morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-04
From: Raven Rock Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 9.6

9.6 miles from Raven Rock Shelter to Deer Lick Shelter. Left RRS at6:50 am arr at 3:30pm. Hike started ruff thru a rock boulder field and many rocks thereafter. Highlight today was trail magic of cookies, candy and water. 10 at two shelters that accommodate 5 each. Today I thought seriously about taking a trip into Waynesboro and staying the night but decided to march on. Today I lost one of my crocs so one of the hikers going into Waynesboro said he would try to find a pair of camp shoes for me and bring them to camp today. Today was mostly cloudy and very humid.For the rest of the day I will prepare a meal of Ramen and chicken with dessert of Belavida crackers and honey. Also I will try to get cleaned up a little bit and change into clean clothes. My Apple Watch battery is dead, the back up battery is almost dead and my phone is at about 50% so posting for the next few days until I get charged up,probably in Fayetteville Pennsylvania, Will be brief.
Date: 2019-05-05
From: Deer Lick Shelter

To: Rocky Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 10.2

13.2 miles from Deer lick shelter to Rocky Mountain shelter. Left deer lick this morning at 6:50 am and arrived Rocky Mountain shelter at about 4:30 PM. It rained a big portion of last night and was raining this morning when I started my hike. It rained all morning with some let up in the afternoon but then started again about an hour and a half before I got to camp. I was pretty much soaked all day, the trail was sloppy and at some places running with water. I did slip and fall one time but fortunately landed on fairly soft ground. I collected water at a campground park that I came to later in the morning. No collection tonight as tomorrow is only about 4 miles hike into Fayetteville Pennsylvania where I have made reservations for Monday and Tuesday night. Last night my shelter companions were stretch, grits, and head knocker. They are all about 25 to 30 years old. Head knocker is a chiropractor, stretch is an IT project manager and  Grits is works in the hospitality business. The three of them were heading in to Chambersburg Pennsylvania where there is a Hilton and grits can get them a discounted rate.For breakfast I had a cereal bar, for lunch a vacuum chicken packet and for dinner I had a Mountainhome beef stew with hot chocolate and hot tea.  Today I listened to a book called flight of the hornet and then started a book called Pompei. So far tonight in the shelter I am the only one present and do not expect anybody else to show up. There Is a bear box at this location so I put my food bag in it. It is now 7:34 PM which is sometimes referred to as Hiker midnight. Lights out.
Date: 2019-05-06
From: Rocky Mountain Shelter 

To: Fayetteville Pa
Miles today: 3.0

3 miles from rocky mountain shelters to US 30 and 3.2 mile Road in to Fayetteville Pennsylvania. This morning I left the shelter at 8 AM and at arrived US 30 at about 10 AM. I decided to try my hand at hitchhiking into town and in a short while a pick-up heading into Fayetteville stopped and delivered me to the hotel in Fayetteville.I was the only Hiker at the Rocky Mountain shelter for the night. After I got up and started packing I accidentally knocked my iPhone phone off a shelf and the screen protector cracked when it hit ground. I am not sure if the iPhone screen cracked or not. UGH!  I passed on having breakfast in anticipation of a good meal in Fayetteville.Anyway the trail went through a couple of bolder fields that I had to negotiate. Slow going. After the all-day range yesterday the trail was still sloppy but at least not streaming with water.  The primary colors I see while on the trail are green foliage, last falls brown leaves and the gray rocks and boulders.  The trail Is generally pretty evident due to the volume of traffic, nevertheless trees along the trail about every 100 yards or so are painted with a 2 x 6 white blaze to guide the way.  When there is a turn in the trail the upcoming turn is marked by two blazes with one blaze slightly above and to the left for a left turn and slightly above to the right for a right turn. There are also blue blazes similarly marked that give direction to off trail destinations such as shelters and water sources.After I checked into the hotel I made arrangements with hotel staff to have all clothing washed, dried and folded. While waiting for the clothes I rested a bit and when they were done I walked across the road and had a delicious hamburger at the flamenco restaurant then I walked down to the Dollar General to check out If they carry the food items I will need to restock. They do so a trip to the Walmart is not necessary.  For the rest of the day I will be sorting and arranging the things I carry in my pack. When hiking things become somewhat unorganized.
Date: 2019-05-07
From: Fayetteville 

