morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-05-04
From: Pump Gap trail crossings

To: Little Laurel shelter
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Zo So wakes up early. He had another fire rolling by 6am. It was nice to wake up to the patterns of light dancing on the wall of my tent. Inspired by my fellow thruhiker, I started my day quite early and feeling excited to be on the trail after taking 1.5 days off. It was unbelievably windy today. I probably should have been hiking with a helmet on because so many branches and debris were falling out of the sky! When I started to get tired in the afternoon, I listened to music as an energy boost. I was dancing down the trail and trying out dance moves that could be combined with hiking. Its harder to dance while hiking than it is to dance while skiing or skating but I've got plenty more miles ahead of me to perfect my dance moves. I arrived at camp and shortly after my friend Gareth (who is now known as Bear Bait) rolled in as well. I thought he was ahead of me but he had actually decided to take a third zero in Hot Springs (he's fast enough that he can get away with goony moves like that). There was a big storm rolling in and we wound up having a sleepover in his two person tent. It reminded me of all my days leading Voyageurs in the Adirondacks and sharing a tent with my past coleaders. I realized that a two person tent is definitely the way to go. It's like owning a king sized bed instead of a twin. It also has great host-ability. Hopefully I can win myself one at the hiker talent show at the Trail Days Festival in a couple of weeks.Today I realized that I have someone else's phone charging cord. They must've gotten mixed up in Hot Springs. I now have no way to charge my phone.
Date: 2017-05-05
From: Little Laurel shelter

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

It's amazing how different a morning feels if you're surrounded by early risers or late departers. Gareth had decided he was going to sleep in and leaving around 11 so I was inspired to have a slow morning as well. When I woke up I saw that a mouse had chewed through my food bag, potentially while it was hanging from a bear cable! I spent my morning airing out my belongings, patching my food bag and organizing my trail life a bit. I had the entire campsite to myself (besides bear bait) and the sun peaked through the clouds for almost an hour so I was enjoying myself as I sang, danced and packed up. I was originally hoping to do a long mileage day but unlike bear bait, I can't leave a campsite at 11 and still squeeze in a 20 mile day. I had also forgotten that I still hadn't caught up on sleep or alone time because I kept running into friends. Bear Bait wanted to hike together today but I didn't have the energy to keep up with his pace and I wanted some time to myself.We're in a cold spell right now. The temperature has been in the 30's and 40's and it's been humid and rainy. These conditions really chill you to the bone. I stopped for lunch at a shelter 7 miles into my day. I was very tempted to spend the night there but found the motivation to push forward a bit more (mainly because there was talk of a hostel in 10 miles). Ended up staying at the following shelter and finally getting an early night to sleep. It was nice to be a shelter with a new crowd of hikers because I could take some guilt free alone time. This also reminded me of how much easier it is to camp with friends. I was able to boil water over the fire and have my first hot meal in a while! I also borrowed a phone cord and charged my phone. It's amazing how we look out for our trail family regardless of how well we know each other. I got in my tent and was asleep as the sun was setting. I was able to maintain a comfortable body temperature while sleeping.
Date: 2017-05-06
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Nature's inn hiker hostel
Miles today: 2.7
Weather: light rain

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling quite sick. My stomach had been upset since lunch the day before and it progressed to the point where I was forced to visit the privy in the middle of the night in the freezing rain. Had trouble sleeping and was definitely not feeling myself in the morning. I ate a bite yesterday of a plant that looked like a ramp but wasn't. I think that's what's causing my GI problems. I stayed in my tent all morning. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I guess this is all of my exhaustion finally catching up to me. I have friends ahead of me on the trail but I also have friends behind me and I'm sick of feeling pressure to chase people. So once again, I indulged and gave myself a lazy morning. I didn't feel the usual pressures to pack up and hit the trail with the crowd because I didn't really know anyone at this shelter. I finally mustered up the motivation to pack up and was hoping to do a half day (9 miles to the next shelter). My body was not having it though. I barely made it the 2.7 miles to Devil Fork Gap! I called for a shuttle to a hostel from the gap. I haven't stayed inside since Gatlinburg, which was at least 100 miles ago. I was cold and tired and quite literally, felt like shit. I had the words of Calvin, a friend from ski patrol this winter, echoing in my head though, reminding me to get off the trail when I'm having a low day. I was sitting on the side of the road, waiting for the shuttle and I was cold and wet and felt like I was completely falling apart. As always though, the trail provides. I hopped in a warm van and made my way to the hostel.  I was able to take  hot shower and then I met a hiker with an extra phone charger that he insisted I keep! I made plans to slackpack tomorrow for the first time. This means that the hostel owners will drive me to and from trail heads so I can hike with only a day pack on my back. I'm going to do 22 miles and head south bound for the section. I'm very excited to switch things up a bit. The miles should be much easier without my pack and if I'm going south bound, I'll be passing friends all day! I needed something like this to motivate me through these cold and rainy days. They have pizza here for hikers but given my special diet, the hostel owner offered to make me a stir fry and happened to list off most of my favorite vegetables. He claimed it will be waiting for me when I get back from my day hike tomorrow.Morning Tent Time:Something always holds me hereThe warmth? The privacy?The small ounce of comfort that seems ever fleeting?I trace the stems of indulgence to their roots,To find the spark feeding my fire of guilt.I am taking care of myself, right?Inside my tent, I try to shield the external pressuresBut I am merely blinding myself to the reality around meWith the opaque green walls of synthetic fabric
Date: 2017-05-08
From: Nature's inn hiker hostel

