year: Is there a specific definition for a Zero Day? Today we hiked 6.9 miles. In absolute terms, a Zero Day would seem to be 0 miles. But it seems that many hikers feel that any day that is significantly less than their average distance deserves to be called a Zero. Princess and I have been starting slowly this year, poking along at around 10 miles/day. Last year we generally assumed that 16 or 17 miles/day was our sweet spot. But we have to work up to that and Norfolk isn¢t very conducive to mountain hiking conditioning (the highest hills in Norfolk are the overpasses). So we¢re slowly acclimating to the AT terrain. One drawback of slack-packing with a passenger car (no 4WD or rugged suspension) is that our daily distances are determined mostly by the quality of the roads to the access points along the trail, and today just worked out to be short. A more rugged car would give us more flexibility. Anyway, a Zero Day implies a rest, so we finished early and we¢re relaxing - call it what you may.This was a ¢key-swap¢ day. I dropped Princess at Neel Gap where she started hiking NoBo, and I drove to Hog Pen Gap, left the car and started hiking SoBo. Since it was a short day, we slept in later than usual and started maybe an hour later than yesterday. Fortunately, yesterday¢s storm system didn¢t seem as bad as predicted, mostly just a rain event. The sun was shining at Neel Gap, but I hiked in a cloud for the first hour at the north end of the day¢s hike. The trail was damp, but not muddy at all - good news. We covered 3 mountains: Levelland (unusual name for a mountain), Cowrock and Wildcat. They ranged from 3,637 to 3,870 feet and mostly it was a ridge walk. Several hikers I passed were OK with photos and I¢ve included a couple: Momma Goose, Matt & Josh. I saw maybe 2 dozen on the trail and still more at Neel Gap getting ready to push on north. We were finished hiking and in our car headed back by noon. We¢re still staying with Princess¢ brother in Blue Ridge, no doubt overstaying our welcome (per the old saying ¢fish and relatives . . . after 3 days¢), but they are very gracious and Ranger may help us again with transportation. The commute to the AT gets longer every day and we expect to leave on Sunday. The logistics associated with having a car seem daunting, but Princess commented yesterday that we¢re learning a lot more about the areas around the AT. When we relied on shuttle drivers, we used their knowledge of the trail access points. So it¢s a different experience.