morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-03-22
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: McQueens gap
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: clear sky

I woke up a few hours later feeling drunk and just totally out of it. Just sitting up in my sleeping bag resulted in my legs and hips getting severe cramps that caused me to lay back down immediately and push to straighten out my legs to try to stretch out the cramping muscles. After a few minutes I tried to sit up again. I was still too tired to think and decided to go back to sleep.Sometime later I woke up again and was able to get up and pack up and get moving. I couldn't even do the math to figure out how many miles I had left to get into Damascus. My feet were killing me and I was wiped out. By the time I decided to bail I was past the 421 crossing and I was not going back... the Forest Service road at McQueens gap was the only out before Damascus. I called for a shuttle to pick me up there and they met me there at about 2:30 in the afternoon. I got into town and called Enterprise to move my rental up a day to the next day... the 23rd. I got a room at Dave's place, got some food and went to bed early. Enterprise would be coming in the morning to pick me up and then I'd be able to get my foot/toe checked out and head out for my planned break for my anniversary and my birthday. As much as an infected toe is a bad thing when hiking I was thankful that it flared up just before a planned break... if there could be a convenient time to get an infected toe while hiking... this would have to be it!Happy Trails and God Bless!
Date: 2016-04-06
From: Damascus, VA

To: US 58
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

I woke up and was packed and ready to head out in record time. Breakfast was at 8:30 so I headed out to the post office to mail some souvenir stuff off to my daughter and pick up some things at the dollar store.At breakfast I met Slip & Trip. A hiking couple. She said her age to which I told her not to tell lies... that she didn't look a day over 38... We started talking about hiking shoes and Trip mentioned the 276 outfitters in Franklin and a brand of boots they fit him with that fit perfectly! I knew the Franklin outfitter was food but when I went through Franklin my shoes, moab ventilators were doing great... it was just the last day or so before getting off the trail that they started squeezing my feet some. The comments from Trip did ring a little bell on my mind.I finished breakfast and got my gear to head out of town. I remembered the way out of town from my 2003 hike and it seemed eerily familiar... a lot of the trail up to then seemed to have changed with only small sections seeming the same. This was definitely one of the ones that was the same.Even before I was out of town my feet were bothering me. I had taken more ibuprofen at breakfast and was hoping it would kick in soon. I put on some music and tried to distract myself which worked for a while. The first shelter was about 8 miles from town and I thought I'd take a break there and eat the last of my birthday cake I had been carrying. German chocolate cake can be very heavy for it's size! I was making reasonably good time all things considered and reached the turn off to the shelter. The sign said it was too far off the trail so I just kept going. The trail joined with the Virginia creeper trail for a while and I came upon a bench. I decided to sit down, have some cake and take a break.My feet were still killing me so I just beside myself with what to do. My new shoes were not going to work. As I pushed on I got some signal and was able to contact some friends to workout getting off the trail to get some new shoes.
Date: 2016-04-14
From: Mt. Rogers Visitor Center

To: Relax Inn
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

After and additional day in Marion to get to a doctor to take care of my toe that was showing signs of infection again I was back on the trail. The benefit of an unplanned zero was now I was on pat with Subman and Suds. I was just an hour or so behind with a short day to relax inn planned. The hike was not too challenging and my feet felt better. And with antibiotics in my pack I felt better heading out towards Paris burg which was at least 4 to 5 solid days without a good town with a dr. I was moving along well and in a little better spirits. I reached the school house at the Settlers Museum and saw a couple packs on the ground. I thought they were Subman's and Suds' so I went into the school to get some trail magic - a cold mountain dew - and sat in the sun on the front porch with my socks off. I spread my socks out some so they could dry out as I Waited for sub and suds to come back.They came back a little while later from visiting the museum and we headed off towards the relax inn. We arrived at the relax inn and checked in. Thanks to ANOTHER data breach with my Bank of America card... check in was a pain... I wish I had time to switch banks.. BOA... is a very bad bank...Anyway... after checking in we headed up to the barn for a 16oz hiker burger that really hit the spot! So much so that we didn't need dinner that night and made do with a few snacks. I decided to spend the next few days tagging along with sub and suds to give my feet and body time to get back into hiker shape before my iron will hiked them into the ground again. Sometimes the mind is willing to do more than the body... sometimes the body is ready for big miles and the mind is toast... it's definitely a challenge hiking day after day... one thing is for sure... I slept well that night.
Date: 2016-04-15
From: Relax Inn

To: Lynn Camp Creek
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: few clouds

