morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-08
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Dennis Cove Road
Miles today: 6.1

For as good as yesterday was, today was truly horrible. I'm not sure I even want to relive it in my journal. I woke up at 5 am while it was still pouring and realized I was going to throw-up. I tried laying very still hoping beyond hope it would just go away, but when the impending doom was inevitable, I climbed into my cold rain gear grabbed my trowel and headed into the woods. I wasn't sure about the LNT rule for puke, so I tried digging a little hole. Alas, it was not to be. After I lost everything my nearly empty stomach had to lose, I crawled back into my wet leaky tent and fell into a restless snooze. When Chestnut asked me a few hours later how I was doing I told him I had caught "mad cow's disease" and I wanted to go home. One by one people left the shelter and I sat there not wanting to move. If I had had my way, I might still be there, but my fellow thru hikers would not let that happen. Chestnut and Sparrowhawk insisted that I walk the 6 miles to the hostel and Sparrowhawk was going to go with me. Even with him trying to keep my mind off of my stomach those 6 miles were painful and so so slow. He was so nics, and even thought I knew he really wanted to go 15 miles today, he stayed with me, in the rain, all the way to the hostel. Once there I showered and crashed, but people's generosity and kindness continued as Tofurkey brought me a soda and Sparrowhawk made me some tea. I still had town chores to do, especially since I wouldn't let the glimmer of hope that I'd be better tomorrow die, and I stumbled around trying to get things done. By dinner time I thought I was doing better, so I went into town to eat and get some groceries. This was a mistake as the porcelain gods were later to teach me, but at least I was able to resupply even though nothing in the store looked good. I crawled into bed tonight totally exhausted and still wanting to go home.
Date: 2006-04-09
From: Kincora

To: Kincora
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

My first zero day: unplanned but necessary. Everyone who stayed and the hostel last night decided to go do trail maintenance today, so at first I thought I would have a quiet day alone to recuperate. 15 minutes later however, a new and bigger crowd of hikers showed up. It ended up being and very full house for the night. I pretty much slept all day, tried to sip ginger ale and nibbled on pop tarts (the only toast-like item I had). It was a relaxing and uneventful day. I am still not a huge fan of hostels because their informality scares me and I like to have some privacy. That being said, Bob and Pat Peoples made me feel right at home at the Kincora Hostel and it ended up being a very good place to try and recuperate. They are truly wonderful and generous people.
Date: 2006-04-10
From: Dennis Cove Road

To: US 321
Miles today: 8.9

When I woke up this morning I was a little bit hungry which I took as a good sign. I thought I was fine so I packed my gear and set out with Tofurkey by my side. Except for heading down the wrong trail for a little way it was a good morning. That Turkey made me laugh when she tried to jump into freezing cold water below Laurel Falls. It was a brave and endearing attempt. We had a mountain to climb today and going up it was my downfall. About a mile up I lost the sandwich I ate for breakfast and all the water and skittles I had in between. This was when I decided it was time to call in my rescue squad, Aunt Janet and Uncle Ed. Unfortunately, since they couldn't very well pick me up in a helicopter, I still had to finish out the mountain and my walk. The downhill and straight sections wer a lot easier on my tummy, so I was feeling much improved by the time we reached the road. My rescuers live about 4 hours away from where I was located, so I plopped myself down on the green grass of the Shook Grove picnic area and watched as a group of hikers celebrated Jeebus' birthday on the beach. Tofurkey sat with me for a while trying to decide what she wanted to do. It was sad to get separated from my new friend, we had had a lot of fun walking together for two whole days - a record for both of us on this trip. I didn't know when I'd be getting back on the trail, so I think that made the goodbye even more difficult. Off that turkey went, and I hope beyond hope she had a good rest of the day. When Janet and Ed pulled up in their car a couple of hours later I ran up yelling, "I'm saved, I'm saved!" They are some of the world's best caretakers and I rode back to Sanford snuggled in a blanket, sipping down Gatorade and nibbling Saltine crackers.
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Aunt Janet's House

