morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-04-02
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 18.5

I slept pretty well in the tent overnight. The HH and I woke up around the same time, broke camp and started walking together. They were typically making more miles than me so I only hiked with them part of the day. I knew this before the trail, but the folks I see early in my hike are doing bigger days so in a week will be a day or two ahead of me. The hikers I would expect to see regularly are probably a week behind. Sad to see the HH move on; they gave me good guidance and potentially kept me out of an unsafe condition. So we hiked the first uphill together, along a ridge, then a drop and another climb. After the second climb the HH moved on and I leisurely walked to the shelter. Since the weather is good I set up my tent although no one else was there. A few notes:Although on the map this day had two 1000¢ climbs my total elevation gain is 4,649¢. There is a lot of uphill on the flat ridges and some uphill in the downhills. I¢m not sure I¢ll get used to camping alone. Every rustle seems like a bear when it is likely a squirrel. Camping in a group may be a false sense of security but I feel that I just need to be a less attractive opportunity than the next guy.
Date: 2019-04-03
From: Laurel Creek Shelter 

To: Bench at Brush Mountain 
Miles today: 16.8

after the fitful sleep I was up and walking. So far I have been up around 7 and walking by about 8 am. I had 4 easy miles of downhill walking. Through some cow fields and across some roads. I then passed the Keffer Oak tree which is supposed to be the biggest along the southern AT. Looked like a bunch of big branches that are going to break off someday. My mistake for this day was not watering up before the next climb. Only about 750¢ up and 5 miles of ridge. Well, the ridge was rocky and in most places solid rock. It was very fun technically but warm and tiresome. My 1L went to half, then I was drinking a few swallows every mile. By the time I came off the ridge I stopped at the first seepy spring I came to and filtered and drank about a half liter. Further down the hill I stopped at a shelter and got several liters and had lunch. The problem with no water is that I don¢t want to eat either so it was a double whammy. A bit further on I filtered and carried 3L of water up the hill to a ridge. The trail at the top of the ridge is an old road. There was a flat spot on the trail/road next to a bench so I set up my tent. I had a really nice dinner sitting on the bench and had a good nights sleep in the tent. Note:Although there is always the next hill, I seem to enjoy ending my day with a climb. Ridges tend to be breezy and more comfortable sleeping so long as I can find a flat and rock free spot.
Date: 2019-04-04
From: Bench at Brush Mountain 

To: Catawba Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

Today was a weird day. I slept well on the ridge and was up and packed early. The first bit of trail was the ridge road so was easy walking. I stopped and saw the Audie Murphy Monument. He was the most decorated American soldier in WW2 and died on this ridge in a plane crash. After this initial downhill I began a long and tiring uphill toward the Dragons Tooth. In some places the trail was manageable and others required using my hands as well as feet. You actually top out and head a bit downhill to get to the Tooth. The Tooth is this rock rib that juts out. I climbed it 4 years ago but was too tired to trust my balance this time. So I just ate my lunch and started down the other side of the ridge. I had been on this section before. There are a number of steep ledges and in some places iron bars to use as steps. Spicy with a full pack on. At the bottom is a road crossing with a gas station one way and a hostel the other. I had assumed to stop but:1.  There is a pesky 6 mile section between here and the start to McAfee Knob. A few years back Emily and I drove between them and I just didn¢t want to hike this bit. Especially to start tomorrow. 2. Forecast shows rainy by the morning. I didn¢t want to be in a warm hostel and be tempted to stay an extra day. 3.  I felt I had enough food to press another two days. I was going to stretch 5 days of food for 6 days which meant I wasn¢t eating enough but that was expected. So I got a soda at the gas station and pressed on. The next 5 miles had a few ups but mostly easy walking. I then passed through the parking area for McAfee and went another 2 miles to the shelter. I wanted to stay in the shelter for the rain tomorrow. I was the only one there so could spread out.
Date: 2019-04-05
From: Catawba Mountain Shelter

To: LambertÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: overcast clouds

