morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-24
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

We woke up this morning to birds singing and a sunny clear sky. This was to be a shorts and short sleeve shirt day. Watching hikers emerge from their tents in the morning is quite hilarious. After crawling out on hands and knees, the hiker slowly stands up, putting pressure on each foot slowly. Feet generally hurt first thing in the morning, so when taking those initial steps the hiker waddles like a duck. This initial foot tenderness passes in a few minutes.Moving north out of the Old Orchard Shelter, it was as if the trail designers suddenly decided that no rocks would be needed for a while. Today's trail, for the most part, was smooth and easy - a nice change of pace from yesterday.We're tenting this beautiful evening at the Trimpi Shelter along with ten other thru hikers. Loon, One Stick, Mudflap, and Bow Willow are here. We also enjoyed meeting new hiking friends Plunger and Mr. Right, Hotsauce, Chef, Kiwi and Javelin.One nice aspect to camping at a shelter is the fellowship that occurs during dinner. We typically sit together, often at a picnic table, preparing and eating our different meals.Tomorrow is a shorter (10 mile) hiking day so that we can into Marion to resupply and stay at the Virginia House Inn.
Date: 2009-04-25
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: State Highway VA 670
Miles today: 2.8

After waking up this morning, Tagless was concerned about abdominal pain, similar to symptoms he experienced earlier this week in Damascus. Our plan had been to hike 10 miles and come into Marion to resupply. After walking three miles it became clear that he needed to see a doctor asap. The trail intersected State Highway VA 670, but getting a ride into town seemed unlikely. That's when trail angel, Daryl Rumfelt, walked out of the woods. Daryl was out for the day fishing. When he learned about our situation he offered to drive us into town. Thanks so much Daryl! You really saved the day.We went to the Marion Hospital Emergency Room and learned the Tagless has a hernia. Rather than continuing our walk, we've made the difficult decision to go home (via Greyhound), get this corrected, and then return to the trail as soon as he is cleared by the doctor. The doctor cautioned that continuing to hike with this condition untreated could result in a full blown medical emergency deep in the woods - obviously not worth the risk.Hopefully noninvasive surgury will be an option and we will be able to resume our hike in the next several weeks. We will, of course, resume walking where we got off the trail.It is difficult parting ways with hiking friends that will now move north, but that's the nature of the trail. Tagless will see his doctor first thing Monday morning. Look for an update about our hiking timeline soon.
Date: 2009-04-30
From: State Highway VA 670

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Good News Medical Update - Tag-along and I have great news to share. My needed hernia surgery was successfully performed yesterday and I will be cleared to resume our AT thru hike in two weeks (May 13). After returning home last Saturday, we immediately began researching well-respected physicians in the Chattanooga area that might deal with my hernia in the most effective and noninvasive manner. Enter Dr. David Redd at the Chattanooga Hernia Center ¢ my medical trail angel.Dr. Redd specializes in noninvasive laparoscopic surgery and, as luck would have it, HE IS A BACKPACKER! David is very excited about what we are trying to accomplish and agreed to address my situation immediately. Specifically, we had our initial conversation on the phone Monday, conducted an office consultation on Tuesday, and surgery was successfully completed yesterday.For those not aware, laparoscopic surgery is performed by inserting a long thin scope with a camera attached at one end through a small incision near the navel. Two other tiny incisions are made and the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide (CO2) to give better visibility. Synthetic mesh is used to patch the hernia from the inside, allowing repair without tension or stitching to the muscle wall. I had ¢traditional¢ hernia surgery (on my other side) fifteen years ago. It took about six weeks to resume vigorous activity and the recovery was initially painful. Treatment has come along way since then. Laparoscopic repair leaves three tiny scars versus one large abdominal incision, reduced post-operation pain, faster return to work or activity, and a much shorter recovery time. Today I¢m up and about walking and will soon resume ¢short¢ daily hikes. Dr. Redd assures us that we can confidently resume our thru hike in fourteen days. It is nice to be home and know that everything is going well here. The dogs (Bernie and Splash) resumed their places on the bed with us our first evening back. Walt, our house sitter, is doing an amazing job! He and our neighbors assisted when the roof developed a small leak and when Clipper (our horse) got sick. We thank Walt for patiently changing his plans the next couple weeks and continue to appreciate his support as we complete this incredible life event.Sincere thanks to everyone that has taken time to share support and prayers through both our Trail Journal Guestbook and many emails. Hearing from so many people, many of whom we haven¢t even met, has profoundly touched both Tag-along and I. Trail Journals Update - Fourteen pictures were added to our Photo section three days ago. Pictures were added to Journal entries dated April 21-25. Dates in our Mail Drops section were updated in relation to our revised timeline.
Date: 2009-05-11
From: Home

