morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-09-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 6.0

This morning we are all headed out, resupplied, and got to the trailhead. Four Pines Hostel was only 6 miles away and the boys wanted to stay there, so we did a short day. I didn't mind, I haven't been feeling that great anyway.This hostel is pretty unique. Kind of dirty with a southern charm. There's some Southbounders here that I have never met which is kind of cool!I played funky duck in an intense game of chess. I feel a bit guilty for taking so much time off on the trail. I'll be ready to pull some big miles again soon.It was so great to spend time with my friends. I really needed some feminine energy. All these guys start getting to me. Weather looks good in the future! Looking forward to nice cool dry days to come.
Date: 2017-09-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So...five of us Southbounders decided to slackpack and then come back to Four Pines tonight. It was a good call I think. I met even more new Southbounders today! They said that they have constantly been two days behind me.I hiked Dragon's tooth today which was pretty grand. I climbed up the tooth for an exhilarating view. It was kind of sketchy climbing up, but I felt confident in myself since I am a climber. I wish that I could slackpack everyday. It's so much nicer on my body.When we all got back to the hostel we went to the Home Place for dinner. It's a family style all you can eat restaurant and I ate my guts out. I'm so full. I'm looking forward to getting back on trail tomorrow.
Date: 2017-09-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I expect myself to do at least 20 miles on a full day these days. But lately I've been more tired than usual and it has felt challenging. I realized that this is because we are getting so much elevation change, it's harder. I'm not going to expect quite as many miles from myself since I've been feeling worn out. I am going to finish plenty soon enough even if I slow down. I've really been enjoying having a group of Southbounders around me. We all feel how close we are starting to get to the end.I got my stove back and that has been magical at dinnertime. I've been into hot chocolate mixed with protein powder after dinner for an extra boost.Everything is so routine these days, I don't even know what to write. I woke up and walked a lot and now I'm going to bed.
Date: 2017-09-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Life is full of ups and downs, the trail just exaggerates them all. Big day today. Even though I'm tired, I feel good with a full belly of hot food. It's nice having my stove back. The first half of the trail was kind of shitty today. Pretty rocky and steep, but the second half was luckily really nice. Buck got off trail today...for good this time. I'm upset, but it's much harder on Franky. We are all on our own paths out here, sometimes we get lucky and follow ours with someone else temporarily, but it never lasts forever. Towards the end of the day, Franky Aloha and I came across some apple trees which was a nice treat. Also, there's been people out bear hunting with their dogs and I think that one got lost because he hiked with me for a good two miles until he eventually picked up a scent and ran off. That kind of hunting doesn't seem fair to me. But then again, I don't eat meat, one of the reasons being I would never want to kill an animal myself. It's dark and the secedes are screaming. Time for bed.
Date: 2017-09-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

I feel like I have been many places today. I got going early this morning and cranked out ten miles into Pearisburg VA. Here, scout hooked up a slackpack for a few south bounders and we slacked another 10 miles to woods hole hostel. I love this hostel so much. There are a ton of animals and the food is all home grown. And home made. It¢s quite special. I¢m especially fond of Neville, a lady in charge of the hostel. There¢s a big group of us south bounders tonight and it¢s nice to be around a group of people. We had a fabulous dinner that we all helped out with, and we also had a yoga session. I finished the night off by playing some guitar with Scout. Today is a special day for me on this hike.Oh! And I almost forgot, I bought an umbrella at goodwill today! I¢m ready for rain but there¢s nothing but sunshine in the forecast, and that¢s all right with me.
Date: 2017-09-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

