morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-05-04
From: Ensign cowall shelter

To: Hotel harpers ferry
Miles today: 32.0

Day 32 There¢s gonna be days like thisEnsign Cowall shelter mile marker 1057.1Quality Inn Harper¢s FerryMile marker 1025.1Daily miles 32.0  With a very big day planned I was up at 5:30 after what was restless restless night sleep with multiple hikers coming to the shelter after dark and up until 10 PM.  The weather was bad with thunder showers hiking into a shelter that late with your headlamp on is kind of poor etiquette.  So between them and several snores in the shelter I probably only got five or six hours sleep.  I was hiking by six and within 10 minutes was sweating heavily.  It was warm today but the humidity was really the killer.  Much of the day the train was pretty flat regardless of how easy it was I just sweat all day long.  Thunderstorms are in the forecast for the afternoon 32 miles to hike I felt pressure to keep moving throughout the day.  I took a few breaks and they were short.  About 9 miles left on the day the left handle of my trekking pole popped out of the pole!  It was totally unusable but I managed all right we¢re just my right one.  Then with about 5 miles left the handle on my right trekking pole popped out! At this point I was feeling pretty exasperated with dual equipment failures in the humidity of the day.  For the first time this hike I wish I had had someone to hike with into Harpers Ferry.  When I finish the dissent coming down from Weaverton cliffs I went under a highway underpass and to my great surprise they were three dozen Sodas there, trail magic!!  My trail magic thus far this hike has been a single orange, so these soda¢s were a god send at what was a low point for me.  As they say the trail provides when needed.  I grabbed a Ginger ale and an orange soda and made my way down to the canal, which is a 4 mile gravel road walk.  After hiking 28 miles my feet were extremely unhappy to be walking on this hard surface.  Ibuprofen and Tylenol did nothing for my feet as I literally limped into town.  The outfitter I had closed so I¢m going to have to stick around town tomorrow to get some new tracking poles when they open at 10.  Hopefully my feet will feel better in the morning is there super sore tonight but not injured as they were when I hiked into Duncannon.  Hotel has laundry here tonight!!!  First machine wash since CT...
Date: 2021-05-05
From: Hotel harpers ferry

To: Bears den hostel
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: moderate rain

Day 33Virginia welcomes meUS 340 Harpers Ferry mile marker 1025.1Bears den hostile mile marker 1005.5Daily miles 19.4  After a very restful sleep at the quality Inn an Harpers Ferry I woke up at 8 AM to find it raining outside and was partially glad they have to wait for the outfitter to open at 10. I went down and enjoy the continental breakfast impact of my belongings.  just as it was about time to walk back into historic Harpers Ferry the outfitter the rain stopped, which was perfect timing.  I got to the Outfitter early and shit opened a bit early.  I picked up some Leki Aluminum trekking poles and got on my way.  I hooked about 6 miles and when I reached keys gap I found two minivans there they were doing trail magic!  I helped myself to couple mountain dews a donut and some chips, but they had the works!  Beer, fireball, gumbo and even edibles..  Given my late start I decided to head out and I¢ll partake in the party.  I hope to the next shelter and was told to hike the ten miles to bears den hostel.  For 27 bucks I got a hot shower, a pizza, a soda and a pint of Ben and Jerry¢s.  I skipped the bunk room as I have had back with snorers lately and just pitched my tent on the property as it was a beautiful night.  Left still bit sore from yesterday, but hoping it will be improved tomorrow.  Almost 10 gotta sleep... oh yeah coffee and pancakes in the morning here!
Date: 2021-05-06
From: Bears den hostel

To: Manassas gap shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 34Trying to keep it positive Bears den hostel mile marker 1005.5Manassas gap shelter mile marker 982.7Daily miles 22.8Total miles 612.3  I was up at 5:45 to pack up my tent and pack and was super thankful to find Teacher(Nobo hiker) have coffee ready and pancakes cooking.  We shared breakfast and I helped with the cleanup.  With that we parted our separate directions on the trail.  I¢m definitely starting to feel the isolation of my SOBO hike leaving from where I did.  My left foot was again very sore today, which is becoming its own mental drain.  The first 10 miles of today was the remainder of the roller coaster, which is 13.5 section of steepish repeated up and downs.  The section wasn¢t hard, just annoying and slow to get through.  The day didn¢t have many views, mostly me counting down till next med time for my foot.  I take a good spill while cruising along a flat section and narrowly missed smashing my face on a rock.  My thoughts grew darker as day worn and my attitude just wasn¢t where it needed to be.  Luckily I had some company at camp, an older fellow who claims he doesn¢t snore...we¢ll see.  Entering Shenandoah¢s tomorrow for its 105 mile entirity.  If my foot is still hurting after the park, I¢ll probably go get an x-ray, I have a slight worry it may have a stress fracture.  Hopefully get good bear pics, but rumor is they are being seen much by anyone I¢ve talked to who has hiked the park already.
Date: 2021-05-07
From: Manassas gap shelter

