morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-19
From: Marion, VA

To: Davis Path Campsite
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We caught the 11 o¢clock shuttle from town, which costs only 50 cents to ride since it¢s government run. The terrain today was mostly flat with a lot of rocks in the beginning. We stopped 7 miles in at a shelter to eat lunch. About 3 miles after that, there was an old school built in 1894 that is now part of the Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia. Inside this school were boxes and coolers stuffed with food, snacks, drinks, toiletries, etc. Pretty much anything a hiker would need could be found in the neat bit of trail magic. It was placed there and stocked by West End United Methodist Church. So I got to enjoy eating some of this stuff while sitting at a school desk built 120 years ago! That was pretty cool if you ask me. While there, another hiker named Wheels came in and told us about a 16 oz burger a few miles up called the hiker burger. Although Ziploc and I just ate lunch and trail magic, we decided to eat there as well when we got there. So we grabbed a good helping of snacks and went up to the old farm building that¢s part of the museum as well. We just looked at the outside then went on our way. A few miles later on, again, very flat terrain, we came to the Barn Restaurant where they had the 1 pound hiker burger. Ziploc and I each ordered one and a side of fries to share. I don¢t remember if this is the biggest burger I¢ve ever had or not, but it¢s at least top 2. Much to my surprise, I was able to finish by burger and half the fries with no problem. I even considered getting a slice of hot fudge cake for dessert, but thought better of it. We didn¢t leave the restaurant, which is right next to I-81 by the way, until 6 p.m. Our goal was to get another 4 miles about, which is why we got to camp so late. This wasn¢t a big deal since we didn¢t have to cook tonight. Oh yeah, there was a hiker box full of trail magic at the restaurant so we grabbed some extra meals and snacks from there as well. With both of these trail magics today, we could¢ve gotten away without resupplying in Marion! Oh well, there was no way to know that. After the burger, we walked through a cow pasture and these cows seemed extra annoyed that we were there. Usually the cattle we encounter while hiking don¢t care about us, but these were all staring at us and snorting. Thinking about it now, maybe we smelled like beef from our huge burger and they weren¢t happy about it. I guess those cows are the Chik-fil-a ¢Eat Mor Chikin¢ cows. After making it through that gauntlet of dirty stares, we walked another 2 miles to our camp for the night. One cool thing about where we¢re camping today is it¢s at Mile Marker 547, which is almost exactly 14 of the trail ! To be honest, I wasn¢t sure if I¢d be able to make it this far, let alone both of us being here in relative good health. Hopefully good Karma keeps finding us and we can to the distance together.
Date: 2016-05-20
From: Davis Path Campsite

To: USFS 222
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I was feeling super lazy today for some reason, but we still managed almost 16 miles. For both breakfast and lunch, I ate whatever food I got from the school trail magic just to get rid of my extra weight. I still have half a jar of hazelnut chocolate spread left, but the isn¢t a bad thing. Today was filled with ups and downs that slowed our pace, unlike the relatively easy terrain yesterday. About 5 miles into our hike, we came across a wooden sign marking the 14 mark at Mile Marker 547. We were confused since AWOL¢s Guide said this was 5 miles earlier. One of them is wrong, but it doesn¢t really matter anyway as long as we finish on top of Katahdin. There will be no question how far we hiked then. We hiked through a pleasant stretch of cow pastures that offered nice views of the surrounding mountains. One farm we passed had probably 70% of their cattle were calves. It was strange to see that ratio flipped like that. We stopped early today because it was sprinkling and we didn¢t want to get caught in the rain on the big mountain coming up. Of course, it hasn¢t been raining in 2 hours so we could¢ve continued. Oh well, I¢m not going to complain about a dry sky.
Date: 2016-05-21
From: USFS 222

