morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-05-16
From: In the woodÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs near a stream

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

We saw another bear today.  Two days in a row.  This time we were by a shelter with other hikers so it was not as scary as the first bear we saw.  Milkshake experienced his first trailmagic today as we came across a bucket with all kinds of goodies in it.  It is amazing that people are so kind and generous.  We are already starting to think about the many waysides and lodges in the Shenandoah National Park.  Because of them you really do not need to carry as much food as you do in other places along the trail.  Steven (Milkshake) is already talking about getting a Milkshake tomorrow, hence his trail name.
Date: 2017-05-17
From: Blackrock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 6AM and hiking by 7:20. Spiceman mentioned to Milkshake that as time goes on we will be able to get out of camp much earlier.  Of course, much of it depends on if you cook breakfast or eat a cold breakfast.  We came across a couple of thru-hikers at 1:15 who said they still had 12miles to go that day.  Heck, we were glad to make 13 miles all day.  We stopped at Lewis Mountain Camp store and spent $20 on junk food.  Day three and already eating junk.  At our campsite we met a group of hikers who were out trying to loose weight.  It was a formal outing with guide, etc.  The idea sounds good but the leader told us several dropped out already and they were also only on day 3. Backpacking is hard work.
Date: 2017-05-18
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Vic Hightop Hut
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

We slept in the middle of the woods away from the shelters.  It is always a bit more scary when you are not around other hikers.  We were really not sure where we were going to camp so around 4:00 PM we loaded up with 5 liters of water and took of with destination unknown.  That is an extra 10pounds.  Steven said never again, we need to have a plan.  We met a thru-hiker today that had only one leg.  He was an Army vet who lost his leg in Iraq.  Lots of heart.
Date: 2017-05-19
From: Vic Hightop Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Beate¢s birthday today.  I really appreciate her. Giving me the time to hike.  Not all spouses are that supportive.  We stopped at Lewis Mountain Campground for a shower.  We have not been out that long but it sure felt nice.  The logistics of taking a shower while on the trail are always interesting.  Getting quarters, renting a towel, getting the mud off of you and then putting dirty clothes back on.  You hike in the same clothes everyday so they stay dirty.  Since we did not have far to go after leaving the campground, we decided to buy some hotdogs and buns.  We knew it was going to rain so we quickly set up our tents and hoped for the best.  Everything worked out well.  No major problems.
Date: 2017-05-20
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We stopped at Big Meadows campstore so Milkshake could order a milkshake.  It seems like we get treats everyday.  Lots of tourists and thru-hikers hanging around outside.  I think we are a bit odd for them.  They wear cotton we wear quick-dry, they smell good and we do not, they drive cars and we walk.  In a way, I like our style better.
Date: 2017-05-21
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Skyland Resort
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Only hiked 5 miles today.  We had made a reservation for a room at Skyland Lodge.  Arrived in the morning so we had to wait for our room.  The washer and dryer at the lodge was inoperable and that was a big disappointment.  It was nice to have real coffee and be able to charge our electronic devices.  Once we were able to get into our room we immediately took showers and then washed our clothes.  We filled the bathtub halfway full with water and put our clothes in the tub.  Real nasty as we were hiking in mud, etc.  We hung our wet clothes all around the room to dry and hoped for the best.  Again, it was fun listening to the different conversations people had at the lodge.  We talked with other hikers about what type of backpack was the best and the other folks staying at the lodge discussed what type of suitcase was better.
Date: 2017-05-22
From: Skyland Resort

To: Vic Range View Cabin
Miles today: 21.0

We hiked 21 miles, 52,000 steps today.  Milkshake said he burned more calories today than any other day in his life.  We stopped at another wayside today, Elkswallow.  We know this area well because we visited this location many times for day trips.  We realized we have been carrying way too much food because of all the waysides we walk by.  We talked about meeting up with Hillary in Front Royal in a couple of days.  We camped Vic of Rangeview Cabin.  It must have been a beautiful homestead in its day.  Right in front of the cabin was a beautiful meadow with all kinds of flowers and a beautiful spring.  We saw a deer about 10 feet from us and she did not even seem concerned.
Date: 2017-05-23
From: Vic Range View Cabin

