morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-09-17
To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

9/17Blackrock Hut13.2 milesMan I slept like crap. I just couldn't get comfortable. I tossed and turned for hours. When I woke up I felt like I'd been in a car crash. As I started moving around I felt the familiar hot coal in my spine. Hadn't had that in a while, and hadn't missed it. I took some Advil, which I don't usually do. I was grumpy due to pain but I got walking. Between motion and Advil I felt better soon. I started noticing that it was very pretty around me. Yellow leaves are falling and carpeting the trail in gorgeousness. I wouldn't mind a little chillier weather to go with the fall leaves. I was sweating like a champ in the warm, humid air. We stopped at Loft Mountain camp store for sandwiches and supplies. I heard a male hiker shouting and he stormed off, leaving his partner. I went out to check on her but she was gone by then. I hope she's all right. I also witnessed a dog fight. A dog leapt out a car window and attacked another dog who was on a leash. There was a lot of sound and fury. Not sure who much damage was done to the aggressor but the victim was okay. I was shaken by the sudden violence even though I wasn't involved. When I left there to hike again, I heaved a sigh of relief and felt a wave of calm envelop me as I saw the first white blaze. The sky grew dark but I prevented rain by putting my pack cover on. The trail continued being beautiful, especially as I walked around the summit of Blackrock. The shelter tonight is pretty packed with thruhikers and section hikers. I guess I'm in another hiker bubble. It's nice to have the company. I'll be sad to part ways with folks when I go home for a day this weekend.
Date: 2017-09-18
To: Calf Mtn shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

9/18Calf Mtn Shelter13 milesI fell in love with Shenandoah nearly thirty years ago. I came here so often that it became overly familiar and I gradually forgot how amazing it is. Coming here from Maine which is beautiful but often treacherous, I have been reminded how much I love this park. The trails are gentle, there are flowers everywhere even in fall, and I've seen more wildlife here daily than I've seen anywhere in the last 1200 miles. As I walk into the sunlight I feel it lift up my heart, lightening the load on my feet. Today is so perfect that I am suffused with love - for the trail, for my husband, for my family and friends. Every mile that I walking I feel myself unclenching, gradually losing my grip on my tensions, my fears, my anxieties and angers. It feels like little fingers are teasing apart the knots in the ropes around my soul, as if with enough time I could be completely free and open. I wonder if this is how people feel in therapy, or meditation, or prayer. I think that the trail may be all of those things to me. Today I have the rare feeling of rolling the earth as a giant ball under my feet. It's a feeling of connectedness. I'm an ant on the surface of the planet. It doesn't notice me, but I feel its giant presence next to me like a comforting hand holding mine.
Date: 2017-09-19
To: Stanimal's Hostel in Waynesboro 
Miles today: 7.7

9/19Stanimal's hostel in Waynesboro 7.7 milesThe hills into town were surprisingly steep this morning. I was soaked in sweat very early on. Me and my clothes have felt gross and sticky for days. The 100% humidity means that nothing ever really dries. At least it's not cold, so it's gross but not uncomfortable. I was pleased to see Stanimal, JD, and Coach still at Rockfish Gap when I got there. I caught a ride to the hostel and immediately showered. It was a pleasure to watch the dirt swirling down the drain. And to be clean, of course. The three of us hikers started a load of laundry as soon as we had showered. We were all eager to have clean clothes again. In the meantime we wore loaner clothes from the hostel. Stanimal stopped in to see if we wanted a ride to a restaurant, to which we enthusiastically agreed. He dropped us off at E&J's Deli Pub. I ate there last year with Ziptie and the food was great. It was great again today. Mystical had joined us for the trip. We all walked over to the Kroger. Coach is leaving us so he wandered, but JD and I needed to resupply. He'll be slackpacking this next section, while I carry my pack. It's going to take some doing to catch up with him again after my visit home this weekend. His slackpacking will put him even farther ahead of me. Ah, well. It'll give me a reason to hike harder. I piddled around the hostel this evening, doing little chores like washing my cook kit and re-taping my feet. I'm glad this bunch isn't big on tv, so that isn't blaring in the background. I like conversation but tv will drive me out of a room.
Date: 2017-09-20
To: Tentsite near mile 1345
Miles today: 17.1

