morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-16
From: Atkins

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Yesterday I finally left the Relax Inn near Atkins VA. Four days there was definitely getting to me but the rain/sleet combined with the cold and wind that blew in was too much for me to handle. Lots of hikers did leave in that mess though, including three section hikers: Kdog, Knapper, and Switchback. I met Kdog at the motel and then saw all three struggling as they crossed the highway into the woods. At the time I was sitting in the Barn restaurant trying to find something on the menu I hadn't tried. Anyway, I felt sorry for them. They were headed for a shelter 14 miles down the trail. I had told Kdog I intended to make for Chestnut Knob the next day and he said they should be there too. I'm sure he was skeptical I could do the 23 miles necessary to make that happen. I did make it, along with three other young guys I hadn't met. The only trail name in remember is Achilles. I passed the section hikers just moments before I reached the shelter and Kdog looked surprised. We were the first to reach the shelter that day (at least the first intending to stay) and got to pick our bunks. The shelter was great! It was a house with windows, a door, and both lower and upper bunks. I picked an upper as I always do when given the option. These guys told me their story. They have been hiking together for about five years, a week or so a couple of times a year. They started at Springer and are patiently pursuing a thru hike. When they all retire they expect to be able to apply more time to the effort. Did I mention they are close to my age?These guys are accomplishing something more important than a potential world record for the longest time to complete a thru hike. They have used the event to create a relationship, something to be envious of. They are very nice guys and I enjoyed the short time spent in their circle. We'll see if they catch up to me again this time around.
Date: 2014-04-17
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Bland
Miles today: 23.0

AWOL is the trail name of the author of the most popular AT guide. He is cussed an discussed by most of us hikers depending on whether the guide is helping us or misleading us. Unfortunately for AWOL, he is no mathematician; he doesn't understand spatial aliasing. What is that you may ask?Aliasing is an artifact of digital sampling, something AWOL did when compiling his AT trail profile (the climbs and descents). The presence of this profile for every mile of the trail (41 miles per spread page) is one of the most useful features of the guide. But only if it's close to being right. Sometimes it seems flagrantly inaccurate. No, I don't believe AWOL lied on purpose. He was likely a victim of aliasing. If the climbs and descent occur in a shorter distance apart than his sample points, they can be misrepresented on the profile or even missed altogether. What's worse, the steepest hills are the most likely to be missed.A great example of this occurs on the profile between Chestnut Knob Shelter and Bland VA. The profile from Atkins to the shelter accurately showed over 7000 aggregate ft of climbs and all of us at the shelter had felt the effects of making those climbs. But looking at next segment, it appeared all in front of us were several mostly level ridge runs with a climb in one end and the obvious descent on the other. The days work looked easy. Enter aliasing. The first 10 mile ridge was a nightmare of sawtooth hills, quite steep with very rocky terrain. Tough going indeed. The second 5 mile ridge was a perfectly smooth trail that could be traversed at full stride. Such a difference with little difference in the guide profile. From now on I will be cautious when predicting the difficulty of the upcoming day based on the profile in the guide. AWOL could have done better.
Date: 2014-04-18
From: Bland