As forecasted it started raining overnight but I was dry in the shelter. It rained all day so no photos. It was easy to pack up from the shelter. I put on all my rain gear. Opened my umbrella and started walking. My ankle was hurting pretty regular by this point. Depending on how fast I could walk I could either have a long 18 mile day or a short 8 mile day. I walked slow. No views of either McAfee Knob or Tinker Cliffs, two of the most scenic parts of the trail. I had been to McAfee before so wasn¢t a huge deal. A lot of big rocks to scramble up and over and down so slow going and hurting the ankle. I got to the next shelter by around noon and decided to stay. The shelter wasn¢t as nice but was dry. I set up and took a good nap but spending 6 hours laying in my bag was pretty boring. Finally I had dinner and officially want to bed. It was still raining as I went to sleep.
Date: 2019-04-06
From: LambertÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Meadow Shelter

To: Super 8 in Daleville 
Miles today: 9.4

I slept very well in the shelter. It was very foggy when I woke up and I was a little damp. Easy to get up and about. The trail was generally downhill but I gained 1,355¢ for the day. There were some massive rocks and quite a few overhanging. Some were big enough that you could set a tent up underneath and I saw one group that did.Also meant some more hand climbs and drops and strain on my ankle. The skies cleared and became sunny. Lower down I started seeing day hikers and the trail was gentle. Crossed under a lot of power lines and then walked out to a busy road. Crossed the road and checked into the hotel. The shower felt nice after 6 days out.
Date: 2019-04-07
From: Salt Pond Road

To: Super 8 Daleville
Miles today: 7.8

today was supposed to be a rest day but strong storms are forecast for tomorrow. So I figured I would hike easy today and rest tomorrow. I also wanted to see how my ankle would feel with lighter weight. I got up and about and called for an Uber to drop me off on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully he had picked up and dropped of hikers before so didn¢t think twice. About 2 miles before the trail was a locked gate. So I got to add 1.5 bonus miles to my day on a route that seemed to be just below the trail. My gps track for that section looks really weird. I could have probably accessed the trail from a better road I found out later so will have to do that to pick it up again. Again theoretically a downhill day but still gained 1,522¢. Soon enough walked back to the main road from the other side and back in the hotel. Rest day tomorrow. I may seek out a dr to look at my ankle and an outfitter to see about slack packing the next few days to keep the weight off my feet. It is slightly swollen and I can feel it grinding a bit when I flex it. Not good signs.
Date: 2019-04-08
From: Super 8 Daleville

To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

Today was my rest day, but I still walked a lot. I walked over to a strip center for a haircut. Killed some time in a grocery store and then went on a quest for shoes. I had it in my head that maybe I needed new shoes. I went to two different outfitters looking for the shoes I normally hike in. I finally found them at Fleet Feet in Roanoke. My feet felt better in them but they typically feel OK in my crocs. I would give them a shot tomorrow on what should be an easy day. It started pouring rain in the afternoon so was glad to be inside.
Date: 2019-04-09
From: Salt Pond Rd

