morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Campsite

To: Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: clear sky

It seems after a while your body gets in a wake up routine, usually I wake up around 7:30, I pack up as much as I can without getting out of my sleeping bag, then I pack up the rest and head out. We started the day out with a climb, but I felt great this morning and didn't seem to notice it much, besides I had my music and the morning started out very pretty and the weather was perfect. As I reached the end of the descent of the first climb I spotted Yianie's tent in the middle of the trail, he had done 30 miles the day before and apparently he couldn't find a very good site in the dark and set himself up smack dab in the middle of the trail. He asked if I had any tape to fix a few blisters that popped up the day before, I didn't, but told him about the store .4 miles down the road and he decided he would head down there. As I was talking to Yianie, Scout showed up and mentioned that the store was also accesable from Dismal Falls so we decided we would do the couple miles to the falls and eat lunch at the store. The miles went quick and the .3 mile side trail wasn't nearly as steep downhill as I expected, and it was so worth it! The falls were awesome and there was even a little swimming hole to jump in, we decided to eat lunch then go for a swim so we headed to the general store which we had thought was right off the trail, apparently it was a mile down the road, but we were set on hot lunch and cold soda so we walked down anyways and it was so worth it! Yianie and Cornpatch were already there enjoying lunch so I ordered a grilled cheese and fries and as we waited for our food to be ready we were quite entertained by the locals in the area. Half the cars and pickups that pulled through were full of old men already drunk, and the town was obviously a big dairy town we figured out after looking at the bumper stickers and license plates on almost every vehicle. After lunch we ended up getting a ride back to Dismal Falls in the back of a pickup from a nice man who was on his beer run.Yianie got a ride with us and the three of us spent well over an hour just enjoying the falls. We all jumped off the cliffs into the water (which really wasn't very deep, but deep enough!) and just layed in the sun which felt so good! The day was really warming up and the temps were in the eighties so the cold water felt wonderful. Although Kelly didn't go swimming, she did enjoy standing in the water to cool off. Eventually I knew I had to get going if I wanted to make it to the hostel so I reluctantly put my pack back on and got hiking.Fortunately the hike was very easy the next six miles to the shelter. The day was hot, but the hike was full of shade and water so I was happy. We did however have a decent climb after Wapiti shelter which was pretty hot and steep. As evening came I enjoyed the cooler temperatures and Yianie and I rolled into the hostel around dusk where we each bought pizza and were treated to a delicous desert of peach pie, mmmm!
Date: 2010-05-01
From: Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Ok, i'm bad, TWO zeros in ONE week! What's up with that? I'll tell you the story in a minute, let's just say I got sucked in Started the morning right with a hearty breakfast made from scratch and a few hours later Michael (the hostel owner) took us on our shuttle into Pearisburg. On the way down I got talked into doing a work for stay. Basically in a work for stay you do a few hours of work around the hostel and they let you stay the night for free. I had done a lot of miles the last few days, so it wasn't too difficult to be convinced, plus it was going to be a hot day so being stationary didn't sound too bad.On the way back from Pearisburg we stopped by the neighbors house so Michael could pick up some eggs, well the neighbor has goats and the last few weeks they have all been giving birth so we got to visit some very cute little kid goats. Some of them almost looked like little puppies, they were absolutely adorable!When we got back to the hostel we ate lunch, Michael made us some lemonade, and we started working. The work wasn't too diffiicult, basically we were placing mortar between rocks for some garden beds they were building. It took less than two hours and we were finished, I admit I enjoyed the work, it was something to do other than hiking and was happy to not be hiking in the heat.Kelly also enjoyed her zero. The couple that owns the hostel has a couple of dogs and they played with sticks all day and in the pond that the guys had dug the day before for their work for stay. One of the dogs at the hostel is even more obsessed with sticks then Kelly, if you ignore her she starts dropping the stick on your toes but when you try to grab it she pulls it away from you, huh.After work, I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing the rest of the day and as a small thunderstorm rolled through I sat on the covered porch and thoroughly enjoyed watching the skies open up and the rain pour down. It was good to see rain and not be in it, but I kind of wondered if the mortaring job we had done had time to set before the rain hit. We all just relaxed the rest of the afternoon until dinner time where I enjoyed another delicous meal at the hostel and an ice cream cone. After dinner Michael brought out some clippers and helped me give Kelly a little shave. Kelly wasn't too thrilled but I knew she would be much happier on the hot days, and tomorrow is supposed to be hot!
