morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-26
From: Ridge at 394.5

To: Kincora
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

I camped in an incredible place last night! It was a great night and a great morning. I woke up at 7 and took my time getting ready. I sat out by my tent for a while just enjoying the view. Once I got moving the trail was pretty easy. The first thing in the morning was Jones Falls, it was a really cool view. This is about to be brief: 1) I took a wrong turn that took me to a really cool waterfall, 1 hour detour 2) my legs felt like bricks this morning 3) I took a 2 hour break for lunch and I took a nap 4) I felt great after and made to Kincora hostel. Now to the cool stuff. When the AT was first designed one of the original intents was to have a place where world war veterans could relax when they returned from war. So this year they are having a Warrior Hike, the military selects 12 people who are just retiring from the military and they fund their thru hike. I have met several of them and they are all incredible people. It is a really cool thing and I am honored to have met several of them. A couple of hostels are letting them stay for free and they will cook them a steak dinner. Awesome thing going on for our veterans. I met two hikers from Connecticut on the trail today and we both ended up at Kincora. When I got here the shower was open so I jumped in and when I got out the made a huge spaghetti dinner and invited me to join in. It was fantastic. There was almost more food than we could eat. I am exactly 50 miles from Damascus and the terrain is going to be fairly easy. So I am trying to decide if I am going to do it in 2 days or do 3 with my 3rd day being a really low mileage day into Damascus. I think I'm going to just go by how I feel.I get to see Laurel Falls tomorrow. It is supposed to rain all tomorrow so I'm trying to decide what my plan is for tomorrow.I'm going to sleep in tomorrow. I will probably leave Kincora around 9:30 or so. Hoping I start feeling better still battling something
Date: 2013-04-27
From: Kincora

To: wataga lake road
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: broken clouds

The last few mornings have been pretty tough. I feel better after a few hours but still dealing with some sinus issues. The first part of the trail was pretty easy and really beautiful. I followed the Laurel River to laurel falls. It was a great way to start off the day. Laurel falls was really cool. When I got there I took my pack off and walked closer....it was kinda hard to balance without my pack on my back. Had to learn how to walk like a normal person again. After that I took my time all morning, I had to take several long breaks but once I got over the big climb of the day I was able to cruise down to wataga lake. I took another break by the lake and called my brother just to say hello while I had service. I was trying to push to the next shelter that was 6 miles away....my energy was low but I knew if make it there by six. After a short climb I descended back down to a small road. I stopped to check my maps and kept moving forward slowly. I noticed 4 people just standing around through the trees and it felt kinda awkward. I kept walking and noticed rocky and crasher but kinda ignored the other two. I spoke to rocky and crasher and they just laughed....gave me a weird feeling again. I noticed a girl with her hood on and a phone in front of her face...looked at the guy next to her and he had a straw hat on and playing a banjo. Then he looked up and I recognized it was my brother. I jumped backwards and was sooo excited to see Ben and Lori it was amazing! We hung out there for a while and ate pizza until the rain came. I said by to rocky and crasher then headed to Johnson city with the family. It was amazing! Of all the days they could've picked today was the best. I am still having a blast and loving the trail but being sick just makes it so much harder. I usually try to have 10 miles done by 11:00 a.m. But since I have been sick I'm doing 5 miles by noon. Can't wait to feel better. Ben and Lori took me to dinner and I had a steak. It is so great to be with them and to relax. So thankful!
Date: 2013-04-28
From: wataga lake road

To: A DANG HOLIDAY INN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I woke up this morning not feeling well at all. I had the chills and they wouldn't go away. The plan was for me to say bye to Ben and Lori today and to hike on but I was not in any condition to hike a mile. So Ben mentioned that they would stay another night if I wanted to zero....I said absolutely! It rained almost all day so we were limited in what we could do for entertainment. We went back to the hotel to rest and I took a good nap. After I woke up I was still achy but I felt a lot better. We decided to take a ride up to Osbourne farms to look around, the AT goes through it. Once we were there we walked through the pastures on the AT for about a mile. It is a incredible section of the trail and it is really beautiful. It was a lot of fun to share that experience with Ben and Lori. Ended the day with one of my favorite meals Phad Thai and then it was ny quil and bed.Great zero day and a special time with my family!
Date: 2013-04-29
From: A DANG HOLIDAY INN

