morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-22
From: Deer Park Shelter

To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 22-23 - We excitedly awoke to get ready to hike down to town and see my hot man in Hot Springs. We beat the rain and headed straight for the Smoky Mountain Diner for a good ol' Southern breakfast. Bill arrived about a half hour later...needless to say, I was one happy girl! After eating, we hit The Wash Tub to wash our clothes and I got to introduce Bill to several of our hiker friends. We stayed at the Mountain Magnolia Inn and it was so wonderful! There are several 100+ year old trees on the property including a chestnut, which is quite rare. The Iron Horse Station and Spring Creek kept us fed and we were able to resupply at Hillbilly Market and Bluff Mountain Outfitters. One bit of bad news we got upon arrival was that a 14.5 mile section of the Trail was closed due to a forest fire just north of Hot Springs and not expected to open for 4-7 days. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is having hikers re-enter at Allen Gap so Bill is going to drop us off there in the morning so we can hit the Trail once again.
Date: 2016-04-24
From: Allen Gap

To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 24 - Bill dropped us off at Allen Gap, due to the fire, around ten. I would be lying if I said it was easy walking into those woods again. Walk we did, though, having no idea what rock fun we had ahead of us. Apparently, Howard, a master trail builder, who has since passed away, was quite fond of rocks and taking the Trail over them. Our book dubs it a "strenuous" section and I would absolutely agree! We made it unscathed and hiked to Jerry Cabin Shelter to tent for the night. I met a really nice lady named Big Deal from Vegas and Nature from Germany also ended up tenting there. At night's end, the place looked like an ad for Big Agnes.
Date: 2016-04-25
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 25 - Well, you sometimes have to wonder who names these mountains...this morning we summited Big Butt...yep, that was its name?! It was pasture-like at the top which was really beautiful. We also hiked quite a ways next to a barbed-wire fence which took me back to being in the country at my grandparents' house. I finally took a picture of these crazy little umbrella looking plants that I find so unique...I need to figure out the name. We hiked 15.1 miles to Hogback Ridge Shelter and called it a day.
Date: 2016-04-26
From: Hogsback Ridge Shelter

To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: thunderstorm

Day 26 - Tough day. It has been almost a month, and the schedule (5:30 am - 7 pm) of breaking down camp in the morning, hiking the needed mileage for the day, and setting up camp at night is taking its toll in that it saps every bit of energy and time so that the spiritual and peaceful experience I dreamed of on the Trail is getting further out of reach. We came across a monument today donated by the Moye family that saddened me greatly. Although the words themselves were very inspiring and heartfelt, it made me realize that thru-hiking the AT is more of a physical accomplishment given the nature of the time constraints and the mileage one must attain every day, and that my hopes and dreams about my hike on this beautiful Trail would never be realized.
Date: 2016-04-27
From: Spivey Gap

To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Saying goodbye to the AT (for now) - In most ways, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Not only did I get the opportunity to pursue a 16 year old dream, I did so alongside my father. My AMAZING, SACRIFICIAL father. Negotiator led the way everyday, NEVER once complained about the difficult days and the bodily pain, was Water Filtration Chief...which I could write a book about how difficult it is to gather the needed water for drinking and cooking and THEN having to filter every bit of it...he did it every single day, he was positive, patient (he would probably be finishing Virginia by now if he hadn't had to wait on me!), and he kept me laughing through the hardest of times. We got to reminisce about loved ones, talk about life, and experience this beautiful world God created. The decision to get off the Trail was mine. I can't fully express how difficult that decision was for me, and I know some will look at it as a failure...and I'm at peace with however people view it. Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail was never a physical goal or accomplishment for me. It was, in my dreams, to be a spiritual and peaceful journey in nature, where I've always felt closest to God. What I didn't realize, even after all the books I read and research I did, is that, at least for me, the nature of the time constraints and mileage requirements of a thru-hike left no room or energy for anything other than the gratification that I physically made it through another day. After a month of that, and the realization that my hopes and dreams about my Trail journey were disappearing faster than a Snickers around the campfire, I decided that section hiking the Trail, where I can take my time and experience the beauty, rather than race through it, would be the best way for me to fulfill my dream. On our last day, we hiked from Spivey Gap to Uncle Johnny's in Erwin, TN. We saw our first blooms on the beautiful rhododendrons we had seen since GA...it was like they knew it was my last chance to see them. We also had the Nolichucky River in our sights on the way down to town. Although my 27 days on the Trail were not what I envisioned, I still feel so very blessed and fortunate to say that I hiked 335 miles of the AT with the best dad in the world, and with the phenomenal support and encouragement of all our family and friends that wrote, called, texted, and emailed us and gave us such inspiration to follow this dream of mine. I will be forever grateful!
Date: 2016-05-17
To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Pilgrim and I caught the bus in Madison and journeyed to Union Station in Chicago where we boarded the Capital Limited Amtrak train to Harpers Ferry. There were some very nice views along the way, but the pictures I took seemed to be picking up all the light reflections they were capable of finding in the train windows. We splurged and shared a two berth roomette on the train as I always find it hard to get a good nights sleep in coach. For my trip back from Staunton in 18 days I figure that will not be a problem. The picture shows us in front of the Chazen Art Museum on the University of Wisconsin campus where we boarded the bus. We look so tidy and clean.
Date: 2016-05-18
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We arrive in Harpers Ferry around noon. After getting stove fuel and tortillas at Outfitters General Store we go in search of lunch. The Cannonball Deli suites our purpose, and then we trek the mile to the Econo Lodge, where we are staying tonight, to drop off our packs. We take another route to hike back into town, and explore the historic sites and take a few pictures. Ok, maybe more than a few. We stop by the AT offices to check it out and meet the through hiker Walnut who is waiting for family to arrive. It seems a little odd to essentially be on vacation and to have interesting AT merchandise in front of me, but also to realize that I can¢t/won¢t buy any of it because I already have all the clothing I will need on the trail and I certainly will not be adding any more weight to my pack.
Date: 2016-05-19
From: Harpers Ferry