To: Bland
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I need to reflect back to my four day stay in the Relax Inn near Atkins and my ten meals at the Barn restaurant during that time. The eleventh "meal" was two hot dogs warmed up in the microwave at the nearby convenience store. The inn was OK; cheap, warm, and close to the store and the Barn. The paper thin walls were what one expects in a motel and the bathroom stuffed all worked. I only killed one ugly black spider and couldn't detect any bytes taken out of my food. Once I got used to the basic cable options on TV and which ones actually had decent reception I settled in to a daily routine but couldn't shake the boredom entirely. It didn't help watching other groups of hikers breeze in for a night and than move on, even into the weather on Tuesday. The Barn was another matter. The primary waitress was either devoid of personality or simply chose to withhold it from her customers. And believe me I tried to engage her. No effect. No sense of humor, no banter, no show of familiarity even though I became a fixture there three times each day. For all one could tell she had never seen me before and could care less whether she ever saw me again. I did have plenty of time to ponder what her life might be like. It was not a pleasant musing. She seemed to always be there, from 7am to 8pm, even though she wasn't always the waitress. Sometimes I had to content myself with seeing her glare from the kitchen, doing something more important than dealing with the few patrons and their needs. She didn't even want to refill glasses but wanted to give permission before allowing us to go the soda machine ourselves. Only one refill though; a second would cost you another soda. The food was passable; a good value for the price unless you ordered a steak. Breakfast was very good but the Sunday buffet, a featured meal in the guide book, really wasn't worth the hype. In truth, the food would have seemed better simply by having the waitress at least fake being friendly. Perhaps her greatest positive feature will turn out to be how much better she may make other waitresses done the trail look compared to her.
Date: 2014-04-18
From: Bland

To: Trent Grocery
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I orchestrated another slack pack today, thanks to Bubba and his shuttle service. I hiked from just before I77 to the Trent Grocery and still got to stay another night in the Walker Motel. All this and another yummy meal at the Dairy Queen ( which at least has a better menu than the one in Austin). The hike was quick, six and one half hours, due to the smooth terrain and relatively level profile. No aliasing today. There was some bad news though , transmitted to me by some section hikers going south. It seems the group of kids with Batman experienced a hiking causality. Someone (?) from Florida blew out his knee and is done. Instead of going home though he somehow now has a car and is carrying the group's gear from camp to camp. A perpetual slack pack for them. Sorry for him but what a nice way to support the group. With them hiking so light I will probably not run into them again.
Date: 2014-04-19
From: Trent Grocery

To: pearisburg
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It took extra effort to make Pearisburg, but I was sure a warm hotel room and good meal awaited me. I was wrong. I tried reserving a room from the mountain but couldn't get a signal. By the time I got an answer late in the day both motels were full, although the lodge had a dorm with available beds. I strolled into the city early in the evening and did get one of the last beds. I found one of the larger groups already entrenched there. This was the group with Radio Man, Poo Bear, and Cow Girl, Priest, Deep Blue, veggie mart, and others. I guess I was lucky to have a bed at all. These large groups suck up resources wherever they show up, be it a hostel or shelter. They were telling me about squeezing 16 people in the Chestnut Knob Shelter, the same one I had stayed at comfortably the next night. They probably never consider the pressure they put on solitary hikers who are synced to their pace. If the hiker shows up after them he is likely denied a place. If they show up after the hiker they overload the shelter. The only way to avoid this is to either stay ahead or behind them. I left Pearisburg early Easter morning determined to stay ahead.
Date: 2014-04-20
From: Pearisburg

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: few clouds

I pushed today past my goal shelter to get in one more climb and make it easier to hit Daleville as early as possible. I got lucky and had the Bailey Gap shelter to myself. Achilles, Outlet, Boomer, and Smudge all passed by without stopping in the late afternoon. It is such a relief to be at a shelter and have completed all my chores. In this case the water had to be refilled prior to reaching the shelter. I took time munching on some cheese, chips, jerky, and a treat of licorice. I spread out my stuff in one corner of the shelter, hung my Ursack, and was in the bag before 7pm. It is easy to stay in the bag for 10 hours after a long day's hike. It was a bit hard to get up before first light the next day but I felt pressure to continue making progress towards Daleville. The trail ahead was a ridge, which could be an easy road or a difficult rocky ledge. The only way to find out which was to move forward.
Date: 2014-04-21
From: Bailey Gap shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: clear sky

