morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-04-25
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: "Elmer's" Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Hot Springs finally! Unfortunately it's Monday, which means I've totally missed Trail Fest. :-( I was really looking forward to it, but I've had good company so it's alright. My hose to my bladder completely froze as well as my sun tea. It's all good though because there's lots of snow. :-D Mr. Fusion was still in his sleeping bag when I left this morning. He's worse than I am. ;-) I was singing an Italian Aria when two section hikers came up behind me. I think I scared them. The sun was shining bright, which made the day beautiful (I hadn't seen the sun for a while). As I dropped elevation, the snow began to disappear and green became the color for the day. Crazy Legs Crim and Low Bridge both passed me (the guys I met at Standing Bear), which was cool because Low Bridge is really cute. I stopped at Deer Park Mountain Shelter for lunch, which is only three miles before town. The shelter was so pretty (and leafy green) and I chilled out there for a good hour probably. When I left the shelter I met Vapors and we chatted while he re-tied his boots. The trail into Hot Springs comes right down into people's backyards and then cuts across town. I went straight to Elmer¢s, which is a hostel with an organic garden and vegetarian fare. Yes! I couldn't wait. Luckily he had a room available. When I saw it, I felt like I should have a velvet rope separating me from the furniture. It was too beautiful to sleep in. After I got settled, I went to the post office and the outfitter where I ran into Mr. Fusion, Bottle-Rocket, and Kelly. I bought some batteries finally for my camera and weighted myself on the big scale inside. I've lost like 15 or 20 pounds! I thought girls weren't supposed to lose weight. Kelly and Inspector Gadget were leaving town so I made them chill with me before they left. I probably won't see them until Damascus now. :-( After that, I did my laundry and ran to meet Mr. Fusion, Bottle-Rocket and Funnel Cake for dinner at the Smoky Mountain Diner. I found out Bottle-Rocket wants to hike the PCT next year and told him that I wanted to join him in that adventure. I've never been out west so what a fun way to explore it for the first time. :-) After dinner we got some beer and headed back to Elmer's. We hung out on the porch and drank. I met Noonin and Golgi - two southern boys. Finally southern people! Our accents were raging! It was a fun, relaxing evening. For some reason I was wired so after everyone went to bed I went back to my room and read an entire publication that PETA put out about going vegan. Well, I read everything except the part where they go into animal abuse on farms (too depressing). I was still uncomfortable about sleeping in this room, but as soon as I got in my bed, it was instant bliss. Goodnight.
Date: 2005-04-26
To: Spring
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: moderate rain

I've just had the most comfortable sleep yet since I've been hiking. Breakfast was delicious. We had fresh juice, pancakes with fruit compote and strawberries, melon, and granola cereal. After eating, I got my stuff together and went across the street to the diner to visit Mr. Fusion and Funnel Cake. Bottle-Rocket had already left for the library where I went next. Funnel Cake left right after breakfast, but the rest of us weren't leaving until the afternoon. After I went to the library for a while, I headed to the post office. Vapors came by and convinced me to do the hot springs. I figured I am in Hot Springs, so why not take advantage of it. We went to the outfitter and drooled over all the organic food and drinks they had there. After goofing off, we headed back to Elmer's where Vapors is staying tonight and hung out on the balcony off of his room. It was really cool. We sat in rocking chairs looking over Elmer's garden while drinking really good beer (I had some left over from last night). Time had flown by so we raced to the spa. They put us in a hot tub by ourselves. I was disappointed at first because I was looking forward to meeting other hikers, but it proved to be relaxing with just the two of us. Each hot tub was in a wooden gazebo with trees all around. I lied back with the jets going and just stared at all the green and brown around me. It was so peaceful (and it made me that much more excited to get back to the woods). I finally left at about 7pm. Bottle-Rocket and Mr. Fusion were long gone, but said they'd be camping just up the trail. I wanted to camp with them but decided if they were past the pond five miles up, I would just stay there. It was a steep climb getting out of Hot Springs, but there were some cool views at Lover¢s Leap Rock and just past that. I stopped to take some pictures. By this time it was almost dark. I heard something move up the trail. When it occurred to me that it was smaller than a human and running, I jumped out of the way. Whatever it was ran straight up instead of cutting on the switchback (where I was standing). After being shaken up for a moment by what I think was a wild boar, I continued on my way. It was really dark now requiring the use of my camo headlamp. I came across a two-person tent next to some burning ashes where a fire was. It looked like they were sleeping so I kept walking. A few feet up the trail I saw another big tent and chatted with the guy in the tent next to it and got completely creeped out. The whole scenario was extremely sketchy so I told him my friends were right up the trail and left. I walked so fast from there. When I got to a dirt road I realized I had completely passed the pond where I was going to camp at. I kept moving in the dark up the gravel road, over an overpass, back into the woods. It was raining by this point and very late so I got far enough in the trees till I felt safe and put up my tent in the rain.
Date: 2005-04-27
From: Spring