To: Tom Floyd
Miles today: 14.0

We officially left Shenandoah National Park today.  The camp sites near this shelter are small and rocky.  We had to walk almost a quarter mile to find the water source.  It was all downhill which meant we had to walk uphill all the way back.  It rained hard during the night and we were lucky our tents took the beating very well.  Milkshake mentioned that he was glad to be out of the park because the sights changed almost immediately.
Date: 2017-05-24
From: Tom Floyd

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

We experienced some real nice trail magic today.  Two large coolers filled with all types of goodies including food, drinks, and small hiker necessities.  Very thoughtful.  Hillary met us by the road and took us into the town of Front Royal.  Big thanks to her.  We went out that night to eat Mexican food, and that was after we devoured a large pizza and some beers.  Then we went to the laundry and did some some shopping at a real grocery store.  Milkshake went a little light on food because he was tired of carrying so much food that he did not eat in Shenandoah (because of the numerous waysides).  I guess we will see how that turns out.
Date: 2017-05-25
From: Front Royal

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: moderate rain

Hillary took us back to the trailhead and off we went.  This time we Luna, Milkshake¢s border collie, with us.  She is a high energy dog so she ought to do well.  We arrived at the shelter around 4PM shortly after it started to rain.  We were soaked, muddy, and cold.  There were some other section hikers already at the shelter and one of them had signs of hypothermia.  Pretty scary.  All of his clothes were heavy cotton.  Not the best thing to hike in.  Spiceman slept in the shelter for the first time but Milkshake put up his tent in the rain.  Luna would not have done well in the shelter on her first day out.
Date: 2017-05-26
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: The woods
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

We stealthed camped tonight.  That is a term hikers use when you do not camp near a shelter but rather away from it all.  We camped next to a beautiful stream.  Spiceman realized he left his tent fly back at the Front Royal hotel.  Two huge mistakes by him on this trip.  Fortunately the weather was beautiful and he did not need it.  This was the first night we had a fire.  That was pretty cool.  The hike today was through a section called The Rollercoaster because of all the ups and downs.  It was ough hiking and it really took a toll on Milkshake¢s feet.
Date: 2017-05-27
From: The woods

To: David Lesser Memorial Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We hiked most of the day in rain today.  No problem, you just put on your raincoat, get in your on little world, and hike.  Luna did OK too.  We stopped a bit early today because we had made plans to meet up with Hillary tomorrow in Harpers Ferry.  This particular shelter is pretty cool, a large wooden deck with benches and a separate area off to the side for eating.  It also has a lot of tent sites.  Since it was raining Spiceman had to sleep in the shelter because he did not have a tent fly.
Date: 2017-05-28
From: David Lesser Memorial Shelter

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Ok, we completed our first section of the AT.  We had intended to stop at Front Royal but we made better time than we expected so we decided to continue to Harpers Ferry.  It was a good feeling.  It was a bit scary for Luna crossing the big bridge leading into the city.  She does not do well around cars and they were speeding by.  We met up with Hillary in town.  Again, thanks for all the back and forth she did for us.  We had to go back to Front Royal to pick up Spiceman¢s tent fly.  Thankfully they still had it.  At this point we are not sure when we were going to hike again.  It all depends on Milkshake¢s job.
Date: 2018-06-03
From: Damascus

To: Stealth campsite
Miles today: 2.1

Beate will hike with us this time. She is the mother of Milkshake and the wife of Spiceman. We arrived in Damascus around 4:00 PM. We arranged for a pick-up at VA 603 on Thursday at 10:00. We were ready to hike by 4:30 after a quick trip to the Dollar General Store for Crocs, a lighter, and crackers. It then started to rain. We waited for it to stop raining and then left town around 6:00. We hiked about 2 miles where there was suppose to be a stream about but we could not find it. No cooking, brushing of teeth, etc tonight or in the morning. Only snacks. Luna was the only one who received a double portion of water.
Date: 2018-06-04
From: Stealth campsite