To: Fayetteville 
Miles today: 0.0

ZERO miles today as I am in Fayetteville Pennsylvania resting and restocking.  I had a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs and a spaghetti dinner.  I spent a fair amount of time today arranging for a driver to shuttle me to the trail north of Fayetteville and I will walk south back to Fayetteville without my pack. Then on Thursday the driver Will deliver me to the same location that I Started from on Wednesday. This time I will walk north, again without my pack, to a hotel where Where my driver will have delivered my pack and I have a reservation in a town called boiling Springs Pennsylvania. Hiking the trail without the pack is called ¢slack-packing¢.  The idea of course is to cover more miles without the burden of a 35-38 pound backpack.
Date: 2019-05-08
From: Fayetteville PA

To: Fayetteville PA
Miles today: 19.3

19.3 miles from Pine Grove Furnace SP to AT trail head near Fayetteville Pa. Robert, aka Junker, picked me up at hotel at 6:30 am and delivered me at 6:50 am to my slackpack hike start. Hiking temp excellent: 57° start,  cloudy most all day and never got hot. Hiking in a cool rain is preferable over days where temperatures are around 80°. Of course the problem with hiking in the rain is that your shoes and socks get damp which results in friction causing blisters.  And I do have a blister. It is on my right foot on the toe pad next to my smallest toe. It is rather painful but I have been treating with Neosporin, mule skin and Band-Aids to prevent infection.  Hiking without the pack is less pressure on my toe. Blisters suck!  I came across one guy at a shelter that was hobbling so I gave him a Band-Aid and some tape that should help his case. Hiking south I came across many northbound hikers. Some the hikers I met were Katie f, Squeaker and Red both f, Woody, Freebird, Iowa, Headknocker f, Grits, Stretches, Posi, Hotdog,  and a  32-year-old northbound through Hiker. Hotdog, and Jet f. F is female.Without the pack I averaged 2 mph.  Took me 9+ hours. After I was picked up and delivered to my hotel I rested, showered, change clothes and hitchhiked for a lasagna dinner which was very good and then hitchhiked back. Got back to hotel at about 8 pm.Fayetteville is a small town on hwy 30. The people I have seen in town are mostly overweight, many with tattoos and fully bearded.  It¢s getting late so I am going to turn in. If you are reading my journal at trailjournals.com please take a moment to sign my guestbook and present questions that You may have. Thank you.
Date: 2019-05-09
From: Pine Grove Furnace SP PA

To: Boiling Springs PA
Miles today: 19.3

19.3 northbound slackpack miles from Pine Grove Furnace SP to Boiling Springs PA.  Highlights was meeting Poodle hiking AT with owner. Does 10 miles per day. He¢s 2. Other highlight was Rock Maze. Tight fit in places and had to do some boulder climbing. Glad I was slackpacking. Arrived hotel about 6pm after short detour. Breakfast was a cereal bar, lunch was a tortilla with peanut butter and honey on a tortilla and dinner was leftover lasagna. Dinner was the best meal today.Heavy rain for about an hour today that made trail sloppy, slippery and swampy. It¢s now 10:15 PM and I¢m ready for bed.
Date: 2019-05-10
To: PA 850
Miles today: 15.0

