morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Erwin TN - Miss Janet's House

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Yesterday we got an early start. It was a cool morning but not horrible. We were hiking by 7 am. At first, we were hiking through snow, but it was frozen, so it was significantly better than the day before's hike through the snow. Later in the day, when we reached a lower altitude, the trail was clear. The day was beautiful and sunny and very warm. It was over 60 degrees for most of the day, and upon rolling into Erwin at about 1:30 pm, I just lay out and soaked in the sun and niceness of it all. We got a ride into town from a hostel that's right off the trail. Once there , we stopped by the Post Office, then went to Miss Janet's House which is a crazy, awesome place. The house has dogs running everywhere and hikers running everywhere. It is loud, homey, and very welcoming. There was a phone to use and a computer with internet. Pirate was there, too, and had been for awhile. He was hanging out and shooting video as usual, and he even baked some amazing pecan pies. I slept in a room where a man was talking loudly to a woman who was packing her stuff with the lights all the way on until after midnight. It was like hell. I was so tired at 8:30, and at 12:30 I was still awake in my bed. Except for that, Miss Janet's was great. I'm really glad we decided to stay there. This morning we had a breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and french toast. We hiked out from Erwin at 10:00 am after eating and getting a ride from Miss Janet back to the trail head. The very beginning of the day was mellow, but most the miles were uphill. The initial very long uphill wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We went quite slowly this morning, and although that was a little hard for me mentally, I also kind of enjoyed it, and I know my body will appreciate it. We reached "beauty spot," a bald, and took a break with 5.8 left to go. I could have stayed there in the sun on that bald forever, but there were 5.8 miles including a long, big, steep hill and two short but quite steep hills left. I really took off and got those 5.8 done in just over two hours, which was a mistake, I think, considering I rolled each ankle pretty badly, furthering my already problematic anle situation. Right now Slip n' Slide's working on a fire. Will it turn into anything worth sitting by? I'm getting cold and the sleeping bag's sounding better and better. I love being in town just because there's a warm bathroom with a toilet just down the warm hall. That is a much underappreciated luxury of normal life. Who's here: Kaptain, Team Steve, Lockjaw, Sunshine, Slip n" Slide, and two guys we don't know who started in February.
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: overcast clouds

7:16 pmSo today was the first 20+ mile day we've done. 21.7 miles, which is really exciting. Plus, those miles included Roan Mountain, the last one over 6000 feet until Mt. Washington. It was a long, hard climb, but as it so often does, it didn't seem that bad once it was over. Easy to say now. Today had a lot of climbing. Word of the day is "PUD," which stands for "Pointless Ups and Downs." We went over rolling hill after rolling hill. Straight over. Why? For a beautiful view or to get water or to get to a shleter? No. So that we could go down the other side and then back up again. Lows of the day included going to a water source halfway up Roan that seemed to be most of the way back down the mountain. On top of that, it wasn't even a nice water source. The other not-so-great part of the day besides all the tough climbing, of course, was that with about a mile to go I rolled my ankle yet again. I've been rolling both ankles a lot lately. It's the right one that I really killed today though. Both are so susceptible to it right now because I've rolled them so much. It's stupid and frustrating. It started raining right when we were getting close to the shelter today, so we were going really fast, which made the ankle worse. The shelter we're in is really nice though. It's a converted barn, so we're sleeping in a loft and it has four walls. It's a warm night and I think I'll probably get a good night's sleep. Last night I slept well, too. It's been nice lately, weather-wise. Days are sometimes too warm, and it scares me that I think so already. But nights have been better, at least at the lower altitudes. Started at 7:30 today and got in just after 5:45. Not bad at all. Today wasn't as bad mentally as it might have been. No piece of cake, mind you, but not as bad as yesterday. The next two days into Kinkora hiker hostel look good, terrain-wise. Hope the ankle cooperates. Into Damascus shouldn't be bad either. Things seem to flatten out a bit.
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Random Campsite
Miles today: 21.6

