morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Past Rector Laurel Road Campsite

To: Hog Back Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: light rain

After my blowing it yesterday, I took it easy today¢I woke up in the middle of the night last nigh to pee, and discovered my tent and the ground covered in snow. I¢m officially hardcore now: tenting in the snow. My tent help up pretty well, especially considering how poorly it was pitched after dark, but still it¢s completely icy today and most everything is wet, including my sleeping bag. So I snagged a spot in the first shelter after walking most of the morning in the snow without breakfast, when all my friends decided it would be a good idea to hitch into Erwin from the next road for AYCE pizza and skip the next 27 miles. So I¢m either stupid or brave or both. But I guess I¢m officially a purist. I¢ve been in my bag since I got here, drying out. Still cold.
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Hog Back Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

It¢s a beautiful clear day today, the sun¢s out, melting the snow, turning the trail to mush. I¢m going to hike all the way into Erwin tomorrow if it kills me¢hopefully Miss Janet¢s won¢t be closed for Trailfest. I¢m feeling lonely again tonight, like I should have done more miles, even though I¢m here with five other people¢Eagle Eye, Just Do It and three section hikers. All my friends are behind or ahead and I don¢t think I¢ll catch them. I had a long talk with Just Do It and he said you had to just let them go, let them go at their own pace and go at mine, and wait for people who go at my pace. He found his partner last year going into Erwin. It was beautiful, despite the snow¢went over Big Bald today¢another of these giant NC balds with 360 views. I have to do 16.9 miles tomorrow¢we¢ll see if I can!
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Miss Janet's House, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: overcast clouds

My biggest day so far. Felt great pretty much all day. Booked it trying to make it to Erwin before Miss Janet left for Trailfest, then decided not to go. Walked with Rambler most of the day¢one of these guys that does twenty ¢mile days without blinking¢and managed to keep up. So it¢s not that I can¢t move as fast as these people, it¢s just that I don¢t want to. It¢s relatively easy on town days, though, because most of it¢s downhill and you have the motivation of food at the bottom. Hit some PUDs right near the end though, that almost made me cry. So far the trail hasn¢t managed to do that to me, though I know it will. Also, I¢ve somehow managed to end up with blisters on the bottoms of my toes. Don¢t ask me how. Maybe from grit in my dirty socks? I don¢t know. Keeping cleaner feet from now on for one thing. Pack still hurts.
Date: 2004-04-17
From: Miss Janet's House, Erwin, TN

To: Miss Janet's House, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

So I took a zero day, even though I swore I wouldn¢t take another one until May, even though I didn¢t go to Trail Fest. It was just too hard to get back to the trail today with Miss Janet away. Plus, my other excuse is that my back still hurts and I have blisters. Met some interesting people here though: Asheville Danny, who hitched to Asheville by mistake; Chef; Dirtrap, who hiked and hitched with his two dogs from Key West barefoot¢he¢s an ultra-lighter who carries a guitar and did the trail to Connecticut last year. We also went to this great diner where I got a bacon cheeseburger so large I couldn¢t eat it, and watched Deliverance last night where I saw the famous ¢squeal like a pig¢ scene. Eeeks. Everyone was disturbed. Also hit the Pizza Hut buffet¢good stuff. All in all: good eating, and too much money spent, as usual. Missing the family and friends.
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Miss Janet's House, Erwin, TN

To: Nolichucky Campground
Miles today: 1.3

I chilled at Miss Janet¢s all day today-had a great breakfast and dinner at Huddle House (including a free biscuit and gravy!) and took off late so I could make use of my reserved campsite at the Nolichucky Campground. Got a slightly later start than expected (after sunset) so ended up stumbling through the 1.3 to get here in the dusk. My maildrop was here when I got here, though, and I have a beautiful campsite by the river. I left my rainfly off my tent so I can see the stars through my mesh roof¢it¢s a beautiful night and it shouldn¢t rain. The guy here is a little draconian¢I had two friends, Chef and Dirtrap, who were thinking about camping with me, but he charges per person not per campsite. I¢m feeling better about everything¢taking a zero day and a half was a good idea. I think. And, I¢m just not going to stress about other people any more.
Date: 2004-04-19
From: Nolichucky Campground