15 miles from Boiling Springs Pennsylvania to Madison Road Pennsylvania Where i had arranged earlier in the day for a shuttle to pick me up and take me 10 miles into Duncannon. The famous hiker Hotel in Duncannon is called the Doyle Hotel. I looked at a couple of it¢s rooms and decided not to stay there even though it¢s nightly charge was half of what I paid at a hotel called the red carpet in.Trail was slippery, sloppy and swampy.  Rained again today but not much. Todays highlight was a Chambers family graveyard in what seem like the middle of nowhere that had some tombstones over 200 years old. There was one very long wooden footbridge, perhaps as long as 60 to 70 yards, over a swampy area and later two stiles that were built for hikers to get over pasture fences.  Along time ago somebody somehow drove a truck, probably from the 1920s, halfway up the hill and that¢s where it died and rusted.  Its bumper was now being enveloped by the trunk of the tree it rested again.  Would love to know the story of the vehicle and the people that left it halfway up an Appalachia mountain. Breakfast was leftover lasagna, lunch was a serial bar and peanut butter and dinner was pizza I had delivered to my hotel room. Took a hot bath, Watched a little TV. Lights out
Date: 2019-03-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Just a bit more than 5 weeks to go. Skis have been put away, packs and gear ready to go. (OK always seems to be just one more thing to get!) Mary and I will try to get some pre-trail hikes in to get a our backs use to carrying packs, start to get some semblance of trail legs although nothing around our house compares to what we will encounter on the trail. Mary is getting really really excited to go. It will be a long 5 weeks.
Date: 2019-03-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Just a bit over 4 weeks before commencing what will be another epic journey. But this time I¢ll be rambling the AT with my wife Mary instead of my son Will.Last time being a newbie to the hike (before my 2017 hike, last time I did any hiking/camping was as a boy scout at the age of 14 or 15!) it was more of a science project getting ready to go ¢ researching gear, talking to past through hikers, reading tons of blogs and articles. This time it has been more fun getting ready to go. Plus getting a newbie, Mary, geared up and ready go has been exciting. Her excitement has grown over the past few weeks as gear has arrived, we've been doing training hikes, she has been doing her own research. Like so many others, she can¢t wait to get going. Fortunately we will be quite busy and travelling over the next 4 weeks.It has been difficult for me to limit the amount of information I share with her. A balance getting her ready, but making sure I limit what I experienced and what she may experience so she can properly discover all the joys (and miseries!) of the trail. I did spoil the part about the potential of finding a slug in her shoe in the morning but only after she inserts her foot into the shoe and wonders what is causing that squishy, oozy feeling. But hey, I¢m sure she will quickly forget about doing slug shoe checks until the fateful morning it happens. Training has been a bit limited, but I¢m not too worried. We are both in pretty good share, packs will be light, and we will be taking it slow the first two weeks. AND I¢m certain Pickleball is perfect training for hiking the first three easy states of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee! Still many questions about how far we will go, (targeting at least Hot Spring TN together), will I do an entire through hike, do the last 700 miles I was unable to do last time (due to injury in MA), etc. One day at a time¢¦
Date: 2019-03-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

A little under 3 weeks to go. We are both very anxious to get going. All the prep done, gear bought, research done, informed friends and family. I remember feeling this way last time. Just can¢t wait to get going. Mary also wishing we were ¢going tomorrow¢. Of course reading blogs and facebook posts of those who are out there now, we are wise to wait till mid April. Not much training can be done now as we are in Florida for another week, Mary taking a trip with friends first week of April. I¢ve been running and playing pickleball (skills necessary for hiking!) but here in Florida getting as much vertical in an entire day as I will get in one trip from my tent to the privy! Mary has done a couple of 3 mile walks on the beach with her pack just to maintain some base of weight on her back. To be honest I¢ve been a bit caviler with training this time around. Hope that does not come back and bite me. Of course we will take it very slow in the beginning. So assuming no injuries or issues between now and April 10, we are as ready as we can be. Watch out Springer here we come.
Date: 2019-04-10
From: Springer Mountian

To: Hawk mountain tent site
Miles today: 7.4

Two parts to today - part  one stressful, part two Superb Part one.  Alarm off at 3:50 AM. Yep you read that right. Up out of bed, quick change into hiking clothes then hoping the cab would show up  on time. First time I¢ve taken a cab (vs Uber or Lyft) in a long time. It was minorly stressful not being able to see on an app where the taxi was.  Arrived on time thought. Next Logan airport.  Wow was the line to get through security long.  Took us 35 to 40 minutes to get through.  Finally a few anxious minutes in Atlanta airport waiting for our checked box (with poles, food, tent stakes, etc) to arrival on the carousel. Best part of the flight was deleting a bunch of  apps off my phone. I will free myself from news, social media, email, etc. to just the basics for survival. Funny how a phone and some apps have made it into todays maslows hierarchy of  needs.  I quickly put part one into perspective.  A bit of stress going to the airport and a bit of waiting in line hardly even rates as a first world problem or stress. So blessed to be healthily and have the time and ability to go off hiking in the woods. Part two. Arrived just north of Springer around noon.  A gorgeous sunny day temps low 70s. I decided to hike the one mile south to the top of Springer and the very beginning of the trail. Mary choose to wait in the parking lot and save hiking the ¢extra¢ 2 miles.  By 1:15 we both left the parking lot for the 6 mile hike to Hawk mountain tent sites.  A very pleasant walk. Only encountered a half dozen of so folks headed north. Most seemed to be through hikers as they were sporting their Appalachian Trail tags on their back packs. Arrived at hawk mountain just around 4. Fortunately the TSA line to get to the site was really short.  It took us both quite a bit of time to setup camp, but we will get quicker as the days go by. Dinner was Subway sandwiches we packed in. Deluxe dinners of Ramon start tomorrow!!Going a little over 8 to Gooch mountain shelter. Tomorrow There will be several testy climbs.
Date: 2019-04-11
From: Hawk mountain tent site

