morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-03
From: Lamberts Meadow Campsite

To: Holiday Inn, Troutdale, VA
Miles today: 9.4

Finally, I slept well. About 10 hours from sevenish to five. I got out at a little after 6 a.m.My stomach was a little upset after I ate last night so I couldn't face the protein powder. I just ate a macaroon as I walked. The milages listed on the signs in this section don't match up with the book. I'm not sure they match up with each other. In any case, I made good time.I was eager to get to town and I only took one short break. I was tired. It was kind of a fun and pretty section up on the ridge, but I was pretty burnt out on climbing over rocks. I stepped down in between two big ones with my left leg and twisted a little, but I caught it without any damage. It made me realize how tired I am and that I'd better pay attention.This section, from just before the Dragon's Tooth north, has been very hilly, by which I mean lots of short distance ups and downs.I got off the trail once - missed a switchback and headed up toward a clear spot on the left. I realized the mistake quickly and no harm done.I still hadn't decided what I was going to do when I got to town. I stopped and called the Comfort in and they don't have a laundry. I called the Holiday Inn and they do. I knew there were tons of people at the HoJo's so I didn't want to go there. I'm not avoiding the people - I didn't want to have to wait around to use the washing machine.So I decided on the Holiday Inn, even though its expensive and a little bit farther walk, and I decided if I was this tired I needed to take a zero day tomorrow.I got to a little bridge a short ways before town. There was a party and I partook. Grizz was there with beer and snacks trail magic. I made good time. I was there before eleven.Heartbeat was there, a      who camped at Lamberts last night named Scatters and another guy I think is called Coyote. Scatters said she heard me walk out of camp but never heard me pack up and I said, "Good!"All I'd had to eat was the macaroon, so the beer really hit me. I rested a bit before facing town (really, just a highway interchange). I stopped a little later and tried to rest again, but it was too buggy.I made it to town and headed around the interchange. It was a bit of a challenge. It was very hot, noisy and dangerous in spots. Lots of semi trucks. I thought, "Who wouldn't want to be doing this on a hot day in June at noon?" I got to the motel and the clerk found me a room even though it was early for check in. I showered and took a nap. I didn't really want pizza, but I wanted to go outside even less so I ordered one delivered for supper. I put off my few errands and laundry until tomorrow.
Date: 2010-06-04
From: Holiday Inn, Troutville, VA

To: Holiday Inn, Troutville, VA
Miles today: 1.5

I got up this morning, ate, did laundry, and finished reading a novel. Then I headed out around the interchange again to the outfitters where I picked up my box, bought a pair of socks and arranged a ride to slack pack 20 miles tomorrow from Bearwallow Gap back down to here.I went to Kroger and bought cantaloupe, peaches and strawberries. The berries are for my trail treat with some sugar and a can of whipped cream. I ate sushi for lunch and then did the little section of trail back to US 11. I got offered a ride to the motel. YAY! A guy pulled up beside me in his pickup - just stopped in the road - and I looked over and said, "Yes!" It made my day.Now I'm going to update the journal a bit, take a hot bath (with epsom salts) and make strawberry short cakeless. I got more sushi for supper. Life is good.
Date: 2010-06-05
From: Holiday Inn, Troutville, VA

To: Holiday Inn Troutville, VA
Miles today: 20.1

I had a good day slacking. It was hot, but there was a breeze up on the ridge. Without the pack it wasn't too bad. I got on the trail a couple of minutes after seven in the morning and got to US 11 exactly 12 hours later!I saw a bear just past Boblet's Gap. I think it came across the road and was unaware that I was there. It was behind a rock, between the trail and the road. I was putting my pack back on after watering the woodlands when I heard it bolt and saw it run along the direction of the trail northward. I got a good look. It was a female or an older juvenile, not too big. I was close enough to see that it was kind of scruffy-looking, shedding maybe.Since I was going south I ran into several northbounders today. Lodestone was the first. He was a couple of weeks ahead of me, but had a tooth abcess and had to take some time off. I stopped for lunch at Wilson Creek Shelter and as I was leaving I ran into Lieutenant Jessie, slacking north. I thought she was way ahead of me, too, but she took 10 days off.I also ran into Chef Glen, Grizz, Indigo, Heartbeat, the Wolfpack, and probably some people I am forgetting. It threatened to rain a couple of times, but never it did. It was a beautiful day.Twenty miles is a bit much for me and it was 21 with the roadwalk. I didn't rest enough the second half because I wanted to get back. Maybe if I started at six and rested a little more I could get up to 20 with the pack every once in a while.People out here talk about doing the miles, but really its all about time. Given enough time, I can walk 2175 miles. If I try to squeeze it into a narrow time frame it becomes more of a challenge, and frankly, sometimes, not as much fun. If I am walking along thinking about how many miles I can do, thinking about finishing, I can forget to just enjoy being out here now. Sutton Brown once said to me that when it starts being a job its time to quit. Not that I want to quit. I want to not turn it into a job.
Date: 2010-06-14
From: Inn at Afton, Waynesboro, VA