To: Blackburn Trail Center
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We have breakfast at the motel and are out the door just after 7 AM. The busy Highway 340 bridge takes us across the Shenandoah river and to our first climb.   I take a few pictures. Low clouds and fog hide the tops of the hills in front of us. The trail climbs quickly and it doesn¢t take us long before we start meeting thru-hikers on the trail. Viet Nam Vet is planning to catch the train in Harpers Ferry for some time off and to meet with his doctor. This first day was meant to be low-mileage to ease us into extended hiking, but we arrive at our destination, the David Lesser shelter, by 1 PM. It has a nice porch area, but water is a bit of a walk down the hill. We meet Top Knot who is doing the four state challenge. After eating lunch we decide to continue on to the Blackburn Trail Center. We arrive around 4 PM after a very challenging trail down to the Center and pitch our tents at the camp site. We are not sure how many hikers will be coming later so we initially see if we can fit both our tents on one pad. It will not work so we each take our own pad. We get our first experience with hanging our food on a bear pole and appreciate not having to mess with a rope and a tree. Later, I had enough energy to hike back up to the AT for better phone reception and to take some sunset pictures.
Date: 2016-05-20
From: Blackburn Trail Center

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: mist

We are still fairly new to the whole trail packing thing, so It takes us a while to pull everything together. I had worried about setting an alarm to wake up by, but it turns out I have nothing to worry about. The birds are loud enough to wake me every morning by 5:30 or so. We eventually get on the trail and head south. Pilgrim and I find our own hiking rhythms. He tends to walk deliberately with few breaks. I will often go faster, especially on uphills, but I also like to take lots of pictures. This will often put me behind him before eventually catching up. It all seems to even out. We have great weather these first two days. We are hearing from several hikers on the trail that the previous two weeks have had some period of rain almost every day.I got pictures of several types of flowers this morning. My AT&T cell service seems to be doing better than Pilgrim¢s Verizon service on this part of the trail. The weather forecast calls for rain tomorrow, so when we arrive at Bear¢s Den hostel mid-afternoon we have already decided that we will be staying here and taking advantage of having a shower, laundry facilities, and a bed. We have only been hiking two days so a frozen pizza and pint of ice cream each seems a little over the top. Pilgrim and I split a pizza then each have our own pint of Ben & Jerry¢s. There is a viewpoint close to Bear¢s Den, but clouds have begun to move in already and there is no sunset picture.
Date: 2016-05-21
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

A light rain is falling, but we get an early start after a breakfast of pancakes. My rain gear is getting its first test and it seems to be doing ok. Pilgrim is using a poncho that also covers his pack, which seems to work well enough, as long as it stays on straight and does not shift to one side or the other. The rain has caused the streams to fill and we came across our first ¢huh, how are we getting across that without falling¢ stream this morning. Pilgrim went first and I had my camera ready in case he fell in. As it turned out I was the one who fell today as I was walking the trail. I stepped on an angled wet rock and my left foot slipped inward while my planted hiking pole was ahead of my right foot. I did not go down hard, but having 40 extra pounds on your back makes scrambling back upright on wet ground a process. I scratched up my wrist a little, but otherwise came out of it with only some wounded pride. Around noon we caught up to a scout troop, also hiking south, at the Buzzard Hill view point. I am realizing that this is a great opportunity to do birding since I have a birding app on my phone and there are a variety of birds we are seeing that I am unfamiliar with. However, Pilgrim and I still have a certain anxiety about getting to each night¢s campsite in a reasonable time, so we do not tarry too long in any once place. Our stop this evening after 9.8 wet miles is Rod Hollow Shelter. After a day of rain the last half-mile to the shelter has become a marsh. It is our first stay in a shelter and we are very grateful to not have to put up tents in the rain. The shelter has a main sleeping platform and an upper shelf, kind of like a balcony, that will sleep three people. I take the upper shelf and Pilgrim takes an end on the main floor space. I see a mouse in the rafters scurrying away as I put out my pad and sleeping bag. After we get settled Iris, Again, and Tag Along file into camp and also set up in the shelter. The scouts have taken over most of the cooking pavilion, but we find a corner to set up our stove and cook dinner. I find that my body seems to be accommodating to daily long hikes in odd ways. During the night I find I have to go to the bathroom several times.
Date: 2016-05-22
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Manassas Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