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: moderate rain

The rain quit in the night, but we still got a late start. It¢s been hard to get motivated to get out of bed these past few nights for some reason. The terrain today was extremely difficult to a point that slowed our pace significantly. There were either large boulders or slippery mud that we had to traverse up and down steep hills. We were given a couple nice views of the valley below at times, but most of the day was spent in the trees. One good thing about today is the fact that I¢ve now gone 2 12 days without knee braces! I hadn¢t taken any pain pills since the 4 day break. After lunch 2 days ago, I forgot to put my braces on until camp, so I figured I¢d keep doing it to try and strengthen my knees. My right knee has performed admirably while my left has some minor aches and uncomfortableness that I¢m sure the braces help with. However, it hasn¢t been enough to warrant putting them back on. Well, it¢s 8 pm and the rain has started which will make tomorrow¢s hike a soggy one again. Hopefully it¢ll quit by morning.   Something I realized today is that since coming back on the trail after our break, we have had one sunny day. Sure we¢ve had a bit of sun here and there, but mostly it¢s been overcast and wet.
Date: 2016-05-22
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 11.3

As predicted, the majority of the hike today was muddy and slippery. But I¢m not going to lie, I really enjoyed the downhills in those conditions. I would intentionally slide a coupe feet with each step, treating the mud as a fresh layer of snow on a ski slope. Using the poles in a similar manner I would while skiing helped complete the illusion. Overall, it was a relatively quick hiking day despite the conditions. We arrived at the crossroads near I-77 to go into Bland, VA at a decent hour. Our original plan a couple days ago was just make a quick pit stop at DQ for ice cream, then hit the trail for a few more miles. But after a few days of wet, soggy conditions, we decided to stay at the only motel in town to dry out and relax. It¢s a pretty nice place on top of a hill right near the DQ! A few rooms down from us, Indy is here with his parents. He is taking a few days off before getting back on the trail again. It¢s funny how we keep running into him despite our completely different hiking schedules. While on the phone with Jenny for a couple hours, there was a vibrant double rainbow over the mountains. The bottom one seemed like it had the Roy G. Biv pattern 3 times, each overlapping the other, while the top rainbow was faint but visible. It¢s interesting I saw them today because it was just yesterday how I was amazed we hadn¢t seen one on the trail yet. I guess we just weren¢t ever looking the right direction.
Date: 2016-05-23
From: Bland, VA

To: Kimberling Creek
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

We took our time getting out of bed which is typical for us. Yesterday, Indy¢s parents said they would take us to the trail in the morning, but their car was gone when we looked out. We knew they were staying another night, so we figured they¢d gone to breakfast and would be back shortly. After a little bit, we called the shuttle service that brought us to the hotel, but he was busy for a couple hours. So we just sat around watching a 2 ¢ hour ¢to be continued¢ series of King of Queens. After that waste of time, we finally left the hotel and went to DQ for lunch. We didn¢t have service so we decided to just walk the 4 miles to the trailhead, hopefully getting a hitch along the way. After about 5 minutes of walking, I checked my phone again and we had service. So we called the shuttle and he said he¢d come by in 20 minutes, so we waited at the Dollar General. He arrived on time and took us to the trail for $10. Our hike started with a mile road walk before a very steep, long ascent into the woods. The whole day was one of the most PUDy [Pointless Ups and Downs] days we¢ve had so far. We made great time getting to the shelter 12 miles away before 5 pm. MY only complaint was the amount of spider webs I encountered all day. Normally they don¢t bother me too much, but today I felt like I was walking through Shelob¢s Lair without Sting. It was driving me bonkers so maybe I¢ll let Ziploc walk ahead of me tomorrow. Anyway, after the shelter water refill, we continued to have a good pace up the next big hill. But as soon as we got up there, El Nino decided to pay us a little visit. The rain started coming down in sheets just as we got to a rocky stretch of terrain¢¦not a fun combination. Needless to say, this slowed our pace quite a bit. Luckily it didn¢t last too long and as soon as we started our 2 mile descent, the rain let up. The ground was muddy of course, but this was the slipperiest mud I have ever encountered. I tried to stand still and slid a couple of feet without trying. At one point, I did an uncontrolled 180 and another time a full squat. Somehow without any control of my feet or leg muscles, I didn¢t fall. If I was a kid living nearby, I¢d love to go to that hill and slide down over and over again. Heck, I¢d do it now as long as I had a shower afterward. We eventually made it to camp near this pretty cool suspension bridge crossing Kimberling Creek, relatively dry and clean. It¢s beginning to rain again as I lay here in my hammock, so it was good that it held off until now.-        Something I forgot to mention is that Indy and his parents randomly showed up at the trailhead where it cuts into the woods just as we were about to enter. They happened to drive down some nearly abandoned road just as we got there; Indy shows up in the places I least expect to see him at times that almost work out too well. They gave us zebra cakes, we said our goodbyes as this will definitely be the last time we¢ll see him, and we went our separate ways.
Date: 2016-05-24
From: Kimberling Creek