To: Gooch Mountian
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Good night sleep last night. Only up once. I forgot many and clear the stars can be so far from light pollution   Was foggy and cool when we got up. Took quite awhile to break camp but that ok as we are in no rush to hit the trail since ¢only¢ doing 8 miles a day  at this time.  Was foggy and a bit windy for most of the day.  Hit some trail magic about noon just as we were ready to have lunch. Normally trail magic is excellent but we were looking to lighten of food load a bit.  But hey I¢ll take trail magic anytime even if it means carry a bit of extra weight. Couple of small climbs today were no issue. Made it to camp about 2:30 and set up. I made some real rookie mistakes setting up my tent. First tried to set it up upside down, then wrong way around then with the pole half in haft out the door/bug screen. Good thing was not raining out!  Mary doing really well  hiking. I think she just might be liking it. It¢s really enjoyable hiking together.  Let¢s see just how we fare in poor weather conditions. Here on the AT those days are rare. Ha! One nasty little climb tomorrow and a steep down hill into Lance creek where we plan to spend tomorrow night. Other than that should be a nice 8ish day.
Date: 2019-04-12
From: Hawk mountain tent site

To: Jarrad gap
Miles today: 10.5

Stormy last night and into the morning. Never fun breaking camp in the rain. Of course as soon as we left the shelter it stopped raining. Foggy but very comfortable temps. We Cruised along at a nice pace. Just one or two semi tough climbs, but they were short.  I can¢t believe how well we are both doing. Sun came out and I asked Mary what time it was (thinking it was somewhere between 11 and 12) but Mary said 1. Wow could not believe how quickly the morning went by. Found some great down trees and laid out out tent to dry. They were SOAKING wet. Ate lunch and packed up for the final mile into Lance creek. Our packs were at least a pound or so lighter due to the now dry tents!  Arrived at Lance and since it was early decided to push onto Jarred Gap. A very pleasant evening out to end the day.
Date: 2019-04-13
From: Jarrad gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 5.1

Was a quiet weather night last night although....  In the middle of the night a giant crack of a limb falling.  In the morning I spoke with a few of the folks who camped with us and we all had the same thought - bear was up getting somebodies bear bag. We all guessed if that happened, we were not going to be able to chase it away, and beside only 5 miles into Neels gap and food. Alas, all bear bags were safe and sound so we all were able to eat breakfast and be on our way.  span class="Apple-converted-space"> Made it into Neels gap about noon.  We decide to get a cabin for the night as some very nasty weather is on it way.   Depending on what happens tomorrow weather wise we may also zero here tomorrow. It¢s been fun to watch the groups of people starting to form.  We are beginning to recognize a small moving caravan of hikers.  It is such a nice feeling when you round a corner, come to a water source, or arrive at camp and recognize or get recognized by the early through hikers.
Date: 2019-04-14
From: Neels Gap