To: Uncle Johnny's
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up early enough to take another warm shower and cook up more farm fresh eggs and biscuits for breakfast. The sun was out again and it was a comfortable temperature. I can't help but think about how many miles are ahead of me. I've been feeling discouraged recently and questioning my lifestyle choices. But then I think about the alternative and I know that quiting wouldn't make my life any easier or more enjoyable. I'd have to schlep around a whole lot more than what I can fit on my back and go through yet another transition if I were to try to start another life for this spring/summer.It felt good to have my pack on my back again today. It was also nice to proceed through my hike and have a decent idea of who to expect upon my arrival at Uncle Johnny's. I had another late start to my day (11am) but the miles were relatively easy and I got in just in time for a shuttle to town for dinner. I had just enough time to re-ration for the next two days during the shuttle trip as well. I spent the night on the floor of a cabin with the goon squad (that now includes No Spoon and Coach who was originally known at Mike). It was nice to hang with this crew again because it's been a while since I've traveled with them. I think that I've been isolating myself more than I should be. I get tired in social situations and it's often easier to be alone but not out here. I know that I'm loosing intrinsic motivation so I'm intentionally going to try to stay with friends and use them to pace me because I need some more extrinsic motivation. Most hikers took some time off in Erwin but after two nights at Nature's Inn, I feeling I was fine to keep on trekking tomorrow and keep up with this crew.
Date: 2017-05-09
From: Uncle Johnny's

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I ate some cereal in the morning and threw the rest of the box in my pack. Efficient re-ration with milk and cereal! I could definitely use some more time to relax here and check off some things on my to do list while I have internet but I still ended up hitting the trail mid morning. I did find enough time though to call osprey and request a replacement piece for my broken hip belt! I was hiking in and found the goon squad chilling at the first shelter. We were going to hike a full 12 mile day but I guess their 50lb packs were enticing them to take a nero and drink the beer they were packing in. I was pretty happy to take a nero. I took a nap and rested up. We also made a fire and roasted smores after dark. Tasted like home and reminded me of Timberlock (the summer camp I've grown up going to).
Date: 2017-05-10
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Campsite with piped spring
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We've been aiming for a long mileage day today to make up for our nero. I was one of the first to leave because I learned a few days ago that I need to start early and end late in order to pack in a lot of miles in one day. Stumbled upon some trail magic at the first road crossing. Brother John was a bit pushy about his beliefs but the baked goods he made (I mean the baked goods that God made...?) were quite tasty. Coach and I wound up hiking together after the trail magic and stayed together for most of the day. It was nice to have a hiking buddy and the day passed by quickly. I was also surprised that we had a similar enough pace to stay together all day. It felt good to do another big mileage day for the first time in a bit.
Date: 2017-05-11
From: Campsite with piped spring

To: Roan high knob shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: broken clouds

I made an intentional effort to leave at a decent time again this morning. It's always easier to achieve this when the weather is nice. Luckily the sun was out (and so was the dew!). I had an extra 1.2 miles today than the rest of the group because I made a detour in the morning to Greasy Creek Hostel to pick up a mail drop. Grabbed some lunch there and was back on the trail midday. I was tempted to stop hiking all day and setup earlier than intended but I kept pushing because I wanted to stick with my friends. It's nice to have a consistent sense of community out here and sometimes you have to work for that. So I allowed myself to stop for a nap and play some music midday but after that, I got back on the trail. At 4:30pm I started my ascent of Roan mountain. It was quite the big climb to end my day with, climbing 2,000ft in 4 miles. The terrain was beautiful though so I almost didn't even notice the elevation gain and how heavy my pack was post resupply. The dense evergreen forest reminded me again of my home mountains and also of the Smokies. I stopped for some dinner on the summit and then rolled into camp around 7pm. I'm currently camped at 6,200ft, the highest shelter on the Appalachian Trail. The shelter has four walls, two stories and it even has a door. We slept pretty cozy.I saw a copperhead while hiking today and a bunny rabbit.
Date: 2017-05-12
From: Roan high knob shelter