We (sub, suds and I) were up early and up to the Barn for breakfast. I got the diner special two eggs and 8oz ribeye that looked not so much like a ribeye but was meat and I ate it all! Then it was back to the room to finish packing up and hit the trail.Sub and Suds were planning to go 16.1 miles to Lynn Camp Creek and I was along for the walk. I tempered my desire to get moving for big days and just settled in to the 16.1 day. Along the way I met Claire and her brother again... I had met Claire in Damascus coming out of the dollar store.... she went to trinity college in my neighborhood and did crew which my daughter does... so that was cool.The hike was enjoyable though it's constant work... we arrived at the campsite and it was still daylight. For the first time of the hike I set up my tent on the ground. All previous tenting on this hike had been in empty shelters. I probably need a little work on setting up tents as in the morning I had more condensation than I liked. . Maybe adjust the fly so more air would come on or with no rain.. maybe go flyless.... we'll see...
Date: 2016-04-16
From: Lynn Camp Creek

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

I was itching to go for big miles but was resolute to sticking with my plan to shadow sub and suds at least to Paris burg to give my body and mind time to get in trail shape again...The hiking was going well until I received an upsetting phone call and realized that there are more issues that can ruin a thru hike than those on the trail. Sometimes people don't realize or understand what it means to be a thru hiker or the challenges. It is also a challenge for those off the trail supporting the hiker... but in my case I am determined to complete my hike this year in the year of the Monkey! Hopefully those in my life will come to understand but either way this is probably the last opportunity for me to do a thru hike and I'm going to finish as long as I can walk!We made it to the shelter and I was happy to see DREAM ON was there AND he had a fire going and music playing...he had Portishead on and a few other songs I liked/enjoyed. It was a nice shelter to spend the night. N.O.W.A was at the shelter also and is a class guy. He didn't say a lot but had expressions that said it all as he listened to us and worked on updating his hiking plan. Late in the night Mustard came in to the shelter... I really like that guy... he is an inspiration and I need to get a photo of him... he's not your typical thru hiker IF there is such a thing as a typical thru hiker... unless you subscribe to DREAM ON's everything is just an illusion!!!I went to sleep and slept well.
Date: 2016-04-17
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Camp Site 24.3m from Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early and was packed up and on my way. The plan was to get to Jenny Knob shelter but like usual my slower hiking meant I would arrive well after dark. I was running low on water and refilled at Jenny Knob shelter but in the dark I couldn't find a decent tent site and the shelter looked full. I made a command decision to push on and try to find a camp site where I could start a fire to dry out. My pack rides against my back so my shirt and waist area are typically drenched in sweat by the time I get into camp. Usually it drys out quickly but in the dark I really needed a fire to dry out. A short while past the shelter I found a couple tent sites but unfortunately they were already taken. I kept pushing on and found one that looked perfect and was completely empty! Yeah! I set up my tent and got everything ready then gathered some sticks and leaves. Fortunately the wind and weather was cooperative and I was able to get the fire going on the second match. Not bad for in the middle of no where....After drying out I went to sleep for the night.
Date: 2016-04-18
From: Camp Site 24.3m from Jenkins Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early and was packed up and hiking by 7 am. The plan was to go into Trents Grocery and resupply but when crossing the footbridge before the road there were some amazing trail angels with a grill set up! Burgers, Hot Dogs, cold drinks, chips, oreos, and other yummies! This was one of the best trail magic events along the way so far! Definitely a mood / moral booster! After a while of enjoying the amazing hospitality I set out with Subman and Suds to Trent's for a few things thought the big meal definitely lightened the snacks I'd have to get at trents and carry with me. We all managed to hitch a ride from Trent's back to the trail and hiked the few miles up to Dismal Falls. I was pretty hot and my tent, sleeping bag, and other gear was a little damp so I decided to hike the .3 down to Dismal Falls and have a pack explosion and lay my gear out on the rocks in the warm sun to dry out while I went into the water to cool off... The water was freezing cold... like ice water... but it felt good for a few minutes before I started feeling numb! Then I got out to dry off in the sun.The rest of the day was a short hike to Wapiti Shelter where I decided to sleep in the shelter to get an early start.
Date: 2016-04-19
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: light rain