7:20 pmHmm. So today. Began well enough. Two big climbs up Little Hump Mountain and Hump Mountain. Balds where the wind shipped sideways stronger than any wind I've ever experienced. I literally almost fell over several times from it. It made progress much more difficult, but after that we enjoyed a lengthy downhill to Clyde Smith Shelter, where we had lunch. I was commenting to Kaptain this morning that I now routinely do miles in the morning without a break that were as many as I did the first few days. 8.1 nonstop miles to lunch today. Even more yesterday morning if I remember right. Lockjaw got lost somewhere up on the balds. Fortunately, he showed up at lunch after finding his way again. We set off, headed for a campsite 10.9 miles from our lunch spot, to make it a 19.1-mile day. Thanks to Wingnut, that didn't quite happen. As it turned out, we walked the miles, passed the landmarks, and didn't see anything that looked like the campsite we were headed for. Suspecting a 1-mile misprint or something like that in the book, we continued. I was hiking with Bleach and Kaptain, and they just kept on trucking. I was starting to die, both mentally and physically. Actually I had a small asthma attack. No big deal, but I was glad Kaptain was hiking right there to get my inhaler. I was really unhappy at that point. Kaptain was joking about going on many miles to the shelter. Even the joke pissed me off because I was so ready to quit. In the end, we got to a campsite. We now have a fire, and all's well. Team Steve's list of things that hikers talk about (in order of popularity)1. food2. gear3. mileage4. other hikers5. bodily functions/smell6. weather
Date: 2006-04-06
From: Damascus, VA (Dave's Place Hostel)

To: Saunder's Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

6:45 pm Once again I've fallen behind with my journaling. Yesterday, the 5th, we hiked from TN 91 (where we slacked to Kinkora from) to Damascus, 21.3 miles. It was a very lovely, easy 21. Very flat. We also packed in a bunch of stuff and had an obscene feast of a lunch. I brought a few avocados, which was by far the lightest crazy item. Carrot cake by the Kaptain, pudding by Slip n' Slide, a 2-liter soda by Lockjaw, a 12-pack by Team Steve, and, perhaps craziest of all, a watermelon by Sunshine. We hiked 11 miles, then plopped down for an epic feast that was really fun, delicious, relaxing, and overall great. After that, the rest of the day flew. We crossed the border into VA, which was great except that there were suddenly a billion bugs right there at the line for some reason. Into Damascus then. A huge mental milestone. Damascus is a nice town with a great outfitter. I bought a new spork because I lost my old one, and some lighter shoes to replace my clodhoppers of boots. This morning we went out to breakfast, hit the P.O., and did other chores. I did some updating online. Then around 1 or 2 I left Damascus to hike here, Saunders Shelter, which is 9.4 out. A nero (nearly zero) day (funny to think that a while ago 9.4 was an actual day's hike instead of practically a half day). The miles today looked slightly scary on the elevation profile, but weren't. Not sure if that's because I'm in good shape or because it was a short day or because the terrain just wasn't that bad after all. Whatever. Here we are. It's a bit nippy, but not cold. I'm pretty excited to come back to Damascus for trail days. It's a nice place, but I think it will be vastly improved by hiker craziness. I still feel like I'm not caught up. I feel like I haven't done a good job of journaling the last few days and I'll want to remember them. I've actually been in a bit of a funk the past few days. Still better than normal life, but I hope it lifts. This is a semi-permanent arrangement, and I want to enjoy it.
Date: 2006-04-07
From: Saunder's Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: clear sky