To: Bearwallow Gap
Miles today: 13.8

My easy day was very hard. I was really hoping that my ankle would ease up today. The trail was supposed to be a mellow relatively flat 13.8 miles. I had to walk about a mile to get to the trail so a total of 14.8. Light pack and my go to shoes. The first few miles were hopeful. Then I had a relatively steep climb and the pain was back. I stopped at a shelter after about 4 miles and my Achilles stiffened. For the next 2-3 hrs my pain level went from about a 2/10 on flat ground to about 8/10 on uphills. My Achilles was grinding and popping (it has done this for the past few days) and I could never get a strong Step off my right foot. My hike took a bit over 6 hours; I was 2 hrs ahead of my ride. I walked up and laid down on a bridge railing. My left Achilles is about the diameter of a dime. My right is about the size of a quarter. The advice for a sprained ankle is light exercise. Exercising a strained Achilles usually doesn¢t end well. I¢m calling it for this trip. I¢m sure I could have done more to strengthen my legs but I feel this is just bad luck. I¢ve had enough good luck, so I feel OK. Since I have been using gps, I have tracked my statsMy 141.2 trail miles took 150.6 gps miles the extra was waking to from roads, shelters and waterI gained and lost 31,462¢ over that distance  if I say half up and half down I averaged just under 8% grade each mile  I walked a total of 150.6 miles in 67.4 hours in 11 hiking days  averaged 6.1hrs per day hiking 13.7 miles for 2.23 mph  Thanks for following this short effort!
Date: 2019-01-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today I finished by first blog post to be submitted to All Women All Trails. I had to take care of setting up this trail journal as well so I could include a link to it. Now I'm waiting for my requested direct link URL. I plan on using this trail journal to log details of my preparation for my upcoming thru hike and to keep track of the actual hike. I will be exploring topics in a more organized fashion in my blog posts. I'll include links as they get published.
Date: 2019-01-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Snowshoed to the Pinnacle Mountain ice wall. 7.5 miles. About 1/3 of it was breaking trail. Luckily there were 3 of us so we shared that responsibility. Had my full pack with me today (minus food). Overall, I can say I felt fine. The pack rides well (even after about 7 hours in the woods... about an hour of that without the pack on). I do have to remember to put a bandana in my 'kitchen' kit so I have something to hold that hot handle with!
Date: 2019-01-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I got my link confirmed to this trail journal today! Hurrah! I was just waiting on that to complete my bio for the blog. I sent both the first blog submission and my bio in today! As those blog posts get published, I have to put a link to them here. My plan is to blog every couple of weeks on the trail. I'm going to start that routine now. It's all a learning process that I'm having fun doing. Also did a series of yoga hip exercises.  I¢ll be doing those on a regular basis now.  Hip stability seems like a good idea to me.
Date: 2019-01-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I'm having a hell of a time deciding if I want a sleeping bag liner. I am using a sleeping quilt as opposed to a sleeping bag. I was thinking a liner might be nice for warmer weather. It also would keep my quilt clean. AND it would add a couple of degrees to the quilt if need be. The problem is that they are all like big socks. I'm not sure I want to wriggle into a liner. I'm also not so sure I need a couple of degrees for my bag. I can always wear more clothes. I also tend to sleep warm. So... maybe I should just save the weight (which would be somewhere between 4-8 oz) and wash my quilt when I get home....  Otherwise, today, I sorted out how to insert photos and captions into the blog and contacted AWAT with that info for the first post. They seem to be excited about my work so far.  I created a list of potential future blog posts... in case I get writer's block!I would love to hear what any of my readers have to say about liners or topics for a blog.... be sure to sign my guestbook with ideas!
Date: 2019-01-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This past week has been the first week of the spring semester at the community college I teach at. I've been telling my students that I'm retiring and going to hike the AT. Today's group of Environmental Science students was super interested. A couple of them want to come along :). In general, I've been finally telling lots of folks that I'm going to do this. Just voicing it makes it so real! I'm also trying to get some first hand accounts of the trail. I'm meeting up (this weekend) with one of the folks that used to work at the college that retired in 2012 and completed a thru hike that year with his wife. I've been in contact with my mailman. He completed the trail in 2018. And I've got one other friend that did about 1000 miles several years ago. I'm working on getting in touch with him. I figure, the more I can find out from folks that I know (and know me) the better prepared I'll be.I'm also reading a bunch of blogs and trail journals, listening to a bunch of podcasts and keeping tabs on a bunch of facebook groups (mostly lurking...).Yesterday and today were yoga days. I finally went to a vinyasa class last night. Taught 2 classes today and then did a hip series that also strengthens the hip flexors and hamstrings. Working on stability.
Date: 2019-02-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today I found out about the Allpoint app thanks to the facebook group: Appalachian Trail: Women's Group. The app shows you all the ATMs that don't have a service charge! It also determines if your debit card qualifies for the free service. As it turns out mine does. Hurray! So, of course, I installed the app.I had been wondering how I was going to deal with getting cash. I am not a regular ATM user. I tend to use a credit card for everything. That said, I know that I will need to have some cash on me and resupplying that was a concern (though a very minor one).I know that I can also ask for cash back at some stores when using my credit card. So between the debit card and the credit card I should be all set.I will have to remember to let the credit card folks know I'll be traveling. I'm actually really good at that because Jim and I have made several long road trips around the country and I have had to keep the bank informed of where we were.For paying bills I already do almost all of it online through the credit union. Thank goodness they have a mobile app where I can continue to do that. I'll just have to get Jim to let me know about the odd bill that comes in that is still paid the old fashioned way.
Date: 2019-02-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