It looks to be a rainy cool day, but at least we are starting out dry. I don¢t think Pilgrim and I were in a hurry to hit the trail. We joked with Iris, Again, and Tag Along about which group would actually hit the trail first. Many thanks to Iris who told me about the "Trail Journals" web site and her own photos and journal on the site. The beginning of the day presented some nice ¢mist in the trees¢ photo ops, but by early afternoon it was raining steadily and I stopped taking pictures and kept my camera tucked inside my rain jacket out of the cold wet. At one point I spotted a salamander confidently slide-crawling and totally enjoying the total wetness on the trail. We reached Dick¢s Dome shelter by 2 PM and there was only one person already there. While small, the shelter had a picturesque stream right outside the entrance, and it was dry. However, Pilgrim did not feel good about only doing 8.4 miles and stopping so early in the day, so we pushed on to Manassas Gap shelter. When we arrived at the shelter 3 hours later it was full and all the camp sites were taken. After looking around for potential non-official tent sites we decide to squeeze into a muddy area near two other tents. It¢s raining and Pilgrim and I have exactly the same model of tent, so we decide to team up to pitch each of our tents quickly in sequence. Pilgrim goes for water while I try to see if I can set up some rocks in a semblance of something flat to put our cooking stove on. By the time he gets back I am shivering in the wet cold and he suggests I go in my tent and change into dry clothing. I take him up on the offer and also persuade him to heat up a couple cups of water for my folding sink, and I give myself a spit-bath in my tent before changing into dry clothes. To simplify things we each have a 2 serving Mountain House meal to ourselves and don¢t mess with trying to split it up equally. We have the extra Mountain House and the cold and wet probably burned plenty of extra calories today anyway. I have the meal in my tent and have no problems finishing it. During the night I find that, again, I need to use the restroom several times. This is getting old in the rain.
Date: 2016-05-23
From: Manassas Gap Shelter

To: Front Royal Terrapin Station Hostel
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

Sometime during the night it finally stopped raining, but it is still overcast and cool this morning. I had tucked my boots under cover last night, but the toes were exposed and I found I had to pour water out of my boots this morning. The dry socks on my feet stayed that way for only a few seconds after putting them in my boots. Even though we have no rain today the trail is very mucky from the last two days of rain. I brought sunglasses for this hike but I don¢t think I have used them once. We are walking through a canopy of trees almost all the time. When we do come to a clearing or a viewpoint it merits a picture or two, or three. If you just looked at my pictures you would probably think we had meadows and long views half the time. As we hike this morning we discuss where we will stay tonight. The push to Manassas has put us ahead of schedule but at an awkward distance for a campsite this evening. I addition we have a lot of wet gear. Tom Floyd Wayside is the obvious candidate, but it has a tough climb at the end of the day, and it puts us vey close to the following day¢s stop. We have a reservation and a resupply box waiting for us at the Front Royal Terrapin Station Hostel on the 24th. We decide to see if we can stay at the hostel for two nights starting this evening. I call Mike at the hostel and he has plenty of room this evening. He even offers to pick us up at the US 522 crossing. I politely decline as we are feeling good and do not want to impose on him. We have lunch at the Jim & Molly Denton shelter. We eat at the covered picnic area. The shelter looks very nice, but there is a hiker or camper and his dog who is drying out his tent and gear all over the deck and chairs. I take off my boots while I eat and notice my feet and the boots are steaming. The damp is really bringing out the centipedes and millipedes. The centipedes are a very colorful combination of black, yellow, and orange so I try to see if I can get a good close-up of one.   As we approach US 522 Pilgrim and I realize that we have a tough uphill before circling back down to the hostel. We decide to take Mike up on his offer and get a ride to the hostel. When we arrive there are a lot of tents and gear already on the clothes line outside. We are not the only hikers taking time to dry out equipment. We get a surprise in the evening when a small thunderstorm passes through and dumps some pea-sized hail on us for about 10 minutes. Staying at the hostel tonight is looking more and more like a very smart decision. Pilgrim takes advantage of the frozen food and snacks one can purchase at the hostel. I, however, am very aware that I still have food in my pack and I have a resupply box filled with 14 pounds of food that is waiting to go in my pack. I decide to eat from my supply.
Date: 2016-05-24
From: Front Royal Terrapin Station Hostel

