morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-30
From: Dancing Bear B&B

To: Dancing Bear B&B
Miles today: 0.9
Weather: light rain

I tried to sleep in until 9 or so this morning, but that did not happen. I was up around 8a and went to the breakfast after taking a quick shower. I went to find everyone around town to see what they were planning on doing. They all decided they were going to stay another day, so decided to do the same. I went back to the bed and breakfast and got my room for one more night. I took a nice long nap and then just hung out in my room for a while. I went and walked around town later in the afternoon and found out the Rock had been making laps around Damascus telling all the hikers there is a hiker potluck dinner in he gazebo of the town park. He also told everyone to bring something, big or small. It worked! Over thirty hikers showed up and came together to make one big, great tasting meal. Long Bow made an awesome cold vegetable soup, but I cannot remember what it was called. It tasted like a bloody marry with vegetables in it. Flea's mom who was in town from New Hampshire brought a massive three foot long meatball sub along with extra meatballs and chili. It worked out very well and everyone had a blast. After it was over, Long Bow and I went to the Blue Blaze Caf© for a beer before calling it a night around 10pm. All the guys night hiked out to the first campsite around half a mile out of Damascus. I do not plan on leaving town until 10 or 11am so I can use my room in the morning and do anything I need to do before leaving. I may also sit in the hot tub for a bit in the morning which would feel great. I am going to try and go as far as possible tomorrow. I am ready to put in some big miles before trail days. It is supposed to be warm and sunny tomorrow, so bring it on! I hope the rain is gone for a few days.
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Dancing Bear B&B

To: Campsite near US 58
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

I set my alarm for 8am so I could pack my backpack before breakfast. I had another awesome breakfast made by Melissa the inn keeper. After that I took a hot shower and laid in bed for a bit listening to country on CMT. I left my room just before 11am and walked to the Dollar General to get Denali some wet wipes. He was sick all night at the campsite they night hiked to. I ate a pizza at Subway and got a sub to go so I could pack it out for dinner tonight. I did the 5 miles or so to a detour that took us along the Creeper Trail because there was a pretty good sized bridge on the AT the was washed out. Thankfully there was an outhouse on he Creeper Trail because my stomach took a turn for the worst and was not happy. Forest and I hit the Creeper Trail Caf© about ten miles in. We had a few milkshakes and Gatorades. That was the end of my happy hiking for today. Forest thought it was hilarious because I had to "go" almost every mile. My stomach was done and in a knot. I bolted to the privy as soon as we hit the Lost Mountain Shelter after pinching for a two mile up-hill. I went straight the US 58 road crossing and tried to hitch a ride for over a hour with no success. By 7:45pm I gave up and walked the .3 miles to a campsite just beyond the road. It was when I was setting up my tent that things really went south, literally. I got my last tent stake into the ground before grabbing m pack, leaving my tent set up, and made a mad dash for the road again. I got lucky! Some people that actually knew that AT crossed there stopped to pick me up around 9pm. I was dying for a bathroom again! They dropped me off at the Blue Blaze Caf© in Damascus where I used the bathroom at least three times while waiting for a pizza. I got a hold of an old high school friend who only lived 9 minutes away. He gave me a ride to Abingdon where I got a cheap motel room. The lady at the front desk checked me in around 11pm and gave me two extra rolls of toilet paper after explaining why I was a hiker in Abingdon. I took a shower and was in and out of the bathroom all night until 3am or so. I got to talk to Tahlor for a bit and finally fell asleep at the early hours of the morning. It was a rough day on the AT today.
Date: 2014-05-02
From: Campsite near US 58

