morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-29
From: Camping Just Off Parkway Drive

To: Ho Jo's Daleville, Va
Miles today: 21.9
Weather: few clouds

We woke up late at 7:30 am but still decided to eat at a mom and pops breakfast place so that we could have more time with Whoops! We got on the trail really late but it was so worth it. Whoops! took our packs to the HoJos in Daleville, VA, about 23 hiking miles away. We started hiking after 10 am and finished at 7:20 pm. We were happy to have a hotels room to collapse in. Then we saw a Mexican restaurant across the street and suddenly felt energized. We enjoyed a super delicious meal and since Badonkadonk would rather eat Mexican food than anything else she had a huge grin on her face. We shopped in the gas stations and got our food for the next 5 days, all supremely high in calories. Happily we ran into Bear Bell again and were able to hike some together. We came out of he woods onto an overlook. There were a bunch of bird watchers sitting watching hawks with binoculars. We whispered something to each other and they shushed us. Cars and motorcycles were zooming by and we got a mean stare and hushed. No wonder bird watchers get bad reps. We stopped by Wilson Creek shelter for a snack. As we read the shelter journal we found many entries from NOBOs we knew. It was exciting to see their names and comments. They were mostly excited about being warm and having sunny days. We are trying to make it home by the first week in November. We need to walk 20 miles a day which is philosophically and physically difficult. First I feel like we are out here not to have deadlines. We need time to explore and play. When we hike so much we miss things. We just push onward. I also worry about our bodies holding up. My feet are killing me already. I have aches and pains but that is long distance hiking. As long as I can walk I will push on. The girls are very motivated to finish on time. We do not want to come back at Thanksgiving and finish. It would be hard to do. Wish us luck as we find the balance between big miles and taking in these last 700 miles with the appreciation we gave the miles we've done. Thanks to everyone for their comments and well wishes. Carolina Trekker, your bee info helped us very much. Thank you. It makes our whole day when we read comments from everyone. It's like y'all are cheering us on and it does help motivate us. Love and peace to all.
Date: 2013-10-01
From: Campbell Shelter, Va

To: Ridge Camping before Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.0

Woke up intact, no mice nibbles. It's the warmest day since we flipped. The warmest, driest day in a long time. So dry that we couldn't find any water. I drink huge quantities of water even at home. I worked hard all day not to panic or alarm the girls. Typically the shelters are built near a water source; however, the creek by Campbell Shelter was dry so we could not fill our camel packs in the morning. We stopped at Catawba Mountain Shelter 2.5 miles down the trail, but the water source there too had dried up. Half a mile later was John's Spring Shelter, but the spring was not forthcoming with water. Fortunately we packed some Gatoraid chews. They helped as we sweated profusely today. A young local woman we passed on the trail offered us the remaining half of her water bottle. We took her up on it and thanked our generous trail angel. We were planning to hike off the AT and knock on a farm house door when we spotted a creek. This was after hiking 6 miles. Whew! Now we are paranoid about water. We filled our water bladders which significantly increased our weight. Not fun since we climbed Dragon's Tooth today.In Jefferson National Forest, Dragon's Tooth is a monolithic outcropping jutting straight up that looks coincidentally enough like a dragon's tooth. Getting up to it meant hand climbing rocks, rebar ladders and narrow ledges. It was fun and reminded us of New Hampshire and Maine. Too bad we were so weighed down. We did enjoy some spectacular views. We can see the leaves changing each day which we find monumentally exciting. We also see idyllic farms and green fields. Surprisingly flowers are still blooming, mostly daisies. Some are purple though. The bees are still buzzing too.After finishing Dragon's Tooth, we tried to make it to Pickle Shelter, sure to be an Anderson favorite, but it was quickly getting dark. We are up on a ridge in the Jefferson National Forest and probably not supposed to camp here. Lucky for us our federal government has shut down and presumably all the ridge runners have been furloughed. So I think we'll be fine. We hope and pray that in spite of the idiotic shut down the US Postal Services marches on and delivers the package of food that Blueberry sent to us yesterday. It is difficult to imagine that the government that had the vision and forethought to set aside what is now over 192 million acres (8.5% of the total land area of this great nation) for the creation of our National Forests has evolved into such a dysfunctional organization. It seems weird to not know how all of this is going down. Also is hard to care too much, the woods make us so mellow. We are insulated in our own world.We are still struggling to make the big miles we need to do before my niece's wedding in mid November. We can't stand the idea of leaving and coming back. I adore my niece so there's no way I would miss her big day. Whatever happens has to be. We will finish no matter what. We feel so close!
Date: 2013-10-03
From: Niday Shelter, Va