I woke up for an early start into Woods Hole Hostel. I was feeling the miles of the previous days and didn't want to take a full 0 so a nero into Woods Hole Hostel was the next best thing. Everyone raves about Woods Hole - which is a nice relaxing hostel with good food. It isn't for everyone but as for hostels go it is near the top. There is no signal in the valley location and wifi is limited as are resupply options. Shuttles into town are not regularly planned and really hit or miss. Fortunately I had plenty of supplies to get me into Pearisburg so I wasn't too concerned. I just enjoyed the peaceful calm of the area. Since most of my photos are with my camera and not on my phone I am having a hard time getting the photos to post with my journal but hopefully a library will be convenient in a while and I'll have the time to go back and add some photos. The bread at Woods Hole is home made and very good. I ate the entire loaf for lunch with a stick of butter! Dinner was a build your own burrito which continues the trend of Mexican food for this hike!
Date: 2016-04-20
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 11.1

I was up even earlier leaving woods hole by 6 am so I could get into Pearisburg. I had a package to pick up and some gear from REI that had failed and needed to be repaired/replaced. Logistically it was going to be difficult to get everything done and my stupid toe was looking not so great so I wanted to get it looked at AGAIN!!! CHAR!!! The hike was nice and uneventful however my poor planning meant that exchanging closed cell foam pad that wasn't working for my air sleeping pad meant I'd have to wait until Saturday for it to arrive. Since I needed my hiking poles repaired and some other gear issues it looked like Pearisburg and I would be spending a few days together... Anyway... things seem to work out in the end so part of the trail is dealing with the ups and downs and unplanned events... Like falling days behind on trial journals because you were not smart enough to switch from AT&T to Verizon before starting your hike! I was able to rent a car from Enterprise to be able to take care of some business and get to and REI to exchange my gear and also get a new osprey pack that I am hoping would solve the constant sweaty back issues.
Date: 2016-04-23
From: Pearisburg

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light rain

After getting back into Pearisburg and picking up a few things at Walmart and having lunch at the Chinese Buffet I returned the rental car and headed out to the trail. I was soooo tempted to just do another 0 and head out in the morning but opted for a short day to Rice Field Shelter instead. I figured a short day would be easy on the feet and get me on the trail. I also figured better to just head out of town.I missed a turn early and ended up in an old cemetery which was pretty interesting. There was one of a Military Person "Pearisburg" whom I am assuming is the one the town is named after... I could be wrong... I'll google that one later to confirm.After making the wrong turn and heading back I met a couple women out for a section hike at the fork where I made the wrong turn. I am terrible with names and hiking with headphones doesn't really help matters either when people say their names quickly before I can take out my headphones! Anyway... I believe their names were Pam and Cathy. Hopefully they will sign my journal sometime and correct me if I'm wrong!!!Cathy and Pam were both strong hikers and by strong I mean they hiked faster than me. I could keep up with a lot of effort and I decided to tag along with them for a while vs hiking alone all the time. We hiked up and out of Pearisburg and I was feeling the few days off. I was glad I was back on the trail but I felt like I was starting over again... The trail ran along a fence to a land fill which wasn't the most pleasant sight but fortunately the wind was blowing the right direction and there was no odor which was nice. We arrived at the shelter a little early in the day and the shelter was full so I decided to just set up my tent for the night. Scuba was at the shelter along with a number of other hikers I didn't really know.
Date: 2016-04-25
From: Wind Rock Camp Site

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: clear sky

We woke up early and I was feeling tired from being up around the camp fire til after 11 pm and the couple beers, margaritas and long day hiking! In hind sight I would have been better off getting some water and going to bed early but oh well...I packed up and headed off to the next shelter. My tent and sleeping bag were a little damp from condensation and I was hoping to stop at the shelter to dry everything out and camel up on water. I planned to drink a few liters and fill up my bottles for the hot day.Pam and Cathy were moving out fast and I wasn't able to keep up on the big down hill as my feet were sore from the previous day. I caught up to them at the shelter about 5-6 miles down the trail... I dropped my pack and decided to spread out my tent and things in the sun for a while before getting water to maximize the time drying while I was getting the water. After a short stay my gear was very dry in the hot sun and I was filled up with water and headed out for the next shelter which was the next water supply... I arrived there around 1 pm or so and decided to just hang out there until 3 pm to avoid hiking in the hot sun. I was really tired and drinking a lot of water and I felt like if I was going to make it to Niday that day resting during the heat of the day would be the best option. It meant I would arrive late into the camp but I was fine with that. I filled up my water bottles and went back to the shelter to hang out until 3 drinking water for the 2 hours and eating some snacks.At 3 I set out stopping at the water to refill and then move on. It was a long day and I was not feeling the greatest mentally but kept pushing on. My feet were hurting and that made the going more challenging. I arrived at Sarver shelter trail which was a half mile one way to the shelter so I decided even at the late hour to just keep going and push on to Niday. Along the way I found a purple dew rag and decided to pick it up and bring it to the shelter... it ended up being Scubas...   It was a good decision. I arrived at Niday around 10:30 and set up my tent and went to bed.
Date: 2016-04-26
From: Niday Shelter