To: Mount Rogers
Miles today: 10.8

It was a shorter day then I had planned, but felt long. I was up by 9am but definitely did not feel rested. I took a quick shower and talked to my mom and Tahlor. My stomach feels a lot better and everything is now solid which is great. Thank God! I checked out of my room and used a marker at the front desk to make a sign out of the top of my pizza box that read "hiker to Damascus." I walked under Interstate 81 to the Dunkin Donuts that was attached to a gas station. I was approached by a bigger guy that said "are you going north or south?" I said I was going to Damascus. He said he would bring me there and asked if I was a dirty kid, which I found out meant part of the Rainbow Children. I told him no, I was hiking the AT. He was very nice and friendly. He ended up giving me a ride all the way back to where I had hitched a ride in the night before. I walked into the campsite and packed up my tent that I had left there overnight. Forest was still there and was plying his guitar around a small fire he had built. I left and hiked the fairly steep climb up to Buzzard Rock. It was absolutely beautiful with outstanding views. I continued on and had a break 4.5 miles from Mount Rogers. I also stopped about 2 miles from the summit as my body was loosing steam and I needed to eat something. A man came running up on me following his huge pitbul. He was strapped with a holster around his chest. He stopped and talked to me for a bit after I said "good looking sig" as I could clearly see what he was carrying. His reply was "it is a good area to carrying." I'm still not clear as to what he meant by that. I hiked the 2 miles to the top. It was a great part of the trail. I was worn out. It was extremely windy. I got water that was a ways behind the shelter but it was great spring water with an even better view. I went back and found a great tent site about .2 miles before the shelter. All the guys showed up around 30 minutes later. There is no way it is over 35 degrees tonight. Everyone was in their sleeping bags before it got dark since it was so cold. My mom and Tahlor are meeting me at the Fox Creek/VA 603 road crossing tomorrow which is 13 miles away. They will be picking me up for the evening which is exciting and spontaneous. I am heading out early so I can see the wild ponies and knock out the miles before they get there. I am in for a cold and windy night. I cross over the 500 mile marker tomorrow. 315 miles to go until I pass where I got off the trail in 2011.
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Mount Rogers

To: Fox Creek, VA 603
Miles today: 12.7

Today was an absolute blast on the trail! I was awake at 5am due to the extremely loud and gusty wind. Every 5 minutes I thought my rain fly was going to take off. It was also very cold still. A huge fog cloud was lingering and blocking the sun that which was making it so cold. I could barely see the Rock's tent sitting less than 3 feet away from me. Forest was gone by 7am since he was cold and wanted to get moving. The sun started to come through shortly after he left. I used the privy and quickly broke down my tent then packed up my gear. I was way too cold to be sitting around this morning. The Rock was close behind me. A mile or so later we came to the wild ponies and started the Grayson Highlands (only 3 miles of the AT). We took a bunch of pictures with all the ponies and cruised through the park. The park was packed with day hikers and it was still really windy so I had no desire to stay in the park. I called my mom and Tahlor while I had service. My mom was already on the way and had Hardee's hamburgers for Safety, The Rock, and myself. Tahlor was not able to make it because she had other things to do. We received a lot of questions from day hikers. Most were in ah that we started hiking almost two months ago in Georgia. All three of us flew to the road crossing that my mom was meeting us at since we were hungry and thinking about good food by that point. We ate when we got there and my mom told Safety and The Rock to come with us and said a room for the night and dinner were on her. They were stoked! We are at a motel just outside of Marion. We all showered, washed clothes, and ate dinner at an awesome Italian place. All of us were laying in bed, watching TV, and resting by 7pm. We called it a very early night. What day is it again? Oh yeah, Saturday; who would have known. Back to the trail in the morning. I'm pushing for Partnership Shelter tomorrow night.
Date: 2014-05-04
From: Fox Creek, VA 603