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I got a late start today, as usual, drinking cherry coke at the campground and fooling around with new ways to pack my bag. Took my time today, too¢I¢m finally beginning to feel that there¢s no reason to rush this thing. Met Spoon, a southbounder from Chicago on the trail, and saw the Roman Noodles at the Beauty Spot, where they were setting up camp. It was a beautiful day, and there are supposed to be meteors tonight. Thanks to my late start and dawdling, I didn¢t get to the shelter until after dark¢kept debating camping but decided to press on. The shelter wasn¢t in the gap. I thought it would be in, and then last two PUDs were brutal. The last mile of the trail is always the hardest camping tonight with Chef, Dirtrap, and Roamin Around, an ¢03 thruhiker. Roamin¢s giving us advice on the trail¢mainly on how long it is.
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Hughs Gap
Miles today: 11.9

Another late start this morning. If I want to start doing more miles, I have to get started earlier. But last night we all stayed up really late around the fire, so I guess I have an excuse. Met Cheers (Ross) on a southbound slackpacker on the way out of the shelter, and he offered me a trip into Johnson City tonight with Grace for sushi! We¢ll see if they make it. I¢m sitting on a rock here at the road now, and if they don¢t make it, I¢ll just camp but that would be very depressing. This gap is more obscure that it looked in the book, though, so I hope they¢re able to find it. So feeling impatient, and hungry, and a bit concerned right now¢I thought maybe this was a bad idea when I agree to it, but I couldn¢t turn down sushi and the chance to see Grace. It¢s the towns¢they¢re getting to me again! It¢s chilly and lonely up here and I¢m thinking too much about Deliverance.
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Hughs Gap

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: overcast clouds

So Cheers and Grace picked me up last night after all, took me to Johnson City to a Chinese buffet that had sushi, and back to Miss Janet¢s for the night. So I ended up back in Erwin¢it¢s inescapable! Had one of Miss Janet¢s breakfasts this morning, which was worth experiencing, but gave me a late start¢and did far less mileage today than I should have to get to Kincorra in time to meet Mom. That means two big days ahead. I hope I can do it¢I¢m going to try to wake up early tomorrow. Here tonight with Chef; we¢re the only two thruhikers and there are four section hikers tenting. It¢s the first time there¢s been that few. The crowd¢s thinning. We¢re in a really cool shelter that¢s made from an old barn tonight. Gorgeous views across the balds and I saw two meteors tonight! Came across Roan Mountain today¢it was beautiful but difficult.
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Super 8 Motel, Johnson City, TN
Miles today: 8.7

So it¢s been another weird day. I woke up late this morning, as usual, with 16 or 17 miles to do to make it to Kincorra in time to meet my mom on Friday night. The walk today was beautiful, over the Roan Mountain highlands, the Hump Mountains, bald after bald in gorgeous sunny weather. The Roan highlands have been called the prettiest mountains west of the Rockies and I can see why. I took a break on top of a couple of mountains, and you could see for miles. Also walked through a heard of longhorn cattle.But despite all this, I wasn¢t having that good of a time¢my back pain has gotten past the point where it¢s debilitating. I have to take my pack off every two miles just to make it through the miles. And the pain I swearing too¢I think it¢s the reason I just haven¢t been able to do big miles this week. I¢ve been holding out until Kincorra, where the rumor is one can trade out gear.I was walking with Chef most of the day, because he was trying to convince me to go into town at 19E to get lunch and then come back to the trail. My pack was hurting me so badly in the morning that I made a could of decisions; 1. I have to make this hike enjoyable for myself (as Roamin said, the minute it stops being fun is the minute you¢re going home), so I¢m going to take breaks as I need them and going to towns when I need to, like today. 2. If I get a chance to slackpack again, I was going to take it. My back pain has gotten so bad that I can¢t lift my hand to my face with my pack on. That¢s not good. I¢m buying a new pack the minute I get a chance. So Chef and I got to the road, were trying to hitch, when¢lo and behold¢Cheers and Grace pull up. They make a very tempting offer; a ride to lunch, then Johnson City for Olive Garden and Super *, and a 23-mile slackpack on the morrow. Chef somehow manages to turn this down. I, however, can¢t. So, I¢m here, tummy full, warm with a bed to sleep in, clean and 23 miles to do tomorrow. Daunting. But without a pack. And I¢m also feeling some moral repercussions I hadn¢t decided not to slackpack and I have no issues with it technically, but I still have some guilt.
Date: 2004-04-23
From: Super 8 Motel, Johnson City, TN

To: Kincorra Hostel
Miles today: 23.6

So I went over to the dark side. Slackpacked. But, I did almost 24 miles and feel great, so that¢s good¢two less than a marathon. We woke up at six so we could get to Shoney¢s for some fuel¢the buffet was heavenly as per usual¢but still didn¢t manage to hit the trail until ten. It shouldn¢t matter, but we only had daylight for the slackpack, and I was meeting my mom at Kincorra that night, so I had to get there. Grace played some music in the car that I didn¢t think I¢d here until I got home, where ever that is¢Mr. Tambourine Man and Girl from the North Country by Dylan¢the first Dylan I¢ve heard on the trail, aside from a cover (Forever Young by Rod Steward¢still scratches the itch but ick)¢and Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith and Fox in the Snow by Belle and Sebastian¢my theme song through the Smokeys. ¢When your legs are black and blue, it¢s not as if they¢re paying you¢¦¢ Why does every song seem to apply to hiking out here? So, the 24 miles they were beautiful. The first chunk was gorgeous and pastoral, felt how I expect Virginia to feel. Or like rural England. Ross said it kept reminding him of home. It reminded me of Keats. Ross, Snowman, and I spent virtually the whole day together, talking, even though we were booking it, which really made the miles fly. Ross said I should be more personal in my journal, tell more in-depth story, something I had been intending to do for some time. My problem is the diverse audience; 1. My future self; 2. Friends and family; 3. Internet at large, and the major problem is that for the most part I want to just use the journal as processing time, for myself, when I¢m cold, lonely, and generally writing with my head lamp in a shelter full of snoring and cranky people. But I have to do better. Especially now that Grace is off the trail. If only for the fans. So we ran into Bluebell, Eagle Eye, Doug, and the Roman Noodles again, and met Pukka and her dog Zach and Yoda and his dog Lucy. I had met Lucy before, but not Yoda. I felt some shame for the slackpack, especially when Eagle Eye asked how my pack was holding up¢he had helped me adjust it last week. I used to be one of the purists¢no longer. There definitely is anti-slackpacker discrimination on the trail. So we made it into Kincorra just at 8:30 right after dusk, a little better than a two-mile-an-hour pace. Only one PUD nearly brought me to tears¢the last one before the eighteen-mile shelter. The rest of the hike was fine. My mom and Grace were waiting for us, my mom with a Chicken McGrill and a salad and other goodies as well as boxes of Little Debbies for everyone. Grady, Hey Bob, Just Do It, Syracuse, Tho, TT, and a whole bunch of hikers were there already, including some I didn¢t know. Just Do It gave my mom and I the one room with the double bed, which was sweet of him. It was fantastic to see her. I really miss everyone at home. People out here are great, but it¢s really not the same. Tomorrow we start the adventure¢five days to Damascus!
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Pond Flats Campsite

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Another beautiful day¢many fewer crises. The rain ended before we went to sleep, so we woke to sun, 70¢degree weather, and a dry tent. Hiked down to Wautauga Lake, where we took a long break in the sun by the water. Walked around the lake to the shelter and up to the dam, where we had a beautiful lunch. Beautiful views all day. It¢s great walking with mom¢we talk all day and the miles fly by. I¢m going to really miss her when she goes. Ended up at Vandeventer Shelter, which has one of the most beautiful views of any shelter I¢ve seen, looking out over rocks and the lake. The sky was beautiful tonight, perfect and clear. We¢re the only ones here, which seems a little weird, but fun. The only problem with shelter is that water is straight down a cliff .5 mile, adding an extra mile to our day. We filled up everything we had, including our pot. Also saw trilliums, down by the spring! Worth the walk, just for that. The only other problem with the shelter is that apparently, according to the register, it¢s haunted. When it got dark tonight, we noticed this bag of garbage someone had left on the wall was glowing orange. No idea what it is.
Date: 2004-04-26
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: moderate rain

So we woke up this morning to rain. I tried to convince Mom to stay in the sleeping bag for a couple more hours and let it clear, but she was convinced it was an all-day rain, and as it turns out she was right. We didn¢t know if we were going to the first shelter or the second shelter. As we started it was raining but warm, but as the day went on the temperature dropped and it got very cold. Mom had started wearing shorts, and hadn¢t brought rainpants, so I lent her mine, which meant that both of our legs were cold. We both got soaked through¢-her garbage bag pack cover wasn¢t working and I had lost mine, and I started to worry about hypothermia. Luckily the terrain was very easy and we just booked it without stopping the whole way. We decided once we got to the shelter to stay, even though it was crowded¢Hey Bob, Quiet Guy, Syracuse, and TT were all there¢-changed into dry clothes and cooked some hot food right away. I was really worried about Mom¢-she doesn¢t exactly have many body fat reserves, and the conditions were perfect for hypothermia. She kept her spirits up the whole time, though, and it was kind of great for someone from home to see how tough things really are out here. But she got in her bag and got warm, and we ate warm food, and everything was fine. The guys were zeroing in the rain, playing rummy, so we spent the afternoon chilling, and Mom got to know some of my trail friends. I think it was a little shock to her system¢-there¢s a very diverse assortment of people out here and their language and experiences are not exactly ours. It pays to be tolerant, though, and one can always learn things from everyone. They toned it down a little for her too. I still felt bad exposing her to that¢-I suppose it should be the other way around. Bluebell, Eagle Eye and Pukka showed up at dusk¢-they had done fifteen miles in the rain¢-crazy. But Bluebell built us a huge fire with wet wood to dry out our shoes¢-great.
Date: 2004-04-27
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

Mom¢s biggest day ever! After our short day yesterday, we decided the only way to make Damascus in time for Wednesday was to pull a sixteen-miler today. Luckily the terrain agreed with us¢took a break at Double Springs Shelter and met some trail maintainers from Kincorra painting white blazes¢cool. Took pictures. Tonight the whole gang is here from last night, and Bluebell has built us another roaring fire. Feels good. And Damascus tomorrow.
Date: 2004-04-29
From: Mt. Rogers Outfitters Hostel, Damascus, VA

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

I resisted the pull of Damascus and managed to get out of town today¢I ate breakfast at the Sidetrack Caf©, answered my email, packed my far overloaded backpack, and made phone calls. I found out the big news¢Erica got engaged last weekend. I was outside on the payphone in front of Sicily¢s, bawling my eyes out and hopping on one I knew saw me. I¢m happy for her, of course, but marriage is so terrifying, and I just hope she¢s doing the right thing. It¢s really hard to be away from home right now, though. And everything¢s going to change so much. So I trekked out of Damascus, sweating with probably twenty pounds of food on my back. It was a beautiful day and I had a great day¢s walk. Stopped in front of a gorgeous Virginia view where the bottom of the mountain was just starting to turn pale green. Spring is great. Decided to stay at the first shelter instead of pressing on to the second¢I got a later start than expected thanks to the hour-long phone call. Here with Atticus (Mockingbird), whom I started with¢I met him and his partner Shortcake in the parking lot of Springer. He¢s by far the most mature 18-year old I¢ve met out here. He¢s moving way faster than I am, though and I¢ll probably never see him again. He took two weeks off because of the death of a friend and he¢s already caught up. Also, Pipesmoke, a retired guy from New England and Bunny and Holger, another couple who are moving at about my pace. They¢re the only people I¢ve met out here who started before I did.
Date: 2004-04-30
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Campsite past Whitetop Mountain Road
Miles today: 12.0

The last day of April. I feel like it was just the last day of March. It was a hard day for me today, despite my relatively low mileage. My back is still in excruciating pain. I feel like I¢m exaggerating, but I don¢t think I am. It wears on me, after two or three miles, if I don¢t take my pack off and especially at the end of the day. It¢s psychologically draining. I¢m getting to know my own body¢s capacity for pain very well. Maybe that¢s one point of a thruhike? I can also gauge the levels of it¢when it¢s just tiresome, when it¢s sharp and demands immediate attention, and when it¢s just dull, constant and subconscious, and drains all of my energy and joy. I think it¢s partly because of the amount of weight I¢m carrying¢I¢m carrying far too much food. I¢m too careful not to throw food from my mail drops, almost because of its sentimental value, which is ridiculous. Also, because missionary kids don¢t throw away food. But, if I¢m going to make it through this hike, I¢m going to have to get over that. I¢m also carrying all my winter gear still, and I will until Pearisburg¢that¢s a decision I¢m happier with. The scenery today was beautiful as per usual¢Virginia is different and lovely. We came down to the Creeper Trail, an old rails-to-trails bike trail, and crossed a huge river on a gorgeous bridge, an old railroad trestle. Then we went up yet another bald¢Buzzard Rock and Whitetop Mountain¢I didn¢t realize there were more of them in Virginia. This one¢s even more wild than NC¢s¢there are rocks and stubby brush everywhere. Camped earlier than expected partly because it was threatening to rain and partly because I found a good campsite¢camping is tough on the balds, especially in bad weather days. Aussie Bill has joined me¢he¢s older, from Australia¢one of many non-Americans I¢ve met out here. He¢s building me a fire and has also fed me some bacon and bread, fresh from town. I¢ll take trail magic where I can get it! My back continues to bother me. Even with my pack off. The Roman Noodles (both doctors) have said that if I¢ve strained a muscle even changing packs won¢t help. As with all trail injuries, the only thing that will help it is time off the trail, not walking with a pack on my back. If I¢ve really strained a muscle back there, then the worst thing I can do is keep putting on a pack every morning. Maybe I can take some time off around Trail Days?
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Campsite past Whitetop Mountain Road

To: Campsite past Wise Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Wild ponies today! By far the most exciting thing. Started out slow, as usual¢and the day promised to be rainy, windy, and cold. Met a guy named Bear Behind coming up Mount Rogers, Virginia¢s highest point. I had actually met him before in Damascus, but he stayed with me and we talked for several hours. He¢s middle-aged, from Connecticut (a Yankees fan too, hiss) who quit his job as a union carpenter to do the trail and is going back to school to get his master¢s in biology. He¢s also carrying a stuffed bear with him to Katahdin, sewn on the back of his pack (hence the name) given to him by his nieces and nephews. They¢ve since sent a stuffed eagle and a stuffed squirrel to him on the trail to keep the bear company. He said he¢s begun to be afraid of post offices for fear he¢ll get more animals. He has to take pictures of them on all the peaks. We had a long talk about molecular evolution and cicadas and insulin and DNA¢all very fascinating. Made the miles fly by. He left me at the Grayson Highlands, where the ponies ere! The country is beautiful around there, too¢more rocky balds, with rhododendrons, and views for miles. The ponies were set loose there by the Forest Service to keep the balds cropped. I went off the trail with some section hikers and we actually got close enough to touch one. They¢re still all furry with their winter coats. And very, very cute. I didn¢t even know there were wild ponies along the AT. I kept seeing them all day, too from a distance along the trail. Five total. There was a ton of rock clambering over the Highlands, which I love¢it¢s fun, and it takes my mind off my back. The countryside is exquisite out here, too¢I feel so bad for just walking through it. It¢s impossible to do it justice. I feel a need to soak up every minute and I¢m always pushing. I begin to see why people need to do this a second time. And I¢m one of the ones keeping my mileage low. Relatively. As if twelve miles is small. That¢s the needed average, including zero days to do the trail in six months. As always, if I were alone, I¢d feel like I was doing great. But I¢m camping with two guys tonight both older, Mississippi Mike and Walker, both of whom did eighteen today. They¢re both probably in their sixties, and one of them fell and cracked his skull open a couple of days ago. And I haven¢t even done an eighteen-mile day yet. It is impossible not to compare yourself to other people out here and it¢s so frustrating. Bunny and Holger are ahead tonight too. The only thing to be done is to ignore it, fight the competitive impulse, and hike my own hike. But easier said than done. That¢s exhausting emotionally in and of itself. And what does it say about me that I can¢t keep up with injured old people?