To: Overmountain shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: overcast clouds

It was raining all night but I didn't even notice since our shelter was so sturdy. The forecast called for rain and storms all day but it was fairly clear so we departed late morning. Coach and I left at the same time so we ended up hiking together. As I said the other day, I often have a tendency to isolate myself. I instinctively felt like I would rather be hiking alone today. I felt low energy and was moving slowly and I didn't want to feel pressure to move faster. In retrospect though, it was nice to have the company. I can easily get bogged down by the overcast, rainy and cold days. We crossed paths with a middle school class that was on a field trip on the trail. They had recently finished a unit about the Appalachian trail and they were exploring in the wind and rain with backpacks full of fruit and snacks to give to us. A few hours later, we took a break together at the first shelter we passed and checked the weather. When we saw forecasted thunderstorms in the late afternoon and heard thunder in the distance, we made the call to cut our day short and head to the next shelter 2 miles away. I would have felt guilty making that call alone but Coach was confident in his idea proposal and it didn't take much (or any) convincing to get me on board. We found a bunch of ramps to harvest just before we got to the shelter!Coach and I thought the rest of our friends would be well ahead of us so we were surprised to bump into them at the start of the trail leading to our chosen shelter. They had taken a long break here and were about to hit the trail again but we convinced everyone to stay at overmountain shelter with us tonight. This shelter is a remodeled/retired barn. There are at least 30 of us camped out in the loft of the barn. It's a good place to take refuge from the storm and get started on the math puzzle that my friend Connor (from ski patrol) made for me.There are a fair amount of day hikers here for a weekend trip. It's interesting to converse with them and see how much this lifestyle has been impacting the way I think. I don't think I've made any wildly new life hypotheses but I can tangibly identify the influences of my primitive lifestyle as it surfaces in my conversations about community and the way we as humans interact with our surroundings.
Date: 2017-05-13
From: Overmountain shelter

To: Elk River campsite
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I popped my head out of my sleeping bag around 7 this morning to notice that some of my friends had already packed up and left. No spoon had departed, turbo was cooking breakfast downstairs and galexy and coach were soon to follow. I was inspired by their early start to the day and left camp by 8:30 since I knew I had big miles ahead of me. I'm impressed that we all left camp so efficiently on a cold rainy morning. I hiked over two balds today, both without a view because we were in a cloud. It was windy and I had to take my umbrella out because I was getting soaked by the wind. The sun came out halfway through the day and everything changed. It's amazing how our emotions are directly impacted by the weather. The skies cleared up and we had views for the first time in a few days. I came across a campsite tucked away on the Elk River and started to get settled for the night. I swam as soon as I could and then took my time snacking and airing out my belongings. I knew the goon squad was ahead and I figured they pushed on to the shelter a few miles past. Decided it was worth it though to stay along the river and have a night to myself. However, soon galexy and coach showed up looking for me because they had seen an interesting character walk my way and they were worried. Turns out they were camped 0.3 miles down the trail so I packed up and joined them for the evening. The trail is pretty flat for this section so it's making it much easier to do longer days. There's a hiker festival (trail days) coming up in Damascus, VA and we're planning to walk into town just in time.
Date: 2017-05-16
From: Black Bear resort

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Our shuttle left at 8am so I had to be out early. Made tea in the morning and hot oatmeal. Wow, hot water is such an amazing luxury. I'm tempted to get a stove... I started this day so early and I was only planning on traveling 11 miles, so it appeared to be an easy day ahead. I said this morning that I was to make these miles last all day, and that's exactly what I did. I traveled 1 mile per hour today because I could. I hiked for an hour, and took a break for an hour until I rolled in at 7:30. It was so hot today, it was hard to move during the heat. It's also getting quite crowded on the trail. I'm seeing many people I haven't seen since the beginning. Everyone is adjusting their pace to arrive in Damascus for trail days on Thursday. The shelter was very crowded with lots of tents scattered about. This environment reminds me of the beginning of the trail. I feel like I'm falling apart a bit. I've been losing random things and my gear needs some TLC. I lost my toothbrush today but luckily someone picked and up and hiked it back to me. My pillow has been leaking during the entire trip because the seal near the valve is weak. Tonight, the seal completely broke so I'm down a pillow but used my puffy jacket which sufficed.
Date: 2017-05-18
From: stealth site after Low Gap