To: Spring Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: light rain

It turns out I was in a rather nice campsite. It also turns out I was just over half a mile from the fire tower where Bottle-Rocket and Mr. Fusion probably stayed. I packed my stuff up fast even though everything was wet and headed for the fire tower. I took the side trail up to the top, put my bag down, pulled out a beer, and sat down on the steps. I packed in my last beer to drink last night, but since last night didn't happen, it makes for a mighty fine breakfast. As soon as I finished breakfast it began to hale. It was extremely cold outside and I was just not in the mood to hike - especially after my very long night last night. I thought about how the entire group has dissipated: Kelly and Inspector Gadget way ahead: Bottle-Rocket and Mr. Fusion just ahead, and Sunflower somewhere behind. At the same time I was excited to meet new people. I decided to just stay at the next shelter and see who shows up.... even if it was only 2.5 past the fire tower. Along the way it smelled like a campfire. Recently there was a controlled burn done (that's what I smelled). For the last two miles before the shelter one whole side of the forest was charred black. They used the AT as the borderline. It looked wild. Somehow they managed not to burn the shelter down - it was still standing. I was of course the first one there. The ashes in the fire pit were still burning from the night before (and quite smoky from all the drizzle). First a guy came up with his dog. He was out hiking for the day and unloaded a pack full of snacks. Then came Jackaroo, a Japanese journalist (or columnist or something) who's getting paid to hike this. He does big miles so he ran by, ate, and ran off. Then came Navigator. It turns out he was in the first tent I passed last night. He, too, was on the sketched out side by the others. We hung out in the shelter for a while and talked (he also had plans of short miles and staying in the shelter this miserable day). We laid in our sleeping bags on opposite sides of the shelter. Within a half hour the whole place filled up as well as the campsite on the hill next to us. It was a schlew of people - some I had met like Vapors, Low Bridge and Crazy Legs - and a lot who were new faces. Vapors was saying how he was glad he got to see me again and when he made mention of me being further up the trail, Crazy Legs said "Who? Saxy? No, we're keeping her." They said I was the coolest girl they'd met on the trail so far. Now, I don't know if it's because Vapors talked me up or if they really felt this, but it was flattering nonetheless. We all hung out that night around the picnic table and had a blast. I met some new faces like Professor Nutbags and Papa Razzi. Ug was even there. :-) The night proved very exciting.
Date: 2005-04-28
From: Spring Mountain Shelter 

