morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-28
From: Campsite

To: Kent/Cornwall Bridge
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: overcast clouds

3.3 miles1463.9 to 1467.1I slept in until around 8am again. Since I hiked 9.5 miles yesterday I planned on only going to the next shelter today and going into Kent tomorrow. There was still the question of where to get water.Started hiking with only 1/2 bottle of water. About 30 minutes after I started I had the hiker's nightmare. I was lost -- well not really lost I just couldn't find the trail. I'd seen the blaze at the top of a rock slab and a trail at the bottom so I went down. The trail crossed several rock slabs and I lost my footing and fell on my knee. Was a soft landing thankfully. Then I crossed a dry creek and the trail disappeared. Actually it could have gone 3 different directions and I checked them all out and each deadended. I went back up the way I came to the last blaze and followed the trail back to the same place. I couldn't figure out why there weren't any blazes so I sat down and considered my options. I figured someone would come along and see what I couldn't. Sat there for 10 mins. or so and decided to leave my pack and go back up to the last blaze again. This time I saw another blaze on a different side of the tree which I took to mean you should turn left. Finally after an hour wasted I knew where to go. I'd done a lot of praying in that hour.A hiker came by just as I knew where to go and I told him what had happened and he said his nightmare had happened in NJ so I felt better that it happens to others.The water situation was serious. That hour had left me with only a few sips in my last bottle so I rationed them for a couple of hrs and then I was out. Not good!! The next creek was dry and I was miserably hot and thirsty. An hour later Thayer Brook was running with lots of water. I chugged a whole bottle in less than 5 minutes. Filled up 2 containers hoping the shelter had water. (I only carried 2 containers because water is so heavy and it's so difficult for me with the extra weight.)Got to the shelter and the water source was dry so I decided to walk the 1.1 mi to town. After a lot of phone calls and trying to find a shuttle I'm sitting in an air conditioned room with as much water as I want. Trail angel Ann from Backcountry Outfitters took me to Cornwall Bridge to The Hitching Post Motel. Kent is an upscale town and they only have B&Bs or pricey hotels. Since I'm alone again I can't split the cost of lodging. Laundry is done and I had a wonderful turkey BLT from the bakery in Kent. There's no ice machine at the motel and they told me to go to the gas staton "just down the road". As I was walking Donnie (a guest at the motel) picked me up and took me the rest of the way and brought me back. They only sell bags of ice so Donnie gave me some from his cooler. Another trail angel!
Date: 2016-07-29
From: Cornwall Bridge

To: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: light rain

5.9 miles1478.2 to 1484.1Before starting this entry I want to let you know that I skipped 11 miles of the trail between Kent and Cornwall Bridge. Yvonne and I hiked that section as a 2-day hike several years ago. Got a late start this morning. It was still raining and had rained steadily all nite. Checkout wasn't until 10 so some of the hikers including me waited until the last minute. The rain stopped around 9 but everything was wet. Then after checking out we ended up at the general store to pick up food, etc. I got iced tea and chips, made a call home and walked across the street to a outfitter hoping to replace a tent stake I lost. No luck so I started walking toward the trail. As I was throwing away my iced tea bottle a guy that was pumping gas asked if I needed a ride up the hill to the trailhead. I replied I sure do and he got me to the trail in a couple of minutes. Thank you...the ride was so short I didn't even get his name. So I finally started hiking at 11:30.The trail wasn't too bad, just the usual up and down but I felt good and felt I was making good time when I slipped on a wet rock and landed on my tailbone. Ouch that one hurt!Somehow I missed the campsite where I'd planned on staying and walked the extra 3 miles to Pine Swamp Brook Shelter. Water was scarce again today and we were saved by a trail angel who left gallon jugs of water at the road crossing for hikers. THANK YOU!
Date: 2016-07-30
From: Pine Swamp Brook Shelter