I got out of the hostel pretty late, around noon I think. I now understand how people get suck places on the trail. I could get stuck here. I actually think that I will come back here for a few days after my hike.Today¢s hike was pretty easy. I¢m camped by Dismall Falls which is a killer spot. Aloha and flash are hammocking and funky duck is cowboy camping. I¢m in my tent. It¢s getting dark so early these days. I have less than 500 miles to go. That¢s pretty crazy. I¢ll be ready for the end when it arrives.
Date: 2017-09-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a late start today and didn¢t make it too far, but that¢s ok. I don¢t feel rushed these days. I see the end approaching and it¢ll be here in no time. The trail was beautiful today. That being said, I feel like my body is drained these days. The thru-hike is starting to take a toll on my body. I¢m at a shelter with Scout, Franky, and two guys section hiking who work at a general mills factory. I ran across two girls who were going northbound. I so wanted to turn around and hike with them! I miss girls. Overall doing well. I keep putting one foot in front of the other, and that¢s all I really need to do. I was told a story today about how there was a guy who hiked the trail who had all this money that he stole. When he got caught, only some of the money was found. It's rumored that he stashed money along the trail to keep it safe. I'm not telling it as well as I was told the story, but moral is, I'm keeping my eyes peeled!
Date: 2017-09-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 20.0

I forgot that it was my mom¢s birthday yesterday. I feel like a horrible daughter. I called her today and tried to make up for it. I can¢t wait to go home and spend some time with family.Pretty normal day today. It was warmer than usual and I was able to take a dip in a little river. Water has been dry in a lot of places. I haven¢t been caught without water yet though. (I also haven¢t been caught skinny dipping ;-) I try to be on top of water sources so I¢m not over carrying water or running out. I feel like the only real news I have to share is what is going on in my audiobook. Life is so simple for me. I¢m enjoying the south. There¢s nice trail down here. I didn¢t pass anyone today while hiking other than Scout and Franky. There¢s a couple in the shelter with us tonight who are doing a weird flip flop thru-hike. We¢ve passed them three times before and they are going north. I¢ll let you try to figure that one out. I¢ve wanted Ice cream all day. I didn¢t even used to eat ice cream before the trail. I¢m excited to go into town tomorrow and put down some serious calories.
Date: 2017-09-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.0

I just brushed my teeth. It¢s pretty gross how many nights I¢ve gone without brushing them. I love waking up in the morning on days that we are going into town, but I hate leaving town with a full resupply on my back. Atkins VA is alright. The post office has weird hours. It closed at 3:15 and I got there at 3:22. Someone was inside, but they wouldn¢t get my package for me. I unded up doing a resupply at Dollar General. Thankfully I haven¢t been eating vegan on this trip. I would have been screwed otherwise¢¦and very hungry.Scout Franky and I ate at The Barn, which is kind of like a casual cafeteria like restaurant. I downed a bunch of Sweet Tea and a place full of mediocre vegetarian food. Franky and I pestered Scout about how to go about making wills and trust funds¢¦the conversations we have stooped down to. We¢ve been hiking together a long long time the three of us. Normal conversations ran dull long ago. We have to come up with new material other than my audiobook¢¦which by the way, made me cry today as I was walking into town. I have 45 minutes left on it. Overall a good day on the trail. I¢m getting excited for Grayson Highlands!
Date: 2017-09-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 27.0

Big day today! And as usual with big days, it was unplanned. I wanted to stealth camp about 21 miles in, then I didn¢t find a spot for another 6 miles. That¢s what happens when you risk a stealth spot I guess. I think I finished hiking around 8:30, but it was dark the last hour, so I was hiking with a headlamp. I hit up two different trail magic finds today! One was a cooler with snacks, the other an event going on at the Mount Rogers visitor center where they gave me some food and I also ran into a friend of mine from college! She was working for the forest service. That was a really cool surprise!Overall it¢s been a pretty great day. I¢m getting really close to Grayson Highlands where we will see ponies! Tomorrow night we will be really high in elevation. Luckily the weather is nice. Well¢¦I¢m fed and pooped out! This hiker chick is ready for some Zzzz¢s.
Date: 2017-09-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: few clouds