To: US 522 VA
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 35A time to heal Manassas gap shelter mile marker 982.7US 522 front Royal mile marker 972.0Daily miles 10.7Total miles 623.0  I wasn¢t in a rush to get out of my sleeping bag this morning as my foot pain is usually the worst when I wake up having no pain meds in my system.  Appalachian Al wasn¢t lying he didn¢t snore all night, thanks Al.  I packed up my belongings and started hike out, my morning lamp was more profound in the past two days it it took longer for the ibuprofen to take affect in for me to be able to walk with a normal gait. I knew I had 5 miles to the next shelter but I haven¢t checked the next page my guide book and I soon found out that I had another 5 miles and change to US 522 to get into Front Royal.  I¢m not sure when I made the decision but I had decided I needed to get into town to have my foot checked and pushing over 100 miles to the Shenandoah park without getting a checked was unwise.  I had a sinking feeling that my foot was going to need some serious time off before even getting it checked out.  I spent most of the morning hiking and thinking about all of the positives of my hike this far.  Seeing towns and hostels that I missed in 2016, meeting new and interesting people, experiencing the trail in the first three weeks without interference from other hikers.  It was kind of exactly what I was looking for in this hike.  When I reached US 522, I was lucky enough to catch a shuttle driver from Stanimals hostel dropping offs hiker and he gave me a ride into town.  It was too early to check into the hotel so I went to spelunkers and grab some lunch to kill the time.  Back to the hotel I want to check in and I call the taxi to go to the local urgent care to get my foot checked.  There was no fracture but I have apparently strained foot muscles and ligaments that need some significant rest.  I suppose my condition is somewhat self-imposed as I just enjoy hiking big miles and masking any discomfort with large doses of ibuprofen and Tylenol.  Being not able to truly feel the pain in your body is isn¢t necessarily a good thing and can lead to real injury.  I¢ve decided to go home for a bit and heal up.  Let¢s just say for now this story is to be continued....,
Date: 2021-05-20
From: Bulls Bridge

To: Mount Algo Shelter 
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Our Hartford, Connecticut friends Al and Cathy were kind enough to take me from the airport to where I began my AT adventure in 2014. Since then I¢ve hike almost 900 miles south to Bland, Virginia and now I¢m heading north for a few weeks. I started hiking around 4pm and didn¢t get to the shelter till 8 so I was still filtering water and eating when everyone was asleep in their tents or the shelter. I think they¢ve call 9pm ¢hiker midnight¢ and it was true tonight. I¢m not used to being the last one up at night. I thought about not setting up my tent and sleeping in the shelter but was thinking the gnats might be bad. Actually when I was walking down by the bear box I saw a rat so maybe I made the right decision to sleep in my tent.
Date: 2021-05-21
From: Mount Algo Shelter 

To: Caesar Brook Campsite 
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

Since I was the last one into camp it didn¢t surprise me that I was almost last one out of camp in the morning. Met two sixty plus section hikers from Florida and Alabama who told me ¢hiking the AT gets exponentially harder after age sixty¢ - not what I really needed to hear. There was a tough (steep and rocky) descent early is day which was the twenty somethings also said killed their knees so some things are universal out here. Perfect view today from Caleb¢s Peak where I was able to call my wonderful wife for her birthday. The trail went along the Houstanic River and I¢m camping along side it tonight with a weekend hiker from Brooklyn who installs high end artwork in homes and an emergency medical tech from Mystic, Connecticut. The heat made it a tough day so was glad to get into my tent by 9
Date: 2021-05-22
From: Caesar Brook Campsite 

