morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-07
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: River Rd./Uncle Johnny's
Miles today: 17.0

Day 37Weather:Sunny and cold. No rain.Today's Hike:Bald Mountain Shelter to River Rd./Uncle Johnny¢s Hostel - 17.0 milesThe snowstorm that started late yesterday afternoon continued throughout the night. I froze my butt off, and didn't sleep at all. At 6:45am I started packing up my stuff when Muster turned over and looked at me, "I want off this friggin' mountain" I told her. We were packed and ready within an hour.When I peered out of the cubby Muster and I had mad ourselves in the shelter we were greeted with snow, lots and lots of snow. The platform inside the shelter had a few inches, but the ground outside was covered in at least 1-2 feet of snow. When I stepped out of the shelter with my pack on I realized that the trail was gone, it was completely covered in snow. Crap, this is not going to be easy, I thought to myself. Muster and I were the first ones out that morning which meant we had to find the trail & divot our way out. With Muster in the lead we made our way up & down the trail, and through snowdrifts that were up to my knees. The snow started again around 10am and continued throughout the day. By 5:30pm we made our way down the mountain and stepped right into Uncle Johnny's Hostel. It may not be a Holiday Inn Express, but its not a snow covered mountain either ?
Date: 2009-04-08
From: River Rd./Uncle Johnny's

To: Aunt Vonzee's
Miles today: 0.0

Day 38Weather:Partly Cloudy, no rain.Today¢s Hike:Uncle Johnny's Hostel/Aunt Vonzee's House ¢ 0.0 milesIn the morning we ate a good breakfast, and resupplied at the local Dollar General (we love Dollar General). Then we went back to Johnny's and made an unplanned purchase of new backpacks. In short our current bags sucked.At 2pm my aunt came and picked us up and wisked us off to her house (AKA the best B&B ever). For two days we ate home cooked meals, drank good wine, and watched chick flicks. I also got to spend time with my aunt, see my uncle Mike for the first time in ten years (minimum), and see my cousin Tiffany. It was fabulous!
Date: 2009-04-10
From: River Rd./Uncle Johnny's

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

Day 40Weather:Isolate thunderstormsToday¢s Hike: River Rd. To Deep Gap - 12.1 milesWe woke up this morning to a weather report calling for t- storms and tornado warnings. My Aunt threatened to take us up to Shenandoah National Park where the weather was better. "You are my fathers sister" I told her with a laugh. "He would be proud."An hour later we were standing back at Uncle Johnny's, and we began hiking out into our first t-storm of the season. The storm quickly turned to a drizzle and was completely done by noon. The rest of the day was gorgeous until 6pm when the next wave of t-storms passed through. By this time we were laying in our tent, counting the time between the lightening and the thunder. The closest was 2 miles. By 8:30pm we were sleeping.
Date: 2009-04-13
From: Over Mountain Shelter

To: Mountain Harbour B&B
Miles today: 9.5

Day 43Weather:High winds and rainToday¢s Hike:Over Mountain Shelter to Mountain Harbor B&B - 9.5 milesToday was insane. There really are no other words to describe it.The rain started somewhere around 4am. By 5am the wind had picked up and the sides of tents were blowing inward. By 6:30am we were both awake and decided it was time to get off the mountain. We were on the trail by 7:20am.As I climbed up the side trail to get back onto the AT, the wind was getting stronger. Within an 8th of a mile the wind was blowing so hard that my pack cover had blown off and hiking upright was not possible. I thought to myself that we wouldn¢t be exposed for long, and soon I would be under tree cover to help block the wind. About a mile into the trail we reached some flat ground and found ourselves under the safety of trees which was blocking the wind. Relief. However, my relief was temporary. After about a hundred yards of hiking in comfort (I use this term loosely)we reached Little Hump Mountain, and the treacherous 3 mile hike across an open bald began. The wind was insane; way beyond anything I had hiked through yet. Twice I was lifted up and thrown at least 10 feet of the trail. I was being knocked down to my knees. At some point I thought I could just crawl. Nope, that was also impossible also.After about 2 miles of this I started thinking to myself that this was insane. What in the heck was I doing out here? What sane person is out in something like this? Even the weather people who report on hurricanes find shelter in this kind of wind. We were nuts. Needless to say I had had enough of being tossed around like a rag doll. In other words, I had surpassed being mortified by the weather and was just plan pissed. I dug my trekking poles into the ground and bolted. I was still being tossed around like a rag doll, but now I was a rag doll on a mission. I passed Muster, and gave her a quick glance. I was rather pissed at her since she decided to fend for herself and leave me behind in such arduous conditions. Great teamwork. She pointed to her rain pants that were ripped up the inner seam from the windstorm. I continued forward. By 10:30am we were back in the safety of the forest. Relief again. It would be all down hill from there.We reached Mountain Harbour B&B just after noon. I showered, ate, and chilled out for the rest of the day. The Packadivas and the Tag Team soon joined us around 4pm. We ate pizzas, drank Fat Tire beer, and watched movies for the rest of the evening.
Date: 2009-04-14
From: Mountain Harbour B&B