To: campsite at mile 450.9
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: broken clouds

Two posted tonight. Go back one This is going to be brief because I just took ny quil and it is doing its job. I got breakfast with Ben and Lori this morning and they brought me to the trail soon after. It was to say bye to them but I was still excited for the days ahead. I felt bad they couldn't stay longer to enjoy the scenery...but we said our goodbyes and I was off. It was a really easy section of trail today and that was much needed. I cruised the entire day all the way to my campsite. I am feeling a lot better but not there yet. I stopped and cooked dinner at double springs shelter and then hiked a few more miles in the dark. It was great to watch the sunset over the lake and mountains! I was walking on a ridge and on either side there were cities in the valleys. It was really cool to see the city lights glowing in the distance! I will cross into Virginia tomorrow! Super excited about that!Goodnight. Oh Ben and Lori tons of people on the trail know about y'all surprising me! I introduced myself to several people today and they said oh you're the guy! Everyone thinks it was so cool.....because it was. Thank you so much for an amazing surprise!
Date: 2013-04-30
From: campsite at mile 450.9

To: The Place 
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night was a new experience on the AT. I woke up around 1:30 am to find that my hair was wet and my sleeping bag was damp. I had a lot of condensation building up in my tent for some reason. So I got up and opened two vents for more air to circulate and it had my bag and tent dry by the time I woke up. I'm not sure why I had so much condensation though....my tent is designed to vent really well. Oh and I had a mouse visit my tent last night, I finally got rid of him after a while.Anyway I woke up at 9:00....the latest I have slept on the entire trip, I blame it on ny quil. It was good though my body needed the rest. I packed up fairly fast and started my last day in Tn. The miles were really easy and it was so nice. I cruised pretty much all day. I am not hiking as fast as I would like because of my breathing bit since the terrain is so easy I am going faster than normal. A bit after noon I entered into Virginia! I am super excited to be here and I think it is going to be one of my favorite states...just have a feeling. From the border it was 3.1 miles into Damascus where I was greeted with trail magic from fellow hikers. It was great to be in the most celebrated town on the trail. I met dreamer (he is making a documentary of his hike) at the trail magic and we walked into town together. We had a great conversation and he shared 1timothy 1:5 with me, it was really encouraging to talk to him. The rest of the day I resupplied and got some food in town and relaxed. I am staying at The Place a hostel run by the local Methodist church. I feel incredibly blessed to have made it to Damascus, Va. Only 40% of the hikers that leave springer mountain make it this far, for whatever reason. Excited to be ere and more excited to head north. I should see wild ponies in the next 2 days. I'm going to be mad if I don't!
Date: 2013-05-01
From: The Place 