The AWOL guides came today! I purchased both the NOBO and SOBO editions. My friend Mar gave me the Thru-Hiker's Companion for my birthday. So now I'm all set! I've been practicing reading all the symbols and "planning" what my first 3 days might look like. Actually, I don't really plan on a lot of planning (can you tell 'plan' is a favorite activity of mine??). I'd rather let each day play out as it may. One of my goals is to NOT plan so much during this adventure. That said... the plan is to bring about 1/4 of the NOBO AWOL guide with me to start. I'll let Jim use the Thru-hiker's companion from home to live the trail vicariously. He'll mail or deliver the rest of the NOBO guide when I need it. Then I'll pick up the SOBO guide when I get back to Harper's Ferry. My niece is planning on hiking a bit with me when I start SOBO so I can mail that next section to her.
Date: 2019-02-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I figured if I'm walking this trail I should support the ATC. So I joined today. I also bought Jim a poster of the whole trail so he can keep track of where I am.  Working on my second blog post. I have been in touch with AWAT. We've figured out how to submit everything via google docs. That is super handy. My contact there, Nichole, can finally see my comments so she knows where to insert pictures and what the captions should be. Little details that will pay off in a long run.Other than that, a quiet day on the preparation front.
Date: 2019-02-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I've been remiss at keeping up with this journal. That just means I've been super busy... too busy to open the darned computer. Here are some things that pertain to the hike that have occurred in the past few days.1) the AT poster (18"x48") came. Jim loves it. He is going to mount it on a ceiling tile so he can put pins in to keep track of where I am.2) I sent my second blog into the AWAT folks. Still waiting for the inaugural issue of this venture. They did just form the AWAT writers guild which I am part of. So things are happening!3) I went for a 6.2 mile snowshoe to Jockeybush and Iron lakes. We bushwacked most of the way. First to avoid a stream crossing. The water is relatively high for this time of the year due to a recent rain storm and not quite enough cold enough weather to freeze up all that water. We were hesitant to get our snowshoes and/or feet wet on the way out. The hike from Jockeybush to Iron was a complete bushwack as there is not trail there. On the way back we took the actual trail from Jockeybush out. We could do that because we crossed the frozen lake. That did mean we had to ford that stream. We all managed to do that without getting wet. It was close to the end of the trail so it would not have mattered anyway. I carried about 22# on this trek. No problem at all with the weight either on the day of or the day after that hike.4)I ordered my starter pair of trail runners (Altra Lone Peak 3.5). There was a really good deal ($66) on Amazon. I hiked with this style/model of shoe all last summer and was very pleased with the results. So I will start the AT with these.So... I've been keeping up with preparations!
Date: 2019-02-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Finally a day I could walk after work!  Took a 5.4 miles road walk.  No pack today just walking fast.  Just over 15 minute miles.  Then I fashioned a wallet out of some scrap Silnylon and a random zipper I had laying around.  It¢s less than 0.25oz.  I put a loop on it so I could clip it to a pack or belt loop or something. I figured the loop couldn¢t hurt.
Date: 2019-02-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Snowshoe to the top of the hill here at home today. It was a 1.5 mile - breaking trail all the way - day. I've got a good path on this side of the property. Next trip I'll try to do the same on the other side. Then I might get a 3 mile walk in right here.Saturday I was cross country skiing with Terry. First time on skis in a long time. It was beautiful. Broke trail for about 0.5 miles... but it was easy going.I took the time today to put almost all my gear into lighter pack. Check out my list (that is still evolving) here: https://lighterpack.com/r/29qgI ordered a pair of icebreaker 150 merino baselayer leggings, a purple rain hiking skirt and a couple pair of exofficio underwear bottoms. I've almost got my clothing figured out (provided everything I ordered fits well).I've been really wondering about rain pants. My marmots are 10oz. I was thinking I might go with a rain skirt/kilt. But that would mean I'd need a different pair of pants of some sort. I want some wind resistant thing in case I hit cold weather on mountain tops and in exposed places (read Whites here). I know it can be cold up there even in the summer. My rain paints can double as wind pants... or pants in general if I need them. I weighed my zip off nylon pants and they came in over 12 oz. So ... I'm sticking with the rain pants right now.  I'm settling in on hiking in a skirt. I've done that before and LOVED it. The purple rain has big pockets so I won't have to have a fanny/belt pack for the phone and a couple of snacks. I like that. I also like the idea of putting a wet/damp skirt on a lot better than putting on wet shorts... Let's hope I like the way it fits.Current base weight is 17.72 pounds. The only 2 things that will add substantially are the icebreaker leggings and camp shoes. I'll add the leggings as soon as they arrive. I'm up in the air about camp shoes. I do want something that I can use as shower shoes as well as camp shoes. I've heard the Walmart 'crock' knock offs are light and serviceable. I really hate flip flops. I thought I'd also look at a slide-like shoe. I wish my Chacos weren't so heavy... I take them in a heart beat!  Overall, I'd like to get base weight as close to 15 pounds as possible. I'll be working to cut out some weight.
Date: 2019-02-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My icebreaker 150 merino leggings arrived today and they fit like a glove. Perfect really. I'm super pleased. I'll give them a shakedown this weekend... snowshoeing and skiing.  Everytime I update my lighterpack data, the base weight goes up.. ACK! its up to 18 pounds. I'm going to have to make some hard decisions over the next couple of months. This light pack thing is a challenge! Good thing I like challenges.
Date: 2019-02-23
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