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: The Captain's House
Miles today: 13.3

Woke up, packed up my wet tent, and headed out this morning. The skies looked like they were holding in thunderstorms, but it wasn't long before I tossed my fleece jacket off and was hiking in my tank and skirt once again. We hit a lot of ridge line hiking today which made it nice and easy and the temperature was much more mild than the previous day. The one thing I needed to do that day was call Keen to see about getting a replacement for my boots which the soles had been peeling off since NOC and have been held together by shoe goo (which hasn't done that great of a job). The soles are in bad shape and I can feel every stick and rock underneath my feet which makes my feet hurt after even a low mileage day. Apparently keen does everything by email so i'll have to figure out when I can that worked out.I stopped for lunch at a little campsite on top of a meadow for lunch and ended up taking a nap. The bugs were horrible but I put a couple of spritz of bug spray on my neck and they left me alone. I had passed Big Fork and Little Spoon who told me they were heading to Captain's house who they explained was a trail angel who allows hikers to camp on his property. I decided that sounded pretty cool so I knew I had a short day and didn't leave for a couple hours. The rest of the miles went pretty easy and it wasn't long before we were descending down to the shelter. I stopped in at the shelter to sign the registry then headed the .8 miles to see if I could find Captain's house. Sure enough I see a little sign on the trail that said "Captains" pointing to the right. Now, to get to the house you pull this little chair towards you that's on a zipline in order to cross the creek which presented some problems for Kelly and I. Captain helped us out by pulling our packs over to him and Kelly and I waded in the creek which was up to my hips and she had to swim across. The water felt very refreshing and I might just go swimming later Turns out Captain is more than just someone who lets you camp on his property. When I arrived the first thing he did was offer me a cold drink and invite Kelly and I in. Dipper, Castor, Nemphis, and Shakes were already inside using the internet and watching tv. Captain offered to take us in to town where we were able to order pizza and we enjoyed root beer floats. He let me do laundry and take a shower and even let us sleep inside on the couches and on the floor. He also has a sauna he allows the hikers to take advantage of, it's absolutely wonderful! Kelly is happy as well since she has a couple of border collies for her to play with. This place is amazing and I don't know how the Captain does it.
Date: 2010-05-04
From: The Captain's House

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: clear sky

As difficult as it was, I made it out of the captains house this morning around ten. The day pretty much started out with a climb and despite hearing that it was steep and difficult, it didn't feel nearly as bad as the climb out of Pearisburg, I think weather conditions probably had a lot to do with that.Despite having a couple of large climbs the hike today was absolutely beautiful, we seem to be hiking along the tops of the mountains a lot lately which has some benefits (like a cool breeze on a hot day!) but also has some disadvantages (lots of ups and downs!)The hike was pretty uneventful today, or at least nothing in particular really stood out much from any other days so i'll save you the boredom and just let you know that my feet hurt and I stayed at Laurel Creek shelter last night. I am a bit worried though because Monkey told me today that when he got his keens it took him about a month to recieve them, I don't think I can wait that long.
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Daleville, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Ok, I know I wasn't going to take any zeros for a while, but at least this time I have a good excuse! When I got up this morning Tenfitty told me he was zeroing so if I wanted to stay another night we could go in on a room again. I didn't want to zero and spend the money on a motel for another night, but I figured if I did stay another night I would be able to run Kelly by the pet clinic in the morning to see if they just might check her feet real quick. Scrugs ended up going in on the room as well which made the price much more reasonable.The motel here is nice, much nicer than that ones we've been staying in, but it seems management is a bit paranoid about hikers. As I walked up to the motel yesterday to check out the situation I was bombarded by the employees asking me where I was going, when I explained they kept asking me how many people where in that room, I had no idea! Anyways, the same guy walked by our room several times yesterday afternoon and this morning and would peer in our window and once he even called us to ask how many people were in the room. We had four, just as we said we did but he was persistent and it was pretty irritating when all we wanted to do was just relax and not feel like we were being babysat. Otherwise the motel is conveniently placed near the trail, clean, and they have a breakfast which has been great.Barely any other hikers came in today and although I did go to the grocery store and out for dinner, the day was otherwise relaxing and slow paced and gave me an opportunity to help heal my bruised feet. I would like to get up pretty early tomorrow to get my still large list of things to do done.