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning when I awoke, the music was blaring and everyone was cooking and lighting up. What a wonderful way to start the day, even if the sun was still hiding. I was my usual self and took forever to get ready. Vapors actually stood around and waited for me. I don't know who in their right mind would want to hike with me because I'm soooooo slow. We set off into the woods and as I struggled to keep up we hiked a bit with several different people. I guess this is what it's like with a big group. As we approached Allen Gap we came across a trail magic sign. It directed us to this house of former thru-hikers Fal and Hercules. It was an incredible invitation in an incredible house. They sat us all down at the dinner table and served us stew and dessert. I bet the stew was incredible on this rainy day. Since I don't eat meat Fal gave me two desserts. Was it greedy of me to ask? They were both delicious and I made all the guys drool with jealousy! See, there are perks to being vegetarian. :-D Thank you both for the wonderful food and stories. After we left there we headed to Nean's up the trail a ways at their advice. Nean is a cool guy and he's a triple Triple Crowner. The Triple Crown goes to those few who have completed the AT, the PCT, and the CDT. Nean's done all of them three times. Madness! All hikers should stop there (around Log Cabin Drive I think). He's got an awesome cabin and the perfect hill for a zip wire. The weather was pretty sucky and we had played around enough for the day so it was time to move on and actually make some progress. I stopped into Little Laurel Shelter to have a snack and get out of the rain. Navigator and I sang some Indigo Girls, which was awesome - especially since he's a guy! I rolled into the shelter after sun down and set up my tent since the shelter was full (the downside to such a big group). Overall today was a fun day with the trail magic and of course the great company.
Date: 2005-06-09
From: Sinking Creek Mountain

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: broken clouds

What a rainy, but beautiful day. It didn't end up storming last night like I though it would. We also ended up camping at the end of the ridge. I woke up at six with Redbeard yelling at me from his tent and me saying "not yet". We hiked down the mountain and came upon the shelter a lot sooner than we though. Dandy, Coldfeet and Wookie were still in their sleeping bags, but were very excited to see us. At Craig Creek Valley, there was some trail magic. Unfortunately both the coolers were empty, but I did score a caramel candy. The climb up to the ridge-top was crazy. I was dripping with sweat and hoping the sky would open up to wash it all away. By the time I got to the top where everyone was hanging out, it began pouring. Everything was getting soaked, but it felt so good. The whole walk consisted of us all passing each other numerous times. Now that's how a day on the AT should be - like a group of cars on a crowded street. Of course it could be like this everyday and I would just never know it because I'm always the last person trailing at the end. It was an awesome hike with good people. We all took a break at Trout Creek where Crazy Horse's mom came to visit him. Even though I wanted to get close to Catawba, I stopped at Pickle Branch Shelter a half mile off the trail! Even though it's raining outside, Wookie, Coldfeet, Dandy, Redbeard, Zen, and I all have our clothes hanging on a line outside. Tomorrow is going to suck with all wet clothes. I saw Grasshopper tonight for the first time on the trail since Georgia! She was amazed that there was someone else from that first week still out here. As far as I know, it's just the two of us, and Mr. Fusion (wherever he is). Most are a week or two ahead. I'm having a blast with Wookie & Coldfeet and of course Dandy. We all seem to bring out the child in each other. Tomorrow = lunch at Catawba Grocery and dinner at The Homeplace.
Date: 2005-06-10
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Johns Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

What an interesting day. Once again we woke up at the crack of dawn -this time in hopes to make it to dinner in time. It started off with a pleasant, quiet, sweaty walk. I was definitely enjoying my time with the forest. Yesterday while hiking to the shelter I had an incredible moment. I was singing a song I've sung many times out here. This time however I came to a pretty field between the trees, turned and stood there while I sang. For the first time I got choked up by the end of the song. It was magical. Anyway, I am feeding off that same energy this morning. The climb over Rawies Rest was challenging. It's good preparation though for Maine and New Hampshire, but challenging nonetheless. I made it to Catawba Grocery where we all gathered for lunch. I ended up eating out of my food bag because there wasn't anything vegetarian friendly. It's all good though, because I dropped more weight. Dandy and I hiked out and soon ran into Zen and Redbeard. After a refreshing bandana bath I got stung for the first time by what I think was a Greenhead - right on my temple! The four of us finally made it to the next road where we had a dangerous walk down the scary highway (VA 311) to get to The Homeplace. Now here comes the messed up part - some idiot threw a pen at us. It hit my hand, cutting it in three places and bruising the hell out of it. The pen bent (this is a thick, heavy metal pen mind you) from the force of impact while flying down the highway and hitting my hand. I just can't believe someone would be so hateful and mean spirited. So anyway, I walked into this fancy family restaurant with a bloody hand and then sat down for and AYCE (all-you-can-eat) dinner. With the huge assortment of food, the only disappointing thing was paying $10 for mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and cherry cobbler. I can't wait to get up north where they are more vegetarian friendly. Coldfeet's caving friends came out to dinner and ended up driving us the mile back to the trailhead. We hiked a mile into the woods where I am now at John's Spring Shelter (formerly Boy Scout Shelter). Last but not least, my butt looks worse than ever. It's a combination of breakouts and now heat rash. Oh, and our clothes were still all wet this morning because it rained all night long.
Date: 2005-06-11
From: Johns Spring Shelter