7:59 pmToday was pretty nice. We went slowly, at least for most of the day. I hiked with Kaptain and Lockjaw all morning and some of the afternoon. It was hilly terrain, but we went slowly and it has the kind of uphill that allows you to get into a rhythm. It was very warm. Overcast at first, but the sun beat down starting late morning. We talked Simpsons trivia for a couple of hours. Kaptain is quite the expert, and Lockjaw held his own. We took a long lunch at Lost Mountain Shelter. We then hiked on, and after a very long switchback uphill we stopped at Buzzard Rock, a nice spot on a grassy bald where the sun and breeze and views made us just lie down and relax for quite some time. I tried to do headstands with only limited success. When we finally pried ourselves away we began the 7.1 remaining miles to the shelter (which we thought was only 6, which kind of sucked). There are several Boy Scouts and two leaders here. Eighth grade boys, who seem nice enough and haven't bothered us (except that one of them I guess was sitting on his water bladder upstairs and it leaked down through the floorboards onto Lockjaw and me and our stuff). Earlier we (Lockjaw, Kaptain, myself) were also talking about cults, which led to the idea of "the Church of Lockjaw." Anyway, here we are at Thomas Knob, one of the higher elevation AT shelters. It has an upstairs and is generally nice. A stormy night tonight. Not bad yet, but we expect quite the thunderstorm. Team Steve is so funny. Don't know why I'm saying that now. But anyway, it's true.
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

7:11 pmWhat's hiking the AT all about? Is it about the walking? The physical act of humping up hill after hill? Is it about roughing it? About the days in town? About the food fantasies? About the people? Maybe about the people. That and the lifestyle. But it's hard to say. If it were obvious what the experience was really about, maybe it would be more obvious what we have in common or why we're here. I think hiking the AT is about days like today. A thunderstorm last night. Probably the fiercest and closest I've ever witnessed. I lay awake for maybe an hour, watching the flashes and hearing the booms and the rain on the roof. When I woke up it was rainy and gray. I was disappointed, because I was afraid that the Grayson Highlands' wild ponies wouldn't be out or that the day would generally suck. But I got up, and it turned out to be a nice day for hiking. The rain held for most of the day. Scattered showers. The temperature was perfect, though. We saw about 8 or 10 ponies, and a couple ate from my hand and licked me and let me pet them. Which was amazing. Wild ponies. Cute as can be. The terrain was very easy. Much of it was balds, and a lots of rocks, which make the hiking interesting and therefore make time fly. We passed through the fat man squeeze (a natural rock tunnel), which was slightly disappointing. Pretty large. You would have to be a very fat man indeed to have any trouble with it. We stopped for lunch. Lockjaw got lost, so he took a while to roll in. I rolled my ankle twice, which was not so great. But we also hit the 500-mile mark at a nice bridge over a stream. We stopped to take pictures and celebrate, and then got trail magic in the form of a banana for me and apples for the guys (I'm so grateful they gave me the banana! Yum!). Today was quite short, less that 15 miles, and not into or out of a town or anything. I'm damp and it's cold. But there's no one I'd rather be damp and cold with or do a Wingnut song and dance with (inside joke). There wasn't much romantic about today (okay, maybe the ponies a little bit). Rain and rain and some moments of grumpiness or hunger or tiredness here and there. But days like today are what hiking the AT is all about; at least it seems that way to me. I wish everyone could experience it. Everyone can, if they want to enough. And with that, I think I'll hunker down and get some sleep. 20-something to Partnership Shelter tomorrow.
Date: 2006-04-11
From: Davis Path Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was hard. Not the hardest day we've had, but the hardest day in a while. Part of the challenge was the heat. It has been occasionally uncomfortably warm before, but this was the first day it was a real obstacle. It reached at least 75, and without any leaves on the trees yet, we were in direct sun for almost the whole day's hike. The morning was hilly. No enormous climbs to impressive peaks with names, but a few 500-footers that tired out the legs and made you sweat and realize how hot it was. Lunch was probably the high point of the day. We ate on a bridge crossing a river that marked the approximate one-quarter-point of the trail. I have walked over 25% of the A.T. I am proud of that. We all are, I think. Theis afternoon we earned it with a really tough uphill mie to the shelter we're staying at. The last couple of miles of the day were easy, actually, and overall the final longass hill of the day wasn't as bad as we had built it up to be. Still, it was way too warm, and theis was the first 20+ mile and hard terrain combo we've had. A fire now, and more Earl Shaffer. Goodnight.
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was our longest day with pack. The terrain wasn't nearly as tough as yesterday. We did a lot of ridge walking, which is always pleasant. A lot of rocks, though, which meant the risk of rolling my ankle yet again. I definitely amd coming down with whatever Lockjaw has. He had a fever this morning, so hopefully I'll miss out on that. I do have a cough, though, and today I felt really sluggish and generally sick. THe morning was spent hiking slowly with Lockjaw over ridgeline. We kept expecting the shelter where we would eat lunch to be just around the corner, but it took forever. We ate, then I followed Kaptain along a blue-blazed high water trail that we had to take due to a closed bridge. The blue blaze was nice and unlike alternate routes used to make the hike shorter or easier, this blue blaze was no big deal because we have to do it. Even though the trail was nice, I felt like crap. When we rejoined the A.T., however, we got trail magic in the form of cold organe jiuce. There was a trashcan there too, so we got to dump our trash. A few annoying but not very memorable hills later, we reached a road walk, which was a nice change of pace but which hurt my ankle, feet, and shins to walk on. Another trail magic was an oatmeal "creme pie" split between Kaptain. Lockjaw, and myslef. The elevation profile had shown a cruise-y section form the road to the shelter. Unfortunately, it was dead wrong and our worst climb of the day actually came at the end. To top it off, the shelter was .3 off the trail and the water was 6 switchbacks down the hil to a crappy stream. Oh, well. It is a warm night and my mashed potatoes were yummy and we got some big miles done. Even more tomorrow. Then Pearisburg the next day. We're planning to either take a zero, take a nero, or slackpack out of town on Saturday, depending on Lockjaw's parents' plans. That'll be nice. Both my immune system and my ankle need it. My back too; it's killing me.
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Pearisburg, Va (Plaza Motel)

