morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Damascus, VA Hiker Inn

To: Saunders shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Before leaving Damascus I headed to the coffee shop for breakfast. While town "gravity" attempted to hold us back, Mad Mike, Professor and I finally made it out. The trail followed the Virginia Creeper trail (an old railroad bed) for a little bit and then ran alongside it and a river for a while before ascending up a mountain. It was a beautiful day, cooler, but great for hiking. The rhododendrons are starting to bloom! What a nice shelter area! I'm here with Professor, Mike, Cerveza, Opus, Gonzo, Funkey Monkey and 3 others. I'm trying to get used to the idea that I'll be in VA for a long time.
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Saunders shelter

To: Thomas Knob shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: overcast clouds

It was nice and cool today which made hiking rather pleasant. We had some longer uphill climbs today so I got a relatvely early start with the Professor and Mad Mike. The trail joined up again with the Virginia Creeper trail and ran next to the river which was nice. We stopped for lunch at the first shelter and I prepared for the upcoming climb be indulging in the trifecta: advil, caffeine, and iPod. It seemed to work because I made it to the top of Buzzard rock with energy to spare. The views were very pretty!I was going to camp with Mad Mike and the Professor but the forcast called for rain so I pressed on 7 more miles to the next shelter (I cringe at the idea of packing my stuff up in the cold rain!). So I hauled ass to make 7 miles before dark. I was sad to leave such good company though.On the way I had a slight mishap. You may not want to read on if you don't want to hear about bodily functions. So I stopped to pee on the side of the trail as I usually do. Since I wear a skirt with spandex shorts underneath, I just pull them to the side. This way I don't need to remove my pack. Well I don't normally wear underwear with the shorts but I had accidently left them on from last night and I was too lazy to change. So when I went to pee, I pulled the shorts aside but not the underwear and pretty much peed all over myself. Awesome!I made it to the shelter with light to spare. I made a huge dinner and had chocolate for desert. I stretched and did some yoga. It's very cold again tonight and this shelter is high and exposed so it's going to be a chilly night, especially if it decides to rain. I'm here with 6 other guys who all went to bed rather early. Some of the guys are past thru hikers who are out for a few days and are heading south to Damascus for Trail Days.
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Thomas Knob shelter

To: Thomas Knob shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up today to high winds, dense fog and cold temps. Since I really wanted to see the upcoming Grayson Highlands area, I thought I'd wait to see if the weather cleared. Well, it never did so I took my first trail zero. I laid around, read, took the side trail up to Mt. Rogers (the highest point in VA), and watched the mass of hikers come and go throughout the day (many on there way to Trail Days). The 2-level, 16 capacity shelter is full tonight! I figure I'll move on tomorrow despite the weather. It's been nice though! I feel good, physically and I'm in good spirits. I'm excited to hike tomorrow!
Date: 2010-05-12
From: Thomas Knob shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

I'm glad I waited out the weather yesterday since today ended up being better. I loved the Grayson Highlands area. It was foggy at first which made the landscape look like something out of a fantasy movie. There were herds of wild ponies everywhere and some would walk right up to you (some hikers bring apples to give them). I broke through the fog as I descended and caught sight of the surrounding highlands - rolling hills with grassy tops and rock outcroppings. Later in the day it rained some. I finally caught up with Cerveza, Opus, Gonzo and Funkey Monkey. It's supposed to storm tonight!
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It never did storm during the night but we did watch a lightning storm in the distance before we went to sleep. Today we cranked out 19.7 miles in 9 hours. The entire way we (Cerveza, Opus, Gonzo, Funky Monkey and I) played a game which required us to think of names of musical artists/bands. It definitely made the miles pass! We dunked ourselves in a waterfall, saw a deer and I almost stepped on a snake (of the non-venomous nature).This shelter is unique because you can have pizza delivered and the shelter has a shower! So we did just that. Unfortunately we ordered Pizza Plus, which is a chain down here in the south that I have eaten to many times on my town trips. The shower was cold but nice to have! Gonzo and Funky Monkey got a crazy hitch into town and came back with candy and Butt Paste (I had some chafing near my armpits). Wish we could tent here but we are required to stay in the shelter.
Date: 2010-05-14
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Damascus, VA (Trail Days)
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we hiked 8.9 miles to the Settler's museum to meet Funky Monkey's boyfriend, Justin...err...Cosmic Jackpot. He brought us Subway sandwiches and cold drinks! Then we all piled into his car (5 hikers and packs!) and drove back to Damascus for trail days. Funky and Cosmic got a cabin and the rest of us tented on the lawn of The Place (a church hostel). We were happy not to camp in "tent city" since we would actually like to sleep at night!We ran around doing hiker chores the rest of the day: food, laundry, charging electronics, and showering in a disaster shower unit provided by the local Baptist church. They also had a tent in the parking lot where you could see a doctor for free and get a foot massage. I found out that I've lost 4 lbs and have 20% body fat. They actually told me to eat more!Opus, Cerveza and I had dinner at the Whistle Pig cafe. I ate a veggie hot dog with spivey mustard and saurkraut (sp?) - 2 things I would never normally eat, but weren't bad. We checked out tent city afterwards, and sure enough it was a big party. I saw several hikers I knew and watched the madness. On 3 seperate occasions I watched people fall into bonfires. I think the were all okay though. We didn't stay out too late because we were all pretty tired.
Date: 2010-05-15
From: Damascus, VA (Trail Days)