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: broken clouds

Finally a day where I can sleep in! Too bad I couldn't. I hiked up to McAfee Knob to wait for Wookie and Coldfeet. It was an incredible view and there were a ton of us up there hanging out. Dandy and I waited until 2pm and then took off because the two of them never showed up. Oh well, I'm sure they'll pop up in Daleville/Troutville. The next cool spot was Tinker Cliffs. The AT follows along these cliffs for half a mile. Dandy and I hung out on a cliff for a while and had some great conversations. It was a beautiful day with plenty of sun and no rain. My socks have finally dried out! I lost my tweezers (my third pair now) in between two boulders. I just bought them too. I'm very much looking forward to a shower tomorrow. There's nothing better than clean clothes and a clean body after a week in rain and humidity. We're all pretty much at our nastiest so far on the trail. There are a lot more deer here at the shelter then there are people. Dandy and I have the whole shelter to ourselves. Redbeard and Zen are tenting as well as Bearbag and TCB (a really nice British couple). I enjoy being able to spread all my stuff out without worrying about taking up someone's space. Sweet dreams!
Date: 2005-06-12
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter

To: Comfort Inn
Miles today: 9.4

Dandy and I awoke to several people this morning passing thru. It was like 7:30 in the morning and they had already hiked six miles today. It was good though, because town awaited us. I made it to the first vista (today was full of them) and took a nice break. I caught up with Dandy about half way through which was nice, but then he jumped ahead again. Let me tell you what I hate - walking under heavy-duty power lines that hurt your brain. I passed under four power lines in the last five miles! When I finally hit 220, Redbeard, Zen, and Dandy were all waiting for me. :-) We decided to go straight to the Comfort Inn instead of hike the 1.5 miles to 11. The four of us got a room and we found out what room Panoramic was in. Naturally we jumped him after beating down his door. ;-) Zen and I had lunch at Taco Bell while the boys did Chinese. I believe I had the most heavenly Taco Bell experience ever... the Chalupa Supreme with beans instead of meat being my favorite of the meal. After lunch I greatly enjoyed a hot shower. We were all as rank as we could be so the showers brought much joy. :-D Laundry was a blast. The five of us went to the T+A and did laundry with a bunch of truckers. Hikers and truckers are a similar breed - just like hikers and bikers. We all live on the move, which is something most people couldn't comprehend. It's a great lifestyle if you can handle it. The night ended with us hanging out in the hotel room, drinking beer and enjoying the Simpson¢s and Family Guy (and a great episode of Malcolm in the Middle). Whoa...TV... I fell out of my chair several times during the whole experience. ;-) Oh yeah, Mr. Fusion showed up! I haven't seen him for weeks! :-D Tonight is just a big ol' reunion.
Date: 2005-06-13
From: Travelodge

To: Fullhardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: broken clouds

I wanted to stay in bed so badly this morning, but the Shoney's breakfast buffet was calling. After taking forever to get my stuff packed up, I headed to the outfitter. I bought some fuel, a pack towel (since I left mine at Kincora) and a little screw top bottle for my olive oil (since my other bottle leaked all over my food bag). I then headed to the UPS store where I unloaded some weight and mailed home my totally dead camera :-(. There were a bunch of hikers hanging out at the shopping center today. It was a lot of fun, especially at the cafe. Dandy and I were leaving to head back to the trailhead when a car pulled up next to us and motioned us to get in. It was Golgi and he was driving some section hiker's car! He dropped us off at the trailhead on Highway 220 and we walked the half-mile along Interstate 81 to Highway 11. The three miles to the shelter were nice. Captain Hook and I blew ahead of Dandy and Praying Mantis as we passed through the open fields. I'm finally out of the way of car noises (kind of). The shelter is packed tonight. I played a few rounds of 13 while sipping on some Dickey's Whiskey and Southern Comfort thanks to Dandy and Mr. Fusion respectively. I hope the next few nights are just as fun. :-)
Date: 2005-06-14
From: Fullhardt Knob Shelter