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Packed up and left early in search of water. After 2 miles we came across a nice stream. Saw some interesting sights ¢ a couple of really cool Fairy Houses in the middle of the woods, and lots of beautiful streams and mountains.  We hiked over 15 miles, more than we should have, and were all very tired and sore by the time we reached the shelter. We realized Luna¢s paws were very sore. We cooked a community taco meal but were almost too tired to eat it.
Date: 2018-06-05
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: How far can Luna walk
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

In the morning we saw Luna had very sore and raw paws. We discussed carrying her down the trail but she did better once we started hiking. We watched her close all day and we had a 1500-foot climb to 5200 feet and decided to quit early. It was a beautiful day of hiking through woods, mountains, and farmlands. Found a nice campsite near a spring. There was a lot of talk today about bear activity so we hung our bear bag better than usual.
Date: 2018-06-06
From: Vic Davis gap

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

Beautiful terrain today ¢ balds, views, summits, wild ponies and the Virginia Highlands. Luna dictated our hiking pace. We put Neosporin, moleskin and duck tape on her paws. She tolerated it very well. Lots of bear activity on top of Mt Rogers that the powers-to- be even added a bear canister and electric fence to keep the bears out.
Date: 2018-06-07
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Pick-up point
Miles today: 2.1

We hiked only a few miles to where we were to meet our ride. We arrived early and so did he. He took us back to Damascus to pick up our vehicle. We enjoyed a really nice lunch at Mojo coffee shop. We also went food shopping for some fresh food since we were going to be at a campground for a few days. We wanted to give Luna a bit of a break so we decided to get a NFS campground site so Luna can rest but Milkshake and Beate can still slack pack to get some miles in. We rented a real nice campsite at Hurricane NFS campground. Milkshake called Hillary (his fiance) and had her send Luna¢s boots to us to see if they would work.  That night Milkshake cooked sirloin steak, mushrooms, and onions and placed them all on a grilled tortilla. It was better than restaurant quality.
Date: 2018-06-11
To: Davis spring
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: few clouds

milkshake and Spiceman started hiking after a quick (maybe not so quick because the postal workers were a bit rude to hikers) trip to the post office for Luna¢s boots; we hit the trail around 11:00. We will see how Luna does with her boots. We hiked through some nice farmlands. We saw about 8-10 thru hikers. At a one room school house (Lindamood School) we had some really nice trail magic ¢ just in time as it really started to rain about then. Hiked to a campsite with water but not much else. A wet day.
Date: 2018-06-12
From: Davis spring

To:  Golden Bear Hostel
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Beate had made reservations for us at a 100 year old house made of American Chestnut located on the property of Golden Bear hostel. Beate had bought bacon and eggs and Milkshake still had his grass fed rib eye he had bought on Saturday. It was a nice feast for dinner and breakfast and a reprieve from sleeping in the woods. Luna did not do so well with the boots so this will be her last day hiking this trip. Beate will drive her 5 hours back to her home.
Date: 2018-06-13
From:  Golden Bear Hostel

To: Chestnut Knob
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

Today we started a 4-day segment without resupply. Beate is driving Luna home. Milkshake and Spiceman hiked to Chestnut Knob. It was a rainy day and we were soaked by the time we arrived. The water source before the shelter was a bit of a challenge but as long as it works out you are happy. We had 5 other hikers in the shelter that night. This was the only night so far that we stayed in a shelter.
Date: 2018-06-15
From: Laurel Creek 

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: broken clouds

A good hike today, beautiful weather and we are both feeling pretty good except our feet are sore. We did not see many thru hikers. We had to carry a lot of water today (and water weighs a lot), as there was not much water in this segment of the trail.
Date: 2018-06-16
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Trent's grocery
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: overcast clouds

A short day. We had arranged for Beate to meet us at Trent¢s grocery. From there we plan to go to Wood¢s Hole Hostel and do some slack packing and wait for Steven¢s fianc©, Hillary, who will hike a bit with us.
Date: 2018-06-17
From: Trent's grocery