To: Limestone Spring Shelter 
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Got an earlier start to beat the heat but encountered some biting flies and mosquitoes which were faster than men. Trail Angel (Butterfly Bob) was at a road crossing so I enjoyed a Gatorade, cliff bar and banana. Bob was a veteran like my dad who passed away in October. Maybe my dad helped arrange this trail magic! Also went to the Mountainside cafe for a tasty meal although I felt like I was in another world made up of non long distance hikers - the snippets of conversations I heard included ¢mom just opened up her pool¢, ¢what Venture Capital company are you working with¢and cooking asparagus with brown butter. I¢ve heard none of these topics on my last 3 days on the trail.  Shelter tonight is way off the trail (1/2 mile) and a very steep. Only group is a family of 3 here for the night
Date: 2021-05-23
From: Limestone Spring Shelter 

To: Laurel Ridge Campsite 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

As it start getting dark we started hearing the coyotes (8 short ¢woots¢ or 1 long). The dad of the family at the campsite said he and his son camped in the same spot a year ago and he said a pack of coyotes surrounded their tent but turning their headlamps scared them away. So..when I heard the coyotes at 3 & 4:30am we both turned on our headlamps and I never heard get close. A new life skill every trip.  Lots of weekend hikers enjoying the views on Bear Mountain and had a nice conversation with a guy from Charlotte who has been section hiking the AT since the 80¢s and has less than 75 miles to go.  Met ¢Juice¢ from Harper¢s Ferry and he and I are at the same tentsite tonight and we are heading in for a food resupply and I spending a night at the Travelodge.
Date: 2021-05-24
From: Laurel Ridge Campsite 

To: Travelodge Motel
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

The hiking day consisted of 2 big climbs, a 180 degree view of the valley, and a porcupine who paralleled me walking and then climbed up a tree. We were unable to find a shuttle from the trail to Great Barrington so the only option seemed to be to hitchhike (vs walk 5 miles). My hiking partner Juice suggested that it works out better if one guy sticks out his thumb and another guy waits in the bushes and when someone stops you ask the driver if your buddy can get a ride. So I tried (and I don¢t ever remember hitchhiking) and after 15 minutes Juice comes out and says I¢m hitching in the opposite direction. Of course he tries next and we get a ride in a pickup truck from a really nice guy with a bunch of piercings on his face and he said he gave us a break because he has trouble getting picked up hitching. So we went to the Great Barrington for a couple beers and a nice off trail meal
Date: 2021-05-25
From: Travelodge Motel

To: Mount Wilcox North Shelter 
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Since we had challenges yesterday with getting a ride to town our waiter at the brewery said his brother would contact us in morning for a ride to the trail. Unfortunately he was on a late night schedule and we hadn¢t heard from him by 9am so we had to go to Plan B. Luckily I had seen Luigi (hiker from Austin who we met yesterday) at the hotel and he gave me Trail Angel Papa Joe¢s number who picked us up right away and also let us know he had left jugs of water out for hikers about 10 miles away (which worked out nicely for us as some of the streams didn¢t look great). Quite a bit of the area was boggy/muddy so really appreciated the hard work the Massachusetts Trail Club did to put long runs of boards thru those areas.  We stopped Tom Leonard Shelter (has an upper loft) for lunch and met Freebird and Air Drop who have recently retired from the US Military.  Passed beautiful Benedict pond (the kind you want to jump into) and arrived at Mount Wilcox North Shelter.  Guacamole (young guy from New York) and Perseverance (75 year old from Florida) were already here.
Date: 2021-05-26
To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin 
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I had read about this Shelter and was looking for to but this 2 story cabin which sleeps 15 was still closed due to COVID (but open for tenting). When it is back in operation the Appalachian Mountain Club staffs it with a caretaker who cooks pancakes for breakfast (much better than my recent breakfast of 4 Pop Tarts) We took a swim and rinsed clothes in lake just before a Thunderstorm came through. Ate dinner on balcony with Juice, guacamole and No Plan (Clemson student who took a semester off to hike the trail.)
Date: 2021-05-27
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin 

To: Kay Wood Shelter 
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Packed up my still wet clothes and had a longer day but not as many ascents. Saw my second bear on the AT, was across a lake with it¢s cub so we made plenty of noise for the next few miles. Got another view of Mount Greylock (tallest mountain in Massachusetts) which coming up in a couple days. Kay Wood Shelter is nice double story shelter with fire pit overlooking valley.note- I can only post one pic per day in each entry but there are additional pics in my photos section
Date: 2021-05-28
From: Kay Wood Shelter 