To: Between Johns Creek and Va 632
Miles today: 16.3

We climbed straight up for over 8 miles today. My calves feel like hot tamales they burned so bad. What we thought would be a stroll has become a torturous uphill test of our patience. We managed to hike 16.3 miles from Niday Shelter to a campsite by a river and road VA 632.Met a guy affiliated with the ATC on the trail. He said over 700 miles of the AT has been shut down due to the politicians stupidity. He felt like the ATC is being used as a pawn in this political battle to get people really angry. Okay, so now a bunch of thru hikers are angry. Wonder who will listen to us as we are a dirty, stinky, unpresentable bunch. I asked if we'd get fined if we sneek up and he said "Who's there to do it?" I am concerned about the hunters thinking this way. We heard shots close by today. We started singing at the top of our lungs. Bet they loved that. Our melodic voices probably sent the deer far, far away. I am so sad to hear that Baxter, which is a State park, has been shut down. It is the park with Katahdin in it. I feel so sad for those hikers who have walked all that way only to be turned back from their final ascent. I can't imagine how they are dealing with the injustice of it. The snows could come before this is resolved and they wouldn't be able to complete their journey. Also it takes money to sit around town waiting a d most kids are drained of it by this time. If the Smokeys aren't open when we get there in two weeks then this country is in a heap of trouble. With these hard economic times the last thing we need is people not getting paid and the world seeing us as unstable. Hoping tomorrow brings a new day.
Date: 2013-10-06
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Days Inn, Blacksburg, Near Orthopedic Doctor
Miles today: 0.0

We moved to Blacksburg to be closer to the orthopedic doctor's office. We had lunch with Whoops! and Mikayla before they headed back to Boone. It was again a wonderful weekend with them in spite of the arm issue. I am so grateful that they came up and were able to help us. It was just so lucky that we are so close to family. We played games at Woods Hole hostel all day. Blueberry arranged for a massage for me. Neville and Michael, the owners, are both massage therapist. I highly recommend the massage. My feet and body haven't felt this good for a long time.Woods Hole was the perfect place to "hole" up, haha. It is a place of peace and kindness. Neville and Michael make everyone feel so welcome. There are animals wandering around. We loved playing with the chocolate lab and petting the beautiful cats. A rooster walked around not bothered by anyone. The structure of the cabins are fascinating, with large rough hewn beams with plaster? Cement? in between. The interior is artistic and warm. Paintings by Neville are hanging around the house as is other interesting artwork. We all helped with simple chores and kitchen prep. It felt good to be back in a kitchen. Cub went out with Neville and picked the fresh ingredients for our salad. We ate home baked bread everyday. Yum! Homemade jams, apple butter and yogurt (you have never had yogurt until you have had fresh homemade yogurt - delicious!) were on the natural wood table. Before each meal we held hands and introduced ourselves and said what we are grateful for. We ate around the table like a family. It filled us with such a feeling of comfort and sense of belonging. This trail offers so many unique experiences for a lifetime of memories. We slept in the bunk house. It's a separate building from the main house. We slept in an open porch area. The cool breeze felt so fresh. The house is surrounded by fields filled with cows and pigs. Good place to visit.Tomorrow we will find out exactly what is up with Cub. She has been remarkably calm and active. She just seems enthralled and curious with the whole broken arm thing. We call her Dr.E at home and gave her a doctor's kit. Dressing up in a pretend sling was one of Cubs favorite things to do. I can't believe I have this remarkable kid to journey through life with. She surprises me, makes me laugh, and brings me joy everyday.
Date: 2013-10-09
From: Days Inn, Darien, GA