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: few clouds

The first 9 miles of hiking today was probably the easiest on the trail from what I remember. At least, the easiest long stretch of trail. It was what we call ¢hiker flat¢ or ¢AT flat¢, where there may be a slight up or down at all times, but to us it¢s not even noticeable. There was almost constant mud again, but most of it could be avoided. Two miles into the hike, we came to the side trail for Dismal Falls. Ziploc wasn¢t sure he wanted to hike the 0.3 miles to it because the name made it sound like a bad one¢¦ or dismal one. I did want to go thinking the name was ironic. Boy was I right! I rank this waterfall as #2 so far behind Laurel Falls in terms of just viewing from a distance. However I rand Dismal Falls as #1 for most fun to visit. On the top there are multiple places to climb, wade in or sit in the fast moving rapids for a quick thrill. At the bottom of the falls is a swimming hole big enough for 30 people and deep enough to jump into from the nearby climbing rocks. Not to mention the great view of the falls at all times. There is joy to be had for people of all ages at Dismal Falls. After our 9 miles of fairly easy hiking, we came to a steep 2 mile uphill. I was sweating bullets as the temperature made it into the mid 70¢s. I finally made it to the top where I was going t stop for water when I heard some leaves rustling ahead of me. I figured it was just another hiker taking a break but looked up anyway. The noise turned out to be 2 black bear cubs !! They were about 40 yards away when they noticed me and took off running over the nearby ridge. The larger cub was closely behind the smaller one, possibly protecting it as they ran for cover. I paused where I was standing and did a quick scan of my surroundings to make sure momma bear wasn¢t nearby. She wasn¢t anywhere to be seen, so I just waited there for Ziploc to catch up. When he did, I told him where they ran so I started taking video as we walked over the ridge together, hoping for another viewing. We were not so lucky this time, but I may have spotted a cave, their possible home, from a distance. But we didn¢t explore further and just went on our way down the trail My top goal behind finishing the AT was to come across a black bear. It took over 600 miles before I did it, but I finally saw one! My trail experience can now be complete¢¦once I summit Katahdin of course.
Date: 2016-05-25
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: clear sky

We got one of our earliest starts today, on a day we know we were only going 8 12 miles. I guess we were motivated by the fact that we were about to start our two week break. That, or possibly knowing there was a pizza buffet and Dairy Queen waiting for us in town. The entire day was rocky again with a long 3 mile uphill and 3 mile downhill to bookend our hiking today. We were rewarded with a few pretty nice views on the ridge. It was interesting to see the difference in profile between these mountains and the ones in GA/NC/TN. In those 3 states, there were multiple defined peaks in one mountain range, whereas here in Virginia, it seems to be one very wide mountain. You would think this would mean easier hiking once up on the ridge. If it were simple dirt paths it would be, but VA is probably the rockiest state yet, thus increasing the difficulty to that of the previous states. From these views, it was also interesting how there seemed to be just 3 or 4 layers of large mountains as opposed to 12 plus in GA/NC/TN. What I mean by this is that there are less majestic peaks in Virginia rising into the horizon and more foothills and flatlands. Once we arrived at the road crossing after the steep downhill, we walked about a mile into town where we were meeting mom. Oh, first we ran into an older gentleman and his son, probably 70 years old and 45 years old, on the way down. They where asking where the next water was. Unfortunately for them, it wasn¢t for 6 miles or so. Fortunately for them, we were almost done hiking and gave them whatever we had left. Their names were Ted E. Bear and Wooly Bully. I¢m glad we were able to help them out. Okay, now back to Pearisburg. We were almost to the Pizza Plus when mom pulled up next to us. We just finished walking there while she turned around. We probably couldn¢t have planned out when to meet in town more perfectly. Well, we all ate some all-you-can-eat pizza until I was stuffed. Then we treated ourselves to a Blizzard at Dairy Queen. I got a large Oreo per the usual. I¢m never too full for ice cream. I am now sitting back home in Marietta, OH at the beginning of my two week break!
Date: 2016-03-04
From: Racine,WI