To: Econolodge
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: few clouds

Econolodge 11.8Today¢s update is mostly about meals. Breakfast burrito in Dalton, meatball sub and milkshake while waiting for bus to motel, another dinner and a beer at Applebee¢s. Since you burn about 5000 calories a day it is hard to eat enough to keep weight on and backpack hip belts don¢t get as small as you need them. Luckily I learned a trick and stuck a pad between my hip and backpack belt so now I can cinch up my pack so it rides on my hips and not on my shoulders. We (Juice and I) came into Cheshire to resupply plus 1.2¢ of rain and a low of 38 degrees tonight.  FYI. If you want to see videos by a thru hiker on the area I¢m hiking. Taylor ¢nahamsha hiker¢ has hers starting in Connecticut at day 82, I¢m currently in the area around day 89. https://m.youtube.com/channel/...
Date: 2021-05-29
From: Econolodge

To: Wilbur Clearing Shelter 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: moderate rain

As we got off the bus in Cheshire to restart our hike I realized I had no trekking poles! I thought I must have left them at the bus stop (I had run back and forth from the bus stop to the bus making sure it was the right one) or the hotel. It would have taken hours using the bus system to go back to the hotel so¢¦I look across the street and I see a guy coming out of the post office heading to a Jeep with a dog. I must have had a panicked look on my face as he asked me if he could help with anything. With that Dave, his dog Griffin and I were headed 20 minutes back to search for my poles.  No luck at either the bus stop or hotel so he also took me to Dick¢s Sporting Goods where I bought poles and a gift card (as he wouldn¢t let me pay him)for Trail Angel Dave. Dave then drove me the 20 minutes back to Cheshire! Talk about there being good people in this world.  Now Juice must have been thinking ¢how can this guy have completed 1000 AT miles (today¢s milestone including my 3 other section hikes) when he tries to hitchhike in the wrong direction and can¢t keep track of his trekking poles¢ but he told me he would wait for me at the first shelter Two big lessonsBack in the ¢real world¢ we hear too much about people that do the wrong things. When I¢m on the trail I¢m always amazed by the kindness of complete strangers. I think the reality is that this world is full of wonderful people who we haven¢t met yet. A big reminder to myself that I make mistakes when I rush or get disorganized- so I need to take the time to do the ¢next thing¢ correctly which may mean more slowly! Juice was at Mark Noeppel Shelter where but he was tired and cold and wanted to sleep and join me later at the next shelterWeather was wicked (cold, rainy, very windy) and it hailed at the summit of Mount Greylock (highest peak in Massachusetts) and thin sheets of ice were coming off the monument. One hiker said a bear came fairly close to him when it was crossing the trail so I made plenty of noise with my trekking poles when I went around blind corners. Made it to shelter by 4 and an AT Ridgerunner (who walks the trail checking on any issues and answering questions) named Sawtooth was here. He ended up building a fire and Juice arrived around 7pm. What a day!
Date: 2021-05-30
From: Wilbur Clearing Shelter 

To: Congdon Shelter 
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: light rain

Started hiking in 20-30 mph winds with over an inch of rain forecast. We stopped at Seth Warner not too long after crossing into Vermont and joining the ¢Long Trail¢ The Long Trail and the AT share the same path for 105 miles in Vermont so about half the hikers we met were Long Trail hikers. After visiting at the shelter we decided to make the cold, wet, muddy push to the Congdon Shelter which we heard was packed with hikers. The trail is really overgrown but there were some amazing feats of beaver engineering along the way. The shelter was completely packed (10 hikers including a volunteer caretaker) but they managed to make space for me to sleep on a table which was fine as I do not want to set up my tent in the pouring rain. Although Juice decided to tent. I wrang out my socks, shook water out of my shoes and crawled in my sleeping bag.
Date: 2021-05-31
From: Congdon Shelter 