To: Pediatric Orthopedic Doctors Office
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Thank you, thank you...all you kind and generous people out there! Our drive home was made with smiles and laughter as we were bolstered by all of your supportive and thoughtful emails. I cannot express just how monumentally wonderful they are to us. Every few minutes Badonkadonk would say,"Oh yeah! There are more emails". She would then read them to us. Cub said,"Wow! I feel so loved". We loved Sherpa's suggestion that we go home and eat all the Greek food we'd been talking about, rest our weary bodies and come back in time to join Buddy Backpackers. We really feel like everyone is rooting us on and that motivates us even more to return.Another bit of good news is that Cub's school teachers and principal - without prompting from us - discussed the importance of her quest and her need to finish it. They voted unanimously to support her and let her finish. We three burst out in tears when we heard. Though this causes the teachers more work they have generously agreed to support Cub. It is so validating and shows a deep understanding of how Cub's life is being enhanced by this adventure.We drove straight to the doctors office. They told Cub not to eat or drink today. I am hoping that means they think they can perform the surgery today to straighten her radius. Cub is, of course, leery. If I'm any kind of Child Life Specialist I outta be able to get her through this. Huge bears and rattlesnakes don't faze her but a tiny IV sparks the fear. She's more upset about that than the actual break or grossly curvy arm. We are just sitting here hungrily waiting. Since we are such an "One for all, All for one" kind of group Badonkadonk and I have also forgone food. This is no easy feat as our hiker appetites are still somewhat switched on. We are used to shoving it in. We longingly looked at our usual gas station cuisine and slowly passed it by. The Slurpees were the most difficult to pass by as we feel the Florida heat in excess since we've acclimated to a colder environment. I will update when we are finished here. We can't lie, sleeping in our own beds brings a huge amount of anticipatory joy! We plan for a whole couch/movie pajama day tomorrow. Hopefully followed by a beach day and also lots of family and friends visiting days.
Date: 2013-10-10
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

GOOD NEWS!!! Cub's arm was not as bad as the dr in VA said. She did not need surgery!!! Thank goodness we listened to the advice of Blueberry's sister who is a NP and also our good friend, Craig, who is a dr himself. THey both told us to only go to a Pediatric Orthopedist. We went to a big group in Tampa/St Pete who has a huge office where they can handle most situations. They took more X-rays and decided they could straighten Cub's radius right there in the office. They gave Cub the choice of going to the hospital for anesthesia because it would be painful or just to straighten it now without meds. Cub hated the idea of an IV more than the break so she went with the "fix it now" option. The dr wrapped her arm in a waterproof cast material and then pushed her radius back into place as the cast dried. I felt flips in my stomach, it was so awful to watch your kiddo suffer. Cub, on the other hand, blogged on trailjournals through the entire procedure. She was covered in a clammy sweat but she never cried out or stopped typing. She is the toughest kid I've ever seen. I told her she could scream, squeeze my hand and cry but she said "No, I'll just blog". She has a wonderful ability to focus intensely on what she chooses. Sometimes this is bothersome, especially when I'm listing chores to be done and she conveniently didn't hear me, but today I was most thankful for this talent. We cannot believe our luck! No surgery and WE CAN GO BACK ON THE TRAIL NOW!!!!!! We were just jumping for joy!!! And to top it off when we got home someone, most likely our benevolent savior, LOTF, covered our garage and front door with "Welcome Home Hikers" signs with funny artwork. We were so thrilled to see them as we pulled into the dark driveway. We aren't sure how we are getting back to the trail. We plan to spend a few days hanging about. There is no way we are leaving without a visit or two to the beach. We also want to see as many family members and friends as we can. So stop by family and friends, we will be here all day Saturday (after Shul). RIght now we are heading off to Cub's beloved school. She is so eager to see her friends and teachers and principal. Both girls are currently playing the piano, Cub with a broken arm!! It is bright and sunny here and we are BURNING UP! It feels so hot to us now! We are headed out to get some Slurpees. It is just so weird to be home. Everything looks out of perspective. Badonkadonk and I keep feeling so tall with everything being so short. Its strange. We have entirely too much stuff. It is overwhelming. It just feels like we are being buried in stuff. When all you need in the world fits in a backpack a home and closet seem so indulgent and crowded with unnecessary stuff. Okay, Cub is eager to go visit her school pals. Thanks again everyone for you gracious support, kind and funny words and concern for Cub. We will let you know our next plans as we do. Happy day for us today! We are just bursting with happiness today!!!
Date: 2013-10-15
From: Home