I slept like an angel last night, let me tell you! I think it was my best sleep ever in the woods.Today was climbing in elevation all day. The weather is perfect. Aloha, Franky, Funky Duck and I are all camped up here with a stunning view. I saw around a dozen wild ponies today and another dozen longhorn cattle. It¢s really special up here! There are quite a few weekend hikers running around, but most of them are leaving today. I was pretty exhausted today from my long day yesterday. It¢s been nice to hang out tonight. I¢m a day and a wakeup from Damascus! Feeling good about that. OMG, as I was blogging in my tent, the boys started freaking out and I got up to see five ponies all around the campsite! Haha! Funky Duck was cowboy camping, so he was struggling to pick up his stuff before the ponies tried to eat it. The ponies made my entire trail experience, I¢m so happy. I played with them for a bit and I may have given them some peppermints¢¦even though you aren¢t supposed to feed them¢¦oops.
Date: 2017-09-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up in pony land and walked my way into Damascus, VA. I planned to get into Damascus tomorrow, but when I realized that we could walk the Virginia creeper trail and cut off several miles and elevation change from the AT, I convinced Aloha, Funky Duck, and Franky to take the creeper trail. It was quite nice! It used to be a railroad and is now a bike path. It was a nice change from the AT> I think we spent about eight to ten miles on the creeper trail. We got into town, ate, and ceased out at the Broken Fiddle hostel. WE told them that we just needed a place to crash and they charged us $10 to stay and shower. Not bad. I'm so excited for a day off tomorrow. I have 330 miles left to hike.
Date: 2017-09-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero day! I wanted to sleep in, but was awake by seven. We all decided to go get some breakfast and I had a latte and chocolate chip pancakes at the caf© in Damascus. I haven¢t had a latte since pre trail life. It was deliciousFranky and Scout are staying at the creeper trail lodge tonight and I got the invite to join. It¢s a nice place where we decided to cook a big dinner for everyone. It was so much fun! I also bought a new hiking t-shirt because I kept getting sunburnt in my tank top. This one covers my shoulders. I took a bath which was probably the highlight of my day off. I feel chronically tired. I¢m excited to not feel tired when I¢m done with the trail. (This is Dot typing my journals after the train and¢¦I don¢t feel tired anymore. If I don¢t go for a run or something, I have trouble sleeping.) I have about 3 weeks left. That¢s a lot and nothing at the same time.
Date: 2017-09-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

We did a 15 miles slackpack today that went by really quickly. I think we were back by one pm. To make it better, we went Northbound so it was mostly downhill. I started a new audiobook called Before We Were Yours. It hasn¢t sucked me in yet, but I hope it will. We hard core chilled the rest of the day in Damascus. I took the best bath of my life today. I also picked up my resupply package at the post office, so I¢ll be nice and heavy tomorrow. I so love laying around and watching TV. I think hiking the AT has taught me how to appreciate being lazy. I will argue that that¢s a good skill to have. I used to feel restless, like I should be accomplishing so more more, but now I just feel thankful to have a place to relax. I wonder if that will last or disappear when I finish the trail. (This is future me saying that it did not last long at all¢¦about a week.)
Date: 2017-09-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 18.0

I usually don¢t have a hard time leaving town, but today I did. I¢ve had pretty low motivation to hike lately, but I¢m just pushing through. That¢s really all there is to do, just keep hiking. I got on trail around 11 am this morning. The trail has been nice. Nothing to complain about, but nothing all that great either. It¢s windy tonight and just a bit nippy. I¢m in Tennessee, and for some reason, Tennessee doesn¢t have any privys, so there¢s no choice but to shit in the woods. I¢d honestly rather go in the woods, but privys are convenient. It¢s Aloha, Funky Duck, Franky and I in a shelter tonight. I get treated like one of the guys are them¢¦which is fine, but man I haven¢t seen a hiker chick in awhile. I have around 300 miles left. It feels like a lot and nothing. I¢m excited to be done.
Date: 2017-09-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 22.0