To: Falls Village
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

8.1 miles1484.1 to 1492.2Got out of camp at 8:30...it only took an hour and a half to get ready versus the normal 2 hrs. and I wasn't the last one out of camp. The terrain was difficult today which was good because I wanted to get to Falls Village before 3pm and I had to hike over 8 miles. Didn't see too many people today. Most of them were passing me going the same direction.I arrived at Falls Village around 2:30 and had lunch at the Toymaker's Cafe where I was going to camp for 2 nites. I have to wait until Monday morning for the post office to open to get my dropbox. They allow hikers to tent on their property for free.So here I am at 6:30 with no cell signal and it's raining...guess I'll read my book. There's an outdoor shower on the edge of town but guess that can wait until morning.
Date: 2016-07-31
From: Falls Village

To: Falls Village
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Zero DayAs I mentioned yesterday I have to wait for the post office to open tomorrow so I am staying put in Falls Village today. Woke up to rain in addition to having rained all nite. I got up and had a breakfast sandwich at Toymaker's Cafe. When I finished eating, it had stopped raining and I walked down the street and went to church at the Falls Village Community Church. I'd seen their building yesterday when I was searching for a cell signal. I enjoyed the service and it made me a little homesick because the congregation reminded me of KCC. Everyone was so friendly and they invited me to stay for their coffee hour which was really a pitch-in lunch. The food was delicious and I talked to at least half of the members. I was glad I decided to visit.I was at loose ends that afternoon because there was nothing to do in town. So I went back to the package store and visited with Pat who had given me the "lay of the land" for the Falls Village area yesterday. Then I walked down by the river and checked out the outside shower for hikers. It's on the side of one of the hydroelectric buildings snd someone had told me it had vines around it so it's private, well that is not true. You could rinse off but you are not far from the street and nothing is blocking the view.Went back to the campsite and talked to the hiker whose tent was beside mine. He'd taken a nap until 4:00 and was packing up to leave. Went to The Falls Inn to see about having dinner. The prices were a little steep for me so I just had snacks from my food bag. No one else showed up that nite and it started to rain again around 5:30 and rained most of the nite.
Date: 2016-08-01
From: Falls Village

To: Bearded Woods Hostel
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: scattered clouds

7.4 miles1492.2 to 1499.6Went to the post office first thing and forwarded my dropbox to Great Barrington, CT. Got on the trail before 9:30. The hike was very nice with good views at the top of Mt. Prospect. Made it to Salisbury by 2:30 and called Hudson at Bearded Woods Hostel for a ride. He picked me up less than an hour later and we picked up other hikers on the way in downtown Salisbury and Falls Village. Bearded Woods is really nice. Hudson and Big Lu have done a great job making the hostel comfortable. One of my favorite things was eating dinner around a big table on a screened-in porch. It was Italian nite and we had salad, pasta, meatloaf, chicken meatloaf, garlic bread and my favorite -- ice cream cone sundaes. Yum!!! We slept in bunkrooms with real sheets and pillows. Our laundty was done for us and we had clothes to wear while they were washing our clothes.. Great place to stay and every thing is included for $50. Slept very well that nite, enjoying the all nite rain while we were inside very dry.
Date: 2016-08-02
From: Bearded Woods Hostel

To: Brassie Brook Shelter
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: light rain