Long walk today, trying to position myself for a chance to make the Four Pines Hostel tomorrow. The wildlife has come alive lately: turkey, white tailed deer, chipmunks, lizards, etc. And with the animals come a story. First, early in the morning, I ran across a man in full camouflage shouldering a camouflaged rifle, looking just like a soldier on patrol (minus the helmet). It stunned me and then shook me up further when he announced it was turkey season but I didn't have anything to worry about as long as I was wearing blue. That didn't exactly make me feel better since I was flushing turkey pretty consistently these days and I could just imagine the gunshot coming 2 sec after the flutter of these plump birds taking wing. This guy was looking for his buddies and disappeared down the trail I don't think he had a legal right to be hunting on.Later that day I saw a big full breasted robin bouncing near me. This in itself should have been a fun event but had a very different effect on me. When I was 11 years old I had a BB gun and was having a grand old time shooting at everything, including birds. It wasn't too powerful and usually just annoyed the birds. Then one spring day I got a robin in my sights and brought it down with a single shot. Killed it stone dead. A few minutes later I noticed another robin buzzing around in a panic. Too late I realized what I had just done. As I imagined the trauma I had caused the mating couple, for no good reason, without any option to undue what I had done, I resolved to never shoot another bird. It turned out I have never shot another living thing. Seeing a robin always seems to bring back some form of that memory but that day the emotions were overwhelming and I couldn't keep the tears back. My thoughtless act 50 years ago continued to haunt me; a true regret. I continued to dwell on it until I got lost and found that to be more worth my attention. Now I am not against hunters or hunting. I have just decided it's not for me. In fact I have been an avid angler and fisherman and feel no remorse in eating them. I may even buy a gun for protection some day. In Texas it is almost standard behavior. The gun can be a lifesaver, sporting equipment, criminal weapon, or dangerous household artifact. It all depends who is using it and why.
Date: 2014-04-22
From: Niday Shelter

To: Catawbe
Miles today: 23.0

I should have known better. Talking with Tiptoe, who is going south at about 8-10 miles per day, and Two Forks while staying together at the Niday Shelter, I told them that I could use 2 mph as my minimum speed but usually achieved something over 2.5 mph. This had been true up to today. There was rain in the forecast and I worried about Tiptoe, an older women, having to negotiate the ridge I had just crossed. It consisted of many large slanting rocks that would hold a shoe when dry but not when wet. She warned us about the descent from Dragon's Tooth; more slanted rocks. It didn't rain but Dragon's Tooth still did me in. The assent was bad enough; multiple false summits and a steep rocky path. But the descent was downright dangerous, with technical climbing required that many times made my poles useless. It didn't help that there was a group of teens up there who were scrambling over the rocks like it was no big deal. The entire traverse took forever; at a rate of about 1 mph. I reached the road leading to a known grocery and was fully spent. The map forward showed no reliable water ahead for miles and that camping was severely restricted. I decided to take a break and hit the road to the grocery to get a snack and strategize my next move. Where was I going to sleep tonight?While eating pizza I noticed a shuttle number recommended to me by Bubba in Bland. I got hold of Del on the second try and agreed for him to pick me up about 6 miles further down the trail and take me to Daleville. This put pressure on me; I was already spent. But I needed to get to that point to have a shot at making it to Daleville the next day. Getting in Del's car after that 6 mile hike was a great feeling. I had a room at the Super 8 and Del knew just where to go and what to do in Daleville. He even arranged for the post office to deliver my general delivery package to the hotel. I told Del that Dragon's Tooth had done me in. It was the hardest mountain I had climbed so far. He said some people were trying to get it taken off the trail. Now that it's over I can appreciate it but it definitely makes me more apprehensive about the upcoming Whites down trail.
Date: 2014-04-23
From: Dalesville

To: Dalesville
Miles today: 0.0

Here are updated stats for the last 10 days. Day 36: (Monday 4/14) Zero day in Atkins waiting for package. Day 37: Zero day in Atkins due to rain and cold front. Day 38: Chestnut Knob Shelter (565.7). Very nice cabin with loft bunks. Cold night in the low 20's. Day 39: Bland Walker Motel (587). Stopped just short of I77. Day 40: (Fri 4/18) Slack pack to Trent Grocery (606). Day 41: Piersburg. Stayed in common dorm at Holiday a Lodge (631). Day 42: (Easter Sunday 4/20) Bailey Gap Shelter (654.5). Had shelter al to myself. Day 43: Niday Shelter (681.5). Met Tiptoe. Day 44: Stayed in Dalesville but only got to Catawbe (704). Day 45: (Wed, 4/23) Slack pack to Dalesville (724).
Date: 2014-04-24
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 21.5