To: Damascus, VA (Trail Days)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

At about 3 am I woke up with pretty horrible abdominal (most likely Crohn's) pain. I don't think I'm eating well in town - too much sugar, soda and chips! I did feel better today though.I walked to tent city to have my Katadyn water filter looked at by the Katadyn rep since it was giving me some trouble. He fixed it and now it works 10 times better! I participated in the crazy hiker parade which involves a mass water fight between thousands of hikers and all the locals and other people watching the parade. During it I saw my brother-in-law's parents, Raincheck and Wildhair. I ducked out of the parade to talk to them and ended up walking around with them for a while. I also checked out the talent show, which was kind of lame, and headed back to my tent. It was rediculously hot, and despite my efforts to apply sunscreen to my newly exposed parts (shoulders), they were incredibly fried!Funky Monkey and Cosmic Jackpot had us all over to their cabin for dinner and showers. We had burgers on the grill (veggie for me), chips, fruit, veggies and ice cream bars for desert. It was lots of fun hanging out in a relaxed, house-type setting, talking with all my hiker friends.
Date: 2010-05-16
From: Damascus, VA (Trail Days)

To: Atkins, VA (Relax Inn)
Miles today: 2.7
Weather: light rain

Today did not pan out to be what we thought it would. After Cosmic (Funky's boyfriend) dropped us back off at the Settlers museum where we left off, we ended up hanging out there for 3 hours doing nothing but eating and contemplating the hike ahead. When we finally left and made it into Atkins it looked like rain and my sunburned shoulders, now blistered, were painful and starting to frighten me. As we sat in front of the gas station plotting our next move a truck with a trailor pulled up and the driver asked if we wanted any food. Our first response was no because we had a large supply already, BUT they were giving away free Enertia Trail Food (really good/healthy/expensive dehydrated backpacker food), most likely residual from Trail Days. So we quickly changed our minds and raided the box of food. I think I ended up with about 9 dinners. We decided to split a room here at the Relax Inn and slackpack the next day to give my shoulders a rest. Ice cream cake helps too.
Date: 2010-05-17
From: Atkins, VA (Relax Inn)

To: Atkins, VA (Relax Inn)
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

HD Mama and her husband, Rick Angel, picked us up in the morning for our 12 mile slackpack. The views were pretty today and the hiking was even better because I wasn't wearing a pack! We walked through a few cow fields and had to constantly dodge cow poop (a feat that Cerveza was not too successful at). Opus, Cerveza, Gonzo and I had dinner at The Barn. There was a lack of vegetarian entrees but I order a slew of sides.
Date: 2010-05-18
From: Atkins, VA (Relax Inn)

To: Near Walker Gap
Miles today: 14.0

I've been lazy with my journaling so I'm trying to recall what happened today...HD Mama's husband, Rick Angel dropped us all off where we ended the slackpack yesterday. We had a big climb up to Chestnut Knob shelter and it threatened rain all day but didn't start until after we set up our tents on a ridgeline. Funky Monkey had just got a hammock and realized that they had forgot to include the rainfly. She ended up sharing Cerveza and Opus's tent. The night was foggy and cold!
Date: 2010-05-19
From: Near Walker Gap

To: Laurel Creek
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

We had a late start this morning. Funky wasn't feeling well and we sadly left her at Jenkins shelter. We ended up only hiking about 5 more miles to Laurel Creek and called it a day. There is an old car seat here at the campsite.It rained again but held off until our tents were up! I look forward to sunshine again.
Date: 2010-05-20
From: Laurel Creek

To: past Jenny Knob shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: few clouds

I left early this morning with Cerveza and Opus. Gonzo stuck around to try to make it to a church breakfast but what we all didn't know was that it only happened on Monday. It is not Monday.Cerveza, Opus and I trucked on, trying to make a high mileage day since they were aiming to make it to the post office in Pearisburg on Saturday morning. we were doing a pretty good pace and stopped at Jenny Knob shelter for dinner. Gonzo showed up shortly to join us and we all hiked on. Gonzo and I called it quits at a sweet camp spot a couple miles past the shelter. Cerveza and Opus moved on to make their miles.
Date: 2010-05-21
From: past Jenny Knob shelter

To: Wapiti shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

Gonzo and I were awoken by Funky Monkey who had caught back up with us and was feeling much better. We hiked out and stopped for lunch at Trent's grocery. I had my much needed coffee (Cerveza has me hooked again!) and ate some mediocre pizza. I hung around there for a few hours before I mustered the energy to leave. I left Funky and Gonzo since they were going to meet a friend there. The remainder of the day was mostly flat and was actually a little boring! There was a pretty section through a pine forest. Who would've thought that flat and straight was boring!I'm tenting far away from the shelter. Of course it rained, again, but after my tent was set up! I had a nice chat with Stix and his niece who is joining him for a section of the trail. I watched a deer for a while and headed to bed.
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Wapiti shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA (Plaza Motel)
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: moderate rain