To: Inn At Afton, Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I took a zero today. This is Steve's last day of being here for a trail break with me.We had breakfast at the Waffle House. I traded for awhile. It was a slow morning. We headed out to the outfitter around eleven. We saw some hikers outside the lobby and checked to see if they needed a ride. I waited up here while Steve took Earthling, Sandbagger and one other person down the hill to the trailhead.After we went to the outfitter we came back to the motel. I sat around playing games on the computer and giving myself an acupuncture treatment while Steve went and did laundry and then brought back sushi for lunch. What luxury!I spent a couple of hours packing up and about 3 hours catching up on this journal some. Steve went out and got us some Taco Bell for supper. Now its time for bed.There are about a week of journal entries missing from May. I sent them to Mary. I hope she got them. I swapped out my cell phone for my Blackberry, so I am going to try to text/email her the entries so all she will have to do is cut and paste. Maybe then I can catch up.I've been incressing my miles, so I have less time to write. I'm still on track to finish. We'll see how it goes.
Date: 2010-06-16
From: Dripping Rock Wayside, Blue Ridge Pkwy

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: light rain

I wasn't in any hurry to get out this morning-slept in until seven. Outside we were in the clouds. It was completely socked in. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do - stay a day more in town and shuttle to Dripping Rock Gap tomorrow, slack back to the motel today, or just take off hiking with the pack. We went out to breakfast to give me a little more time to see what the weather would do.After we got back to the hotel I told Steve he had to let me get ready at my own pace and he was very good about it. I went through my itinerary for the next few days and reworked the food - carrying less with a drop box in Linden. Then we went to the outfitter to weigh my pack. It weighed 20 pounds, 3 ounces with food and 13 pounds 3 ounces base weight. I decided to hike. I added a liter of water so I took off at just slightly over 22 pounds.Steve and Vigo dropped me off at about 11:30. It was intermittently sunny and cloudy. It was very humid. I made good time even though I didn't think I was. It was a pretty easy hike. I got to Paul Wolfe shelter about 6:30 without really pushing it. I could have made it back to the motel. It was sunny and dripping humid.Sauerdough is in the shelter and Not Yet is tenting. After I set up camp and got water it started to thunder. It still is now at about quarter past eight. So far it has only rained a little.I'm camped by the river, listening to the water and the thunder. I'm dry. Its very nice.
Date: 2010-06-17
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

I woke up a little after five to the sound of birds singing. I was up for awhile in the night. I thought I heard something moving around my campsite. It wasn't loud enough or in the right orientation to be a problem with the food bag, so I went back to sleep. When I got up there were two tents near me that hadn't been there last night. I took my time packing up and getting out. It was nice out and I was glad I was back on the trail. I got out at about a quarter to eight. The section from the shelter to Rockfish Gap was more uphill than I remembered, expected, or wanted to walk. At first it was so similar to what I came down yesterday that after about 15 minutes I looked at my compass to see if I was going in the right direction. I saw a switchback that looked identical to one i'd seen on the other side of the shelter - rock steps that were too high and the path people had taken around them. It makes sense. They were probably built by the same people with rocks that were available in the area. I crossed the highway and headed into what I thought was Shenandoah NP, but I guess is just an approach to the park. It was up and down and all around. I traveled over several different kinds of terrain today. I made good time the last hour before Beagle Gap. There was trail magic water put out by Bill Gallagher. I stopped for a break and talked with a couple from Ohio. Then I continued on - through some open areas and through the scrubby pines. I got to the turnoff for Calf Mountain shelter a little before four. About half a mile later I stopped and got water and ate. That was at mile 860. I wanted to get to Loft Mountain tomorrow for meals, a shower and laundry so I figured I would try to get to about a mile past Turk Gap and camp. I walked for about an hour and came to such a nice campsite that I stopped even though it was only six p.m. I think I am about 18 miles from Loft Mountain. I'll get up early tomorrow and see how it goes. I'm hungry already. I drank four-plus liters of water today and I don't feel any too hydrated. I tried to sit outside and write this, but the flies were driving me crazy. I'm ready for some bugless camping. Like a screened-in deck. With a hot tub. And wireless internet connection. And room service. With steaks and salads and fruit. At least my hammock has mosquito netting. And its very comfortable to sleep in. Think I will.
Date: 2010-06-20
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Steath campsite
Miles today: 16.9

