morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-04-24
From: Hilton Head Island, SC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Neither of us wanted to do it, but we left Hilton Head after saying by to my dad around 9am. The ride back felt like forever but only took us four hours. It's Easter Sunday so I hung out around the house for the afternoon and ate a nice dinner with my mom. I went to REI as they were open and spent the rest of my dividend on laces and Mountain House meals. The laces on my boots already broke so I needed new ones. I have 12 Mountain House meals and plan to have my mom bring what I don't take this week the next time she sees me. I figured it was money well spent. The manager of REI gave me the laces for free after I explained I was hiking the trail and the Asolo laces didn't last but the 330 or so miles from Springer to Sam's Gap. After dinner I went to Robbie's and saw Ricky, Leslie, Missy, Nathan, and the rest of their family. I haven't rode a dirt bike in a long time especially not on a track since my brothers accident. I rode Nathans for a good part of the afternoon and it was a great feeling. I love being on two wheels! I then went to Laura's house and spend the remainder of the evening with her. It was a great way to end an awesome weekend!
Date: 2011-04-25
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up around 7am this morning and then went to the doctor at 8:30am. They told me they were testing for a few different things that could be irritating my liver. I told them I was going to get back on the trail today. They told me the results would be back tomorrow morning so that quickly changed my mind and I decided to wait one more day to hear what is going on. They still said no alcohol or advil so I've been following those rules religiously. I talked to Moose and Cheech this weekend to find out they hitched a ride from Sam's Gap to Erwin and are skipping that section of the trail. That makes the second time they've missed a rather large (20 plus miles) portion of the trail. I didn't like hearing that because that put them ahead of me instead of letting them catch up with me and then hiking with them for a bit. They said they were starting to hike today so I guess I'll see them when I catch them. I definitely plan to get back on the trail tomorrow. I hope the results come back saying it was just the advil that was causing the high number of enzymes. If it's something more severe, I'm not sure what I'll do about my hike. It's scary to think this wouldn't have been found if I didn't pass out on the trail and then have blood work done. I guess everything happens for a reason. I'm certainly looking forward to getting back on the trail. I feel like I've been off for weeks and it's only been since Wednesday afternoon. I'll update my journal as much as I can but will not be back at my house until Memorial Day weekend when I take that weekend off the trail. Thanks for all the support!
Date: 2011-04-26
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up early this morning waiting on the phone call from the doctor about my blood test results. I planned to get dropped off at Sam's Gap at noon after my mom got off work and hike to the shelter after Big Bald. When she got home from work, I still had not heard from the doctor so I called them around 1pm. They said the results were still not in but should be in very soon. I called again at 3pm, and still nothing. Finally right before 5pm they called. They said my liver enzymes are down and back to normal. That was great to hear! They said do not take as much Advil as I was taking after long days of hiking. They also said no alcohol and Advil together. I was mad that I wasted yet another day waiting for the blood test results but in the end I'm very glad I did because that was great news. I got to see my friend David for a while later in the evening when he stopped by the house. I also got to see Laura again before I head back on the trail tomorrow. My mom will be dropping me off at 9am so I'll get a good day of hiking in. I hope to make it to the shelter that is 18 or so miles away. It's the last shelter before Erwin, TN.
Date: 2011-04-28
From: Erwin, TN

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: light rain

I slept in till around 10am this morning and took a nice long hot shower. It was still a little cloudy outside so I decided to wait till around noon to try and find a ride back to the trail. Grant had class so I sent out a text to a few people I knew might be going back towards Asheville today. Riley who is dating my friend Christian said she was heading back to Asheville later this afternoon and would give me a ride to the trail in Erwin. I told Laura and my mom I would call them when I got to Erwin before I got on the trail today. Riley dropped me off at Uncle Johny's Hostel around 3:30pm. I had no service to call my mom or Laura. I left the hostel after checking it out around 4pm hoping Laura was not worrying about be since I didn't have service to call. The first two miles were very flat and nice to hike. They followed the river which was very nice to see. After following the river for a few miles it was a rather steep climb up to the shelter. I arrived at the shelter a little before 6pm and found a very nice place for my tent. I also found that I had no service so hopefully I get some tomorrow at some point on the trail. I made a nice Mountain House meal for dinner which tasted great and filled me up. I couldn't believe how much food I ate tonight. I'm going to try for a 20 or so mile day tomorrow if the terrain is not too steep and tiring. Hearing everyone talk about how nice and flat Virginia will be is awesome to hear. There is a group of 5 section hikers here tonight as well. It's a very nice calm evening but is starting to cool off a bit. I hope to be at Elk Park, NC by Sunday or Monday morning. I'm already a few days ahead of my schedule so that feels nice encase I want a slower easy day. It's a great feeling to be back on the trail and putting some miles behind me.
Date: 2011-04-29
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Gap, TN 107
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