5 of us needed microspikes today on the hike up Ascutney Mtn. We did a thru over the mountain (leaving a car at either end). We ascended on the Weatherfield trail and came down the Windsor Trail. About 6 miles total. 2263' elevation gain on the way up and another 2555' on the way down.  There was good snow cover but the trail was packed down from both snowshoers and recent rain that froze the trail up.
Date: 2019-02-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Mostly on snowmobile trails with microspikes today (still at Ascutney). Out for a couple of hours. It was sleeting/raining lightly but not enough to deter us.  Got home (3 hour drive) mid afternoon. My order of mini carabiners came in so now I have lots of ways to attach things to my pack. We also received a set of pushpins so Jim can keep track of where I am on the trail!
Date: 2019-03-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Current base weight is at 16.5 pounds. I ditched the umbrella. I purchased a Toaks titanium 650ml pot which is much lighter than the aluminum grease pot I was using. I also traded out a heavy multitool for a light set of scissors (so I can cut things like KT tape), deleted the sawyer backflush plunger and slimmed down my first aid kit and miscellaneous items.The purple rain skirt came in and fits perfectly. I love the fabric... light and fast drying. I think I'll really like hiking in that.I have a few things left to add (most notably camp shoes and a light weight pair of shorts to sleep in) and I'll probably still do some tweaking. It's unlikely I'll get down to my goal weight of 15 pounds without changing out my pack... which I am not doing. I really love my pack and believe the good fit more than compensates for the extra pounds. All that said, I'm very happy with the weight at this point.The whole kit can be viewed at lighter pack here: https://lighterpack.com/r/29qg...I wrote a 3rd blog post for All Women All Trails. I'm really hoping they get to publishing the first one soon! I'd like to be able to roll out that info.Finally, I ascertained that I'll be able to get a doxycycline prescription (for potential Lyme disease infection) from my Nurse Practitioner before I leave. That is comforting!