9/20Tentsite near mile 134517.1 milesI didn't sleep incredibly well. Between the roar of the dehumidifier and the thin bunk mattress, I wished I were in my tent instead. But the hostel had served many important needs for me, so I'm still glad I went. And I got to see Mystical again, and share a last evening with Coach - and possibly a last evening with JD. I was one of a few who set an alarm. We usually wake with the sun, but we didn't have natural light. As my alarm and then two others started chiming, we all stirred and started dressing. JD got up and started a pot of coffee brewing. Before long we were all caffeinated and fed. I packed up the little that wasn't already in my pack and headed upstairs to get my shuttle back to Rockfish Gap with Nalgene Ninja and Damn Fool. We got started hiking at about 7:30. The first five miles blew by quickly. Walking up Humpback Mountain was more slow. We all were forced to take a long break at a spring as it was dripping slowly and we all needed water. We used Damn Fool's cook pot to catch the drops and gradually filled our water containers, a half liter at a time. Near the top of the mountain, it started to rain. I had been hot all day so I put on my pack cover but didn't bother with rain gear. I let the sides of my hat down to cover my ears though. It's always nice to walk in the rain in a broad brimmed hat. I got to my planned tent site around 3:30 and didn't want to stop. So I kept walking in the rain. I reached Dripping Rock to find it not dripping. Water has been quite scarce. I don't think it rained enough today to make much difference. I was all right as I still had 3 liters (which is to say 6 pounds of water that I carried all the way over the mountain), but the guys were running low. I told them if they couldn't find water to come find me and I'd share. I walked on, looking for the site I used near here in 2010. The sky dimmed and my energy drained. I slipped around on the wet rocks as I trudged onward, looking for a place to lay my head. Finally I found a place behind some large rocks. I put up my tent and hung a bear line. I'm on a tilt so I padded under the downhill side to make my sleeping pad level-ish. Crashing in the woods made me abort my dinner plans and hang my food. As I was getting settled in my tent I heard hiking poles and called out. It was Nalgene Ninja. I got out and showed him where I thought we could fit another tent for Damn Fool. Nalgene Ninja hammocks so he didn't need a flat spot, just some handy trees. Now we're all three home for the night. It's nice to have company, even if it's basically night already. My subconscious will settle down and let me sleep better with people here. Now to wait for my legs to unclench so I can sleep. That was a long dang day.
Date: 2017-09-21
To: Tye River
Miles today: 12.7

9/21Tye River tentsite12.7 milesI slept long and hard. I was determined to sleep in after my long day, and I did. For a whole extra thirty minutes. Then I caught sight of clear shapes outside my tent when I rolled over, and my brain turned on. I tried to fall back asleep but it was too late. I gave up, grumbling, and got up to get my food bag out of the tree. My rope got stuck as I was pulling the loose end out. I fooled with it for a minute and then decided to leave it be until after coffee and better light. Nalgene Ninja helped me get the rope out by bending the branch down close enough to the ground to pull the rope loose. Yay for help! I found my old campsite .3 miles away. In 2010 there was room for one tent. In 2017 there is room for at least three, with another site cleared across from it on the west side of the trail. Somebody has even built a sizable fire pit. I've been seeing a lot of this kind of campsite growth in the south. At Maupin Field shelter I stopped for water and met Lost Cookie. I wasn't in a hurry today, so I sat and chatted with him while he made breakfast. He gifted me with some fresh spinach, then left for his 26 mile day. I soon followed him for my 12 miles. When I think of how tired I feel after my lower mileage days, it always stuns me that there are people out there doing double or triple what I do in a day. Or more!I was definitely tired today after yesterday. Both days were hot and humid, adding to my fatigue. The hike up Three Ridges wasn't horrible, though. I wonder if there has been a trail relocation. The guide shows a very steep section, and I remember one, but it wasn't there today. Just a gradual climb. The south face of Three Ridges is different too, but I think that is just from new plant growth. In 2010 much of the switchback area was exposed, with views out across the valley. Now there are young trees blocking the view - and providing welcome shade. I found the guys at Harper Creek shelter. We all ate and then headed out the last three miles to the Tye River to camp. There is no real reason for me to get here tonight rather than tomorrow, but the company is good. And the shelter smelled a bit mousey so I was going to tent at either place. I put Lost Cookie's spinach in with a package of kimchi ramen. It was delicious. In the morning I'll laze about until my husband comes to fetch me home for a crab feast and time with friends. Then he'll drop me back off at the trail to head south again, starting by tackling The Priest. Only 832 more miles to go!
Date: 2017-09-24
To: The Priest shelter
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: broken clouds