To: Mountain Harbour B&B
Miles today: 0.0

Day 44Weather:Rain.Today¢s Hike:Mountain Harbour B&B ¢ 0.0 milesThe weather forecast called for thunderstorms all day today and spotty thunderstorms for the rest of the week. So, Muster and I decided to hang here for a day and head out for Damascus, VA in the morning. Unfortunately, weather people lie. It's noon and the sun is shinning. I should be hiking. I'm a little perturbed. I guess it's time to move from practicing acceptance to practicing embracement. It seems easy and logical now; the idea of completely embracing whatever weather comes my way, but yesterday was such a spirit breaker. I look forward to the summer when the weather is warmer, rain is predictable, and the chances to dry out become more frequent. In the mean time it will be practice, practice, practice.
Date: 2009-04-15
From: Mountain Harbour B&B

To: Hardcore Cascades
Miles today: 16.0

Day 45Weather:Overcast. Today¢s Hike:Mountain Harbour B&B to Hardcore Cascades -16.0 milesIt felt great to be back on the trail today. I was getting more then restless by mid afternoon yesterday. Even the overcast grey skies couldn't dampin' my hiking spirits. Looking forward to a good night sleep in my tent and a great sunny day tomorrow.Muster just burned a whole on the leg of her pants. Of course it's my fault since she leaned her leg toward the stove to let me up. She says I have weird karma that is somehow directed at her. I'm not an expert in karma, but I'm pretty sure whatever you put out into the world can only come back to you; not to someone else. Please let me know if there is a projection tenet in the karma rules somewhere.P.S. She just threatened to burn a whole in my favorite Mont Bell jacket.....karma, I'm waiting for your retribution.
Date: 2009-04-19
From: Abington Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Weather:Rain Today's Hike:Abington Gap Shelter to Damscus, VA - 10.2 milesMuster and I woke up early this morning. It's a town day, and town days always have a way of nudging me out of me sleeping bag earlier then usual. It helped that it was about to rain and we wanted to pack up things and get going before we got dumped on. We were on the trail by 7:40am. After about 45 minutes of walking, Muster stops and begins to back up. I was behind her and from my perspective it looked as if she was looking at the ground, so I'm looking for a snake. To my surprise I see a bear cub (maybe about a year or two old) leap across the trail about 50 yards ahead of us."Holy crap! Thats a baby bear!" Muster exclaimed to me. "Yep -- where's mama?" I reponded. We both stood and did a 360 of the area and didn't see anything. We continued forward, rather loudly and continued to glance around, still not seeing mama. After a few minutes it was safe to assume she was ahead, and we continued trudging toward Damascus.So that¢s it. On April 19th, at 8:20am in the state of Tennessee I saw my first bear along the AT.
Date: 2009-04-20
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Earlier this week the Tag Team, Muster, and myself stopped by Vandeventer Shelter for a quick snack break and some vitamin I. As we all started putting our packs back on, Tagless points to the hose of his platypus that had gotten caught under his shoulder strap, and says with a grin "look, trail stress." I burst out laughing, and thought aloud "Trail stress. What a great term!"Although I believe that all stress in life is self-provoked there are definitely a few things that occur throughout our day out here that could easily be termed "trail stress". With the help of the Tag Team and the Packadivas, I have compiled an initial short list of trail stresses.1. Getting your platypus hose caught under your shoulder strap.2. Stepping in human poop and having to quarantine your Croc.3. Trying to make it out of your sleeping bag and away from the shelter without farting.4. Bird shit on your sleeping tent.5. Snack residue on your trekking poles.6. Finding a place to hide and pee before you go in your pants.7. Getting your feet caught up in a stick while hiking.8. Tripping over tree roots and rolling over rocks.9. Clanking your trekking poles onto rocks or stumps and losing your momentum.Ah..... but what can I say? It's all in a hard days work!
Date: 2009-04-21
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Weather:Rain.Today¢s Hike:Damascus, VA ¢ 0.0 milesWhen I woke up this morning there wasn't a single part of me that felt like hiking today which was kind of unusual; I've always been ready to hike after a zero day. So, I gave myself a pep talk, and slowly crawled out of my sleeping bag. I got dressed, packed my pack, and got ready to head out. After I finished packing, Muster and I walked down to Dairy King for breakfast with the Tag Team, then headed back to the hostel to wrap up some last minute chores.While I cleaned up the room, Muster headed to the Post Office to mail some currently unneeded items to ourselves several miles up the trail. When she returned it was around 10:30, and the storm clouds were rolling in. Joining Muster were four of the Diva girls (Rocket, Storm, Grommet, and Egg) all of whom were just as thrilled to hike out as I was. It took about 25 minutes between the six of us to decide to take another day off.We spent the day actually doing much of nothing (since zero days are always crammed with doing chores and no free time). We hung at the coffee house, the library, and ate lunch at a place called Fatty's that served vegan burgers (contradictory but strangely satisfying).In the evening we discovered the one and only local bar (Dots) was open and the six of us decided it was time for beer. When we walked in it became obvious that every other hiker in Damascus had the same thought. We spent the evening mostly with each other, but did our fair share of fraternizing with other hikers. After an all bar solute to Pond Flats which "had no pond and was definitely not fuckin' flat", Egg did a little dance, we spread a little love, and we got down for the night. By 10:30 Muster and I were back in the hostel and I was downing a bag of Cheeto¢s Cheese Puffs (definitely not vegan) and were sleeping by 11:00pm.Now that's what I call a day off
Date: 2009-04-22
From: Damascus, VA