I decided to stay in Daleville a few more days. Today I walked back into the city from Bearwallow, my first encounter with the notorious Blue Ridge Parkway. I thought that might mean an easy hike but the trail merely intersects the road a a few points. The rest is the same ups and downs as any mountain trail. Going south I got to meet some of the hikers just in front of me. June Bug, Sunrise, Jiggers, Evergreen were people I had not heard of and will possibly see again. Professor Turtle was not the old man I thought he'd be. He leaves sample of plants taped in the logbooks and is actually a recent Virginia Tech graduate. Outlet, Achilles andTwo Forks also appeared at the end of the day. Two Forks had pictures and video of a black snake eating a rattle snake. These snakes can be aggressive and fast. I won't see any of these hikers soon because I am staying a day due to expected rain and thunder ( which really did happen. I stopped for a good meal before reaching the hotel and later ordered a pizza. Times in the city are my opportunities to eat well. Tomorrow will be a recovery day made sweeter by the fact that I am now back up to my goal mileage rate at 745 thru Friday. Hopefully I can hit 770 by Sunday, the end of the seventh week.
Date: 2014-04-25
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0

I really need this rest. It did rain today, justifying my decision to stay off the mountain. More importantly though I have several injuries that need at least moderate attention. My right quad has been tight for days. It was pulled up on Dragon's Tooth and now I walk a bit stiff legged. Worse though is a swollen right ankle that happened during some random trip or fall. It has reduced the flex in my foot and is painful during descents. I have been icing it and hope it improves by tomorrow morning when I go back on the mountain. I would hate to miss the nice weekend weather but at some point I may have to hole up somewhere and heal. It would be great if I could make it to Burno Vista before the next major rains come in.
Date: 2014-04-26
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0

The inevitable has happened. I had planned to leave the motel today but instead am laying in bed with my right ankle elevated and iced. The pain yesterday was enough to make me limp to an emergency clinic just up the road. I am lucky such a place exists so close to me. It's a sign. The diagnosis is a ligament sprain and the treatment is rest. So I will rest. The bad news is that the next 2-3 days are forecast as beautiful hiking days. The better news is that next week promises to bring a large slow moving storm system that is just as well waited out. So I have a couple of options. I can sit here thru next week and get better. Or I can hook up with another shuttler Del knows in Bueno Vista and relocate with the intent of slack packing into that city as I get better. It would take 3-4 hikes. We'll see how bored I get here. This is turning out to be a good adult decision situation. I definitely walked for 46+ miles on this ankle before knowing it wasn't going to walk itself off. Missing great spring hiking days is tough and taking a week off might ruin my trail legs. Some of the large groups behind me will pass me by and cause some resource issues going forward. But I need my foot to be healed properly. I have this chance to reset my whole body and get a fresh start. That's the right decision.
Date: 2014-04-27
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Last Wednesday I hiked from Catawba into Daleville. According to my shuttle guide Del the main feature of the hike would be the Tinker Cliffs, a .6 mile flit along a vertical ledge. The event would take place around noon so I had lots of time to consider the possible trepidation awaiting me. This could be a milestone event for me. Why? Because of Bryson and his evidently over active imagination. One of his adventures, the snowstorm, involved him and Katz crawling along a .6 mile narrow ledge, clinging to the wall, treading carefully over the 14-16 inch ledge. Just thinking of it brings out my vertigo and I have been waiting for this test since the start if the trek. Today would be the day!The vision I had was of a rock wall with a narrow ledge cutout along the side, a steep drop you didn't dare look down into and a steep wall without significant finger holds. I could see myself with my face pressed against the wall, pack hanging over the edge, carefully planting each foot as I forced myself to overcome my fear of falling and trying desperately to think of anything but the pink elephant of losing my balance. I must admit that when reading that passage in the book I thought it could be a deal breaker. It wasn't one today. The actual Tinker Cliffs had no wall. It was a walk over the ridge. There was a steep ledge and I did not look down over it. But there was no need to hug a narrow path, even though the blazes kept suggesting the trail was meant to be right along the edge. So, no confrontation with vertigo so far. Bryson may have made up the whole thing or such a challenge may be awaiting me in the Whites. I will not stop worrying about it until I'm standing atop Katahdyn.
Date: 2014-04-27
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0