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

I slept great last night. My mom and I had the continental breakfast before heading back to the trail. The Rock and Safety were up early and had already eaten the breakfast along with going to the Dollar General to resupply. My mom dropped us back off at the trail and headed home to Asheville. It was very hot but thankfully the terrain was not to bad. The sun was beating down on my head so I have to remember to wear my hat during the day while I hike. My head is fried from the last few days of hiking. We got to the shelter before dark. It is a very nice shelter and is just behind the Mount Roger's Visitor Center. They were not open but there is an outhouse and a shower at the shelter which is cool. I set up my sleeping gear in the shelter since there is no tent camping. Along with The Rock, Safety, and I, there are many others at the shelter tonight. VooDoo, Scout, Bouche, and Mouse are a few I know. We all hitched into town before it got too dark to see us. I got Hardees for dinner and stopped by the gas station. We all split up. Apparently they got a ride right away because it took me forever by myself and took me two hitches and it was pitch black by the time I got back. We will see what tomorrow holds, but I'm hoping for at least 20 miles or so. Atkins, VA tomorrow afternoon for a burger at The Barn. It is only 11 miles away so is definitely do able.
Date: 2014-05-05
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Today absolutely was not fun. I woke up around 6am after only sleeping a few hours. I was hiking by 7am and just wanted to get moving. I was sneezing all day due to the pollen. My nose was running as well. 4 miles into my hike today I popped something in my knee. I had no idea what it was but it hurt for sure. It was throbbing and a pretty good size bump showed up. I still had 6 more miles to Atkins, VA so I decided to just do it. I rested my knee in a cold creek before taking off. It felt like every mile was dragging by. The great part of the day was running into Mr. Jimmy! I hiked up on the Lindamood School House. It was used in 1894 and was very cool looking. Not to mention, it was packed full of trail magic. Mr. Jimmy was there waiting for his wife to show up so I got to talk to him for a bit. It was great to see him since I haven't seen him since Gatlinburg. I got to The Barn around moon and had the hiker burger. It was delicious. Around 3pm after hanging out with Double R for a bit, I decided to get a room at the absolutely terrible Relax Inn. I need to deal with my knee before I injure it further. Mocha is going to take me to the medical clinic in Bastian tomorrow. They are going to check it out and make sure nothing major is damaged. I believe I need insoles in my boots (like my mom has been saying since day 1). I talked to Geek tonight and he said he would pick me up in Pearisburg or Newport for Trail Days if I make it there by then. I guess we will see what happens with my knee. I hope I can get some insoles tomorrow and get everything figured out. I should be back on the trail in a day or so.
Date: 2014-05-06
From: Atkins, VA

To: Bastian/Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

I slept like a baby last night and did not get out of bed until 9:30am. My knee was not as swollen but was still throbbing like crazy...probably because I laid on that side all night (not a good idea). Mocha picked me up after dropped her dad off to slack pack for the day. She drove me to the Bastian Medical Clinic. They got me right in, thankfully! They took x-rays and gave me a cortisone shot...after poking around at my knee for a while. The doctor said I have a bakers cyst behind my knee along with a minor sprang. I have to wait for the x-rays to be reviewed before they know what is going on. There is definitely some damage to the top of my ACL they just are not sure what yet. The doctor told me to definitely get some insoles to help align my foot and knee. Mocha was still sitting in the parking lot waiting for me after I got done so she gave me a ride to the Subway in Bland, VA. Thank you Mocha! My mom drove the 3.5 hours to Bland to pick me up since it was a Tuesday and she was off work. If it all works out, I can make it back to the REI in Asheville, NC before they close and get everything I need. I drove back to make sure we made it there. I am also planning on getting a better fitting sock compared to the Smart Wool I have now. If it all goes well, I should be back on the trail tomorrow. I guess we will see what happens. I am looking forward to Trail Days and getting the proper footwear I need!
Date: 2014-05-07
From: Bastian/Asheville