9/24The Priest shelter4.8 milesThe crab feast was a thing of beauty. I ate until I was bored (and then went home and continued eating other food). It really should be called a crab and beer feast. I had a *lot* of different beers as well as mead and a little scotch. JD made sure I drank water too. I had a great time. Some of my closest friends came too. For a Marylander, there isn't much better than sitting around of a beautiful afternoon with crabs and beer and your best friends. Unfortunately things were more somber at home. My cat isn't at what I would consider the active dying stage, because he still eats with enthusiasm. But he is barely moving at all. Clearly he is in pain. We are trying to get pain treatment for him but it is complicated by his health history and liver damage. If we can't ease his suffering that way, we'll take steps to end it permanently. I'm heartbroken. I doubt I'll see him again. I'm glad I got the chance this weekend, although he wasn't present enough to commune with. This morning we got a bit of a late start but finally arrived at the trailhead just before noon. I kissed my husband goodbye and started up the four mile climb that is the priest. My sweat smelled like beer. Which was a little nice actually. With a mild hangover, my hiking felt more strenuous than it should have. When I finally got to the top I decided to spend the night here. I'll have company tonight - sobo hiker Redbeard. It was looking like I'd be solo so I was glad to see him. I'm in the shelter due to the rain of acorns (I don't need any more holes in my tent) but I sleep poorly when solo in a shelter. I was prepared to suck it up but it's nice not to have to.
Date: 2017-09-25
To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

9/25Hog Camp Gap14.3 milesI've never experienced anything like this hail of acorns. It's been weeks and they're still falling. I've primarily stayed in shelters to save my tent, but sometimes that isn't an option. I've patched multiple holes in the cuben fiber material. I started to regret having such a fragile tent, but at least it's easily patched. I'm not sure that a silnylon tent wouldn't also be damaged. And that's a lot harder to fix. I only saw one person today - Redbeard. I left the shelter before him, but he caught up within an hour or two. By then I had already managed to get off trail twice by accident. This is unusual for me. The blazing here isn't spectacular. It was a day of little ups and downs. I lost track of the small hills that I climbed. They were cumulatively tiring. By late afternoon I was stopping frequently on uphills. I knew I was about done for the day. When I got to Hog Camp Gap with both water and campsites, I called it good. First I trekked the .3 miles downhill to find water. There was a small but clear spring. A bear had crapped in the flow, which seems rude to me. The crap was downhill from the pool from which I gathered water so I'm telling myself it's fine. Either way I filtered it like usual, and don't really have other treatment options. If I get bear flu this week, we'll know why. There is a dirt road nearby. I heard a car around six.  Young, excited voices broke the stillness. I think they must have climbed Cole Mountain. The didn't come camp here in my meadow. I'm happy about that. They were boisterous and loud. Probably would have kept me up late. The meadow is home to a thriving population of buzzing insects, in addition to its oaks. Despite the lack of people, I'll be glad for my earplugs.
Date: 2017-09-26
To: Stealth site
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

9/26Stealth site near 1391.314.5 milesI woke up to brisk air and snuggled down under my quilt, contented to sleep in a little. The next time I opened my eyes, color was staining the sky. Oh yeah! I had set my tent up last night oriented so that I could watch the dawn. And so I did. As the sky turned pink and blue I stretched and then dressed. Given the bears and bear scat I've seen recently, I packed everything before getting my food down out of the tree. When I'm solo I like to be mobile when food is around. But breakfast happened without intruders. I enjoyed my latte and honey bun in peace. I had forgotten how very pretty Cole Mountain is. The north side is very ferny and grassy and open under the trees, then at the top is the first big bald of the south. I walked on and on, stunned that I could have forgotten this mountain. I guess when I was walking north through here, I was pretty preoccupied with thoughts of mortality after finding the dead hiker at Cornelius Creek. But today I was not, and I witnessed the mountain's beauty. The day got unpleasantly warm as I walked down the mountain. Even walking in the shade along the Brown Mountain Creek it was hot. I accumulated the inevitable patches of heat rash under my clothes. When I found the rare flowing water source, the water I spilled on myself felt good. I got water for the night from the Pedlar River. It smelled awful. I wrinkled my nose but there wasn't much I could do. I had to have water. Then it turned out that my guide was wrong - the camping near the river was .2 north, not .2 south. I had already passed it. I kept walking, looking for a flat spot. Before I found that, I found a flowing spring. Yay! I tossed the nasty water and refilled my reservoir with cold, clear, good-smelling water. A tenth of a mile later I saw a saddle of land and went to investigate. At the crest of the saddle, way back in the woods, I found a fire ring and a decent tent site. I put up my tent, hung a bear line, and ate a handful of jerky. It's too hot and I'm too tired to think about making pasta. I brushed my teeth and hung my toothpaste with my food. I tossed all the rest of my gear into my tent and followed it in, only to discover ants. Apparently they had found my pack while it was on the ground. I killed a few dozen and think it's unlikely that I've gotten them all. Frigging ants. Despite the fact that I'm in a usually quiet type of pine woods, things are falling constantly. It keeps setting off my sentries. I hope my trusty earplugs block enough sound that I sleep well. It felt like a long day to me and I'm tired. If I don't get a lot of sleep, tomorrow will be a bear. Not sure if I'm going to Glasgow tomorrow night or the following morning. I'm not super interested in a town stay, but maybe it would be good to be around people and in AC for a bit.
Date: 2017-09-27
To: Glasgow
Miles today: 13.6