To: campsite near mile 484
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

I really enjoyed today and i took it slow. From the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed I just took my time. It was really nice.I had to do a few more things around Damascus before I headed out. So I didn't leave town until 11 or so. I went to Cowboys Exxon because they are known for their incredible blueberry pancakes. I was the only person there when I sat down at 9 and it was slow while I was there. The owner of the place was a friendly old man and he sat at my table with me and we talked for two hours, it was a lot of fun. We mainly talked about the history of Damascus and cool stories from the civil war. He was a cool old man with a lot to say and I wasn't in a hurry so i listened. So after my huge breakfast that turned into an lunch I began my hike out of my favorite town so far. I felt so much better today. The trail had great views and a big climb that I knew would test my health. I held up to it and climbed it like I should've. My breathing was very good, still a bit to go but it is back. I am super thankful. Once I got to the top of the 1300 foot climb I celebrated with more medicine! I am beginning to be able to smell the woods again and to hear everything around me (my ears were stopped up...kinda weird). I cruised all day and really enjoyed having energy. About two miles from the shelter I ran into dreamer and he filmed me walking down a footbridge. After that I stopped at the shelter to eat a bit and to say hello to a few friends that were there. Oh and I hate shelter graffiti but in Lost Mountain shelter some one wrote "Brittany aka Bunkie" on the wall. I was shocked to see it and I would like to know the story behind it. I'm betting it has nothing to do with my hometown but you never know. I'm camping with rocky and crasher tonight at a cool campsite that is by a stream and surrounded by rhododendron. This is hard to believe, but I also built my first fire of the whole trip tonight. Other people have built fires along the way and when I camp by myself I usually go to bed too soon for a fire. It was a nice change of pace! I am loving Virginia! WILD PONIES TOMORROW!!!!!!
Date: 2013-05-02
From: campsite near mile 484

To: old orchard shelter
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: clear sky

Another great day! I feel like I am really settling into a grove. My health was also very close to 100% for the first time in over 10 days. It was so refreshing to be able to hike and to hike as fast as I wanted to. It was so nice!I took my time getting up this morning and didn't leave camp until 8:30. The day started off with a big climb to the top of white top mountain. I felt great and I was able to breathe so I celebrated by powering up it. Once on top the weather was pretty bad. We had high winds, I'm guessing around 50 or 60 mph. I had to lean into it and dig my hiking poles into the ground to stay on the trail. It was a lot of fun. I got to the bottom of the decent pretty quick and I was trying to figure out what to do with the weather. I was approaching an extremely pretty part of the trail and I didn't want to miss it due to weather. A local pulled up to where I was standing and he said the weather was clearing out in town and should be clear in the mountains in two hours. I told him ill probably hang around for it to clear until I hike on. He then offered to give me a ride to a diner and the bring me back in two hours. I couldn't refuse his offer. I had a great lunch and a great break. I got back to the trail by 1:30 and I was ready to hike. The trail went into the mount Rogers national rec area and then Grayson highlands state park. They were both incredible and I really enjoyed my time in both! I also got to see and pet several mini horses. Once I finally got to camp I had to break the news to rocky, crasher, stumbles, and temp that I went into town for a great lunch. I was hiking between them and I knew they were wondering where I went. They told me they were kinda worried about me since I disappeared but once I told them the truth they were pretty jealous. Big miles tomorrow and the a Nero into Atkins, va. Can wait to see some great friends from back home!
Date: 2013-05-03
From: old orchard shelter

To: 538.6 by stream
Miles today: 32.7

Two journals posted today go back oneLast night was the first time in several nights that I didn't take ny quil and it was so nice because I was able to wake up early. I woke up at 6 and started packing up. I wanted to get an early start in order to get as close to Atkins as possible. Once I finished packing up I left camp around 7:15. Virginia has been great, the terrain is a lot easier on my body than the past three states. The trail will follow the top of a ridge for a while before going back downhill. I had 3 or 4 climbs today that took a while but other than that it was just cruising. Around 3:30 I got to partnership shelter and the US forest service visitors center. It was really crowded with hikers because pizza places will deliver to the shelter. So everyone wants to stay there to get pizza. I hung around for a bit and bought a coke to power me through the next several miles. After I left I had the trail all to myself and I had some great views of the valley and farm land below. It was really cool and Virginia is an incredibly beautiful state. My favorite part is how far and distinct the mountain ranges stretch north. When I got to camp I had to take a bath since I was going to be seeing friends tomorrow. So I went down to the creek and found a deeper spot, the water was just below my knees and flowing pretty fast. It was really cold so I was trying to clean off as fast as possible. Anyway the reason I'm telling you this is because about midway through my bath I dropped my bandana and it took off down the stream. It was a pretty funny sight to see me running down the stream to catch it. I did retrieve my bandana!I am camped about 3 miles from Atkins. I am going to get to town around 8 and stop by the diner for breakfast, then it's off to the laundry mat. My friends should be here around lunch I'm super excited to see them.
Date: 2013-05-04
From: 538.6 by stream