To: Aunt Janet's House
Miles today: 0.0

Yeah! I got my hiker appetite back today and didn't feel sick even once. We took a hike just to test it out and all systems seem a go. The only thing I'm worried about now is my new boots which might be too small. If they are I'm going to hike right through Damascus and back to the REI in Raleigh and use them to kick that Eric in the butt. I will be back on the trail tomorrow - I'll see you up the trail!
Date: 2006-04-13
From: US 321

To: Vandeventer shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Poor Aunt Janet and Uncle Ed have become an AT shuttle service for this thru hiker, and today they found themselves in the car, once again, returning me to where they found me. We had a couple of detours, the last one being to Damascus to personally forward my mail drop from the post office, which might be closed on Saturday, to the Mt. Rogers outfitter. Unfortunately I forgot to look at the post office hours in my guidebook which noted that it was closed from 1 to 2 for lunch, and we got into town around 1:10. This left close to an hour to kill in Damascus so we went exploring. The nice part about touring Damascus, besides previewing the hostel, was that all of the people I had been hiking with were there. They all seemed happy that I was getting back on the trail, and I got to hear Sparrowhawk's bear story. Even my new friend Tofurky was there sporting a bright blue rain hat. We eventually transferred the mail successfully after which I got a lecture on proper boot tying methods and the improper sizing of my boots from the store proprieter. Feeling even more leery about my new boots we headed to the trailhead.   Aunr Janet and Uncle Ed decided to go for the true Appalachian Trail experience and walked the first mile of the trail with me. It was really nice, but when the time came for them to leave I wanted nothing more than to turn around and go back with them. The feeling that I wanted to go home grew throughout the day as my boots pinched and rubbed my feet and made my hips and knees hurt. I wanted to take them off and throw them into Lake Watauga, but since that wouldn't be fiscally responsible, I strapped them onto my pack and slipped back on my Crocs I got into the shelter around 8:00 and was happy to see Uberdude who I hadn't seen since Fontana Dam. I also met Nsom, Red Dog, and Bandit, and later Matt< from the Curly Maple Gap shelter came in. I handed out the cookies my mom had made and warned them about the bear Sparrowhawk had seen before settling in for the night.
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Vandeventer shelter

To: Abingdon Gap shelter
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: clear sky

At around 11:30 last night I woke up to a flash of headlamps that rushed around to the back of the shelter. It turned out to be Crumbs, Sasparilla, Lowkey 4-today, and Tortoise! I was so happy to see them, especially since I wasn't sure who I would be seeing after my hiatus. In the morning, Lowkey took off at her normal long-legged pace, but I spent the morning walking with Crumbs, Sasparilla, and 4-today. They tried to teach me the art of taking breaks and then we stopped for a 2+ hour lunch so I was really behind schedule to walk a 22 mile day. After lunch I was the first one to hike out and I tried to pick up the pace because it was becoming very evident that I would be hiking in the dark. When I got to the highway 91 parking lot I saw a little blue car with a woman who called out hello. I said that she must be Aunt Jan (Crumbs' and Sasparilla's aunt) to which she excitedly replied that she was. She gave me a banana and some "tandy cakes" and we talked for a little while.The next section of the trail went right through an old little farm field and I saw my first woodchuck darting to his home there. In the final nine miles to the shelter I also saw about fifteen deer, all with their long white tails sticking straight up into the air. I continued to walk without my headlamp on even in the dark. The moon was full and the air was calm and quiet. I was pretty tired when I got to the shelter at 9:00 so I ate quickly and went to bed.
Date: 2006-04-15
From: Abingdon Gap shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: few clouds