To: Virginia Creeper Trail
Miles today: 13.0

Weather:Windy & Cool. No Rain.Today¢s Hike: Damascus to Virginia Creeper Trail ¢ 13.0 milesMuster and I left Damascus,VA this morning, and I was ready go hike. After stopping by The Place to say good-bye to the Packadivas we headed off into the Wilderness. The hike was fairly easy with a slight climb to Saunders Shelter. We had planned to camp 2.4 miles past the shelter at Pond Campsite w/ the Divas but accidentally passed it by about a mile. Instead, Muster & I are tenting by the river along the Virginia Creeper Trail. Hope to catch up to the Diva's tomorrow.
Date: 2009-04-23
From: Virginia Creeper Trail

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Weather:Sunny and windy. High around 60 degrees.Today¢s Hike:Virginia Creeper Trail to Thomas Knob Shelter ¢ 15.0 milesMuster and I are tenting on top of an open bald tonight with the Packadivas, and we hear that the wild ponies are around here. I've seen plenty of their poop, but I haven't seen them yet. Hopefully I'll see them tomorrow. We hike into Grayson Highlands State Park in the morning which is suppose to be one of the most beautiful places along the trail. I can¢t wait. My Uncle Mike aka Bear Bait says the ponies get close to hikers but never let hikers pet them¢¦¢¦I think I¢m still gonna try ?
Date: 2009-04-24
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Weather:Sunny and windy. High around 80 degrees.Today¢s Hike:Thomas Knob Shelter to Old Orchard Shelter ¢ 11.0 milesToday was amazing! As soon as we left the shelter and stepped out into clearing a whole new world opened up. It was easy to see why this stretch of trail is a favorite among previous thru/section hikers. The mountains and vistas looked like the mountain ranges out west. It was gorgeous, and a very welcoming change from the monotonous sleeping forests we've been hiking through. Within Our first 100 yards up the trail we caught site of a huge doe, a first for us out here. Shortly after, we caught site of some of the much talked about ponies that were off in the distance.The trail itself was leading us out over open balds, over huge rocky outcrops, and through sheer rock wall passes. Incredible. I felt like we were transported back into an old western movie, and any minute Zorro would be riding over the mountain top (with cold Cokes and fresh fruit of course).After a short walk from the shelter we squeezed through Fatman's (a small cave like area), and came upon our first close encounter with a feral pony. Rumor had it that the ponies had no fear of people, and wouldn't hesitate to nip at you, so as we approached our first one (it was standing in the middle of the trail). We were both excited and nervous at the same time. The pony definitely didn't care that we were coming and it made a bee line right for Muster (who got a little more then nervous), but then it quickly passed to me. I hiked on by, snapping a few photo's and we went on our merry way.Shortly thereafter we entered into Grayson Highlands State Park - the land of ponies. They were so cute! There was even a little baby that we could have scooped up and carried with us. The hike with the ponies was short, but we spent about an hour watching them and wandering the area.By noon we had hiked out of the park and were back in the sleeping forest. The rest of the day's hike was rather rocky and hard on the feet. We reached Old Orchard shelter by 4:30pm and my feet were done. As Cindy and I sat at the picnic table debating on whether or not to stay or to hike forward Nutmeg and Billy Hoot came down and expressed how worn out they were feeling. I thought aloud that I was happy that it wasn't just me who was having a hard time dealing with the heat and terrain. Here were really tough girls who were also struggling, leaving Muster to be the odd one out. It was decided - we were staying. By 6:00pm the Divas had also hiked down and it became an evening for the girls; 10 of us to be exact: Billy Hoot, Nutmeg, Lil' Dipper, Boy George, Rocket, Grommet, Storm, Egg, Muster and myself. Nutmeg and Billy Hoot made a fire and played the guitar. It was an evening that camping was made for