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

This morning began with the 4AM crew waking up and getting ready to hike before the sun came up. That's all well and good, except for the fact that most of the shelter was involved in this mass movement. I couldn't fall asleep after that and neither could Panoramic, so we hung out and talked for a long time. I eventually fell back asleep by sunrise. Needless to say, I had a late start this morning. I later found out that Panoramic and I didn't actually leave the shelter until 11:30AM! We started our hike at the very time of day the 4AM-ers try to avoid. You see, what they do is wake up and hike before it gets hot, then rest for a while, and then begin hiking again when the temperature drops later in the day. When I get to Wilson Creek Shelter (half way), I took a nice long nap after lunch. I think Pan and I were there about two hours - well after everyone left. The hike after that was relatively easy. We passed over the Blue Ridge Parkway three times in two miles! At the last crossing before the shelter, there was a trash can, so we immediately began to unload our extra weight (i.e. our trash), when a biker who had just passed, turned around and pulled into the overlook. This guy, Cliff, had just come from the grocery store. Fascinated by the fact that we're thru-hikers, he gave us a box of cereal and a quart of orange juice. What awesome trail magic at the end of the day. It was getting late so we headed to the shelter 2.5 miles away. When we rolled in, it was almost dark and everyone was at the picnic table playing cards. I wasn't about to cook dinner, so I had a mini snickers bar and scraped the last bite of the Nutella jar. That stuff is so incredibly good, so I was quite sad that I was practically out. It was a long day so I wasn't too thrilled when I was told the shelter was full even though there were only five people sleeping in there. There also were not many tent sites available. I managed to squeeze my tent up next to Dandy's without blocking the trail to water. The unfortunate thing is I'm on a slant so it will be interesting to see how sleep goes tonight.
Date: 2005-06-15
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: clear sky

The privy at Bobblets Gap Shelter is amazing! It's spacious and new and even has handicap rails. Now how the hell someone in a wheelchair is going to make it down the side of this mountain to the shelter is beyond me. Panoramic and I took so long this morning that we started seeing the early hikers that started way before us. Not even a mile and a half into today's hike we crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway (again). Panoramic fell to the ground in agony when a truck pulled up. A couple jumped out and offered us cold soda and snacks. It was Shoe and his wife who drove from the Virginia Beach area this morning just to do trail magic. The cold Pepsi and apple were amazing, but I almost felt guilty because it was so early in our day. The two of us continued at our slow pace. The motivation of the day was the swimming hole at Jennings Creek. I was totally looking forward to swimming with everyone. Unfortunately by the time Pan and I got there everyone was all done and leaving (or had already left). :-( I was so sad. I went in anyway. It was another scorcher outside so there was really no excuse not too. It was so nice to be completely submerged in water for once. Sitting in a little creek and splashing water over your legs just doesn't compare. I could have easily lounged around there all evening but the shelter was calling. Pan and I were winding around these mountains without any idea how much farther the shelter was. We entertained ourselves by singing Madonna. We went through just about every radio hit branching across all known albums - the funniest when I belted out "Don't Cry for me, Argentina" at the top of my lungs. Occasionally we could hear faint conversations in the distance, but every time we rounded a corner thinking the shelter was going to be there, it was just more trail. When we finally arrived, Bryant Ridge Shelter was a beautiful sight. It was like a split-level house with three tiers on it. Stretch (a hard core North Carolinian), Dandy, and I all shot some whiskey - always a nice bonding experience. When I first sat down next to Stretch he leaned over and said in his strong accent "You sound just like Madonna". I'm pretty sure I blushed. Once again there were a lot of us at the shelter, so naturally it proved to be a fun filled evening.