9/27Stanimal's hostel in Glasgow13.6 milesApparently I got all the ants. At any rate they didn't bother me anymore. I got up for one last visit to water a tree, and after that my headlamp flaked out. Luckily I didn't need to get up again, but I had wanted to check my map for something. Instead I accepted that it would be a dark night and I went to sleep. In the morning I tried the headlamp again and it worked. I don't know what's going on with it but I don't trust it now. The sun isn't coming up until after 7 now and as a consequence I'm not hiking until 8. I'm going to have to start setting an alarm I guess. I don't really want to. I like waking up when I'm ready. But I think my options soon will be getting up in the dark or arriving at camp in the dark, and finding a campsite and a branch for my bear line in the dark can be quite a trial. It was in the 90's today. I was suffering. I trudged uphill in the heat, stopping often. My heat rash is pretty ugly.  I drank a lot but still had moments of feeling dehydrated and overheated. I'm grateful that it looks like the hot weather will break soon. I sat at the top of Bluff Mountain to talk to lasher Obsidian for a while. I enjoyed meeting her but not so much the sunburn I got. Stupid redhead skin. On my way down I stopped at the Ottie Cline Powell monument for a moment. Every time I wonder how a 4 year old found his way 7 miles, to the top of a mountain, all by himself. How sad for all involved. My afternoon was a blur of heat. I just wanted to get to town and get a shower. I was happily surprised when my shuttler was JD (the hiker). He's helping out at the hostel for a few days following the untimely death of one of the caretakers. I was stunned to hear of his death. His new widow is bearing up remarkably well. I don't think I'd be handling reality well in her situation. I met Ghost Hiker at the hostel, and Redbeard is staying here too. It's a nice bunch. I feel like I'm barely here for 10 minutes. I think it actually will be about 13 hours. A whirlwind trip when you consider the chores I do while in town. As usual I seem to have too much food. I got bagels and they're bulky despite my efforts to mash them. I think I'll be hanging them in a plastic bag the first night. I'm going to look like a newby.
Date: 2017-09-28
To: Harrison Ground Spring
Miles today: 11.4

9/28Harrison Ground Spring tentsite11.4 milesI slept well in my bunk. I followed Ghost Hiker's example and inflated my air mattress to supplement the thin bunk mattress. I worried that the sound of me moving on it might disturb Ghost Rider, but she said it didn't. I think she has good ear plugs. We all ate breakfast together, then JD drove us back to the trail. I got out of Ghost Hiker's way and she sped off. I was fine with that. Most people are faster than me. What I was NOT okay with was the hiker I met hours later. As he approached, he asked if I were Mrs Joy. Ghost Hiker had told him about me. He made a point of telling me "She's way ahead of you. No, I mean WAY ahead of you." Is there any point to that kind of comment other than to point out my relative slowness? I have no idea why it matters. I don't know him, and I just met her yesterday and wasn't trying to keep up with her. The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got. Ah well. Too late for a snappy comeback now. It was warm again today. I felt every one of my pack's 27 pounds as I climbed the 2500 feet of elevation gain leaving town. My pack felt awkward. I picked up bagels in town and they were bulky, although not heavy. My food didn't all fit in my food bag. I left the extra in a plastic grocery bag at the top of the pack. Section hikers left unopened salami at the hostel last night, so I had salami and cream cheese on a bagel for lunch. It was spectacular. Some capers and onion wouldn't have gone amiss either. I'm pretty sure the grocery / hardware store in Glasgow didn't have capers. At 4 I arrived at Harrison Ground Spring, which has the only water for miles in either direction. I was tired and there is camping here, so I made it my home for the night. Thunder Hill shelter has minimal water at the best of times. I'd rather stay here where I can get as much as I want, rather than carry several extra liters to Thunder Hill. Especially as my venerable Platypus bag has sprung a leak. I checked my repair kit and I still have some platypatches - of equally venerable age. It will be interesting to see if they still work. I'll need to dry the bag well first. I guess. If the patches ever had instructions, they are long since gone. With my evening spare time I made a satisfying dinner of loaded mashed potatoes, liberally topped with bacon bits. I sat on a good sitting rock, gazing out into the forest as I happily ate my dinner. It suddenly occurred to me how I could squash the rest of the bagels so that everything would fit in my food bag. I spent the rest of dinner sitting on bagels (inside their slightly open ziplock bag). It worked like a charm. They are very flat now. I just looked up and found another hole in my tent. I patched it of course, but I suspect that the next time it rains I'm going to find more. The holes are only visible from certain angles and in dim light, which makes them hard to search for. It started to feel pleasantly cool while I ate dinner. For the first time in weeks my wool long underwear and my sleeping bag feel good. I look forward to some snuggly sleeping tonight.