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Just wanted to say thanks everyone for your concerns about Kelly (and my) feet. It looks like we have everything worked out, although I am interested in the pad toughening spray, I am thinking it might be difficult to find though, but if I find it or it becomes a problem again, it's definitely something to consider! (If that wasn't a run on sentence I don't know what is!)Fortunately we caught the problem before it became a real problem. Kelly is still walking just fine, her pads are just feeling worn which is a quick recipe for disaster if we kept on hiking.After a small continental breakfast at the Days Inn, John and his brother took me to the outfitter where I was directed to the location of Tent City. Although I was told there wasn't any volunteer work left to do for Trail Days I was informed no one would bother me if I set my tent up early, which is precisely what I did. Fortunately, coming early means I get near first pick on a spot so I chose me a spot on a long island next to the creek away from some of the big party circles. After setting up camp, I headed back into town to see about finding Kelly some dog boots. Mount Rogers Outfitters had the Ruff Wear booties in stock, which was exactly what I was looking for. We ended up fitting her with a small pair and they even tossed in a pair of liners for us, how nice! When I first placed the booties on her she lifted her legs in an exaggerated motion and looked a little nervous, but after walking around for a few minutes she seemed to adjust very well. By the time we headed back to camp, Kelly hardly seemed to notice the booties.It is very nice being back here in Damascus, although quite strange. I see so many hikers but I have seen only two familiar faces. I am so used to hitting town with the same people that it's strange not to see them around and it makes me feel a bit lonely. It is so much easier to strike up a conversation with a hiker you haven't met before on the trail then in town. When I couldn't find anyone to hang out with or anything to do, I decided to just head back to my tent where I did nothing but sleep for a couple of hours. I will admit though, it was nice to take a nap in my tent in the middle of the day, that opportunity doesn't present itself very often. When I couldn't stand to sleep another minute I headed back in town. I'll probably be heading to Quincy's for dinner tonight and maybe tomorrow I can go for a hike, run, or maybe even rent a bike for the day. Now that Kelly has her booties we are all set!
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Yes, I am still in Damascus! Don't worry everyone, i'm getting back up to Daleville this afternoon. The last (nearly) two weeks have been very busy and since I haven't been on the trail I figured I would try to squeeze it all on one big update. Basically, trail days was insane! Tent city which was the tenting area for all of trail days and was covered in 100's of tents. The partys went all night, and the vendors gave out a lot of free gear. But by the end of it, I was so ready to get away from the crowds which didn't happen right away.After Trail Days I volunteered for Bob People's Hard Core trail work. Essentially for two days we worked to build new routes on the AT where switchbacks are neccesary. We ended up building nearly 4000 feet of new trail up on Roan Mountain and Pond Mountain. The work was hard, but we had dinner provided for us both nights and it was great to meet a lot of fellow hikers behind me. By the time the two days was up I was definetely ready to get back on the trail. I ended up getting a ride back to Damascus where I met up with Swamp Cricket who mentioned I might be able to get a ride up with him and his friends in a few days so I decided just to hang around Damascus until then. Him, Forager, Rider, and I ended up hiking up the Grayson Highlands again and it was so much prettier this time around! The grass was so green and the wildflowers were in bloom and the ponies looked plump and much healthier than last time I went through a few weeks earlier. Although it was frustrating hiking and not getting any farther up the trail, it was awesome to be back up in the prettiest part of the trail at such a nice time of year. It is also sad to think that I may not be able to catch up with my fellow hikers.I am a little worried about Kelly this morning, she stole some food overnight we had left out and shes had atleast three hot dogs and a half a stick of butter since last night. This morning she isn't feeling very good so I am trying to get a hold of the vet in hopes that he has some advice. I'm going to have to start tying her when I prep food. She has been fed so much by the hikers that she seems to think all the food is hers which is frustrating.So, theres the quick update, if I have time to do so i'll add a little more detail to the entry. I apologize for taking so long to update, the next update should be an on the trail update
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Daleville