1499.6 to 1504.24.6 milesGot dropped off at Salisbury around 9:00. We had a wonderful breakfast at the hostel including sausage hash, egg sandwiches and watermelon. Cranberry, Mayflower, Hazelnut, Pizza Slayer and her husband (can't remember his trail name), Crusher and Moose Dancer --all thru hikers spent the nite at the hostel also. I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items. Walked back to the trail .8 mile from town. The trail was wet and all the rocks on the trail were slick. I walked to Brassie Brook shelter and decided to stop for the nite before 2:00 after slipping twice and falling down. The SOBOs at the hostel talked about how steep and rocky the descent from Bear Mtn. would be for us NOBOs. I stopped early to wait for the rocks to dry out and to dry out my equipment from when it got wet Sunday nite.I was the only hiker at the shelter at 9:00 when I went to bed. I think that was due to 2 shelters located within 1.2 miles of each other. So I put my food in the bear box and called it a nite. Around midnite I heard what I thought was a deer eating grass just outside my tent at the end where my head is. I rattled my blowup pillow several times. The noise would stop then start again in a few minutes. I couldn't figure out why the dumb deer didn't go away, so I shined my headlamp in that direction and it still didn't stop. Frustrated I turned around and saw a mouse run across my backpack in my tent. I hate mice and I was all wrapped up in my sleeping bag and my liner so I couldn't move. I shined my light at the little critter and he started running down the side of my tent toward the front door. Of course as mice do, he ran forward and then back so I kept shining my light on his back while trying to unzip the tent door and fight with the sleeping bag and liner. Finally I got the door open and he ran out. By that time I was gulping for air and wide awake. I couldn't figure out how he got in and then I noticed a 1/2 inch diameter hole. The little sucker had made a hole in my tent. Again I say "I hate mice!!" Covered the hole with a little duct tape and tried to relax. Took a couple of hours to get back to sleep. What a nite!
Date: 2016-08-03
From: Brassie Brook Shelter

To: Guider Pond Picnic Area
Miles today: 8.6

Brassie Brook Shelter to Guider Pond Picnic Area1504.2 to 1512.68.6 milesI saw one hiker leaving the shelter this morning so I guess he may have heard all that commotion last nite. Wanted to get over all three mountains today but doubted I could make it. The first was Bear Mountain. Not bad going up but the SOBOs at the hostel had said the descent for NOBOs was a "bear". They were right...it was steep and rocky. At one point I couldn't figure out how to get down the rock face and a hiker coming up said the best way was to sit down and scoot. He was right. So glad I didn't try this yesterday when the rocks were wet and slippery. On my way down where it had become a path again I talked to a group of summer campers on their way up. They already looked exhausted and they hadn't even gotten to the hard part yet. They had gotten soaked by the rain the last couple of days and had spent yesterday at the laundromat drying everything out. I remembered several camping trips as a Girl Scout and with family having to do that.The next hurdle was Race Mountain. The hike up wasn't too bad and after stopping for lunch met Moose Dancer from the hostel. He had stayed in town last night at Maria's and had good things to say about his stay. Maria lets hikers spend the night at her house for $35. Sounded like a nice place. At the top of the mountain the views were beautiful. The trail went along the edge of the mountain for .6 miles so the view of the valley below was spectacular. I even saw a field where they were cutting hay. I was making good time and feeling good. Then it happened-- I fell head first and landed in a heap at the side of the rocky trail. Thankfully I had only scraped my knee, but I was thoroughly shaken up. It took a few minutes for me to get up. Then I cleaned up my scraped knee and kept hiking. There was a campsite .3 off the trail but I decided to push on. I still had one more mountain to get over -- Mt. Everett.Everett wasn't too bad -- the ascent was steep just uphill for about 45 minutes but the descent was more gradual. I was exhausted when I got to the bottom but a trail angel had left big coolers of ice cold water and a cooler full of iced Gatorade in the picnic area. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Thank you Trail Angel!!! As I was sitting at a picnic table cooling off I noticed a hiker being dropped off so I went over to see if the driver was headed back to town. She said yes and she'd be glad to give me a lift. Hooray I could clean up my cut and rest my body. Turns out Sharon was dropping off her son for a hike thru MA. She lives in N. Adams at the top of the state but had to go thru Great Barrington on her way. Thanks Sharon so much for the ride which was more than 1/2 hr because we had to go around the mountain. I had her drop me at the Mountain View Motel. Jignesh, the owner, offered to take me to the post office tomorrow so I was set and it felt so good to sleep in a real bed. My knee started swelling so I kept it propped up the rest of the nite.
Date: 2016-08-04
From: Guider Pond Picnic Area