Great hiking weather and nice trail today. I¢m feeling pretty good tonight for once. I¢ve had such low motivation lately, it¢s nice to feel positively charged. We went through Hampton Tennessee today and over the big man made Watooga dam. The dam was pretty crazy, a local lady told us that there¢s the remains of an old town at the bottom of the lake. We also went by laurel falls today which was beautiful.I¢m camped next to Franky and Funky Duck tonight. We made a really nice fire and I kept munching and munching out of my food bag. I also had a nice chat with my mom. A south bounder named Foe came flying past us today. The guy does like 35 miles a day. I don¢t know man, I just don¢t have the mental or physical strength to do that many miles. Not all human beings are equal I guess¢¦or maybe I just don¢t want to hike that much. I enjoy my nice 20 miles a day. That¢s a good number for me.
Date: 2017-09-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

Funky Duck Franky and I froze our butts off last night. I could have put more clothes on, but I was already asleep and cozy before it got cold. So I just kept sleeping through the cold. I asked Franky if he got cold and he popped out of his tent in his sleeping bag to see me and he zipped down the bag to show that he was wearing every single one of his layers, including his rain jacket.I started hiking in pants and my puffy, which lasted not even a mile. It warmed up fast. I listened to my audiobook Before We Were Yours almost all day while hiking. The day flew by. Franky and I decided to stay at Doe River Hostel, which was pretty cool! I definitely recommend it. They had goats and horses and chickens and dogs. I crashed out so early that I¢m blogging the next day. I¢m happy to be inside tonight. (That morning was definitely one of my coldest mornings on trail)
Date: 2017-10-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy first of October! I had such a great lazy morning at the Doe River Hostel. This place is a nice spot to relax for sure. I made eggs and toast with some apples and coffee for breakfast. I didn¢t get out of there until 1 pm. I climbed big hump and little hump and caught up to Scout and Aloha in the process. (I don¢t think those names are the right ones for those mountains, or just one is right¢¦something like that.) The balds were spectacular today. A little windy and nippy, but not bad. We are at over mountain shelter tonight which is basically an old barn. There¢s quite a few people here, even some girls! I have on all of my warm clothes. This place is full of mice. I haven¢t dealt with too many mice on the trail, but they are all over this place. You can¢t leave any food out for a second. As long as they don¢t crawl on me in my sleep, I don¢t mind too much. Hiking is so much easier in the cold. I was full of piss and vinegar today, I finally caught up on sleep I guess. I have been feeling good! Frodo and Blazer and her brother are here tonight with us! I love when Frodo comes!!!
Date: 2017-10-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.0

Another easy day today. It was quite lovely actually. I took my time getting out of camp, even making myself some protein hot cocoa before leaving. I had on a lot of layers because it was pretty chilly. It¢s warmer tonight. There¢s a group of us all tenting and we¢ve been enjoying a nice fire as we cook dinner.Hiking feels so nice and easy when it¢s less than my typical mileage. It¢s funny how just backing off a few miles can lift my sprits. Scout¢s friends took off today. I fell in love with Blazer, she¢s so great. I want to keep her until the trail ends. She¢s from Alaska. She hiked the PCT with Scout awhile back. I finally ran into Lost today, the girl that I¢ve been trying to catch. She was hiking northbound with some family members. We had some great trail today, man oh man. We¢ve been hitting bald mountains and they are beautiful as long as the weather behaves. Full belly and getting sleepy.
Date: 2017-10-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 22.0

I feel tired and achy, like the sick kind and that worries me. Sick and hiking is not a good combo, especially as it's been getting cold/. Overall, other than not feeling great, today wasn't a bad day at all. I didn't eat much and haven't been too hungry. Scout's friends hiked out 6 miles today and are probably home by now. I told Blazer that she should just finish the trail with me. She said that I can visit her in Alaska whenever I want. I hope that I can take her up on that one day. There was a group of ladies hiking today who made my day when I passed them. They cheered for us south-bounders as we passed them for how far we have come. They were so sweet. It's Scout Aloha Franky and I at the shelter tonight. We are hiking 16 miles into Erwin tomorrow, then I will probably zero. Especially with how crummy I'm feeling, then I should be feeling better. I'm taking one of Franky's magic aspirin and sleeping pills. It's the little things in life.
Date: 2017-10-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