The group of section hikers were up by 6am as was I but decided to rest in my tent till 7:30am or so knowing I could make up miles later. I didn't sleep a bit last night as I was in my tent by 9pm and then around 10pm heard a pack of coyotes for an hour or so before they headed up the mountain. I rolled around for a few hours and looked at my phone and it read 1:45am and I had still not been able to fall asleep. I'm not sure why I couldn't sleep but it wasn't fun. Around 8am I was packed and headed out on the trail with no sleep. I felt great though which was surprising. The first five miles of the trail was awesome. It was like a flat walking path in the woods. I came to a road crossing where I took a break 4 miles in to my day before starting the 3 mile hike up to the Beauty Spot. When I arrived at the Beauty Spot I could see where it got the name. It was very windy and I had service so I called my mom, Laura, and my dad to let them know where I was and how yesterday went. From there I hiked down a little grassy field looking up at a beautiful mountain with a summit covered in thick spruces. Little did I know that was Unaka Mountain and I was heading straight up it. The smell of the trees and feeling like I was back in Maine took my mind off the climb and made me feel a sense of being at home. I passed the section hikers at the summit and went a little further to have a snack. I had some service to got to text my mom as well as Laura. I did the next 4 miles in a little over an hour. I was pretty much running as the section hikers told me when they arrived at the next shelter where I ate lunch and got water. I still felt great and decided to see how far I could make it for that day. I made it to Iron Mountain Gap where I called it a day. Greasy Creek Hostel was only about 4 miles from be but I didn't want to pay to stay the night when I just left town. I met a ton of people at the gap as well as one of the owners of the Hostel. I also talked to Moose and Pyro who went to get Pyro's truck so they can do trail magic. They are going to meet me in Elk Park, NC in a few days. I'm going to do a small mileage day tomorrow before heading up Roan Mountain. The weather has been great!
Date: 2011-04-30
From: Iron Mountain Gap, TN 107

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: clear sky

The past new nights have been cool but during the day it's very warm. I slept great so that was nice. Today was a short day as it feels like I may have pulled a muscle in my left leg so I let it have a break. The Rock Pillar was pretty cool to see and was about the only thing interesting on the trail today as it was such a short day. I talked to my dad who is visiting with my brother for parents weekend at his school and that was nice. Tomorrow I'll be hiking roan mountain and will probably stop at Stan Murray Shelter or Overmountain Shelter as I hear a lot of nice things about Overmountain Shelter. I've hiked Roan Mountain before and I hope it's nice weather so I can see the view from the summit. I plan to be in Damascus, VA by the end of the week.
Date: 2011-05-01
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Stan Murray Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up this morning after another rather cool night. During the day it has been pretty warm but it's still getting a little colder at night. I looked at the date and today is May 1st on a Sunday. It's exactly 6 years since my brothers wreck and it's a Sunday which is the same day. I'm definitely glad things are the way they are today and that's that. I hiked over Roan Mountain which had some great views and was awesome to hike over. It's very close to my campus so that's another reason it was nice to hike over. I've been having a lot of service lately which is nice to update my journals and be able to talk to people. Tomorrow I'll be hiking into Elk Park, NC or Roan Mtn, TN where I'll meet up with Pyro and Moose.
Date: 2011-05-02
From: Stan Murray Shelter

To: Roan Mountain, TN
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

It's only been a few days since I got back on the trail but it feels like forever after taking close to two weeks off in Asheville. I did not want to take that long off but had to because of the medical issues that arose. It was a very short day and I got to the road around 3pm and then got a hold of Moose and Pyro who would be there in a few hours. I then hitches a ride into Roan Mtn, TN and hung out at Bob's Dairy Land until they got there around 6pm. We were going to hike a mile or so into the first campsite and then they would slack pack me 24 miles tomorrow to the next Hostel but we came back to my apartment for the evening and they are staying here with me tonight. It was nice to take a shower and go out to eat. Tomorrow they are dropping me off at the trail and will take my gear 24 miles to the hostel and I'll slack pack. I was thinking about doing it tonight while its cooler temps but doubt that will happen. After the hostel I'll hike the ten miles to Watauga Lake and spend the next evening there. My body still feels great and the miles don't seem to bad. The few short days definitely feel nice. I'm going to be in Damascus, VA sooner than I thought.
Date: 2011-05-03
From: Roan Mountain, TN