Today was a hard day for me. I should have been excited about reaching a new state and getting to the one-fifth point, but I felt like everything was working against my getting to Damascus. I had been sick for 4 days, my boots weren't cooperating and even my spoon had gone MIA. The 8 days I had planned to get from Erwin to Damascus had turned into close to two weeks, and I had run out of drive. Luckily Karuna Miel had stayed at the shelter with me the previous night and I walked most of the way into town with her. I was even able to get my picture taken at the VA-TN sign. Yay Virginia!When we got into town I stopped at the first soda machine I saw to get a cold soda, grabbed my mail drop from the outfitter and headed to the hostel. Who did I find sitting on a picnic bench outside? It was Tofurky who had called her boyfriend to bring her back home for a couple of days. I had been trying to figure out how to catch up to her and now it looks like she's going to be a day behind me. I'm kind of gald sometimes that Robert lives so far away because it makes it harder to quit on the days I want to go home like, say, every day of the past week.Tofurky and Stewball drove me over to the outfitter where I failed to get new shoes because they didn't have my size. My new friends offered to drive me anywhere I wanted to go, but as I didn't have anywhere to go, I said my goodbyes. I did manage to get a new hipbelt for my pack and a new belt for my pants before grabbing some greasy chips and a sandwhich at Subway. After lunch Karuna and I went over to Mt. Rogers outfitters for another go at new shoes. To be honest I think she wanted to come with me to make sure I wasn't suckered into another pair of ill-fitting boots. When I walked out of the store about an hour and a half later I was the proud owner of brand new trail runners! I was so excited I marched over to the Dollar store and bought 2 quarts of orange juice and a Klondike bar to celebrate. I celebrated in a camping chair in front of the outfitter for at least an hour while Karuna worked on getting her hammock fixed. It was a beautiful day out and I enjoyed not having anywhere to go.Back at the hostel Bandit and Uberdude made me laugh by saying I was like the most feminie girl on the trail. I still don't know what that means, and I don't think it was a compliment. Karuna Miel made me laugh even harder by modeling her new sleeping bag/vest creation which she had been sewing for a few hours. We wrapped up the evening with a meal at a smokey bar before I finally got down to business with my mail drop.
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Damascus

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: broken clouds

Lazy day would be the way to describe today. I had a really hard time pulling away from Damascus today. The weather was perfect for just doing nothing and that's exactly what I felt like doing. I tracked down bacon at a cool little place called Dairy King, where I ordered a meal called "The King" and two humongous glasses of milk. I went back to the hostel to chill for a little while and I sat at a picnic table writing in my journal and chatting with Pirate. At 2:00 I decided I should start getting serious about hiking, so I packed up and headed out. I didn't make it very far. At the other hostel in town, "Dave's Place", I noticed a bunch of hikers hanging out. They called me over and I was treated to a gigantic Cinnabon which Tortoise's mom had brought. A little over another hour later I actually got up the will-power to leave for good.T he walk to the shelter was really nice, the best that I've had in a week. Part of the niceness was from my new trail runners which felt totally awesome! I'm still having some problems with my toes falling asleep but I think it's a lacing problem that I'll eventually figure out. I want to start tenting agian but it was raining a little bit when I got to the shelter and only 1 of the 4 hikers that was there was going to sleep in it so I spread out my stuff and made dinner.
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Lost Mountain shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light rain

I think eventually I'm going to have to hike all day in the rain, but when I got to the first shelter today for lunch and stripped off my soaking wet clothes and shoes, my nice warm and dry sleeping bag became way too inviting to leave. I said to myself that if the weather improved I would hike out, but the sun never really came out and my clothes were still dripping. I'm dreading putting on all the cold, wet stuff tomorrow already. One of the section hikers from the shelter last night, Gus, faced the same dilemna as me so at least I had someone to talk to. We watched one of those endearing little gray birds, which I've learned is called a Snowy Junko, jump around in the fire ring for a while before we both took a nap. It was an adventure-filled afternoon. This evening I made a very important and difficult decision. I will never again eat a Lipton's Noodle side dish, ever. Sadly, I have two more left in my food bag. I'm hoping to find some poor, unsuspecting section hiker with whom I can barter. No one seemed willing to trade with me tonight.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Lost Mountain shelter