I'm into my second day of forced recovery for my high ankle sprain. This is actually the sixth day in the motel; the first three days were productive hiking days and the fourth was a planned zero. These last two days have been hard because the weather has been great. I expect to be here at least three more days which hopefully will be easier to bear. The forecast is for high powered slow moving thunderstorms which should make me feel fortunate to be watching thru a window. Hopefully the ankle will recover by then. Right now I am measuring my improvement by looking at the TV thru my elevated right foot. Two days ago the foot and toes were an opaque swollen mass. This morning I can see light between several toes, not quite as much as thru the left foot but definitely moving in the right direction. There is still no visible tendons connecting the little piggy toes, just the big guy. Using my left foot as reference I intend to track the swelling all the way down. Hopefully this will also map to the tendon repairing itself. I am worried that this event will change my hiking technique that has worked so well this far. My plan A for injuries has been to "walk it off" and "sleep it off". I would go to sleep aching in multiple places fully expecting full recovery by the next morning. Periodically along the trail I would do an assessment of my physical status and attempt to use the poles and other techniques to protect problem areas. I believe this has saved my knees for sure. The sprain is something new. I walked over 50 miles on it and obviously aggravated it. From now on I will have to assess more quickly when walking off a pull or twist is not working. It's too early to predict the end game on this particular sprain but I am assuming it will heal. Think positive!
Date: 2014-04-27
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Wildlife on the trail can be skiddish and elusive. There have been many moments where I can sense or hear something ahead that I never see well enough to identify. The whitetail deer area good example although sometimes they don't seem scared at all and just watch me as I pass by. This usually happens when a fawn is nearby. I guess the fawn can't be trusted to safely scamper yet so they employ the power of numbers instead. Considering how visible the fluffy white plume on the back of their tail is, one has to wonder how such an adornment came from natural selection. As they move away everything blends into the woods except that plume. They are the last things visible and stay visible until the deer disappear over a ridge. There is one interesting bird that seems almost attracted to me as I hike. I don't know what it is butis small, dark and quick. Inevitably I will first see it a few yards ahead of me very near the trail. As I move towards it this bird will pop forward, staying just ahead of me as I move, very much like a porpoise leads the bow of a ship. I cannot discern what it is doing; it would make more sense to follow behind me and maybe find insects I might be dislodging. It is a mystery but a pleasant one. A temporary companion that adds to the hiking experience.
Date: 2014-04-28
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0

The rain has come but it isn't making me feel as good as I hoped. I can now see the the tendons in my foot but not as vivid as the good one. I have to take this as a sign of recovery because walking remains painful. I don't see the healing curve I yearned for happening. I just committed to two more days in the motel which should see me thru the current storm system. I also found out last night that my next potential shuttler, based in Bueno Vista has blown his radiator and now has no vehicle. Perhaps I should be happy not to have been with him stuck up on the mountain but someone was. This is way life seems to be going at the moment. It looks like a bad luck streak at the surface but each problem could have been so much worse. I feel it's important to keep perspective and try to save this adventure. As I write this from the Pizza Hur it has just started to pour rain. Looks like I will have to lump back to hotel thru it. What fun!