I woke up at 10:30 last night to a huge thunderstorm. I realized after I pitched and was already in my hammock that it was coming. I had counted on the forecast and hadn't done as good a job with the tarp as I usually do. I floundered around in the hammock and pulled my boots inside. Then I realized that there was a spot on the side that was getting wet. It wasn't too bad. I pulled the down quilt out of the way.I was awake for a couple of hours after that, but otherwise slept great. I got up at 5:30, got my food bag down, hung the orange food bag inside out to dry, and ate down at the shelter with the boy scouts. I got out at about eight.I went down to the ranger station to get water. I sat on the step and ate a second breakfast. As I was finishing up a bear walked across the road. There was a dumpster for trash and a recycling bin for my beer bottle.At Powell Gap I went out to Skyline Drive and walked three-plus miles on it. I looked at the views at three or four overlooks and sat and ate at one of them. I bypassed hightop mountain and cut off a mile and a half.A short ways back on the trail I was passed by Prometheus, Zeissou, and Evergreen. I had four miles to get to the picnic ground. I needed water before I could stop for the night.When I got to a sign that said 1.9 to the picnic area it was also 1.1 to a spring on a trail to a waterfall that I remembered. It was almost five, so I kept on going on the AT. When I got to a sign that said the spring was .3 miles, I went and got a liter of water. There was a very nice shelter there that the trail maintainers use.I got to the picnic area about six and got another half liter of water. I sat on a rock and planned to eat supper, but I wasn't hungry so I got up and hiked on. That was at ten past six. I hiked for an hour, mostly uphill, hoping the terrain would change so I could find a place to camp. Down below it was buggy, with lots of underbrush. A little after seven the terrain improved. I looked at three or four spots and then found two trees on the left side of the trail that were exactly how far apart I wanted them. I hung the bear bag first. There was a good tree for that, too. Got it on the first toss, and hung it the way Regina showed me. I did a stellar job - no bear will get it unless it can break the tree.I did a stellar job hanging the hammock, too, until I realized I had mixed up the ends and had the head end too high. I undid the foot end and raised it, took care of all my gear, and here I lie inside it. There were lots of gnats. I was very glad to be inside netting.The sun just went down. I can hear lots of traffic on skyline drive. The wind is picking up. Something was just squawking/screeching. Creepy. Its the second night I've heard it. I think I used to know what it was. Luckily, it just screeches a couple times and then stops.I'm hungry. Oh, well. I'm about three miles from Lewis mountain campground. I'm going to try to get up early tomorrow and maybe make it to Skyland. I think I hiked about 15 miles today.
Date: 2010-06-22
From: Big Meadows Lodge

To: Skyland
Miles today: 8.1

I didn't sleep well. I woke up at four. The lack of sleep is starting to get to me. I had plans to get out early, but I finished a trail journal entry and wrote some emails to Steve instead.Right now I am sitting waiting to order breakfast. They are short a server so its slow. The hostess was apologetic and I told her with a smile that there was no hurry. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.Sea bass came over and asked how I was doing. That was nice. There are a lot of good people out here.I have found four deer ticks on myself the last two days. No more sitting on the grass for me. None of the ticks had bitten me. I found one on my leg, one on my neck, one on my side and one in a place I won't specify except to say that if it hadn't bitten me yet. I don't know what it was waiting for.
Date: 2010-06-30
From: Ashland, VA

To: Ashland, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Its Wednesday. I've been sick since Friday night. I spent Friday and Saturday night at the Terrapin Front Royal Hostel. Its a nice hostel, but its in the basement and I was too cold there, so on Sunday morning I had the hostel owner, Mike, shuttle me to the Quality Inn in Front Royal where I could turn on the heat and take a hot bath. Everyone else had the AC running and I was running the heat.By Monday morning I knew I still wasn't feeling great so I called my sister-in-law, Penny, and she came and picked me up and drove me to her house. I'm finally starting to feel better today, although not quite a hundred percent. Getting there, though. I've been enjoying visiting with Lou and Penny and their 21-month-old granddaughter, Makayla.   I haven't decided what I am going to do yet, although I am leaning towards having Steve come down and pick me up this weekend. I had already been considering doing some kind of a flip flop and I probably should get tested for Lyme disease. I don't think its Lyme. I don't think I've had a tick bite. But, I'll get the test. Today is the first day that I've been well enough to really think about it.I just updated the June 17th entry, which was missing for some reason.
Date: 2010-07-08
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I've been home since Saturday, July 3rd.I was sick for about six days and started to feel better. I wasn't comfortable about heading out into the woods at that point, because I hadn't seen a doctor yet and knew that if it was Lyme disease it would come back. So I came home and on Monday night the symptoms started to get worse again.I went to the doctor on Tuesday afternoon and she gave me an antibiotic based on a non-specific urine test. They took blood to test for other bacteria. I'm disappointed that the antibiotic that she gave me was Bactrim. I'm taking it, and it seems to be helping, but if they find out its Lyme, then I'll have to take the Doxycycline, too. I don't know why she didn't just start me out on that. I got a call from Loon today, asking me if I was still interested in joining the geezer hike. He surmised that I was ahead of them.I called back and left a message saying that I was interested, that I was sick and that my only concern was that I wouldn't be able to keep up with them.He called me back and it turns out that 3 of them have been sick, too, with the same symptoms I have. They had Ehrlichiosis. This is also treated with Doxycylcine. I think they all had known tick bites, which I do not. However, Ehrlichiosis is also spread by fleas and I got several flea bites at the Bryant Ridge Shelter, about 16 days before I got sick.Loon said they all laughed when they heard my message about not being able to keep up. He said they did nine miles today and it was a challenge.So, I'm excited. I may have a way to finish my hike, or most of it at least. They are at Boiling Springs, PA. The soonest I can get down there will probably be a week from now.
Date: 2010-06-30
From: Atlanta, GA