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Finally made it out of Daleville, woohoo! I feelt like i'm moving forward again. I checked out of the motel this morning at 11 after filling myself up on the motels continental breakfast and set out on the way to find the trail. Fortunately, the trail was less than a mile from the motel and once I found the pizza hut, I knew exactly which direction to go and was on the trail close to noon. Although it was easy to find, it was a little scary skirting the edge of the busy highway near the freeway on and off ramps, but we survived!What do you know as we headed to the trail, the rain starts as if to say "Welcome back to the AT Cowgirl!" As usual the day started out with a climb, but I was feeling great and even the wet weather couldn't bring me down. I saw tons of orange salamanders on my way up and was lucky enough to even see a turtle on the trail! Kelly wasn't too sure what it was so carefully skirted her way around, but I managed to get a few pictures I stopped at the first shelter for my regular bagel and peanut butter lunch and snacked on a few gummy worms, a large boy scout troop showed up as well as a thru hiker, Six Toes, right before I headed out and on to the next shelter. Wasn't too long before I left the shelter when the sprinkles turned into a full on down pour and not too much later I was completely soaked, but it was a good feeling! I was back on the AT and in for the full experience. It was a warm day so being wet actually felt pretty good for once. At the next shelter I met Slowtrain and Graywolf and was tempted to stay for the night. Graywold had a guitar which is always a treat to listen to on the trial, but I decided to move on to the next shelter. The rain continued on and off throughout the day which never got old, although I don't think Kelly enjoyed it quite as much as I did. When I reached the Blueridge Parkway though the sun started to peek through and the skies got blue and a faint mist still lingered through the forest which reminded me of the day I hiked into Fontana Dam. It was absolutely beautiful and the terrain was flat and easy. I made it to the next shelter in no time where a cooler full of drinks and a baggy full of snacks were waiting. At this point I decided to find a camping spot between the two shelters and since I figured it was getting late and I wouldn't want to cook dinner, I ate a few snacks, a gatorade, and grabbed a can of Yoohoo chocolate milk for later. Although I regretted my choice of dinner the next morning, it was delicous that night and held me through.Unfortunately, there wasn't much for camping the next six and a half miles, so I ended up hiking in the dark to the shelter which was completely empty. Tonight was the first night I had the shelter to myself, and although it was eerie, I figured it was a good thing considering I didn't get to the shelter till nine thirty... past hikers midnight Since it had been such a long day I was too lazy to hang bear bags, I only hoped I wouldn't have any large visitors throughout the night.
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Still in Glasgow today, I had quite a few things that needed to be done and I had gotten in too late to get them done yesterday. Although I had intended to get to Waynesboro Friday, I realized with my foot problem it wasn't going to happen so am shooting for Monday or Tuesday insteady, realizing i'm going to have to take it slow until this infection goes away (hopefully that's what it is).Woke up this morning around 9:30 when Hammer showed up at the Music Hall. Turns out he was heading to Lowes to pick up some supplies to start construction on a shower for the hikers (he also played a big part in getting the shelter up and realizes what the hikers can do for this poor little town). Apparently Lowes is right next to Walmart so he offered to take me with him so I could get my prescription filled, thank you! In the midst of everything last night, me being tired and ready to get back, I had forgot to ask for something to help with the pain. When I called the medical center this morning they told me they couldn't write me anything because the P.A. I saw last night wasn't in this morning, bummer. The foot doesn't feel any better this morning and the pain has spread a little. I also went to the doctors office in town a little later explaining the situation, they said they were going to lunch and couldn't fit me in later, i'm pretty sure they thought I was trying to get hooked up or something. I did put on clean clothes first (felt soo good to get laundry done)so at least I didn't like a bum or anything. I was told tylenol and ibprofen which really isn't cutting it, especially when I have to hike on it. She said the Keflin should start working right away and the pain should go right away. I think sometimes it's difficult to get people to understand your situation as a hiker and this whole experience has been so frustrating, i'm not sure what I would have done had Hammer and all the other people around Glasgow not been here to help me out. I feel like my last couple of entries have been pretty negative and I apologize that, but for anyone thinking about hiking the trail, some good advice is don't get any medical problems! At this point I am not sure if I will be hiking out to the first shelter tonight, or if I will head out in the morning, I have all my town chores done now, I just need to hitch back. If I don't make it out it isn't a huge deal since the shelter (which was built from a fundraiser carnival set by one of the churches around here), is a free service for the hikers.