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

7:50 p.m. Lockjaw is going to have to slow down. He's sick again and I don't think he'll be up for 18.5 tomorrow. Shit. I don't like to cry in front of people, even though I do it a lot. These guys don't know that Me. My ankle hurt today. My feet too. Overall, though, it was a nice day. It was hot and muggy though, and the bugs seem to be starting to come out. Drat. The water source at this shelter is lovely: a large creek that has some good foot-soaking pools and makes lovely background noise. Yesterday we took a zero in Pearisburg. The library was closed for Easter weekend, which sucked, and also Pearisburg had literally nothing to do. We watched TV for a lot of the day, made trips to the P.O., grocery store, and laundromat, and then played the board game "Life", which Kaptain and Sunshine purchased at the Magic Mart across the street. Overall, it was a fun but uneventful day. Lockjaw's dad was kind enough to drive Sunshine and me to the outfitters in Blacksburg, a half-hour's drive away. Sunshine got a new pack and I got an overpriced tank top and underwear, as well as Aqua Mira to replace my filter, which I sent home. I also sent home some warm clothes and my nalgene, and meant to send one of my sleeping bag liners but forgot to. Drat. We had lunch at a beautiful spot today. We also decided to play Easter Bunny and pack out some plastic eggs that we had filled with candy and leave them along the trail. Pretty fun. We had a brief thunderstorm this afternoon, but overall it was just humid and overcast. Team Steve went to church this morning, so he only did about 6 miles. We assume so, at least; he hasn't shown up yet, and he was talking about doing it. Slip n' Slide didn't take a zero, so now he's a day ahead. I'm not sure what will happen if Lockjaw decides not to do the miles tomorrow like I think he will.
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: moderate rain