To: Millinocket, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

So what a day! We had it all planned out...but you know how that goes right? We had a flight to Bangor so we could get a ride to Medway via Greyhound then catch a ride with Paul from the AT Lodge to Millinocket.Then we arrived at the airport - flight canceled.There was no other way to get a flight to Bangor in time to catch the bus.So we got a flight to Portland...which was then delayed 2 hours. So we missed the bus from Portland to Bangor. So we rented a car and drove as fast as possible to the Bangor Airport to return the car. Made in record time. Had a taxi waiting on us and made it to the bus station just in time!! That is where we met Mike and Scott from Arizona. Now known as MacGuyver and Winging It. They provide the entertainment on the trip. One day we will get some video posted and you'll see what we are talking about. We stayed our first night in Maine at the AT Lodge in Millinocket run by Paul (ole Man) and Jamie (NaviGator) - they also run the AT Cafe. Great food and great people. Paul gave us some great advice and they also had waiting on us in our room a bottle of champagne! Being newlyweds and honeymooning on the AT has its advantages.
Date: 2010-07-01
From: Baxter Peak

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: scattered clouds

5 a.m. wake up call. The sun was up at 4. WHAT?! Where are we!?! Breakfast was at 5:30, at 6:30 we were on the way to Baxter State Park. In the hiking community that is a normal morning when getting rides to hike. We began the day with a great breakfast from the AT Cafe. Paul drove us to the park where we checked in with the ranger and we became official SOBO Thru-hikers. When you climb Katahdin you don't take your own fully loaded pack with you. The ranger station provides a day pack so you can just pack a few necessary items. We had to go 5.2 miles up to Baxter Peak just to officially begin the trail - then hike right back down. The first few hours were great. The views were beautiful. Then came the bouldering. And going straight up and over huge boulders. And it kept going. And you would think you had summitted just to find another MILE of rocks to climb up. (i might be exaggerating). But it took forever. And it was hard (for me). They guys went up without a problem. I am so thankful that Mike and Scott were there with us. They helped Micah in helping me get up the Knife's Edge. (I think that is what it is called). We finally make it over the top of all the bouldering! YES! Wait?! We still had a ways to go on the Table Land. Much easier! Until the sleet and ice hit. And of course we left my rain pants at the rangers station on accident. It went from beautiful sunny to painful sleet and ice pounding our legs in an instance. Baxter Peak. The views are unbelievable. Georgeous. And at the top we have 9 official SOBO's, and two NOBO's. They had just completed their thru-hike. Amazing. The day we begin, #19 of the Northbounders finished their thru hike. Good advice though - they said if we can do Katahdin, we can do any of it. Very encouraging. Spent enough time to take the photos, meet new people, and eat a peanut butter and honey wrap. Then we began the decent. Which took even longer. The bouldering which wasn't too bad to climb up, was much more difficult going down. I went down on my rear - schooching along slowly - they guys were there again for support - physically and mentally and emotionally. At times it looked like to my right and left it dropped straight down. But I did it. And looking back I think I would do it again even though I was physically, emotionally, mentally spent at the end of our 11 hour, 10.4 mile round trip. (also - if the all girl's 12 & 13 year old camp that summited that day can do it, i can do it too right?!)We returned to Katahdin Stream Campgroud, made camp, ate a wonderful meal of hamburger helper and hot cocoa, and spent our first night on the trail.
Date: 2010-07-02
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

We took it easy today - only 9.9 relatively flat miles to the Abol Bridge Campgrounds. Made it there by 2:30 and celebrated with Mike and Scott with non-trail food and some cold coca-colas! Yum. Hung out with Blissful and Steve (Papa Bliss). Blissful was a NOBO in 07 and completed that thru-hike! This is her second thru-hike and is giving it a try South. She and her husband are so wonderful. Steve is SOBO-ing a section of the trail with Blissful for one month. They are so encouraging and give great advice.