To: Trail Days (tent city)
Miles today: 13.7

This morning's hike was brutal, but that was expected. All I could do was keep walking though, that was the only way to make it to a place where I could even begin to take care of myself. I was completely out of water for my first four miles of the day. Every drop of sweat felt like a waste of precious water that I would rather have in my system. I felt very out of control of my life. I woke up with over twice as many bumps on my legs and they were also starting to spread to my arms. I was upset that I didn't know what was happening and that I had no means to try to take care of the problem. I was hungry and thirsty and also anticipating the festival coming up. The forecast called for rain all weekend and it seems like all the hostels and hotels are already booked. I crossed into Virginia today! I'm going to be in VA for the next 500 miles... which is as long as I've been out here so far. The terrain was quite easy today which I'm appreciate of. I don't think I could have pushed through a difficult hiking day in this mental and physical state. As always, everything is ameliorated upon arriving in town. I was able to purchase what I needed to treat my allergic reaction as well as feed myself. I bumped into the good squad as soon as I got to town. We found a nice swimming hole and then swung by tent city so I could set up camp where they had pitched. No Spoon has friends in the area that came to town yesterday and claimed a spot on the river. I'm appreciative to get to camp here tonight. I'm going to be early tonight because it's been a long day and I know I have a long weekend ahead of me.
Date: 2017-05-19
From: Trail Days (tent city)

To: Trail Days (tent city)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I started my day with a trip to the grocery store. I haven't had access to a grocery store in over 2 weeks. I started to cry tears of joy when I entered the produce section. I also blew felt satisfied blowing past the poptart and candy section and saying "I don't need you!" because I actually have a selection of healthy food to choose from (as opposed to the hostels I've been shopping at). I stocked up on food for the next few days so I wouldn't have to catch another shuttle to the grocery store this weekend. I was able to do laundry today, pick up some more stakes for my tent, buy AT stickers for my ukulele, jam on a violin with some musical peeps, get a hair cut and shave the AT symbol into my hair, and roast some vegetables over the fire for dinner. The night life was an entirely different world. There was a large bonfire and drum circle. The inner most ring of hikers were always dancing around the fire as if the heat was feeding directly into our bloodstream and energizing our spirits. I took a dip in the river that night and stayed up quite late hanging out. I learned that the people I am camping with call themselves the Sandbox Heroes. I'm very impressed with their setup and so grateful to be here! This is luxury camping to the max! There are tarps and camp chairs, coolers full of ice and fire wood. We always have a fire going and we're often all huddle around it cooking up something lovely. We have a full kitchen here as well; cast iron pans, a griddle, cutting board and knives, mugs, tea kettles and pots. I definitely feel like I'm on vacation right now! I am eating so well and my body and mind loves it.
Date: 2017-05-20
From: Trail Days (tent city)

To: Trail Days (tent city)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I am taking three whole zeros in a row. It's amazing. that's almost as many zeros as I've taken in the last 1.5 months! I played violin again this morning, this time for much longer than yesterday. I was playing with more talented musicians today and we had some jazzy vibes going on. I met someone who recently acquired a plastic trumpet as his new trail instrument! We had fun feeding off each other. I also met a musician who works at Sugarbush in VT, small world. I went back to my home and found a pancake feast in the works. I had bought a huge box of pancake mix and REAL maple syrup!!! I've been dreaming of maple syrup, fruits and vegetables. I spent the afternoon writing the rest of the song that I had started for the talent show coming up later today. I performed the song in front of a sizeable crowd and it was alright but definitely not a very good performance. I had wanted to sing a song I wrote about the AT with my trail instrument because that seemed appropriate. However, I think I would have been better off singing a song I've known for longer than one day on an instrument I've played for longer than three weeks. I think I would have won a prize if I'd sung a song I actually knew well. I guess I'll have to try again next year because they give out a fair amount of gear to the winners. I feel a sense of family here. I'm camping with people I've known for only a day or two but we're all looking out for each other and coexisting as a community. I love it! This is a special place. Many people return to Trail Days year after year as a way to reunite with their trail family. The people I'm camping with have been coming here for 5-7 years, no wonder why they've got this thing dialed in so well! We ended the night with a pineapple upside down cake. I've been brainstorming about this since mile 40 so it was fun to finally follow through with this idea. The project took about 3-4 hours but was a huge success so it was totally worth it. We hollowed out a pineapple and poured cake batter into the two halves. Then we wrapped everything is tin foil and placed it on the grate over the fire for about an hour. We eventually place some coals on top which helped the cake cook through. This cake was amazing. I couldn't be more pleased. It's impossible to burn the cake through the pineapple. We left one of the cakes on the fire for hours so the goon squad could feast on it when they came home later, and the cake was still perfect.
Date: 2017-05-21
From: Trail Days (tent city)

To: Trail Days (tent city)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Third zero day. It rained all day today. I was tempted to move to a hostel and dry out my stuff but I ended up getting sucked in to hanging out with everyone and I was comfortable enough under the tarps. Today was the lazy day. We all communally cooked a breakfast feast for a few hours. We've been coexisting impressively well. I took a nap all afternoon. Then cooked dinner for another handful of hours and went to bed fairly early. I hadn't slept much the past few nights so it's nice to rest now.