My overwhelming feeling about today is that it sucked. First off, Lockjaw decided (as I pretty much knew he would) he was too sick to do the full day today. He threw up again last night, and although he definitely seem to be getting better, I guess he's still got it. So we left him behind. That sucked. We did a road walk to avoid having to ford a stream, which was fine. We also got trail magic in the form of sodas and Little-Debbie-esque treats. That was nice. After that, we climbed a big hill that wasn't too bad to a shelter. Soon after leaving the shelter it began to rain, then pour. There was some thunder and lightening, but it wasn't bad. What was bad was the hard, cold rain. I didn't have my rain gear on, and soon I was literally as wet as if I had just jumped in a creek or taken a shower fully clothed. Lockjaw was originally going to go 12.7, but I'm pretty sure he won't have, which is probably for the best, because hiking in those conditions is enough to make anyone sick. We almost stopped at that 12.7 mile shelter, actually. Sunshine and I would have if Kaptain hadn't been there to talk us out of it. The rain was beginning to clear up, so we finally agreed to do the last 5.8 we had planned. Of course, immediately after leaving the shelter it started raining hard again. First I fell on the log "bridge" that crossed a stream, then I rolled my bad (right) ankle very badly. Boy, that hurt like a sonofabitch. I almost turned back, but decided to continue instead. Sunshine actually carried my pack on the front of his body for a little while. Which really helped and was really nice, but made me feel guilty. One more big (but not too bad really) "up", and we got here to Laurel Creek, which we have all to ourselves (yay!). It's kind of cold, but it's not raining anymore and a section hiker told Kaptain tomorrow's supposed to be nicer (which isn't hard, really). Anyway, here we are. Only three tonight, Lockjaw's behind, and Team Steve too because he took a short day out of Pearisburg so he could go to church the morning of Easter Sunday. Slip n' Slide's now ahead because he didn't take a zero in Pearisburg. Down to three, but hopefully not for long. I don't think I'm good for too much longer. Earl Shaffer story time, then bed, I think.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: clear sky

9:02 p.m.Today was long. For one thing, we covered some pretty big miles. The difference between a 19 or 20 and a 22.3 is enormous. For another, it took forever. We left the shelter this morning at maybe 8:30 and arrived here about 11 hours later. What would make someone carry another person's stuff? I offered, as we all did, to help make Lockjaw's sick hiking a little easier by taking some weight. It seemed natural. He refused. Today Sunshine carried my food bag and my tent. Together, I imagine that added at least 5-6 pounds to his pack. Kaptain took half my clothes (the half that wasn't on my body or hanging on the outside of my pack to dry from yesterday) and my stove/pot ensemble. They insisted this morning, because my ankle took such a beating yesterday and less weight helps with that and pretty much any injury. I let them. I shouldn't have. The fact is, I'm a girl. There aren't that many of us out here, and to take advantage of that fact is just silly. I'm hurt too. But today was a lot of miles and two not-so-easy climbs. If I can thru-hike the AT, I can suck it up. Even if they offer, and even if they insist, and even if I don't have to try to act macho. Oh well - it was nice, and really helpful. I didn't roll my ankle once today, and some of the slopey rocks and shit that would have probably been really awful were only kinda bad with a lighter pack. This morning we went at a comfortable pace. We saw a random house in the woods. It was beyond run-down. The second story floor was caved in and doors and windows were long gone. But it was a proper house, completely just plunked down in the middle of the woods with nothing around. Very odd. The morning was very foggy. We crossed some farm land and saw cows, donkeys, and bales of hay. We went over about 3 bazillion stiles (Kaptain and I decided that the stiles were the reason the day seemed so long and we're so tired.) We got soda trail magic in a creek, which is always a nice surprise. We also passed Keffer Oak today, the biggest oak in the south on the AT. It was more than 18 feet in diameter. Huge. Sunshine filled the water gun that he's still carrying from Pearisburg and tormented us with it. We ran into Rogue and Superman. They were getting a late start after a night of partying at a nearby college. I'm tired, so I'll just quickly summarize the rest of the day: lunch on rocks with a view, stop by Niday Shelter to put an entry/message for Lockjaw in the journal, stupid long climb, snack on top with Kaptain, quick descent (down the same side of the ridge as we just went up; grrrr), emptying trash into trash cans by a creek, one mile to shelter turn-off, half-mile blue-blaze to the shelter(figures that an exhausting day would end with a .5-mile-to-the-shelter trail). Might start reading the Dharma Bums tonight. I miss Lockjaw.