To: Great Barrington
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Woke up the next morning and was able to walk fairly well with my knee. I needed to do laundry and Rita, Jignesh's wife, was going to work so she dropped me at the laundromat and the post office was just a few blocks down. Had a salad at the food co-op across the street from the laundromat then picked up my dropbox at the post office. Stopped at the convenience store on my way out of town and got a salad for dinner, an ice cream sandwich and a soda with lots of ice. I didn't think that thru. I had my laundry in a plastic bag, my dropbox (which had been damaged by the post office when I forwarded it) and my big soda. It was difficult carrying it all and I had about a mile to walk back to the motel. After a few minutes my arms started hurting so I set everything down on the curb and stuck out my thumb. A minute later a guy on his lunch break picked me up and took me the 3/4 mile to the motel. I didn't get his name but he saved me a painful, hot walk--another trail angel.Jignesh had offered me an ice pack for my knee so I stopped by the office to pick it up. All that walking in town had increased the swelling and the ice helped it go down. Spent the rest of the nite with my leg propped up with ice on it.
Date: 2016-08-05
From: Great Barrington

To: Eastern Mt Retreat Ctr
Miles today: 7.5

Woke up ready to hit the trail. I walked back to town to pick up a book and some medicine then got on a bus that would take me close to the trail. The bus driver told me he thought it was 3-4 miles from the last bus stop. I thought it was going to be less than a mile so I wasn't looking forward to another long walk to the trail. I walked a little way and then started to hitch. A nice man picked me up and we found it was less than a mile. The trail started out going along side corn fields and roads. Then it started up June Mountain. About half way up I heard hiking poles so I knew a hiker was coming toward me. I rounded a corner and saw a bear in the middle of the trail. There was a hiker facing me a few yards up the trail with his poles overhead and crossed. I did the same thing and hoped the bear didn't feel cornered. He sat there for a minute then ran a few feet up the hill and turned around and ran back down the hill and turned right into the woods. He wasn't a full grown bear, probably s yearling. My first bear on the trail!!After that I turned around to check out every little sound. I missed one of the blazes and ended up walking about 10 minutes off trail and then back. The trail was now just starting up East Mountain. I looked and another bear was beside the trail in front of me. I stopped and raised my poles and tapped them together. The bear ran away from me and sat down next to the trail. He was far enough ahead of me that I took a step and he was startled and ran away. WOW--2 bears in an hour!! It could have been the same one and maybe not. It was exciting either way.After the second bear I saw a 3-foot long snake beside the trail. He didn't move so I had enough time to get a picture.   I'll have to figure out what kind it is. The hike went over lots of rocks and in one place you had to squeeze your feet between 2 rocks and lean back to get around one of the rocks, well I leaned back and I was flat on the rock. Don't know why I can't stay on my feet. I was like a turtle on its back. The only injury was a small scrape on my palm. I had planned to stay at Tom Leonard Shelter but when I got to the turnoff I kept walking toward the Eastern Mountain Retreat Center. It was a mile road walk and a half mile up their driveway. It has a beautiful view but the accommodations are rustic, however they only charge $10.
Date: 2016-08-06
From: Eastern Mt Retreat Ctr

To: Rhode Island
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Made the decision last nite to get off the trail for now. My knee needs to heal and I can't afford to stay in a motel while it does that. I'm headed to my sister's and then probably home. I walked down that long driveway and it started to rain. Stopped and put on my pack cover then walked out to Rt. 23. Walked for 10 minutes or so and started hitching because I knew it was more than 2 miles to town. Lauren was my trail angel this morning. She gave me lots of info on busses and places in town, in addition to offering to let me stay at her house if I had any trouble getting a bus out. Thank you so much, Lauren.I was able to get a bus so I'm on my way to RI. The one thing that stands out on my hike is the kindness and generosity of strangers. So many people are willing to go out of their way to help. It restores your faith in the human race. I know I get caught up in the despicable happenings reported on the news and that is such a miniscule section of the population. I never want to forget these experiences. Thanks to all the Trail Angels!   We couldn't do this without you.I also want to give a big thanks to Yvonne for all her work in helping me post to the journal. I would never have been able to get all the entries posted using my little cell phone.I'm going home for the rest of the season. Hope to be back next year to complete more of the trail.
Date: 2016-10-08
From: Deep Gap, NC