To: Neels gap zero
Miles today: 0.0

Based on the weather forecast and rain that greeted us this morning, we decided to take a zero day.  Ended up being a wise choice as raining and very windy at times.  Here is what Mary Mary wrote on Instagram. You can follow her @marykenyon or https://www.instagram.com/mary....Waking up to thunder,  lightning,  pouring rain and a tornado watch,  we decided to stay put for the day in our cozy cabin.  We'll be back walking in the morning. .span class="Apple-converted-space"> So tomorrow when I step back on the trail,  I will have gone further than 1000 other hikers this year!.When we arrived yesterday here at the cabins,  we were given the option of taking a thru hiker rate and cabin that had not been cleaned, or a deluxe cabin at twice the price. We took the thru hiker cabin. We opened the door with our clean bedding and it looked as if no one had been there. Great. .Later that night we were reading the journal for our cabin and there was an entry from the previous night. "Three drunk degenerates finding laundry and a shower after a hard rain storm. Remember: full throttle until you see God then brake. " Not kidding. I ran to clean the bathroom. .As you know,  we are dedicating our AT efforts to 2 friends with Parkinson's and raising awareness of the Michael J. Foxx Foundation.  How appropriate is it that we were given the Fox cabin! Not exactly what I had in mind - having 3 stuffed foxes watching our every move - but a motivation none the less to keep moving north.  I'm keeping my boots for now.
Date: 2019-04-15
From: Neels gap zero

To: Low gap
Miles today: 11.5

Windy.  Thats the word for today.   Woke up and it was cold. High 30s? Plus ( or minus?) with the wind chill. First time I¢ve hiked in long pants and puffy jacket. Jacket did not come off till early afternoon. Was clear and sunny so we afforded multiple spectacular views.  Lots of ridge hiking (windy!). Lunched on a nice rock outcropping with a view down the valley. What a treat! Had the toughest climb of the hike so far. Fortunately was not too long. Several others agreed was the most difficult to date. We made a wise choice doing a zero yesterday. Ran into a small group of folks at the shelter who we¢ve been hiking with since Gooch. They pushed off yesterday morning and did the 11.5 to low gap shelter in the wind and driving rain. They took a zero today at the shelter to dry out and recover. Lots of fun and wonderful folks around the dinner table. Looking like it will be cold tonight. 30s??  Mary¢s new sleeping bag ( she got a new one at Neels gap.) better keep her warm or she¢ll have to take it back tomorrow. Only 11.5 miles back to the shop!  Still windy as I finish this post at the end of the day.
Date: 2019-04-16
From: Low gap

To: Rocky mountian
Miles today: 11.1

Woke up to a cold morning. Best part was being woken up by a bird singing a beautiful song. Sun was rising so we could see it was going to be a clear day. Mary was kind enough to go down to the shelter and grab our food bags off the bear cables. Broke camp and got on our way.  Didn¢t take but about 1-2 miles before we stopped and took off our warm clothes.  Hiking was an absolute pleasure. Temps were perfect, no wind. Amazing how still it felt after yesterday¢s windy day.  We had lunch just after mile 50 - yea!!! - before descending down into Unicoi Gap. Nasty climb up to the top of Rocky Mountain. Steep 1000 feet in 1.5 miles (at 13% grade for you bikers out there).  We knew the camp site had no water so filled all bottles and water bags at a spring half way up the Mountain. It was a pleasure hauling 8.5 pounds of water up the last half of climb!  Can¢t wait to do that again soon. Last night a full shelter, many tents and people. Tonight Mary and I have the peak of Rocky Mountain to ourselves.  Today marked the end of a successful week one.  Can¢t wait to see what week two brings. The end of hiking in Georgia and into North Carolina for sure.
Date: 2019-04-17
From: Rocky mountian

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

After last nights post, I left my tent to see the sun set. Couldn¢t see it but I was treated to a fantastic view down the valley opposite the setting sun. The western facing side of the Mountains across the way were all lit up in the most magical orange color. You would have thought it was Fall here in Georgia. To match the sunset last night, awoke to a spectacular sun rise. Wow what a way to start the day. We broke camp and had breakfast on a log - where else??  We will miss Rocky Mountain. Was a beautify day to hike. Sun was out, gentle breeze, temps in the 70s. Didn¢t see many people on the trail even though they are out there. Of course the one tough climb was right at the end of the day. (Okay it finished one mile from camp.). 800¢ over a mile (at 14% - again for you bikers out there). Was exhausting but what a sense of accomplishment when we reached the peak. While we did not see many on the trail today, must have been 20ish in camp as I turned in for the night. Short day scheduled for  tomorrow, little less than 4 miles to a hostel where we will resupply and rest up for the day.