Date: 2009-04-25
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

Weather:Sunny in the morning, afternoon thunderstorms. Today¢s Hike:Old Orchard Shelter to Campsite - 18.9 milesToday was a shower day. Muster and I hiked about 10 miles into Hurricane Lake Campground (.5 miles off the trail) to eat lunch and take a shower. Despite having to put back on dirty clothes, it felt good to be clean. We hung around the campground until around 2:30 to allow some of the heat of the day to pass. When we got going again I could hear a thunderstorm rolling in in the distance. It rained on us for about an hour then passed. We reached Trimpi shelter around 5pm. The next day we would be passing Partnership Shelter, the one of the only shelters on the trail that you could get pizza delivered. We wanted to try to reach the shelter around lunch time, eat and then hike out some extra food for dinner that night. If we stayed at Trimpi Shelter we would have close to 11 miles to hike to Partnership the next day, which would be a late lunch. After a little debate we decided to walk another 3.8 miles to get us closer to Partnership making this our biggest mile day yet! We ended up near a farmhouse and slept to sounds of Old McDonald's Farm as vision's of pizza danced in my head.
Date: 2009-04-26
From: Campsite

To: USFS 86
Miles today: 11.0

Weather:Sunny; no rain.Today's Hike: Campsite to USFS 86 ¢ 11.0 milesMuster and I were on the trail by 8am, motivated by the thought of Pizza Hut. We made it Partnership Shelter by 11:00. Muster went up to the Mt. Roger Visitor Center and placed our order to Pizza Hut only to be told that Pizza Hut wouldn't deliver until 4pm. That's vital hiker information that should be posted somewhere, dontcha think? Apparently, Pizza Hut won't deliver after 9pm either which our friend Kate hiked 26 miles to get there and placed her order at 9:15pm. Our evaluation ~ Pizza Hut, not so hiker friendly. Luckily, Pizza Plus would deliver and by noon we were eating pizza at the shelter. In addition, a previous thru-hiker had stopped by the shelter with a bag full of goodies, and a current thru-hiker had made a run into town and brought back ice-cold sodas and Reese's cups. It was trail magic everywhere!Three hours later we were ready to get going again when Georgia's Girls (Nutmeg, Billy Hoot, Lil' Dipper and Boy George) strolled in. Off came the packs. We warned them about the pizza situation, ordered some more sodas ourselves and sat back with the girls for a while. Around 3pm (4 hours after arriving) the Three Amigo's showed up and we became further sucked into the shelter. As good company kept strolling in, it became harder and harder to hike out. We kept hoping that the Packadivas would stroll in as well, but we got word from another hiker that they were stopping short of the shelter for the day, so we knew we had to push on. Finally, around 5pm, we along with Georgia's Girls got our packs on and trekked 4 miles to a campsite off of USFS 86 and set up shop for the night.On the news front I¢ve been informed that the Tag Team had to get off the trail. Tagless has been having some abdominal pain on and off since Damascus, and after a rather painful morning the two hitched a ride into Marion where he visited the local emergency room. There, he was informed that he had a hernia and needed surery asap. To their dismay they immediately got a greyhound ticket home.I¢m so depressed! Of the 56 days we have spent out on the trail we have shared a minimum of 1/2 our adventure with them. I had hoped to catch up to them today. I¢m wishing Tagless the best of luck and we're keeping our fingers crossed for a quick recovery. I¢m already are missing them heaps!!!
Date: 2009-04-27
From: USFS 86