To: atkins va
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a short hike this morning. I woke up around 7 and began the easy 3 mile hike into Atkins. I got there around 9 for breakfast at The Barn. It was delicious! Daniel and Lindsey arrived soon after and it was so great to see them. They brought me to a grocery store to resupply and after we finished that we headed to wytheville. We went to see The Crooks which was a great animated and pretty funny. But you might want to be the judge of how funny it actually is because after you are alone in the woods for month everything is a bit funnier....We then went to the local Mexican restaurant to celebrate Daniels birthday and cinco de mayo. The food was delicious! We camped at hungry mother state park and made s'mores. It was great to see them and relax for a day.
Date: 2013-05-05
From: atkins va

To: chestnut knob shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

I said bye to Daniel and Lindsey this morning and they made their way back to Nashville. The day moved pretty slow, I didn't see anyone until after lunch. It was a great hike through really pretty country. A lot of the day was through pastures and climbing up to ridges. I am really enjoying the pastures and the grasslands of VA. Around lunch I hiked up to an ice chest with cokes which was great, I needed the caffeine for the climbs ahead. Today I had a 2000 foot climb which took a while. I haven't had a climb that big in a while. Once I got to the top of the ridge it was an open field that stretch for 2 miles. It was really cool. The weather was rainy and really foggy. It was pretty neat to walk through the fog and not be able to see anything except for a few trees in the distance. I got to the shelter on top of the mountain around 6. I wasn't sure if I wanted to push on a few more miles or to stay. The weather got worse and I decided to stay. The shelter has 4 walls and a door which is great for the weather. Supposed to be raining all tomorrow and the next day, if it is pouring in the morning I'm going to sleep in. There is a town 22 miles away so I might push trough the weather for a dry place to stay there. Goodnight! I'm hoping I don't have any mice encounters tonight!Two posted today
Date: 2013-05-06
From: chestnut knob shelter

To: big walker motel
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: few clouds

Three journals posted today go backWhelp it has been an incredible day! I slept in this morning until 8:30 and didn't get moving until 10:00. The hostel was on top of a mountain so the weather was really bad. Until 10 I thought I was going to be trapped in the shelter for the day. The winds were high I'm guessing the were around 50+ on top. So finally around 11 the wind died down and it started to clear up so I decided to make a break for it and try to get down to a lower elevation. I left the shelter at 11 with a plan to knock out 22 miles as fast as possible. So from the shelter to hwy 52 was 22 miles and a 2.5 mile hitch to Dairy Queen! As I began to hike through the low clouds and the rain I made a deal with myself if I would make it to hwy 52 by 6:00 I would hitch into town for a meal and then have time to hitch back out. So I hiked as quickly as possible on the slippery trail. I only had a few views during the day when the clouds would lift for a few minutes. Anyway I got to hwy 52 at 6:03, close enough in my book! I was heading to Dairy Queen! I got a quick hitch to DQ and then the feast began. I am embarrassed to say how much I spent on fast food but it was delicious and filling. At 7:00 I knew I needed to try to get back to the trail but it was going to be a lot tougher to get back to it than it was leaving it. I tried to get a ride at the gas station but no one knew where the trail was...so I started walking. About 100 yards out of the parking lot There is a motel on to my left and I figured I'd at least go and ask for a price. When I crossed the road I ran into an older gentleman that looked like a thru hiker and I asked him how much rooms were, he said $50 but he had an extra bed in his room and he would let me stay with him for $10. So I quickly agreed. We talked for a while and he mentioned his friend Paul Stutzman who wrote a book on the AT "hiking through." That book was the first book I read on the AT and the book that helped me confirm my decision to take this hike. It was a really cool coincidence. Later tonight raisen brand kid (the guy I'm staying with) called Paul and I got to talk with him for a while about his book and my hike so far. He mentioned that he is planning on canoeing the Mississippi River starting August 10th and will finish in 2 months. I want to meet him along his journey and provide some river magic when he gets down to the great state of Louisiana. Anyway it was a fun evening with a random set of events! I am loving Virginia and the scenery! I have been thinking that I am 25% of the way done with my hike and it makes me kind of sad to think this will be over one day. Just enjoy every step and have no regrets. I am thankful for the journey that this has been so far! Looking forward to the rest.
Date: 2013-05-07
From: big walker motel