To: Days Inn, Darien, GA
Miles today: 0.0

With joy an gratitude we return to the trail. Presently, we are in Whoops' car headed back to Pearisburg, VA. We are excited about finishing the trail but the trip home makes being away feel a bit worse. You realize who and what you miss. It was easy to just be "visiting" home. We had no obligations, no chores, no homework...it was a home vacation. It seems to have made the girls somewhat melancholy and idealizing home. As if we always laid around in our pjs and watched movies without me listing the things we needed to accomplish this day. Ha!We loved visiting with family and friends. We had a nice gathering on Saturday night. Everyone brought beer. Am I a lush? I figure it is to help my foot pain. We did have 2 PJ days, also to help with foot pain. The beach day was heaven, though of course because Lord of the Flame and his wife were there with us. We felt like dried out old sponges greedily sucking in water. We inhaled the salty air and twisted our feet happily in the powdery sand. Ahhhhh! We floated in our Katahdin inflatables and sported our marching t-shirts. It just felt sooo good. Then we stepped on a patch of sand spurs and that brought on a bit of reality. As much as we pitch it Florida is wonderful but not always paradise. My book club threw an impromptu gathering. Over pizza and beer we laughed and chatted. Since the majority of my conversations are with a 12 and 17 yr old, lovely and fun, but not quite the same as my thoughtful friends. For example the government shut down didn't have quite the interest for the girls as it did with my adult friends. Thank goodness I have met some stellar conversationalist throughout this hike. Thankfully, Cub feels just fine with no pain in her arm. She swam, body surfed, played baseball and did just about everything she usually does. She was able to visit school where she was swarmed. Her best buddy spent the night and they even got to go to a big party with their classmates.Badonkadonk was able to hang out with her closest friends. I think it was really healthy for them to be with people their own age too. We all needed to reconnect a bit. In a way you become one person on the trail and another at home. Now I need to learn to blend the two. A friend told me to focus on what I want to bring home and to hold onto that. Another told me not to blow home apart by making too many drastic changes too quickly. Good thing I have 6 plus weeks to ponder and figure it all out. Being home gave me some insight into what I want to change. It's hard not to get into old patterns. It also made me appreciate what I do have, especially my loving and supportive family. Miss you already my sweet Blueberry. Command Central is up and running again.
Date: 2013-10-16
From: Days Inn, Darien, GA

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We felt right at home at Woods Hole Hostel. We quietly unloaded our packs from Whoops' car and crept up the ladder into the attic of the bunk house. Snoring and the eau de parfumerie al la hiker greeted us. Our bodies relaxed into the familiar and we soon joined in on the snoring.
Date: 2013-10-17
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Lane St, Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: light rain

We woke to another delicious, home cooked breakfast. Seeing the owners Neville and Michael again gave us big smiles. After clean up we walked down their driveway, up a short way to the trail. Though it was obviously marked, blazes a glowing we missed it. Our mojo is really not working yet. After 11 days off we lost a bit of our hiker sense. Also my feet seem to be protesting loudly,"Oh no! We thought this pounding was over". The girls and I figure our bodies are wondering why we are doing this again. Even though today was a very easy walk it took us about an hour for every two miles.We traveled northbound today. When Cub broke her arm 12 days ago, we were just over 30 miles north of Woods Hole Hostel. So we will take two days to cover that ground.
Date: 2013-10-18
From: Big Stony Creek Rd (Va 635), ParkingLot