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

After two weeks at home recovering from my hernia surgery, Tag-along and I are returning to Marion, Virginia tomorrow to resume our AT thru hike. As mentioned in our last journal entry, we are very thankful to have connected with Dr. David Redd in Chattanooga. The noninvasive laparoscopic procedure performed by Dr. Redd went exceptionally well and my recovery has been remarkably speedy. While we were very disappointed to lose momentum through having to leave the trail sixteen days ago, Tag-along and I took advantage of this downtime visiting family and friends, enjoying our two dogs and horse, reorganizing remaining mail drop boxes, uploading twenty-one books on MP3 players, and exchanging cold weather for warm weather gear. As it has turned out, we avoided MANY days of hiking in the rain the past two weeks, - not necessarily a bad thing. Constant wet weather the past two weeks has been disheartening to many hikers and several have left the trail.To AT hiking friends that have moved ahead of us up the trail, we miss you and hope that our paths will cross again. Congratulations for maintaining fortitude through rainy weather. We look forward to building new friendships as we continue north, and value the opportunities this adventure has given us to meet so many unique, distinctive characters that share this special trail with us.Someone recently emailed and asked how we¢ve reduced pack weight, as our ¢big three¢ (packs, shelter, and sleeping gear) were reasonably light to begin with. Several things are noteworthy. We¢ve become very discriminating about food management - trying to limit ourselves to no more 4 days of food whenever possible. This means resupplying in town more often and/or separating mail drops and shipping food up the trail. Early in our hike, Tag-along and I carried too much food per day. We¢ve made adjustments, knowing better what we really need. The switch from the Big Agnes to a Neo Air Sleeping pad shaved off 10 ounces. Lastly, the collective weight of ¢little things¢ (e.g. spare batteries, unneeded first aid and hygiene supplies, extra clothing, etc.) adds weight. Many unused ¢little items¢ were shipped home weeks ago. We will resume our hike with fully resupplied packs lighter than ever ¢ about thirty-one pounds each. This includes four days of food and 1.5 liters of water. Tag-along and I anticipate that it will take us a couple weeks to regain our trail legs, so less pack weight should be helpful. How difficult will it be resuming our thru hike after surgery and seventeen days of inactivity? Is an end to this regular rain pattern anywhere in sight? The next weeks should be very telling. Look for more in upcoming journal entries and wish us luck as we set out again on this incredible adventure.
Date: 2009-05-13
From: VA 670