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

Weather:Sunny; High around 80 degreesToday's Hike: USFS 86 to Atkins, VA - 7.4 milesThe plan for the day was to hike into Atkins, VA and resupply and then hike out again. I pulled the muscle in the bottom of my left foot and hobbled the 7.4 easy miles down to the store and was ready to quite but willing to push on. We arrived at the Shell station (our resupply place) at noon. We ate lunch, resupplied, and charged up our phone and iPods. The Georgia Girls walked in around 1pm and were staying the night next store at the Relax Inn. At 2pm, Muster bought a twelve pack (swearing that we would still hike out ¢ it was for the girls), and walked it over to their room. All I could think about was a shower and laundry. All Muster could think about was drinking a cold beer. Two beers and a conversation later I was getting a hotel room for us for the night. In no time we were showered, our clothes were in the washer, and we were drinking a cold beer and eating cheese puffs. My feet (especially my left foot) were thanking me. Later that night we were joined my Early Bear, Prairie Dog, and Angry Beaver. Billy Hoot and Nutmeg cooked up some Morel mushrooms that they had picked along the trail. They were amazing! It was nice to have a night off. Back on the trial in the morning.
Date: 2009-04-28
From: Atkins, VA

To: Crawfish Valley
Miles today: 6.3

Weather: Sunny, High 87 degrees.Today's Hike: Atkins, VA to Crawfish Valley - 6.3 milesIn preparation for this hike, I thought that I wouldn't shave my legs throughout the entire hike. In fact I was so sure of this that as part of my preparation for the hike, I stopped shaving back in October. So here I am six months later and my legs have turned into mini forests. If there were to be a hairy leg contest along the trail, I am fairly confident that not only would I beat out every women on the trail (and there are several that haven't shaved) I could also beat out most of the men. It's become rather ridiculous. I think I could braid it. Meanwhile, My trail friends/family have been trying to convince me to shave my legs for quite some time. By convince I mean threatening to take an epi-lady to my legs in my sleep. Needless to say I'm not too fond of the idea.When I woke up this morning I stumbled into the bathroom to take care of my morning business. As I sat there looking down I really was rather grossed out by the hairiness that had become my legs. Ugh. So, I made my way over to the Chevron station, bought a few razors and some shaving cream. It took 45 minutes and six shaving cycles on each leg, but I did it. The mini forests are finally gone, now only farmers tanned legs appear
Date: 2009-04-29
From: Crawfish Valley

To: Spring fed pond
Miles today: 14.9

Weather:Afternoon and evening thunderstorms.Today's Hike: Crawfish Valley to Spring Fed Pond Campsite - 14.9 milesIt started thundering around noon today. We hung around Knot Maul Branch Shelter with the Packadivas for about 2 hours hoping the storm would pass. At 2:30 the thunder was still persistent, but there was no rain so we all decided to push on. Four hours later the rain started. After a steep climb up Chestnut Knob, we arrived at the campsite at 7:30pm. The rain was starting to come down pretty hard. We thought the rain would get worse instead of better, so for the first time we had to set the tent up in the rain. Disastrous. Everything was soaked, and Muster was pissed! As luck would have it, he rain stopped about 15 minutes after we had set up and gotten in. Ugh. Lesson learned - if its raining wait until it stops.