To: Old Orchard shelter
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: broken clouds

I'm glad I stopped where I did yesterday because today was absolutely beautiful and I was able to thouroughly enjoy the day. I got an early start because I knew I had a long way to go. The morning walk flew by as I crossed balds, meadows, and mountains. Right when I was thinking it was the perfect time and place for lunch a bench magically appeared in an unlikely place beckoning me to sit and eat. It was that kind of morning. Little white flowers were growing all over the ascent of Mount Rogers. MT. Rogers is the highest peak in VA and is said to be 2 million years old but I chose not to take the .5 mile side trail to the summit since my guidebook, map, and a section hiker all warned it was nothing spectacular. I ran into Glen, a section hiker who told me I'd missed seeing wild ponies. He was wrong - just over the hill were lots of ponies, three of them with colts. I took lots of pictures and even got to pet one on the nose. Grayson Highlands is the only part of the AT I have actually set foot on before. I forgot how magnificently beautiful it was. It has now bumped Max Patch down to #2 on my list of most beautiful places on the trail. The only problem this afternoon were the boulder fields the trail went through. It was so rocky that at one point the trail actually led down through a boulder tunnel called Fatman's Squeeze. My ankles, which were so accustomed to boot support became very sore, so I was mostly hobbling into wise shelter for a break. Rosie and Richard (Now Dr. Jones) from my second night out were sitting there eating dinner and killing mice, and I got the scoop on their collapsable chairs and camoflauge pants which had long been sent home. The final six miles were painful and slow, and I got to the shelter just before dark. I pitched my tent in the large grassy campsite area and rushed around trying to feed my hungry stomach before it jumped up and kicked me in head. I also tried to drink a lot of fluid since I suspected I was a little dehydrated before collapsing for the night.
Date: 2006-04-20
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Davis Path
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The day began with phone calls home, snacks, post cards, soda, and most importantly, a shower. I didn¢t leave until 11:00 AM. The day really seemed to drag, maybe because the walk was rocky, maybe because it was hot and humid, or maybe because I knew there was a gas station and restaurant at the interstate crossing I had to cross today. I kept running face first into occupied spider webs, which would leave me sputtering and that didn¢t help my progress either.I finally arrived at the gas station where I searched in vain for Twinkies and Gatorade, and where I filled up a big bucket with all sorts of junk food before stuffing it either into my back pack or face. I could see the Barn Restaurant up the road, so I headed that direction. The restaurant was located in an actual barn with sparse decorations and tables, and when I walked in, there were only old men in the place, but I got a huge steak and shrimp meal for real cheap. Unfortunately, I still had miles to walk. I was going to do 6, but the shrimps that were flopping in my belly convinced me to stop at two. This is where I met Alexander playing the harmonica and got my bear line stuck up in a tree.
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Davis Path

To: Chestnut Knob
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: light rain

This morning I ran into Stinky and Orangutan when I stopped to get water and down a bag of Skittles. I was surprised to catch up with them so soon and I felt a little better about yesterday¢s mileage. I stormed the trail all morning through gorgeous, green, grassy fields and pastures and made excellent time to the first shelter for lunch.It was raining and dreary and I felt kind of miserable, so it was nice to meet a couple of cheerful hikers at the shelter ¢ Sourdough and Orangeman. They were headed to the same destination for the night as I was, so I told them I would see them later as I finished my lunch.Even though the rain eventually stopped, my energy level was low and my mood took a turn for the worst. A very elderly section hiker warned me twice about the slippery rocks, and I heard his warnings when I slipped and fell about an hour later. I made it to the top of Chestnut Ridge and I sat down at a pond to filter some water. Just then the clouds began to break, the sun began to set and frogs took up a tune ¢ it was a breathtaking moment. The anti-climax was when I finally arrived at the shelter to find it full. I¢m in my tent again for the night.
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Chestnut Knob

To: Helveys Mill
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: moderate rain