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

On my previous hike in 2002 Dragon's Tooth is where I almost died from heat exhaustion/heat stroke/dehydration after running out of water and climbing down Dragon's Tooth in the dark with a headlamp to get to Four Pines Hostel where I went in to the shower and just turned on the cold water and sat down for a few hours with the cold water running on me as I was burning up... My plan for today was to "not repeat that again!" Leaving from Niday Shelter I had plenty of water and had drank about 2 liters before heading out. Even still... it was really hot and I drank most of it before we arrived at the creek before the climb up Dragon's tooth. I refilled all my water - 4 liters - and drank an additional 2 liters or so while resting near the creek. I also took off my shoes and socks and went into the creek and sat down to cool off for a few minutes. The water was really cold but I was really hot and it managed to cool me down to a very comfortable level. After a nice relaxing rest and cooling off... I walked around on the bridge until my feet dried off in the sun and I could put on my socks and pack up for the big climb up Dragon's Tooth. Carrying the extra water was hard but I was very glad I did as it was really hot and sunny out. I easily could have drank all the water on the climb up but rationed it so I would have half left for the down hill... which I remembered from the last hike was long and challenging.I reached the top and was able to go see the Dragon's Tooth rocks and take a few photos before heading down the mountain to the Four Pines Hostel. The down hill is very challenging over some rocks / cliff faces where you have to be exceptionally careful where to place your feet so you don't fall... and you definitely do not want to fall! I kept thinking... "I did this in the DARK???" "WTH was I thinking???"   It was really challenging in the daylight... but before I was very motivated knowing I was dehydrated, out of water and in tough shape... I made it to the road and met up with Cathy and Pam before heading to the Hostel. They were going to camp a few miles down the trail and I was planning to stay at the hostel and check out slack packing the next day to Daleville. We said our good byes thinking this may be the last time we saw each other... I asked them to sign my journal but we'll see....I made it to the hostel in significantly better condition than the previous time and had a great night there... I even got to play a game of chess which I won... though the guy I was playing was "stoned" so it really wasn't a big accomplishment....
Date: 2016-04-28
From: Howard Johnson's

To: Howard Johnson's
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I took a nice 0 to rest up and resupply... I walked down to the grocery store for a few things and had lunch at the Chinese buffet. The food was pretty good and reasonably priced... it wasn't "outstanding" like some other hikers had said but was decent. After lunch I went over to the Three Pigs BBQ to get some ribs for dinner... I didn't want to have to walk back down for dinner so I figured I'd just heat them up in the microwave.St. Louis ribs were somewhat disappointing... I guess I don't know what St. Louis ribs are... but they were not the fall off the bone tender ribs I was hoping for. They were a little tough and seemed a little bit dry too... maybe I should have opted for the pulled pork or something... Anyway... I got to bed early after a nice day of resting
Date: 2016-04-29
From: Howard Johnson's

To: Bobblets Shelter
Miles today: 18.5

I ended up waking up early but taking a long time to pack up and get out of the room. I was awake at 6 am and down for breakfast but it was 10 am before I checked out and was heading to the trail.On my zero day I came up with a plan to get to Buena Vista VA fro my next break... it included an 18.5 day, an 18.4, a 17.7, 17.2, and a 13.1 but the thing about plans is sometimes they change on the trail!So... heading out with a 10 am start... and planning on an 18.4 mile day at my snail's pace of about 2 miles per hour I figured I'd reach the shelter arould 7pm.I hiked along the trail taking a few photos along the way and just kind of doing my hiker thing. I arrived at the shelter around 7 pm as scheduled after a fairly non eventful hike. I felt pretty good and it was nice to have done the 18 plus miles after getting a late start and I even arrived with the sun still up! There was room in the shelter so I just set up there... Ronjon, Mr. Wizard, Captain America and a few other hikers I didn't know were there. In the morning... a trail maintenance guy came in to clean up some trash from the shelter and was talking alot about his hikes and trail philosophy... for me it was like blah blah blah.... until he uttered a pearl of wisdom....   People think the trail gets easier... IT DOESN"T!!! The trail is always just as difficult... you just get to covering it faster...   This made a lot of sense to me...