To: Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 15.2

Beate and Milkshake hiked from Trent¢s grocery to Wood's Hole Hostel. It was a long day for them.   We stayed at Wood¢s Hole Hostel in a tent. Very nice Glamping. It had two beds, a nice porch and a few feet away from a nice indoor shower and toilet.
Date: 2018-06-18
From: The woods on the highway

To: Back to Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: light rain

We slept at Woods Hole Hostel again. It seems every time are in the vicinity we spend more time there than we anticipated. Milkshake and Beate slacked packed again. I dropped them off at the wrong point so they had to do a couple of more miles than planned. They were beat when Spiceman finally met them. Good thing they were slack packing. We also hooked up with Hillary- good to see her and looking forward to spending a few days with her.
Date: 2018-06-19
From: Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Fun hiking
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Milkshake, Hillary, Beate and Spiceman were going to slack pack from Woods Hole Hostel to Pearisburg. After 6 miles we realized we did not have the keys for the car we had propositioned in Pearisburg. We turned around and hiked back to Woods Hole Hostel. We stopped for lunch at a shelter. Overall a nice day.
Date: 2018-06-20
From: Glasgow James River

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

We all ate breakfast at Woods Hole Hostel. milkshake and Hillary helped in the kitchen in the morning. It is always fun to help in the kitchen at this hostel. We said goodbye to Hillary and we drove to Glasgow vic the James River footbridge. We know we are not going to finish the section from Damascus to Waynesboro so we are going to jump ahead to Glasgow and hike to Waynesboro. We will come back and finish from 658.2 to 786.     We start off with a huge uphill with 11 miles in front of us starting at noon.
Date: 2018-06-21
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Cow Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Arrived at the shelter around 5;30 PM after a 2000 foot climb and thought we had the shelter to ourselves. Shortly, 14 other people showed up. It rained a lot that night. Spiceman's tent leaked a lot of water through the bottom. Thankfully the sleep pad kept me dry.  A mouse chewed through Milkshake¢s sleeping bag and ate some of his food and crawled across his face.
Date: 2018-06-22
From: Cow Gap Shelter

To: Priest Shelter
Miles today: 17.6

Lots of climbs and rain today. It really started raining the last few miles. When we arrived at the Shelter, there were 5 people already in it and said there was only room for 1. I know from my thru hike in 2012 we had more in there during a similar bad weather situation. So we waited for the rain to let up and then we set up our tent. It was till raining so everything got wet. Milkshake cooked in his vestibule but Spiceman just ate snacks. A very wet and damp night.
Date: 2018-06-23
From: Priest Shelter

To: Reeds Gap
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: light rain

Beate had made arrangements with a local resort (old) for us to stay in a cabin. It was nice to have the opportunity to dry out our tent and clothes. Plus, the real reason we stopped is to have dinner with a gentleman and his wife who I met on my thru hike in 2012. We hiked together for about the last week and we hiked Mount Katahdin together with my wife. He was a big help in getting her up the mountain.
Date: 2018-06-25
From: Reeds Gap

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: scattered clouds

This is always an easy segment. Plus, it is the last stretch for this segment. It was a very good hike with some unforeseen circumstances with the big one being Luna¢s paws. We are a bit disappointed but our goal of completing the segment from Damascus to Waynesboro may have been a bit energetic. there were many plusses - it was the first long distance hike for Beate, Hillary made the long trek to Pearisburg to spend some time with us and Steven bought me some Jefferson's Reserve for Father's Day. W will hike again in November to finish the section we skipped this time and then Steven will have finished Virginia.
Date: 2018-10-21
From: AWOL 796.5