To: VA 42 Campsite
Miles today: 11.7

I arrived back at my house around 10pm after spending a few hours at REI. I called REI yesterday around 3pm yesterday. They let me talk to a man named Moses who knows Superfeet insoles. He said "if you get here by the time we close today at 9pm, I will personally size and fit the insoles to your boots." He was not kidding! I pulled in around 7:45pm and he spent just under two hours with me. He checked me feet on the sizing machine to see which insoles fit best. The oranges ones fits and has the best cushion, but the blue fit my feet the best; so I went with both pairs. I walked around with them in the store for a bit and they felt awesome. I am going to start with the blue pair, and if they do not feel right, switch to the orange pair when my mom comes out to slack pack me towards the end of Virginia. I also got a pair of the best underwear, a new headband, two new pairs of Darn Touch socks, and a 2L Osprey water bladder with a frame. It was a trip that was certainly worth while. Moses went above and beyond what was expected to help me get what I needed. He literally helped me with every piece of gear I purchased. I wrote him a lot of very positive feedback in the drop box on my way out the REI door. I did not end up falling asleep until 1am last night because I was excited about all my new gear. Tahlor and I decided to end things between us for now. I completely understand though! There are not too many people out there that want to wait on a boyfriend to hike for 6 months while they are stuck at home. Exactly the reason things did not work out between Laura and I. I can say I am living the dream and we often refer to it on the trail as the "New American Dream" between the close friends I hike with. No worries here! I am ready to hike. I am looking forward to Trail Days and seeing all my trail family! I was up by 8am this morning. I called the medical center but they still had not gotten my x-rays back so I decided to go back anyways and just hike. I figure they will call me when they get them. Most of the pain in my knee is gone but I can tell breaking in these insoles is going to be fun. I may get off in Bland for Trail Days or I may go for Pearisburg. No plans which makes this trail awesome! I should be able to start picking up my mileage after Trail Days. Lots of rest tonight. Hopefully a great day tomorrow!
Date: 2014-05-08
From: VA 42 Campsite

To: VA 623 Campsite
Miles today: 17.3

It overall was a pretty good day. I hiked nice and slow most of the day. I can certainly tell my Superfeet are stiff and need to be broken in. My knee is still feeling good although I can tell I should have taken a few more days off the trail to rest it. I will be in Bland, VA tomorrow where I'll be getting picked up. I will most likely get back on there after Trail Days. Everyone is planning on hitching back from Bland anyways so it works out well. We will all be getting back on the trail in the same location. B Man and Jo Cool are camping at a road crossing until Trail Days. My plan is to hook up with them Sunday although I may just go back to Damascus on Tuesday and set up in Figgit and Dot Com's yard. That way I get to spend mother's day with my mom in Asheville. She has decided she is going to come out and slack pack myself along with a few others memorial day weekend. That will be awesome! I will be just before the 600 miles marker tomorrow. I will cross that when I get back on the trail after trail days. Virginia is certainly anything but flat. My feet are feeling every step breaking in these insoles. The views and farmlands are beautiful though. All the bugs are definitely coming out. That means ticks too. I have seen a few but have no yet had any on me. The rain showers are warm and feel pretty good. 28 more miles and 600 down!
Date: 2014-05-09
From: VA 623 Campsite

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 15.9

Time and mileage are two things that flew by today. Just under 16 miles into Bland, VA. It was a good day with few inclines that weren't bad at all. The knee doesn't hurt at all, but I can feel it on the down hills. My Superfeet are braking in but causing some blisters in spots so I'm going to have to tent to those. It was great to have a few days to test them out before trail days. Now it know exactly where the pressure is and what is happening inside my boot. I got Subay in Bland them got a ride back to Erwin, TN. From there to Asheville, NC. I'm staying the weekend at my mom's house with her for Mother's Day. I will be getting dropped back off in Bland on the 18th when Geek heads back to Pittsburgh from trail days. I have a good 8-10 days rest ahead. Bring it on! I cannot wait to see all my trail family. This is the last time I'll see them for a while. Everyone spreads out pretty fast after trail days. 980 people live in Damascus and over 25,000 show up for trail days weekend. It's unbelievable. It will be a blast! Lots of camping and just hanging out starting Monday. Bring it on!
Date: 2014-05-19
From: Trail Days