To: Front Royal Terrapin Station Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

In the morning we go into town so that Pilgrim and I can pick up some grocery items and find a good breakfast. The tortillas have worked well for me and I would like to pick up a fresh supply. He has decided that single potion retorts of tuna work well on the trail. I packed some for myself along with individual mayo packets for each one. He looks for individual mayo packets but we can¢t find any. Pilgrim has also found that flip flops are not ideal for him as camp shoes. My camp shoes are a variation on water shoes. They are not perfect but have been working pretty well. In the evening Mike drives Pilgrim, Shoe, and I into town so Pilgrim can buy camp shoes, and we can stuff ourselves at the Jalisco Mexican restaurant. It was very good. They must have a lot of hikers come because their portions are quite generous. At some point on the trail a hiker¢s body starts craving calories and they become ravenous. It has definitely not hit me yet. I am barely able to finish what is on my plate.In the valley east of the AT the map shows that there are many wineries. For our rest/zero day I thought it might be interesting to check one out if feasible. Of course transportation is going to be an issue, but I see that one of the wineries with a tasting room is only a couple of miles down the road from the hostel. Unfortunately, when we drive by it on the way to Front Royal we see that it is only open on weekends. Oh well
Date: 2016-05-26
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

I saw several bears this morning on the trail, but I do not have any good pictures of them. They tend to run away quickly in the brush. I thought I had one good picture when the bear I startled went up a tree, but I depended on the autofocus on my camera and it focused on the trees in front of the bear. SNP has more view areas than the first part of our journey. I took several pictures at various view points. We stopped at the Elkwallow Wayside for lunch, bathrooms, and to recharge our phones. I brought a external battery with me on this hike but have not had to use it thus far. The Grill at the wayside was not working but we each had blackberry ice cream. Tonight we slept in the shelter at Pass Mountain Hut. I notice I the beginnings of blisters on the front pads of both my feet. I apply moleskin to get my feet prepared for tomorrow. I think all the downhill hiking with extra weight is beginning to take its toll. I stubbed the front pad of my left foot on a sharp rock going to the spring behind the shelter. Right on the blistered area. I was a little surprised it did not bleed. I will definitely need the Ibuprofen tonight. We found another use for my foldable sink today. The small pool at the spring was fairly shallow and made using the pump filter difficult without sucking up mud. So we used the sink to collect water as it came out of the pipe and then filtered from the sink. There are a fair number of section hikers like us at the shelter this evening. We also met the thru-hiker Spoon. He has a chopped-down serving spoon to use as his everyday spoon, and makes generous use of oatmeal and coconut oil as a food mainstay.
Date: 2016-05-27
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

Some very nice views and some rocky steep inclines today. We had lunch in the shelter at Pinnacle Picnic Grounds. I took the opportunity to take off my boots and let my feet air out a bit. Based upon our daily progress it seems reasonable to camp near Skyland Lodge tonight. Unfortunately, there are no campsites near Skyland Lodge. I suggest staying at Skyland Lodge and call several times to inquire about availability and making a reservation. However, it is Memorial Day Weekend. There is no room at the inn. We arrive at Skyland and rest and rehydrate in the air-conditioned lobby hoping that something might open up last minute. Nothing does and thunderstorms are building in the west and coming this way. Our options are to find a place to dry camp and hang bear bags, or push on to Rock Spring Hut. We decide to push on but realize it would be best to eat a semblance of dinner now before we start out. Pilgrim gets a sandwich at the snack bar and I, aware of how much food I am carrying, dip into my overgenerous supply of trail snacks.We head out and make good time, but I begin to notice hot spots on both my little toes. I do not want to take the time to stop and take care of them. When we got to the shelter I have blisters on both toes. We grab a couple spots in the shelter and I break out the moleskin. The shelter and campsites quickly fill up with hikers. We are really seeing the full extent of the bubble of thru-hikers traveling north. The thunderstorms do not materialize but we do get a rain shower in the evening.We find out that mice are really bad in this shelter. I was asked to not sweep the upper shelf where I will be sleeping because it would create airborne mouse dust. As I prepare for bed I watch as several mice scurry around the rafters and investigate packs. As I am sleeping during the night I have an arm resting upon the edge of the top sleeping platform. I feel a mouse run across my arm which startles me awake. I fling my arm away from me and the mouse falls to the floor below. Not a good nights sleep between the mice and lots of people moving around making noise.