To: Lane St, Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Another day of Slackpacking. This time we started at the point where the off duty ranger picked us up and took us to the hospital in Blacksburg. We headed south to yesterday's pickup spot in Pearisburg.
Date: 2013-10-19
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Lickskillet Hollow, VA 608, Footbridge
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Last day of slack packing from Woods Hole Hostel. It's going to be really hard to leave this place, which really feels like home to us. We've grown to love the animals, the home cooking and the generous spirit of Neville and Michael. When we return each day to it we love bumping up the rocky dirt road and turning into the holler where Woods Hole Hostel is nestled. Seeing the house just puts a smile on our faces and then the dog, goose, ducks and occasionally pigs or goats run to greet us. Last night we could hear snoring near but not in the bunk house. We flashed our headlamps towards the wooded field behind the bunkhouse and there was a huge black pig snoring impressively. Little baby pigs were heaped upon the black pig, all sound asleep. When we settled down among the snores of our fellow hikers we watched the little mice scurry for cover, planning their mischievous night ahead. Our hike today ended 20 miles South of the hostel. We just walked up the road and headed out into the Autumn colors. It was an easy hike on two ridge lines, through miles of tunneled rhododendron and mountain laurel.
Date: 2013-10-22
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Lucky to wake up to a fire built by a kid named Happy Endings. We met him and his large group of buddies when we were going North and they were heading South. They were and still are a lively bunch, intent on having fun. The fire made it easier to get out of our bags but harder to actually leave. We got up at 7 but didn't depart until after 9. Floridians ARE slower than molasses in the Winter. We hiked all day with a quick lunch break because it is so very cold. We could never get comfortable, taking jackets, gloves and hats on and off all day. We walked right past two camouflaged bow hunters without seeing them. It was a bit startling when one of them said "Hello". They told us it was supposed to snow tonight with Friday being the coldest day this week. The most annoying thing is being cold then getting hot as we hike then getting cold again when the sun goes behind a cloud. One side of a mountain can shelter us from the wind and then freeze us on the other side. After all we have been through this cold and the thought of it getting worse is making us doubt our resolve to finish. If we stay dry we will be okay but I cannot imagine us getting through rain in these temperatures. We hiked under a "snow sky" color wise, being a grayish white. We planned on a 19 mile hike to the second shelter south of us but once we climbed up 4409 feet we found this adorable stone shelter with 4 thick walls and a door! It called Chestnut Knob shelter. Very rare and very warm so we were just too tempted and decided to stay. It was 3pm when we arrived. We were afraid to try to walk the 9 miles needed to get to the next shelter, even though the guys promised to build another big fire. The girls were all smiles when they convinced me to stay. We don't have much water so no hot dinner or breakfast. They promise to get up tomorrow at 6 am. We will see how that goes. Getting out of warm sleeping bags is almost impossible. It's funny to think that when we started out the girls were terrified of the shelters because of the mice. Now they prefer it to setting up and taking it down.Before it got really cold we were seeing deer and snakes sunning themselves. Last night Jenkins shelter had bear warning signs posted everywhere. We laughed at the advice..."talk in a loud monotone voice if a bear approaches" but really enjoyed the next bit "if the bear enters your tent fight and yell". Can you imagine us participating in hand to claw combat with a bear?! All the signs concerned Cub. We kept hearing very loud noises all night. Cub had a hard time falling asleep. I reassured her that the fire and the guys in the shelter would keep us safe. That eased her mind and she proceeds to sleep much easier and much more than me.5:00pm and we are already in our sleeping bags. A hiker just came in and is staying. He is from Michigan and thinks the weather is just fine. So we have eaten and are settling down. Good night to all!