To: US 321, Watauga Lake
Miles today: 33.0

Last night Pyro, Moose, and I arrived in Johnson City and all went out to eat. We then came back to my apartment and I felt wide awake when Pyro gave me a great idea. He said if I slack packed and night hiked last night, I would be to the hostel where Cheech, Junzi, Max, Honeybee, Chickadee, and Long Beard are staying. So there it was. We left my apartment around 9pm and they drove me up 19E through Roan Mountain, TN where the trail crosses the road. They dropped me off there and car camped at the trail head last night. I started calling them to see where they were around 6am and planned to be at the hostel around 10am. I walked into the hostel around 9am and was very tired and felt like a zombie. Max and Honeybee said they were going to slack pack the ten miles to Watauga Lake later in the day and asked if I wanted to with them. I said why not. I don't remember much of the night hike as I was trying to go fast and had my Ipod playing as it was rather weird for me to be doing it alone. I remember thinking I was waking people up at the shelter as I passed by but no one said a thing today. Around 11am Max, Honeybee, and I left the hostel with a light slack pack and a rather easy day ahead. I felt so tired I was almost sleep walking. After about 2 miles we came to a nice waterfall where many couples were swimming as it was pretty hot earlier in the day. It made me miss Laura and wish she was on this section with me so we could swim for a while and she could see the huge waterfall. We ran into Long Beard and Chickadee there as they were also slack packing but in the other direction back to the hostel. Both of them are taking a zero day tomorrow and doing some trail work on Roan Mountain. I left pretty quick after that as I wanted to get the 3 mile uphill done. I started up it and didn't stop until the top to drink some water. Everything seems faster and easier while slack packing and it's a great feeling. All my gear is in Pyro's truck. I brought with me a water bottle, headlamp, guidebook, cell phone, Ipod, and some snacks. The downhill to the lake was very nice and gradual which was very nice as my body was about to its limit. I passed some horses on the way down which was cool to see. Junzi is trying the Kencora challenge tomorrow which means one hikes from the hostel to Damascus, VA in 24 hours and its 50 miles. I hope he makes it! Pyro, Cheech, and Moose picked Max, Honeybee, and I up at the lake around 4pm and it was pouring the rain. They were all talking about getting a hotel and I suggested instead that we all stay at my apartment which is only 20 minutes away and my bed sounded better than ever to me. Everyone quickly agreed that was the best bet and a way to save money so we drove back to Johnson City. We all went out to eat tonight and it's now 8pm and I can hardly hold my eyes open. I plan to get a great nights sleep tonight and then do two 20 mile days into Damascus from the lake starting tomorrow morning. I'm glad to have done my longest day yet while slack packing. I'm not sure I could have done that many miles with a full pack.
Date: 2011-05-04
From: US 321, Watauga Lake

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Everyone who stayed at my apartment last night slept in till around 9am this morning. I got up, took a nice hot shower, and packed up all my gear to hit the trail again. We left my apartment around 10:30am and we were at the lake again by 11am. Max, Honeybee, and I are the only ones who hiked today. Junzi is going for the Kencora challenge so I'm interested to see if he signed the shelter registers that we come across today. As soon as we got dropped off it started to rain along with a little bit of hail which was weird because it was 50 degree when we left the lake. It was on and off hail/rain for a few hours and then it cleared out but was still mostly cloudy and rather cold. Junzi had signed the Watuage Lake Shelter register at 10:18am this morning so he had to of started the challenge around 5 or 6 this morning. It was around noon when we got to the shelter near the lake and the terrain was awesome! Looking at the guide the terrain looked "flat" until the next couple shelters but that was not the case as Cowgirl stated in my guest book. The guide doesn't show the little ups and downs that end up wearing you out. After around 6 miles the muscle I pulled in my leg started to hurt again. It wasn't a really bad pain it actually felt funny more than anything. My leg would hardly hold my weight which was weird to me. I had planned to try for a 20 or so mile day today but that obviously did not happen. The shelter is full tonight along with 5 people camping around the shelter. Cowboy is here who I learned was from Jay Maine which was cool to hear as that is where my step mom Beth grew up. When I told him her maiden name he said he's definitely heard it many times before. His accent was awesome to hear and made me miss Maine. It was 44 degrees at 4pm and windy. I've been in my sleepy bag since I cooked dinner around 5pm to keep warm. It's even cold in my sleeping bag which sucks because it's been so warm for a while now. There is a nice view of the lake behind us but it is to cold to enjoy this evening. I'm a little over 30 miles from Damascus, VA and I plan to be there by Saturday at the latest if my leg doesn't continue to hurt. I wish I had stayed one more night at my apartment as it's so cold here tonight. I have service here tonight so it's nice to be able to text Laura, my mom, and my dad and not thin about how cold it is. It's supposed to be 28 degrees in town tonight so even cold up here and the wind doesn't help. I hope my leg gets better so I can start doing some higher mileage days again. I'm out of fuel so it's cold meals until I get to Damascus. I have all my clothing on tonight so hopefully I stay warm enough to get some sleep. It's going to be a very long night.
Date: 2011-05-05
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