To: Wind Rock
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: few clouds

Milkshake finished his 13 hour night nursing shift and made it back to the AirBnB around 8 AM. We (Milkshake, Beate, Luna and Spiceman) packed up the cars and headed to the point we quit hiking in June. We positioned Milkshake¢s car where we were going to come out of the woods in a few days and we drove Spiceman¢s car to the start point. We were only able to hike 5.2 miles before it starting getting cold and dark. We camped vic Wind Rock but not actually by it because it was so cold. This was one of the coldest nights I experienced on the trail. It was below freezing with a strong wind.   Milkshake went inside his sleeping bag with every piece of clothing he had. Beate was OK except her feet were cold all night. Spiceman, naturally warm, slept only in a Tshirt. Luna (the dog) had a sleeping pad, mid layer, fleece and $260 Patagonia puffy. Think she was OK. Spiceman and Beate have sleeping bags with a rating of 15 degrees F.
Date: 2018-10-22
From: Wind Rock

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: clear sky

Uneventful day with one big up hill and down hill. There were many SoBo thru hikers at the shelter. I have a new respect for SoBo hikers as they have to deal with much more cold and short days than most NoBos. Nice water supply, nice tent sites and we were able to eat at a table. Not as cold as the previous night (only 37 but not as much wind). It gets dark around 6:45 so we go to bed pretty early and it does not get light until 7:15 so we get a late start. Those factors limit how far we can walk each day.
Date: 2018-10-23
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: John's Spring Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Started the day by walking 3.3 miles to where we had parked Milkshake¢s car. Then we took the car to retrive the vehicle we positioned at our start point. That took much longer than we had anticipated, plus we stopped for a burger enroute. We decided to skip ahead on the trail so Beate could hike McAfee Knob area with us before the rain comes this weekend. Again, it took some times to get the cars in the right area. Sometimes I think it is easier to just hike without vehicular support. In the afternoon, we only hiked 1 mile in towards McAfee Knob because time was short. We carried water in because the AWOL book said the water source was unreliable. Good thing we did because there was not much water coming out of the spring. Really dislike carrying extra water - a gallon ways 8 pounds.
Date: 2018-10-24
From: John's Spring Shelter

To: Lambert's Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: clear sky

A cool but beautiful day. The highlight was McAfee¢s Knob. It was something we were all looking forward to seeing. It did not disappoint. Spiceman has a fear of heights so it bothered him when Milkshake wanted to get a picture with his legs dangling over the edge. The hike along Tinker¢s cliff was also very nice - you are hiking along a cliff for about a half mile that drops off about 300 feet.
Date: 2018-10-25
From: Lambert's Meadow Shelter

To: Troutville
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: overcast clouds

A very easy day of hiking. We decided not to hike tomorrow as it was suppose to rain all day. We finally found a decent, inexpensive motel in Roanoke. We were please because that is about a central location for us to complete the section we had skipped so we could do McAfee¢s Knob. We ate some really good bbq at Three Little Pigs in Troutville. All the hike today Beate found three neat looking feathers and Spiceman found another to make 4. Beate said the three represented the original three hikers: Milkshake, Spiceman and Luna and the fourth feather represented her as a late additional hiker. Pretty neat.
Date: 2018-10-27
From: 677.6

To: a campsite by water
Miles today: 11.0

Beate took us back to point where we jumped ahead. Started hiking and before we hiked a quarter of a mile we lost the white blazes because we were interested in an old cabin. We hiked almost back to the starting point before we saw any blazes. Highlights of the day included seeing a 300 year old oak tree that is almost 30 feet around. We ended up camping next to a nice creek. We really wanted to hike further but there was no water for another 5 miles and we did not want to carry cooking water up a big hill.
Date: 2018-10-28
From: a campsite by water

To: Spectacle Gap
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

We started off with about a 1500 foot climb right away in the morning. Once on top we had a long stretch of relatively flat ground. There was a monument to Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in WW II, on top of the mountain. In the afternoon we hiked through some very interesting but challenging rock formations. We sometimes had a difficult time dealing with the rock scrambles but Luna just went up without any challenges. The more scary part was coming down late in the day after raining. Our boots were wet and our traction was not all that great. Sometimes I just sat down and slid down the rocks. In some of the more challenging places the folks maintaining the trail drilled holes into the rocks and created a steel ladder. Pretty scary. That night we had a real bad storm with hard rain and 40 MPH winds. Our tents did pretty well. After the rain the woods came alive with all kinds of animal noises, again scary.