To: Dismal Creek Campsite
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: broken clouds

I had a good night of sleep at the walker motel. Raisen Brand woke up at five to catch a shuttle leaving at 6:30, so it was an early morning for me. I was able to fall back to sleep for a about an hour. I went back down to DQ for breakfast and to grab a few things to get me to pearisburg. I caught a shuttle at 10 with 2 Germans and a couple from Missouri. They would be the only hikers that I would see for the entire day. The morning looked like it was going to be a rainy day but it held off for almost all of my hike. It drizzled a few times but other than that it was just cloudy. Around 1 the clouds began to clear a bit and I had some really good views of the valley. At 3 the sun shined through and I had blue skies for the first time since I left Damascus. It was incredible! I don't mind being out in the cloudy and rainy weather but it does suck because all there is to look at is the trail right ahead of you. So after just staring at the ground for the last few days it was incredibly refreshing to have blue skies and to feel the sun, the views were pretty great too. I got to Trent's grocery around 5 and I grabbed a quart of chocolate milk and a sandwich. Chocolate milk has been my town drink of choice lately, I drank two quarts today (not the first time). I am beginning to think I could knock out the gallon milk challenge in my sleep. Anyway after Trent's I hiked another 6 miles to my campsite. The last few miles of the trail had a lot of water and tons of water flowing through the creek. Everything is flooded, Virginia has had a lot of rain the last few days. I am camped about two feet from dismal creek and it is going to be super peaceful to sleep by. I will be in pearisburg tomorrow after lunch and I will resupply there. I plan to hike out five or so miles once I finish everything in town. Ben is mailing new shoes to me tomorrow and I will pick them up in daleville. I can't wait to get them, my shoes and starting to fall apart and making my feet hurt. They are also pretty slick on the bottoms and I have been sliding around a lot. Excited to have comfy shoes!Goodnight world!
Date: 2013-05-08
From: Dismal Creek Campsite

To: pearisburg holy family catholic church
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Tough day today. I woke up around 7 and didn't get moving until 10. It rained all night and morning. I was hoping it would slack off a bit but it rained consistently until 2:00. The mountains are flooded. I'm not sure how much rain we have had but the trail is a constant stream and the streams are flooded. I only went 19.5 miles today but it felt like a 30 mile day. I walked in ankle deep water for most of the day. When I began the 2000 foot decent into pearisburg the clouds finally lifted and I got to enjoy a few views. The hiking was tough but at least I could end my day in town to dry off and get some good food. I hiked into town and went straight to an all you can eat Chinese place. I was determined to get my money's worth. About half way through my meal a lady approached my table and she was asking me about my hike. At the end of the conversation she said that she was going to pay for my meal. It was a random act of kindness and I was thankful for it. She then offered to bring me to a local hostel, I took her up on the offer! It was incredibly uplifting since today was so tough. I am staying at a church tonight and I have a few errands to run in the morning before I head out of town. The forecast says it will be clear skies but I won't believe it until I see it. I am sending home my winter gear tomorrow, so my pack is going to be at least 3 lbs lighter! Also I am super happy to say I have gained all of my weight back. I lost 5 lbs at the start of my hike and then 5 more when I got sick. I weighed myself tonight and I have gained all 10 of it back! Super thankful for that! I need a foot massage. Two journals posted today go back