To: Beech Gap Campsites
Miles today: 5.3

Mile Marker 85.4 to 90.7Drove to Franklin, NC from Chattanooga where my aunt lives. Last year I had to leave the trail at Deep Gap, NC due to an ankle sprain, so I wanted to hike from there to Winding Stair Gap for the next 4 days. Took 3.25 hrs to make the drive and arrived at Franklin at 11:30am. Stopped at Outdoor 76 (local outfitter)for a trail map of Northern Virginia but no luck. Then drove to Pizza Hut to get lunch and pizza to take for dinner on the trail. Drove to Winding Stair Gap and ate half of my pizza and did last minute prep. Susan Allen (shuttle driver who gave me a ride last yr. arrived at 1:30 as arranged). Before she got there I saw a hiker (FIDO)sitting down looking at the guide and dialing his phone. Figured he was trying to get a ride to Franklin and told him I had a shuttle ride coming and he could probably get a ride back to town with her. When she arrived she apologized for being late (which she wasn't) because she had been stopped for a driver license check. I'd never heard of that but she told me they did it quite often in NC. She took FIDO and I to Deep Gap and he realized half way there that he had parked his car at Deep Gap so Susan dropped us both off.Planned to hike to Standing Indian Shelter which is only a mile in, but since I started at 2:30 I got there at 2:45 so decided to hike on and probably spend the nite at the Standing Indian Mountain summit. Got there by 3:40 and spent a little time enjoying the beautiful view but decided not to stay there because the wind was blowing really hard (probably due to Hurricane Matthew) and it was already cold with the sun shining so I knew it would get in the 40's that nite. The sunset would have been beautiful but the temps and wind worried me so I hiked on. Got to Beech Gap tenting area around 5:30. There was no water in the streams on the way and there was no water in the steam close to the campsites. One other hiker came in and he went to look for water and didn't find any. He only had one sip left so I gave him half of mine. After eating dinner I have only 10 oz. of water left to I'll have to find some first thing in the morning when I start hiking. Ate the other half of pizza for dinner and some GORP. I'm trying sleeping in my wools tonight, but as I sit here writing this, I'm chilly, so I'll have to add another layer.Good hike today, half of it climbing and the other half descending, but neither was extremely steep. Had no cell signal tonight. Slept with my flannel-lined pj's over the wools and added the emergency blanket at 5am.
Date: 2016-10-09
From: Beech Gap Campsites

To: Betty Creek Gap Campsites
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

Mile 90.7 to 97.6Windy nite last nite. Woke up around midnight and thought someone was outside my tent, but got up to check and it was just the tree shadows from the moon moving in the wind. Later I saw rhododendron leaf shadows over my tent and I thought the wind had blown a rhododendron bush down and it was on top of my tent, but after checking found it was just moon shadows thru the bushes. Not a very restful nite since the wind howled all nite and I thought my tent was going to blow down. It held as it always does. Put my water filter and my phone in the sleeping bag with me so they wouldn't freeze.Starting hiking around 9:30 and it was very cold. Found water in the first 1/2 mile but I couldn't get my water filter to work. After 30 minutes of working on it, I finally got water to go thru. Ate lunch at Carter Gap Shelter. It's a newer shelter and very nice. Met my first SOBO hiker (Chainsaw) on this trip...she will finish 2,189 miles in just a few days. She was buzzing her way down the trail. Congrats to her!! Stopped for the nite at Betty's Creek Gap at 3:30. I didn't want to start up Mt. Albert that late in the day. Better to do it on fresh legs. Another hiker had told me about an old roadbed where he camped the nite before, so I stayed there. The creek here was running well and the water was ice cold. The wind stopped blowing at 1pm today, so that was no longer a concern. A couple of other hikers came in, but we're camped far apart.Another nice day of hiking. The weather is in the 70's and sunny. (No cell signal tonight, but made several calls earlier in the day).