It¢s raining again! At least I finally figured out my rain fly so I don¢t get mist in the face. The fact that everything I won is damp makes getting up and walking that much more difficult, but I had aunts to meet in a couple of days, so walk I did.I passed by Orangeman this morning crouched under a rock smoking a cigarette. I wish I could have taken a picture of it. I purposely made myself go slow because I didn¢t want to run out of energy like yesterday. It seemed to work and the good company at lunchtime helped.The afternoon flew by as I walked with Orangeman and Sourdough, who walk really fast and carry a good conversation. There was a confusing moment at our separation point where I couldn¢t find the white blazes that would lead me across the interstate, but they helped me sort it out before I said goodbye.It was a steep walk in the dark up to the shelter, but when I got there, there was lots of room to set up my tent. I surprised Jebus, he didn¢t think he would ever see me again, and we talked while I made dinner. According to Jebus, there¢s supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, so I¢m in my tent without the rainfly on , staring up at the stars. It¢s awesome.
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Helveys Mill

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: light rain

The entire day today was spent with Jebus and Grizzly. Nevertheless, the morning walk was hard and I didn¢t have enough energy. I¢ve definitely decided that my energy level varies greatly according to how many calories I eat the day before. I need more calories!I was thinking about quitting a lot today as I struggled to keep up with the younger and faster boys, but my whole attitude changed when Jebus and I walked over to a convenience store where I purchased loads of junk food and drinks. I also purchased ¢rainbow¢ ice cream which turned my face blue and was disgusting. It totally cheered me up.The rest of the walk was relatively easy and we were moving fast. Discussions varied from music to education to why things stink so that my mind was never on my feet or legs. At 8:30 we found ourselves at a campsite next to a pond about .3 miles from Wapiti shelter. It was so inviting we decided to stop and set up camp there. I decided to go fly-less once again.
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up at 3:00 this morning thinking, ¢Who¢s throwing water at me?¢ before I realized I was being rained on. I jumped out of my tent and rushed to put the fly on, noticing Jebus was doing the same. Then I went back to sleep.When my alarm went off at 6:30 and I tried to hit the snooze button the rain had already stopped. I broke camp at 7:30 and rushed through the next 17 miles worrying that I would be late for my 4:00 meeting time in Pearisburg with Aunt Janet, Aunt Judy, and Uncle Ed. My speed was very much hampered by rocks. Why did no one warn me about the Virginia rocks? Once again, you could see and hear town way before you could get to it. I kept wondering if I would ever be sent down the hill.I made it down with only 15 minutes left to spare, and there was my family, who had also just arrived. They threw me and my pack into the car, offered me food and beverages, and whisked me away to the post office. It was a little overwhelming. After checking out all the motels, I decided on the Rendevous Motel where the manager threw me my keys without taking my information and informed me that a ¢7,000lb man¢ had broken the bed next to the window. After taking a shower and Febreezing the stink out of my clothes, we all went out to eat. I, once again, amazed everyone with the amount of food I consumed and came out hurting. It was a short visit, but I was really grateful that they all took the time to come out and see me. I am a very fortunate person to have such a loving family.
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Pearisburg

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

I hit a new mental low today. The six miles up to the first shelter were painful, wet, and difficult and I cried almost the whole way there. My pack was way too heavy and my wet shoes made my feet unbearably painful to walk on. It was so bad I stopped at the shelter, called Robert, and told him I wanted to go home. He only had time to ask, ¢what happened?¢ before I lost the signal. So I ate lunch in a new stream of tears and then laid down to take a nap.When I woke up I visited the privy and was startled to find a hiker in the shelter when I got back. Boy Floyd was a southbound section hiker hiking from Duncannon to Springer. He had started the same day as me! I was struck by the genius of hiking just half the trail and I told him so.Having another person around, especially one as cheerful as Floyd, really helped to improve my mood. We laughed over my heavy Beanie Weenie and failed Kellog¢s stuffing and I learned that he has had as bad a day as me. It was nice to hear that other people were going through the same issues as I was having.