To: Nashville,TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Left this morning with my pack full of all the gear from months of research, trinkets hanging from the pack for safety/ blessings, well-wishes from family and friends, and a belly full of excitement and fear.Alongside me is my wife, Mary Jo, who's delivering me to Amicalola Falls and is planning to walk the first mile with me. So glad she's here.
Date: 2016-03-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Arrived. Drove up to Springer Mountain parking area today over a "iffy", rutted service road that started this adventure early. Once there, we hiked up-trail to the official start of the AT, where we took photos by the plaque and signed the registry. Met some great people already. Friendly, enthusiastic, happy to stand on a rock to talk about equipment and pack weight. Got some great advice on lightening my pack, but I'm not quite ready to get rid of anything I brought just yet. From the official start, we hiked the "first" mile of the trail back to the car and headed back to town where we met Mary Jo's sister, Linda- who drove in to see me off.   Tonight- last night in a warm bed for awhile. Tomorrow, it starts...
Date: 2016-03-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Yesterday, first day walking, I managed 13 miles. Slept warm in my tent despite a cold night. Up early, walked another 6 today. My back and legs feeling sore today, so I thought I'd make camp and not overdue.My first "wondering" of the trip: Will I ever walk fast enough to actually pass another hiker? We'll see I guess.....
Date: 2016-03-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Amazing how much time and energy goes in to securing my water sources. Although water is plentiful, I plan to carry 2 to 3 liters at a time. If it's not readily visible, I have an app on my phone that helps me locate sources. Preferably, the water should be moving , not standing. I filter the water into a plastic wide mouth bottle (the wide mouth makes it easier to get the water in without it touching the rim), then add water treatment drops to clean the water. It needs to dwell 30 minutes. Then I transfer amazingly clean water into my drinking bottles. Wondering--if I'll ever take water faucets for granted again!
Date: 2016-03-09
To: Campsite past Blood Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Tackled Blood Mountain today, the highest peak in Georgia. Ascent was slow and very steep. The descent was almost harder. Took me almost 3 hours to go 2 miles. Unhappy to see a tree at the end of the descent that is full of hiker's boots that quit at this point. Seems to be a tradition to throw your boots up over it when quitting. Although my emotions have swung between exhilaration (it is incredibly beautiful out here) and absolutely hating this, I am not at the point of launching the boots. Progress has been slow. I've expected to walk faster but terrain is difficult and I haven't found my "hiking legs" yet. The seasoned hikers say its coming. The other piece of advice they've given- its not unusual to NOT be hungry. I am not hungry and have hard time eating the food in my pack. I am told this will pass too, and I will suddenly be famished. However, there were good hearted people at the bottom of Blood Mountain cooking free cheeseburgers for the hikers- which tasted great (I can always find room for a cheeseburger!) Ate it with a big glass of cold milk. Revitalizing. The other hikers are amazing. Everyone so nice, willing to help. Met a 19 year old, trail name "Soup". Wants to hike the entire way with me but am sure he'll end up moving a bit faster than me. One major disappointment is the the 2 full capacity phone chargers I brought.   One had no charge at all. The second only brought my failing cell phone battery back to 26%. So I need to conserve until I am in a town to recharge. Expecting to be in Kiawasee in a few days and will stay in my first hotel. Heading to a campsite for the night 1 mile up trail for today. Will upload pictures in Kiawasee.
Date: 2016-03-13
To: Holiday Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Mile 70, seven days out: The hiking is incredibly hard. I'm either going up or down, never level. It is exhausting and challenging-physically, mentally, emotionally. But I am learning to plan for it. My appetite is improving but the food tastes bad. But I need to be conscious to take in calories and stay hydrated at a steady pace or I absolutely will not have the energy to make it up the next incline. Don't have my hiking legs yet but they're getting stronger. I set out early in the morning and generally walk until 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon. The sun starts going down around 4:30 and I want my camp settled before dark. After a day of hiking, setting up camp is an effort. In fact, taking off my pack for any reason can be an effort and I have to decide, Do I really need that? Sometimes its just wasted energy. I'm sleeping soundly but nighttime is hard: so dark, strange noises, little eyes shining back at me from my headlamp. The worse nights were the first ones. It's better now. I've been sleeping in my tent, which most hikers do. The shelters are dirty, full of mice. People talk of the Noro-virus in there so they stay away. The weather has been good, but we did have a storm last night and I broke camp this morning in the rain. I had my "shake down" several days back. That's where this guy looks through your pack and helps you lighten it. I mailed 6-7 pounds of gear back home. I've made it to my first town, Hiawasee, GA, where I'll be sleeping in a hotel for a night or 2. I've had my first real shower in 7 days. Heaven. Coming off the trail today at Dick's Creek, I was greeted with a little more "Trail Magic". Those are the amazing people that hand out free food to hikers. I had a warm breakfast burrito courtesy of this guy who camps there for days to feed and water us hikers. Wonderful gift. Some Trail Magic saved me a few days back from the only time I was cold out here so far. Hot chocolate and a Snickers bar set me right. Great fellow travelers. Although I tend to walk alone, I have been leapfrogging with Wanderdog, a 59 year old guy who puts in a solid 7miles/day, then camps. He'll pass me, then I him, and back and forth with conversation in the passing. I've camped near a group of 3 people several nights and appreciated their campfires. There's Pat, Nick and Sarah (with her beautiful dog, Jetta). Pat had a blister so bad on his heel that he wore his Crocs instead of hiking boots for 3 days and said that his feet were better in the Crocs. He said he may contact the company to promote it.   I've got blisters on both of my second great toes under the nails-think I may lose my nails. On the bright side. It's beautiful here. I'm often looking down watching my footing, then will glance up and the sight takes my breath away. At night, the stars are so close I could pick them out of the sky. Tomorrow is a Zero Day (not walking), then back to the Trail on Tuesday. Only 8 miles left in Georgia. We'll see what North Carolina can do to me! Wondering- Should I shave? Haven't yet....
Date: 2016-03-18
From: Franklin, NC