To: Stream Campsite
Miles today: 12.9

Today was a great day. The Rock, Pond, and I left our motel room at 11am. We stopped by the gas station then are lunch at Subway. The Rock talked an older gentlemen into giving us a ride back up to the trail. Before we left he called Gatorade to see if they would send us mail drops of powder Limo Pepino (the new cucumber Gatorade). They thought it was hilarious but said it wasn't out yet. He asked for shirts or patches but none of those either. The conversion was so funny. We go back to the trail around noon and had a pretty steal climb for a few miles up to the first shelter we passed today. We met up with the soggy bottom boys at the top of the hill. From there we hiked "train style" all in a line to the VA 611 gravel road. It looked like a deer massacre site. There were skeltons everywhere an pieces of deer hair and bone fragment all over the place. Definitely a little weird. Most of the group were out of water since there wasn't any for 5-6 miles so we passssd what we had around. We all had a snack and knocked out the four miles to the next shelter. Some went down and filled up with water. I hiked by and wanted to see that 600 mile marker sign! It was awesome! I was the first one there and set up camp. I filled up with water and everyone else rolled in. I was beginng to think I'll be camping alone since it was getting late. We all cooked awesome meals and called it a night. Who and Pyro night hiked in around 11pm. They hadn't started hiking until 5pm. NIGHT HIKE! (As The Rock would say). I thought I was going to see a bear as I heard a massive animal inning away from me in the woods but didn't see anything. So close. Maybe next time! I'm going to try for Woods Hole Hostel tomorrow and then Pearisburg, VA the next day. 600 miles down! 1600 to go!
Date: 2014-05-20
From: Stream Campsite

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: overcast clouds

This place is by far the best hostel yet! I left the campsite around 8am. Pond and Malibu were the only ones up. The exact same spot on the bottom of both my feet are killing me because of blisters that feel like bruising from breaking in my new Superfeet still. I'm going to use some blister bandaids I have with medicine in them tonight while I'm sleeping. Hopefully they work. They both currently hurt like hell and it's painful when I start and stop again. The one on my right foot is especially bad. They other guys caught me before we got to the hostel. We pretty much flew there. 6 miles in 1.5 hours at the end. A bunch of us are here tonight. The Rock, Pond, Swamp Donkey, Malibu, and Bouche are all here along with many others. Neville is so cool! When I got there after a few minute talk she brought up a negative experience on eBay whole buying a car. After she went into detail about the situation, I told her how I could help her. Little did she know eBay works with buyers to resolve issues like so. So, I spent 3 hours writing a letter for her to eBay Customer Service. She hooked me up while I was working on it for her! I got a pre-dinner Mexican dish along with one of her famous massive smoothies. Everything they make by hand is organic and if it isn't from their farm land, it's from an Amish store down the road. Dinner was amazing and the letter turned out great. This is definitely a must stop hostel! We all hung out on the porch and camped just up the road from the house in the woods. We broke the record for the most people at the hostel on one night during this year. Just over 40! We are heading into Pearisburg tomorrow. Breakfast is at 8am and I'm hiking out after that. I'm shooting for Newport, VA by Saturday when my mom comes out to slack pack us this coming Memorial Day weekend. I'm looking forward to that and knocking out some big miles!
Date: 2014-05-21
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 10.4

Well, no one got a great night sleep on the whole property because at 4am, a section hiker parking his truck pulled into long term parking right next to where we were camped and it seemed like his truck was running for a hour before they finally got it and started yelling instead of talking to each other. They drove off in another vehicle and everyone was awake. The guy back his truck up right in between The Rock's tent and mine. It was ridiculous. He loudly apologized to all of us and I sarcastically asked "is that a 5.9 or 6.7?" ....a 6.7 Cummins is very quite compared to the 5.9s. It was a 5.9 to say the least. I fell back asleep until 7am. I got up and packed my gear. I then walked down to the hostel and ate another great meal for breakfast at 8am. Can't beat the home made meals! We all helped clean up for a bit and hiked out around 9:30am. It was only a short 10 mile hike or so today. We got here early this afternoon. I'm staying in the "hiker dorm room" which is just a massive room at a local motel filled with 25 beds, two showers, two bathrooms, a large 60" TV, and a few soda machines. The Rock and Pond are here with me. I'm just hanging out this evening. Taking a shower then updating my trail journals. There is a computer that already has a line for it so I'm going to try to do it from my iPhone. We are going to hit the Chinese all you can eat buffet for dinner. We'll be back on the trail first thing tomorrow. We went to Goodwill so The Rock and Pond could get short shorts. We also went to Food City. The room is getting full. Mostly people who stayed at Woods Hole with is last night. It is hot, humid, and muggy with storms brewing so I'm glad to be in here tonight. We are cruising to Newport, VA to meet my mom on Saturday. Then we are going to try and slack pack 3-4 big mile days to at least Troutville. That will be awesome and means another 100 miles down! Bring on the 700 mile marker!