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: scattered clouds

The Tag Team is back on the trail!Yesterday afternoon, just thirteen days after getting hernia surgery, I was cleared by his doctor to resume hiking. One hour later we were on a Greyhound Bus headed to Marion, VA, the point that we were forced to leave the trail on April 25.As it turns out, our good hiking friend Nice Lenses happens to be in Marion as well. We enjoyed breakfast with him, and then took a shuttle to the VA 670 intersection. That was where we were lucky enough to meet a very kind fisherman on April 25 - Daryl Rumfelt. As soon as Daryl heard that Tagless needed to see a doctor, he unselfishly put his plans aside for the day and offered to drive us into town. Thanks again Daryl! This being our first day back, we planned a short 7.8 mile hiking day. As it turned out, that was enough. Tomorrow we'll increase our mileage to 11 miles in order to get into Atkins. We anticipate that it may take a couple of weeks to regain our trail legs and get back to bigger miles. Tonight we are at the Partnership Shelter, a renown AT location because pizza delivery is available. Everyone here took advantage of that. It also offers a shower! We enjoyed the company of many new trail friends here at the Partnership Shelter. These include Mountain Man, Solo, Splice, Floater, and Jaybird (a new Jaybird). Also passing through were Juice and Mama Lama, Timber, Moose, and Leprechaun. Nice Lenses, who is slackpacking southbound today, hiked into the shelter to see how our return to the trail went. We appreciated his thoughtfulness.All and all it was a great first day back on the trail. Life is good!
Date: 2009-05-14
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Relax Inn
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night Tag-along and I were entertained by a screech owl. We love hearing owls during the night! Our second day back on the trail posed a variety of terrain differences - physically pushing us more than yesterday. The first eight miles were characterized by continuous ups and downs and very rocky trail. As we approached the highway near Atkins VA, the trail leveled out taking us through grassy farmland meadows. Tonight we (and many other hikers) are at the Relax Inn - a low budget motel next to the trail. It has plenty of hot water, coin laundry, clean rooms, and there is a restaurant across the highway - essentially everything hikers need. Other hikers here include Timber, Moose, Leprechaun, Spotlight, Hikin Honker, and Montana Steve. Tag-along and I are meeting many new hiking friends. The trail continues to be full of unique and motivated individuals willing to provide support. Happily, I am not feeling any discomfort at all from my hernia surgery. At the end of the hiking day, we were pleased with our effort and mileage, especially considering that we've been inactive for seventeen days. Tomorrow we hope to increase our mileage to 14 miles! Wish us luck.
Date: 2009-05-15
From: Relax Inn - Atkins

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Today we completed 14 miles, which included numerous climbs and decents. Tag-along and I are pleased with how quickly we seem to be getting our strength and cardio endurance back.The variety of scenery and landscape was incredible today. The trail took us through beautiful forest full of blooming azaleas and rhododendram, grassy meadows, and farmland pastures. We climbed a total of ten fence stiles. We also encountered our first snake. That's one too many for Tag-along. One wonderful surprise was encountering Don Hodges and his friend Ed Price during our lunch break. Don is the father of our house sitter, Walt. They were out for a day hike before heading on to Trail Days. About an hour before we arrived at the shelter it started raining. We put our pack covers on, but didn't bother with rain gear. We were so hot and sweaty, the rain felt refreshing.Due to the rain, we are staying in the Knot Maul Branch Shelter tonight along with Mountain Man and Montana Steve. Happy also came in after we were all in bed.Montana Steve, a retired lawyer, is a section hiker that has completed over one quarter of the trail. We enjoyed his company a lot.Mountain Man, a retired engineer and laser saleman, is a thru hiker from the Boston area. Although he will soon turn seventy, he can hike much faster than us. Mountain Man is a new hiking friend whose company we know we will enjoy as we move up the trail. Our decision about mileage tomorrow is a tough call. A 19 mile day would position us near Bland, VA where we need to resupply. It also puts us at a shelter which will be nice if it turns rainy again. That is a very long day, however, especially considering it is only our fourth day back on the trail. We have decided to get up early, start walking, and see what happens.
Date: 2009-05-16
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