To: Nantahala, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Since last I wrote, I have crossed in to North Carolina and am on mile 110. I'm beginning to feel that my legs are getting stronger, and even though I'm still exhausted after a day of hiking, the stamina is improving. Yesterday, I was able to do 14 miles despite the fact that the early part of the day included a hike up Mount Albert. (There is an uploaded picture taken near a fire tower atop this mountain.) The south face ascent was quite steep. I climbed 700 feet of altitude in about 1/4 mile. At times, I needed to actually use my hands to help with the progress. I was concerned about heading down this mountain since steep descents with a heavy pack can be dangerous. I was relieved to learn that the north face was a more gradual descent.   Along the way I walked at intervals with 3 other hikers that all have Wisconsin roots, all men about my age. They're from the Greendale and Whitefish Bay areas. One of them mentioned another hiker up the trail, a younger women that is from Stevens Point. It made the world feel a little smaller anyway.    My second largest toe on both feet continue to be an issue. In town today, a worker at the outfitters told me I should probably upsize my hiking boots.   He's pretty sure I'll be losing the nails. But despite these toes, I really have no other issues and my feet seem to be in better shape than some of the other hikers I see who struggle to walk sometimes. I think I'll get some more wear out of these boots if possible, then upsize my next pair. It's a hard decision. I don't want to trade cramped toes for blisters that develop from boots that are too big.    I am staying in town tonight, in Franklin, NC, then back to the trail early tomorrow. I'll be heading to Nantahala for a mail drop and resupply, 27 miles up trail. Looks like I'll be walking through some rain in the coming days- its unavoidable. I've had pretty good weather so far but did get caught in a hailstorm a few day back. Luckily, I was near a shelter and avoided being exposed for the worst of it.   I continue to be amazed at the landscapes and beauty out here. It's a little early yet, but they say Spring in these mountains is supposed to be something to see.