To: Goddard Shelter 
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

Sleeping on the table in the shelter kept me dry during a rainy night bu Juice¢s tent leaked at the seams. The volunteer who helped out at the shelter gave me an MRE (Meals ready to eat) bag which he said was peaches in syrup which would¢ve gone perfectly with my oatmeal. When I opened the pouch it turned out to be spaghetti with meat sauce, which I ate mostly cold since my Jet Boil stove only boils water.  Before we left the weekend hikers gave us some stove fuel and protein bars as we were running a little short on both. Slippery rocky descent started the day and all the hikers, including me, had a couple minor slips. One stream had so much water so we had to walk through it so I took the opportunity to record a video for our two year old grandson of me going through it since he has a book that reads ¢we can¢t go over it, we can¢t go under it, I guess we have to go through it- splishy, splashy, splishy, splashy¢. The sun finally lit up the forest around 4pm and it was stunning. After a long ascent arrived at the shelter and there were 3 other hikers we knew.
Date: 2021-06-01
From: Goddard Shelter 

To: Stratton Pond Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Reluctantly put on wet hiking shoes and wet socks for the 3rd day in a row but it seemed senseless to put on dry socks which would be soaked through shortly trudging through the Vermud (Vermont term) and streams of water coming down the trails. By mid afternoon my feet were getting blisters but not to much I could do until getting to camp. I¢ve seen lots of beaver ponds and beaver dams but the view of one today showed both the dam and the beaver lodge. Fun fact- We also saw beaver scat on the trail which looks a lot like deer scat but their round pellets are bigger. Red Devil and Old Army Man were both again at camp tonight.
Date: 2021-06-02
From: Stratton Pond Shelter

To: Hampton Inn
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Heard some crazy barking/screeching animals last night (Juice thought it might have been foxes and after googling it I think that is what it was). Today we headed down to the regional vacation destination of Manchester, VT which is nestled between two mountain ranges. Stopped for lunch on Prospect Rock overlooking Manchester and arranged a shuttle in to town. Lots of ¢bog board¢ walking but still plenty of mud.  Wayne, our shuttle driver/trail angel, took us on a loop thru town to show us the Outfitters and restaurants and on to our hotel. It¢s amazing how good it feels to get your laundry done and take a hot shower. Next we headed to Sam¢s Pizza where one of the patrons asked us if we were hiking the AT. We asked how we knew and he said ¢the black fly bites on our arms and legs and the bandages on the back of our heels¢.  Went shopping and bought a ¢second dinner¢ to bring back to the hotel.
Date: 2021-06-03
From: Hampton Inn

To: Peru Peak Shelter 
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After multiple rounds of food at the Hampton Inn breakfast bar Shuttle Driver Wayne took us back to the trail at 9. Highlight of the day was top of Bromley Mountain Ski Resort where there are 360 degree views of the area mountains that we¢ve hiked (Stratton, Glastonbury, Greylock) and ones that are coming up (Styles, Pico, Killington). Styles Mountain was the big climb for the day but we kept mileage down since my feet are still recovering from multiple wet days and pinched toes due to rocks. Later in the day we started seeing huge amounts of scat (animal poop) which looked very similar to what we had been told was beaver scat, but we saw no beaver ponds and were at  pretty high elevation.  We later learned it was moose scat and if you ever get charged by a moose you run into the woods and hide behind a tree since moose aren¢t very mobile and have poor eyesight. Made it to Peru Peaks Shelter before it rained and view is idyllic, a small wooden bridge with a stream with mini waterfalls. Should be nice  background noise for sleeping and perfect to look at over dinner. Adam, who we¢ve hiked with before and Nick, a Long Trail Hiker were at the shelter.  Nick is doing the Long Trail as training for the 2,600 mile Pacific Crest Trail later this summer.
Date: 2021-06-04
From: Peru Peak Shelter 

To: Little Rock Pond
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The combination of a metal roof on the shelter, the waterfall/stream and almost an inch of rain made for quite a background noise last night. Trails were sometimes not just muddy but flowing streams of water. The last stretch of the trail up to Baker Peak was pure slabs of steep granite so that made for slow going. Juice was reading the description of our planned destination but saw beautiful pics of Little Rock Pond 5 miles sooner so we decided why not stop early and enjoy a sunny afternoon. Sitting by the pond was like a biology lab. Dragonfly larvae were crawling out of the water on to rocks, leaving behind a dried casing, waiting till their wings opened and dried and flying away. The red eft (tiny salamanders) we see on the trail had moved to the water, with just little red spots on their dark green skin indicating their former phase of life. A Long Trail Hiker from Vermont tented at the shelter. I made several trips to sit on the rocks by the pond as it was such an amazing spot (no one else around) but never saw a moose.