I was up around 8am this morning as I slept in because I didn't sleep at all last night. I could hear mice running around the walls of the shelter and everyone was tossing and turning as was I. It was so cold I was completely inside my sleeping bag with no exposed skin because I could feel every guest of wind. I just couldn't get comfortable so it was one of those nights. I took my time getting packed up at woke Max up at 9am to ask if he was going to leave with me like he said he wanted to. He said they were going to stay at the shelter and wait from Long Beard and Chickadee to catch them so I took off. The first 6 miles of the day felt awesome and went buy very fast. I did them in a little over two hours so I knew I was moving faster than normal. I ran out of water but was fine because it was a cooler day and I had a liter before I ran out. I got water at a springer right before the next shelter and passed through around noon. Bismark and I have been passing each other all day. When I crossed TN-91 outside of Shady Valley, TN there was trail magic by Riff Raff. They had beer, food, and tobacco so it was a nice break for the day. Cheech, Pyro, Moose, and Junzi were all there as well. Pyro, Cheech, and Moose had driven there. Junzi got there last night and stopped 18 miles short of his 50 miles challenge. He said he had enough and didn't feel like going the rest of the way. The next shelter was only two miles from the trail magic so I hung out there for a while and had a few drinks with them. I found they had lived in Maine and worked at Saddle Back mountain for a while. I didn't get the 20 miles that I wanted to but had no problem with that. I'm very close to Damascus and will be crossing the TN/VA line soon which means I then have 550 or so miles in VA.
Date: 2011-05-06
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: light rain

I had a great night sleep and woke up very early and was on the trail by 6am knowing I had 20 miles to Damascus and I was determined to make it there today. The terrain was much better than I had expected and the miles flew by. I knew Pyro and Moose would be there waiting for me so that kept me from taking so many breaks and just hiking at the same pace all day. They wanted to go to Asheville for a few nights so I told them I would ride with them if the wanted to pick me up and they said that sounded good to them. It was great to cross into VA but at the same time it made me think of how long I'll be in this state for. My boots are killing my feet and I believe while I'm in Asheville I'll be buying a pair of trail runners and put my boots away until NH. I had boots because I have weak ankles but now they feel stronger and I have a pretty good set of trail legs under me so I think it's time to switch to trail runners. Pyro said he hiked in them the whole time last year so I'm not worried about not being able to hike in them. Pyro and Moose just picked me up so we are heading back to Asheville. Cheech and Junzi are going to see home of Cheech's family in NC while Max, Honeybee, and Chickadee will be hanging out in Damascus for a few days. Long Beard is heading back home until Trail Days but is done hiking. Moose also goes back to Maine after trail days. Pyro is going home as well so that leaves Cheech, Junzi, Chickadee, Honeybee, Max, and I on the trail from our group. I'm going to take a day or two off in Asheville as I'm pretty far ahead of where I planned to be. After Memorial Day weekend, I'll certainly be cutting back on the zero days. I've met a few people who started late March and have only taken a few zero days but I'm not too worried about it. I'm glad to be in Damascus, VA; it's a nice feeling. Yesterday I crossed the 20% mark of the trail. So much has happened in that 20% and I can't imagine what is to come in the next 80%.
Date: 2011-05-07
From: Damascus, VA

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Pyro, Moose, and I hung out around the house all day and rested. We went to the driving range around 4pm and hit golf balls for a few hours which was fun. We came back and started a fire and sat around that for most of the evening. A few friends stopped by and it was nice to see them. The neighbors gave us a lot of fire wood to burn so we had a nice big fire. Pyro rode with me to get my mom as well as Laura's mom flowers for mothers day. I plan to go to REI tomorrow and check out trail runners to possibly replace my boots for now. I can't decide if I want to give them a try or not. We'll head back to Damascus first this Monday morning.
Date: 2011-05-08
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up around 10am this morning and we all went out to eat at IHOP with my mom. After that we all went to REI where I ended up getting Salomon trail runners which felt awesome walking around the store. I also got some socks that are lower than the ones I currently have. I'll be leaving behind my boots, gators, and three pairs of high socks. I also got fuel and deet. I'm going to go through my pack and see what I can still cut out to shave some weight. A lighter pack definitely feels much better and I'm starting to cut more and more items out. Pyro, Moose, and I went to TCBY in Weaverville before I went over to Laura's for the evening. It was a great weekend to be home and be able to spend mother's day with my mom. I'll be going back to Damascus tomorrow morning and hopefully making it to Marion, VA by Thursday but hopefully at least by Friday so Pyro can pick me up for Trail Days. I'll be back in Asheville for the last time on this hike Memorial Day weekend and I'll be spending that time at lake Keowee in SC.