With the possibility of 19 miles ahead of us, Tag-along and I got up earlier than usual and started hiking by 6:45. No doubt this will be our practice as it gets hotter during summer months. Beginning at daybreak will allow us to walk 10-12 miles before late morning and enjoy a long break in the heat of the day before moving on. Walking in the woods at daybreak is always very peaceful. Birds are singing, woodpeckers are active, and the rising sun casts beautiful light throughout the forest. We knew we had two big climbs - the second being an elevation gain of over 2000 feet. After completing the second climb, the trail moved us through miles of open mountaintop farmland. Tag-along and I had lunch at the Chestnut Knob Shelter - a shelter different than any other we have encountered. It is a four-sided stone building that would offer excellent protection in the most extreme weather. After leaving Chestnut Knob, we were still faced with a 10 mile stretch to the next shelter. Our profile map indicated this final ten miles was fairly flat. We actually encountered rolling terrain with continuous 100 foot elevation changes. Rocks and boulders cluttered much of the trail. We had to move very slow, and eventually ran out of water with four miles still ahead of us. All we could do was continue to move forward. It was at the VA 623 that we experienced some wonderful trail magic - two cold cans of coke sitting on the ground. These had just been left by a couple (past thru hikers) that heard we were coming down the trail. If that couple happens to be reading this - THANK YOU! Your thoughtfulness couldn't have come at a better time.After 12.5 hours we completed our nineteen mile day - arriving at the Jenkins Shelter. Also there were Mountain Man, Montana Steve, and Happy. We cooked a great mac-n-cheese dinner and got in bed ready to rest. As we slept in our Tarptent, it rained throughout the night. Tag-along and I enjoyed one of our best nights sleeping on the trail yet!
Date: 2009-05-17
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up this morning ready to get on our way to Bland VA. As we crawled out of our tent, we were both glad to see that we could stand on yesterday's sore feet. Our legs and feet recovered pretty well with a great night's rest.The trail all the way to the highway was an easy woods path. At the highway we hitched a quick ride to the Big Walker Motel. A late lunch at Subway hit the spot. Dollar General provided enough resupply to get us ready for the next few days until we arrive in Pearisburg - our next zero day. Also here are Juice, Mama Lama, Mountain Man, and Jazzman and Turtle - a nice couple from Chicago about our age.Weather for the couple of days looks great!
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Bland, VA

To: Brushy Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 16.0

On this day thirty-five years ago, Tag-along and I were married. Perhaps it is fitting that we spent the day together, walking during one of the most beautiful days we've seen since starting our thru hike. Specifically, it was a gorgeous sunny day with a light breeze and temperatures in the seventies. The trail was smooth with gentle ups and downs winding through the woods.Tag-along and I shared a shuttle from Bland back to the trail with Mountain Man - stopping at a Subway on the way, picking up breakfast sandwiches and foot long sandwiches for dinner.Our original plan was to hike 12.1 mile to the Jenny Knob Shelter. Once there, we decided to rest and then push on another few miles. We found a nice stealth camping area coming down Brushy Mountain. Tomorrow we plan to hike 16 miles to the Woods Hole Hostel - a place we've heard good things about. Passing the 600 mile mark today was a great anniversary gift to ourselves!
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Brushy Mountain Campsite

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

Tag-along and I walked 17 miles today - arriving at the Woods Hole Hostel about 6:30. Again, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Most of the day the trail was relatively flat, following Dismal Creek for miles. It ended on a strenuous note, as we climbed and descended Sugar Run Mountain.Once on top of Sugar Mountain, we saw a note pinned to a tree branch. It read, "rattle snake left side of the trail". I believe Tag-along might have been looking to her left side for the next several miles. We've been hearing wonderful things about the Woods Hole Hostel, and it certainly lived up to our expectations. Woods Hole originally opened up for business in 1986. The proprietor, Tillie Woods, quickly became a trail legend, known for her homemade biscuits and "Tilly breakfast". She loved AT hikers, and provided safe shelter and home cooked meals to thousands throughout the next 22 years. Sadly, Tilly passed away last year and the Woods Hole Hostel closed. Enter Neville Harris, Tilly's grand daughter and her soon to be husband Michael. Fulfilling a promise to her grandmother, Neville and Michael reopened the hostel just three weeks ago on May 1. Everything runs so smoothly, one would think they have been operating it for years.Woods Hole offers a bunkhouse that will sleep twelve (all that's asked is a donation). There is also one very nice private room for two with adjoining bathroom. We opted for that. Other services include soft drinks, pizza, ice cream, and snacks (pay by the honor system), laundry, sauna, massages (Neville and Michael are nationallycertified massage therapists), shuttle service, breakfast and dinner. This place is immaculately clean.After an incredible dinner, we treated ourselves to a sauna and one hour couple's massage as a 35th year anniversary gift. It was wonderful and our tired sore bodies said "thank you".Tag-along and I made many new hiking friends today. These include STP, T Suds, Patches, Kbar, Spoon Man, Many Names, and Crazy Lady. It was great to see Mule, who we met in Georgia back in March. He is here after leaving the trail for a couple of weeks to visit family. We also enjoyed spending time with Juice and Mama Lama from time to time throughout the day.   Tomorrow, after breakfast, we have a short 11 mile hiking day into Pearisburg, where we zero on Wednesday.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