Woke up feeling not that great still. We hiked five miles to a hostel. The boys continued to hike another 11 miles on a slack pack, but I decided to stay with Frodo, scout's wife, and lay low with whatever bug this is. It was strange to watch the boys walk off as I sat in the car because I am always walking off with them. I felt like I was missing out in a way, but I was happy to rest my body. Frodo and I went to the library while we waited for the boys. I printed off my smoky mountain permit while there. We are staying with some friends of Scout and Frodo who live close to Roan Mountain. They were super sweet and cooked us a yummy dinner. I even got in a good game of chess before crashing out. I'm feeling better. We have a zero planned for tomorrow. I have been loving these easier days. I hope I wake up feeling good tomorrow.
Date: 2017-10-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero days are such luxury. Woke up to a nice home with breakfast being made upstairs for us. I feel like I have been having quite a unique trail experience. Scout and Frodo have really hooked me up with places to stay that have cost me very little, if anything. They have been so great to me. Today we are staying at a super 8. I got to take a really nice bath today and then I washed my socks and pack and food bag in the bathtub afterwards. The hotel charged us more than the hiker rate. They said that was only in the spring. Discriminating against south-bounders? oh well, i'm just happy to have a bed regardless. Tomorrow we hit the trail hard. For now, I'm watching television and eating as much as I can. What a life.
Date: 2017-10-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: overcast clouds

10/6/17 Day 124 Friday 25 milesWow, big day today. I didn't realize that we did 25 until I just looked at the map. We slack packed most of the day and Frodo brought us lunch halfway through. When we reached the top of a bald mountain, we found a group of kids and adults catching and tagging birds. It was pretty cool! I'm guessing that it was a school field trip teaming up with some environmentalists doing research. I secretly wished that I could be one of the kids holding and releasing the birds. It gets dark so early these days. Franky has been doing a good job at building fires lately. I've been enjoying having them every night. I'm feeling better, but not great. Under 200 miles to go for me. Hot Springs is coming up. I'm excited to go there. Frodo leaves tomorrow, so no more slack packing and being extremely spoiled. It's nice to be in the woods tonight. The temperature is nice and I'm excited to be in this nice shelter. Franky and a girl named Fire socks are here with me tonight.
Date: 2017-10-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I started hiking in the dark this morning because I woke up a little after 6 am, just couldn't sleep any longer. I've gotten incredibly efficient at packing up quietly and quickly. I hiked hard today, and finished by 5 pm/ We had quite a bit of uphill and it was steep. I finished my audio book today, Before We Were Yours. It has been excellent, sad but good. I'm in a shelter with Aloha, Franky, and 3 section hikers with a dog. It's a small shelter sadly. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be nasty. We have 11 miles into Hot Springs. I have so few miles left, I really don't need to hike long days in the rain, but 11 miles is reasonable.  While hiking today, i started hearing a flute. It kind of weirded me out, just coming from the woods. It ended up just being an older lady playing a flute while hiking with her hubby. I love this little dog at the shelter. About 150 miles to go for me, then this girl is headed into the real world. I'm excited for beds and towels.
Date: 2017-10-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I hate how long it stays dark these days. I was ready to go pretty early, but was just waiting for the sun to come up. It was humid and wet this morning, but it wasn't raining. I hiked pretty slow heading into Hot Springs, just lollygagging, not in a rush. It started sprinkling a bit towards the end. I'm staying at this really cute hostel called Elmer's Sunnybank Inn. They serve vegetarian meals and I was pretty excited about that, though there isn't wifi or much phone service here. There's a pretty cool outfitter in town that had some great stuff that I would love. But I'm a backpacker, and all I could really buy was a fuel canister because that's all I need. Life of a thru-hiker. Weight weight weight. Not for long though. There's a music room in the hostel, and I picked up a guitar. My fingertips have lost their calluses and my upper body feels so weak. Part of being a thru-hiker I guess. I'm really looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight.