morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-17
From: Hurricane Mtn. Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We wake up to the sound of rain on our tents. We wait around over an hour until the rain starts to slack off. Bryan and Rachel are really being broken in as true hikers this weekend after Trail Days in Damascas and now packing up in the rain! We have 12 miles to cover to get them to Bryan's truck. We hike our normal, pretty fast pace and Bryan and Rachel do a great job keepin up even in the mud with their tennis shoes. I am really impressed! They are such good sports about everything and good friends to come out and hike rain or shine! It means alot to us to have familiar faces. We take a lunch break at a road crossing and "Fanny Pack" (a former thru hiker leaving Trail Days) stops to give us each a cold Mountain Dew. Its cool that Bryan and Rachel get to experience a little Trail Magic while they're out with us. On our 12 mile hike we see a nice waterfall and we walk over some stiles and through grassy fields with cows. The rain holds off for us and we even get a little sunshine. When we get to Bryan's truck we take a break and they feed us some chips, cookies, crackers, etc. We tell them goodbye and hit the trail. They tell us they've decided they couldn't/wouldn't want to do the trail but have a newfound respect for what we're doing. I've often asked myself "what are we doing?" and "where did this crazy dream of yours come from?" I'm trying to remember that God placed this desire in my heart and He is going to accomplish His purposes through it. Salty, JOey and I hike back out into the woods as Bryan and Rachel drive away .. back to the comforts of home... I'm a little envious, but keep walkin. We walk another 7 miles to Partnership Shelter, making a 19 mile day. AT Partnership we find a NICE 2 story shelter with a shower and sink. Wow, that's a first! There are quite a few people hanging out who have already started a nice campfire which is good b/c its supposed to get down to 30 degrees tonight. We walk a 100 yards or so from the shelter to the Mt. Rogers Welcome Center to find a free phone that we use to call and order pizzas. (Partnership is known for being the shelter you can order pizzas to.) Salty, Joey and I eat 2 large pizzas and bread sticks in a matter of minutes as we sit by the fire. A nice ending to a good day with friends!
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Beside the road :)
Miles today: 22.0

When we wake up the this morning, Salty has come down with some stomach sickness. We have planned to do a big mileage day in order to get to Bland, Va by Wed. to meet our moms so we have to push on past him. We feel sure we'll meet back up with him soon. We eat lunch at a shelter beside a pretty stream and have a good morning walk, nothing too difficult. After lunch we walk through lots of VA fields. The scenery is really pretty. VA mtns look really different from the bigger, steeper mtns in TN and NC that we've hiked through. VA ridges are pretty flat and we're hoping to get some big miles in VA. We come to I-81 to a truck stop at mid-afternoon and we stop at the Shell Station for a quick second lunch/snack of cheetos, gatorade, ham sandwich and candy bar. We head back out and go through more cow pastures.. its kind of weird walking through someone else's property and having a bunch of cows stare you down. We decide we're not gonna make our 25 miles for the day as its starting to get dark and we look for a place to pitch our tent... we keep walking up and down gates into pastures for what seems like forever with no luck finding a spot to pitch. Finally we come to a road crossing that has a picnic shelter with a sign "NO CAMPING." We are desperate to pitch our tent as our feet are sore and its almost dark, so we set up camp a little ways from the shelter deciding the sign meant no camping under the shelter... We're eating our dinner at the picnic tables using our headlamps when we hear a voice. Its kind of un-nerving at 9:00 on a back country road to hear someone call out. It turns out to be Phantom Cupcake who we've just met at Partnership. He is also desperate for a camp spot and asks if he can join us. We're glad to have another person as I'm already a little nervous about staying so close to the road.
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Beside the road :)

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: clear sky

We leave our "illegal" camp spot early the next morning and set out on another big mileage day. WE have 3 large climbs to conquer today. The first part of the day is pretty tough. Joey says he doesn't have any energy today. We try to stay hydrated as we sweat through the climbs. The weather is sunny and the sky is beautiful. We've had a really good stretch without rain which has been nice! On top of our third climb, Chestnut Knob, we stop for lunch at a nice spring-fed pond in a grassy field. The pond is a perfect lunch spot (we have nice views of the VA ridgeline, hear bull-frogs in the background, grassy fields to stretch out in...) After lunch Joey seems to be feeling better. WE take another short break after lunch to rest our feet and talk to some new hikers at the Chestnut Knob Shelter. We feel good about the 2nd part of our day after looking at the guidebook. It looks to be a nice flat ridgeline... no more climbs!! Yea! It turns out to not be easy at all... a lot of PUDS (pointless ups and downs) and a very rocky area which makes our feet super sore! This is not good for our morale. Theres nothing worse than expecting something easy and getting something way more challenging than you expected. Throughout the day I battle negative thoughts "i'm tired of walking, my feet hurt, are we ever going to make it to the next shelter?" Despite my battle with my thoughts, Joey and I do have some good conversation about kids and family values. When we finally reach Jenkins Shelter its late, after 8:00. Joey gets water as I set up the tent. Shortly after he gets back he starts feeling feverish and shaky (maybe from dehydration) and he gets bundled up in his sleeping bag. I tell him I'll cook tonight (my first time using the alcohol stove). I attempt to cook with our leaky alcohol stove. I get it lit and water starts to boil so I add our teriyaki rice. I"m getting a spoonfull of peanut butter when I accidently knock the pot sending our rice all over the picnic table. I am so upset, I say "its our last meal and my husband is sick." Some other hikers take pity on me (Dustin and Lou) and they offer me their Mtn House meal and some Ramen noodles. Phantom Cupcake helps me clean up my mess. Its nice to know there are good people out here... we hikers have to take care of each other!
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Bland,Va to Wytheville, VA
Miles today: 10.0

Last night I prayed for a new outlook and boy do I feel better after a good nights sleep and even better b/c today is the day we are meeting our moms in Bland, VA! WE have about 10 miles to cover to our meeting spot where they are picking us up. The days' terrain is actually easy, smooth and fairly flat. Its a real morale booster! We blaze through the first 6 miles doing about 4 miles an hour. We pass a beautiful river and take a quick Snickers break and try to drink lots of water. Joey is feeling much better... the Mtn. house meal and water last night helped him. At the river a church group has left ice cold gatorades in a cooler and a trash can. What perfect trail magic for us after we've been feeling dehydrated! There is also not much water sources along the trail for today's miles. We hike the rest of our miles with ease and feel good the whole morning. We get a few yards from where our moms are picking us up when we see more water, gatorades and sodas. Two trail magics in one day and our moms taking us into town! What a great day!! We come out at a Forest Service Road to see our mom's taking pics. This has become one of their traditions whenever they pick us up from the trail they shoot pics and give us hugs while holding their breath... we STINK after a few days without showers!!! They've already picked up another hiker Bonesie who they're taking into Bland. WE get in the van and head for Bland when we pass 2 other couples (one of them being the couple who graciously gave us their dinners) trying to hitch into town. We don't know if we'll all fit but ask them to come pile in. WE fit 7 stinky hikers and their smelly packs and 2 mamas in the mini! We ride to Bland with the windows rolled down. We drop the other 5 hikers off and we eat at Subway for lunch. I eat a footlong sub with no problem... amazing how much the appetite grows out here. Then we head down I 77 to Wytheville to the Super 8 where we take showers and get foot rubs from our moms. So nice! We head into Wytheville and I get dropped off at the library to update my trail journal. Jenny tells us people are asking when we're gonna update.. I've gotta kind of behind. (Thank you Pitty Pat for taking such an interest in reading my journals... I thought for sure they'd be too boring for anyone to read) And thank you everyone who is reading and leaving messages on our guest book... it means a lot to know people back home are praying for us and thinking about us!!!!! While I'm typing away at the library Joey and our moms head to Walmart to buy some supplies for him to make us a new coke can alcohol stove. We eat Mexican for dinner, for Joey , and get Blizzards for dessert, for me. We hurry back to the hotel for the American Idol finale. What good timing... being in town when Idol is on! Joey makes the stove while we're watching... it takes him nearly 3 hours, but he does it. Its been a nice day. Its always GREAT seeing family!
Date: 2009-05-21
From: Bland,Va to Wytheville, VA

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: few clouds

We wake up to free continental breakfast and they have a waffle maker. The waffles have become my favorite cont. breakfast food. We head to the grocery store to resupply and eat a big lunch of turkey and dressing at Cracker Barrel. Then we head back to Bland and stop at the Dairy Queen for Blizzards again. As we drive back to the trail we see Salty walking along the road. We pick him up, glad to see our friend Salty again. We head back to the forest service road where we were picked up yesterday. It was a nice 24 hours off the trail, but now its time to get back to work. At the trail we meet a man, Larry "Spiderman" with a huge German Sheperd who is a Christian. My mom asks if he'd like to pray with us. We all hold hands and mom prays for us before we all set off. Spiderman tells us we've been an encouragement to him. God really does provide people along the way to help lift our spirits. I realize how thankful I am for the gift of Christian community and fellowship. I miss my awesome friends back at home. I tear up talking with Spiderman and then really start to cry as we tell our moms goodbye and hug one last time. But we set off and I put on my "trail face" and look at my fearless leader "thunderpants" leading me up the trail. I've come to enjoy walking behind him, I think its kind of a cool picture of how he's my leader.. on the trail and in our marriage. We head off on our way, 14 miles to go to Jenny Knob Shelter. We pass over I 77 and do a mile or so of road walking. Then we have a pretty steep climb. My tummy is so full from lunch and the hip belt on my back is squishy me. I am miserable, hot, and crampy for the first hour or so but I keep on walking and try to fight my desire to just stop and sit. Will power, endurance, patience, strength, persistence... all the qualities that are being tested and hopefully strengthened in me through the hardships along the way. Oh and I forgot COMMITMENT. Joey and I are commited to each other to finish this thing! We get to the shelter late, cook dinner, and hang out around the campfire roasting some marshmellows Salty brought.
Date: 2009-05-22
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Docs KNob Shelter
Miles today: 22.6
Weather: broken clouds

Another long day ahead of us.. we're pushing ourselves hard to try to catch up on our mileage. We're trying to finish in Maine Sept 1st. Big miles, sore feet, rocks, climbs... seem to be a theme in VA. So far the 20+ miles are not so fun, they're more like "just endure it" to me. For lunch we meet up with Salty at a great waterfall spot called Dismal Falls. WE take our shoes off and soak our feet in the ice cold water while we eat our favorite lunch (tortilla pizza sandwich.. tortilla, cheddar cheese and pepperoni). WE take pics at the falls and relax for over an hour. One of our best lunch spots, I must say! AFter lunch we push through some climbs and nasty rocks. Those rocks wear on the feet... this isn't Pennsylvania!!! We finally make it to Docs Knob Shelter about 8:30. The other hikers there have already gone to bed. We're always the last to wake up and last to go to bed. WE cook dinner, get a fire going and hit the sack all in the dark.
Date: 2009-05-23
From: Docs KNob Shelter

To: campsite outside Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

So much for getting out of camp early, 9:00 seems to be our time to hit the trail. We have 8 miles into Pearisburg including a pretty steep downhill. We plan to eat lunch and resupply in town. Right before the downhill there is an overlook called Angel's Rest that we check out. Its a big rocky outcrop that you can stand on for views of Pearisburg. We pass many day hikers going to this spot. They all smell so clean and are only toting water bottles. Must be nice!! I stink and I'm carrying 25 lbs on my back. At the bottom of the mtn we walk out of the woods and into the outskirts of town. We thumb for a ride and a nice, older couple stops for us. Salty, Smiling Bandit, Joe and I pile in the back of their pickup and they drop us off at Walmart. There is a mexican rest. nearby so we eat there for lunch. I get fajitas which are delicious! After filling our bellies we head to Walmart to resupply for a couple days. Salty and I split a half dozen choc iced cream filled Krispy Kreme donuts. Ahhh, the joys of burning 6000 calories a day!! While we're shopping Joey calls Jonah and we plan to meet him at his parents in Penn. sometime around June 20th. We will def. look forward to a zero and spending time with Jonah and Diana. We pack up our food on the sidewalk outside walmart and thumb for a ride back to the trail. Some section hikders top for us. When we get back on the trail its late, almost 5:00. We were hoping to get another 12 miles to a campsite. I guess we'll be walking some in the dark. OH, well at least it won't be so hot. WE have a steep 2 1/2 mile climb out of town that makes up all sweat and feet continue to hurt from the rocks. We see the sun set as we continue to walk.. the sky is a pretty pink. When we get to the campsite its dark, almost 9:00. We quickly set up tent and cook and hit the hay.
Date: 2009-05-24
From: campsite outside Rice Field Shelter

To: campsite near Wind Rock
Miles today: 22.0

The weather is overcast and breezy this morning. We put on our rain gear, just in case, and hit the trail early. We're slowly trying to work our way to leaving around 8:00. Its hard with both of us not being morning persons. The morning walk is pretty pleasant as far as terrain and weather, but my mind is in a funk again. All that I had read about preparing for the trail said that mental conditioning made all the difference. I can really believe it now... you just have so much time to think and so much time of silence that you can really get down quickly. Please pray for both me and Joey that we will keep our focus on God and set our minds on things above not earthly things (like sore feet and boredom ) Another part of what's been getting us down is that VA hasn't turned out to be the easy, flat terrain that it had been hyped up to be. I'm also getting bored with the routine of walking all day, every day and we are starting to have to push our selves to do 20+ miles which takes us all day. We really want to get some big miles in VA so we can get ahead of our schedule and have some time to play with going through the rocky parts of Pennsylvania and the Whites in MASS. I'm so thankful for Joey taking such an active role in planning out our daily mileage and making sure we're on schedule. He's really goal oriented and likes to look at the big picture (I on the other hand just look at the day to day). He helps me to look ahead and not get so bogged down in the day to day drudgery of the walk. I'm so blessed to have such a great hubby! The walking is tiring for the day but we take several breaks that refresh us and save our feet. We see some nice rivers with pretty rapids and smell some sweet smelling flowers. The mtn. laurel and rhodedendron are blooming. We have some nice views at Wind Rock just before we roll in to camp. We get to camp early... which is a morale booster. We get to leisurely set up tent, I get to take a little sponge bath in a spring, and Joey gets a great campfire going to roast some more marshmellows with Salty, Smiling Bandit, Rambler and Lady Bug. Its nights like this that make it fun being out in the woods.
Date: 2009-05-25
From: campsite near Wind Rock

To: Nidah Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: light rain

22 miles to go today.. morning starts off nice, its overcast but this makes it not so hot. Our first of 2 climbs is not so bad, but enough of a challenge to get us out of breath and soaked with sweat. Just a preview of whats to come in the summer months I guess. Not looking forward to hiking in the dead of summer! The heat seems to zap my energy. The day warms up and we have another steeper climb with some walks through more VA hills and farmlands. Its really pretty scenery but very balmy and humid and it starts sprinkling on us. The skies look like it could pour at any minute and our forecasts have said scattered t storms for the whole week. Yuck! Oh well, part of the trail, keep pushing on. We take several long breaks at each of the shelters along the way. After our last break and 6 more miles to go till we stop for the night, it starts to POUR! We have climbs along giant rocks on an exposed ridgeline. Its a little scary, but we pray for God's protection from lightning and wait it out a few minutes. We take is slow over the slippery rocks and when we finally make it to the Nidah Shelter we are soaked, chaffed, boots filled with water and feeling down, although the rain has stopped long enough for me to set up the tent and get our gear under the tent. Joey hopes to start a fire to dry out our boots and clothes, but just as he's finished gathering wood it starts to pour again. I'm thankful to have the tent up before the rain. We run under the overhang of the shelter and cook under the shelter. Its nice to have a warm meal in the cold rain. After dinner we hurry to the tent to strip off our soaking wet clothes and put our dry sleep clothes on and get in our dry sleeping bags. It hasn't been such a fun day, but I'm trying to see some positives and continually pray for a good attitude.
Date: 2009-05-26
From: Nidah Shelter

To: Catawba, VA to Salem, VA
Miles today: 0.0

We wake up to a soaking wet tent and are not too eager to get out in the rain. Thankfully our tent works well at keeping out the rain and all our gear stayed dry through the night. It is not raining as we pack up our stuff, but there is a chance of thunderstorms all week. It starts to rain just after we get the tent packed, so we run our stuff to the shelter and wait out the rain. Joey is in a bad mood, he HATES walkin in the rain but he says "he's not hurt and he's not sick so he's gonna keep on walkin." So we set out when the rain stops... We walk 5 miles to the Audie Murphy monument "the most decorated American soldier of WWII." We take a quick snack break here just as the rain starts to come down. During our morning walk we have some good talks. I remind Joe what's most important in life is not our comfort, happiness, having fun... but what God is most concerned about is our character. I am able to be strong for him during his bad mood... but later that same morning I break down in tears and tell him "I don't know why I had this crazy dream, I'm homesick, ready to be finished, tired of walking, not having fun, etc." Joe is strong for me. He cheers me up and reminds me we are committed to this thing. We hug and share a good moment together. I tell him thank you again for his sacrifice to help me follow my dream. He tells me he doesn't want me to look back at my life and think "what if..." I have such a selfless husband.. I tell him I want to help him reach all of his dreams in the future. We really help each other through the day and lean on each other. I can really tell we are growing as a couple.. one of my prayers for this trip. The last 7 miles of our hike are tough! We walk along a rocky ridge up/down until we get to Dragon's Tooth, a huge rock monolith. When we finally make it there its starting to rain and the wind picks up. We have a 2 1/2 mile climb straight down some huge rocks. Its slippery and dangerous, so we take our time getting down. When we finally get off the mtn. we go to Catawba Grocery, a convienience/gas station, to resupply. We end up taking about 2 or 3 hours there, eating junk food and waiting out the pour down rain. At about 9:00 we decide to call a cab to take us to Salem, Va to a Quality Inn. We are not ready to get out in the dark and pouring rain to set up our tent. We get to the hotel and are excited its a nice hotel with a comfy bed, internet, laundry, pool, hot breakfast. We're just glad to have a dry place to lay our heads!!
Date: 2009-05-27
From: Catawba, VA to Salem, VA

To: Salem, Va
Miles today: 0.0

I wake up early with an idea... take a zero at the hotel and wait out the thunderstorms! I tell Joey and Salty and they agree its a good plan. We eat breakfast and lounge around the hotel for hours. We eat lunch at Burger King and Joey and Salty hitch a ride with the hotel's maintenance man to the movie theater to see Terminator. I decide to take a nap and watch my favorite show "So you think you can dance" at the hotel. The sun ends up coming out, so I hang our wet tent and sit in a lounge chair by the pool, reading my Bible in the sunshine. I get to watch 2 hours of my show and Joey and Salty get back late after deciding to see a double feature "Night at the Muesem" and "Terminator." We order pizza to the room and hit the sack. Its been a very restful day, exactly what we needed after rain, morale down and tired bodies.