After a wonderful breakfast at the Woods Hole Hostel, Tag-along and I packed up, said our goodbyes, and walked 1/2 mile back to the trail.We haven't mentioned that the daily and total mileage figures listed for each entry reflect only actual AT trail miles. Often we hike off trail to reach a shelter or hostel, but those don't count so we don't include them.The descent into Pearisburg was long and steep - very brutal on the knees. We plan to zero tomorrow and take care of town chores. Our next town stop will be Dalesville, VA, 79 miles up the trail.NOTE: Pictures were added to journal entries May 13-20. Twenty pictures have been added to our Photo section.
Date: 2009-05-22
From: Pearisburg

To: Syms Gap Meadow
Miles today: 11.9

Tag-along and I left Pearisburg this morning with heavy packs, as we needed six days food to carry us through to Dalesville, VA. That translates to heavy pack weight. As is usually the case when leaving a trail city, we had a long climb, but when we did get to the top the trail was pretty level and wound through a beautiful woods.We had to walk a mile from our motel to get to the trail. It took about an hour, once on the trail to leave annoying city noises behind. Today we met a very nice couple, Bruce and Bernie, a retired ER doctor and nurse. They are section hiking, doing two weeks every year - scheduling each section during the calendar same time frame many thru hikers experience. For instance, they began the trail four years ago in early March. Smart idea! We are camped with them on a beautiful mountain top meadow with views. As we write this, we can see the sunset out the end of our Tarptent. Life is great on the trail.
Date: 2009-05-25
From: Sarvers Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: moderate rain

This journal entry summarizes both yesterday (May 24) and today (May 25). Yesterday's 15.9 mile day was really challenging due to two big climbs. The second one was straight up with few switchbacks. Combined these accounted for a 2900' elevation gain. We passed through two wooded areas that gypsy moth caterpillers were destroying. They rapidly defoliate the trees by chewing leaves continuously. Shredded leaf pieces literally covered the ground everywhere. Other hikers reported that during the night there are so many falling leaf pieces it sounded like rain. The "fix" is to use helicopters to drop green confetti looking material that is supposed to discourage mating. Signs posting notice of this with the added reassurance that the green material will cause no harm to humans.We passed the Keffer Oak - the largest oak tree on the AT estimated to be over 300 years old. It is more than 18 feet around.   Today was another long one - putting 16.1 miles behind us. It began with a long technical rocky trail along an exposed ridge. There's no moving fast through that stuff. Nice Fragrances from blooming fringe trees were noticeable throughout the morning.We've been travelling with and enjoying the company of Papa Squat, Toothpick, Splice, and Rayel. Mountain Man, Juice, and Mama Lama remain one half day ahead of us up the trail.With three decent mileage days behind us, we are a day ahead of our planned schedule. This should allow us to enjoy a zero day in Daleville this Thursday. Yea! Town food here we come.
Date: 2009-05-26
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Catawba Shelter
Miles today: 14.6

Tag-along and I are comfortably hunkered down for the evening at the Catawba Shelter as it rains hard outside. We've got the whole place to ourselves, which is highly unusual this time of year..It has rained on and off most of the day, at one point a hard down pour got us completely soaked. We didn't bother with rain gear as it was too warm. Today's hike put us over the 700 mile mark. By this weekend we should have over 1/3 of the AT behind us!Today we also scaled the infamous Dragon's Tooth section of the trail. Very technical with metal hand rails to use at times.Tomorrow we are going to try to make it all 17.8 miles into Daleville. That's going to be a challenge due to some big climbs and tough terrain. It looks like we'll be walking in rain all day. Flash flood watches have been issued. We'll give it our best!