After leaving the shelter, there was a steep, steep climb. It rained most of the day, sometimes harder than others. I entertained the thought of stopping by Woods Hole hostel but decided I'd just rather make it to Pearisburg. After stopping for a hot lunch (soup!) at Doc's Knob shelter, I met back up with Stix, Hollywood and Hedgehog.Before the descent into Pearisburg I stopped at a stunning viewpoint named Angel's rest. I had cell service there so I found out which hotel Cerveza and Opus were at and headed down. Low and behold, they were waiting at the bottom with cold soda and beer for me! Trail magic! Cerveza even carried my pack all the way into town. Slackpack!Gonzo and Funky made it to the hotel later that evening. Lots of us hikers were at the motel and hung out on the porch and chatted. We went for dinner and drinks to the Mexican joint across the street. Some section hikers who had just finished their section had an open bar and paid for all of our drinks. Thanks guys!
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Pearisburg, VA (Plaza Motel)

To: Pearisburg, VA (Plaza Motel)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We took a lazy zero day in the hotel room today. We watched movies and I entered some journal entries. It was wonderful! I also got to have a Dairy Queen blizzard.Cerveza, Opus and I went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner to honor Opus and his last night. He has been able to hike from Springer, GA to Pearisburg, VA because he had 7 weeks of vacation saved up. We will miss him!
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Pearisburg, VA (Plaza Motel)

To: Symms Gap Meadow
Miles today: 12.4

We very sadly left Opus this morning who was headed back to Seattle for work. We'll miss you Opus! Thus, we had a late start to the day. Of course there was a huge climb out of Pearisburg (there always seems to be out of towns) and neither Funky, Cerveza or I were feeling motivated (Gonzo left yesterday). So we stopped shy of our goal but ended up at a beautiful camp spot. Several other hikers had the same idea - there were many hikers camped at the meadow so spots were hard to find. I had to filter water from a frog pond full of tadpoles, yum! The view from the meadow was georgeous and we were treated to a rainbow and a fantastic sunset.
Date: 2010-05-25
From: Symms Gap Meadow

To: Campsite past Wind Rock
Miles today: 16.4

Last week I was eating like a horse. I was eating more than anyone I know, except Gonzo of course. This week, not so much! This makes things very hard to judge when resupplying!Cerveza and I left Funky at lunch since she decided to take a nap. The trail through this section is considered more 'rugged.' There are a lot of rocks and overgrown vegetation. Cerveza is being attacked by poison ivy. I must be immune because I'm not getting it (thankfully!). I do have my fair share of bug bites though.As we reached our campsite for the night we came upon Wind Rock which provided a lovely view of the valley. We would've liked to have camped there but there was no water and we were out. So we hiked another mile to the campsite and ended up sharing it with 3 other older men: Chicken Feathers, Shagman and Pilgrim who are early risers!
Date: 2010-05-26
From: Campsite past Wind Rock

To: Sarver Hollow shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

We had a couple of rediculous climbs today. I'm not sure if I'm going soft because Virginia has been relatively "flat" or maybe it's just getting too hot.Cerveza and I both used musical motivation (iPods) to get us up the climbs. It was a beautiful day though, and at one point we were down in a beautiful valley. Then it got hot. Really hot.We passed an old, abandoned house in the forest that looked creepy. Someone had placed hand prints all over the place too. It looked like something out of the Blair Witch Project.Up the last climb I ran into Grizz who showed me a video on his camera that he'd taken of a huge rattlesnake on the trail. Feeling uneasy about snakes, I moved on towards the shelter which seemed much farther than what the map said. It was also nearly a half mile down a very steep side trail to get there, which was irritating. Cerveza and I ended up tenting near the water source. There are remnants here of a previous settlement - old stone chimneys and stone walls. It would be neat to hear the story about who used to live here!
Date: 2010-05-27
From: Sarver Hollow shelter

To: Pickle Branch shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Cerveza's really got me hooked back on coffee, which is a rather enjoyable way to start out the mornings. I've also reluctantly switched my breakfast from oatmeal to Poptarts this week since I was getting tired of oatmeal. Coffee and Poptarts...yum!We had another couple of noteable climbs today and it was very hot again so we immersed ourselves (clothes, shoes and all) in a river to cool off. It was cold but felt so good! Since it has been hot the stench has taken on a whole new level. My socks smell like musty, old basement. My tent smells like mold and feet. I think my pack is beginning to smell too.You really begin to put up with a high level of dirt and muck. Creepy crawlies aren't as creepy (okay, maybe except for big, fat pregnant spiders). You lose any sense of decency - poo talk is quite acceptable out here (of course, those of you who know me know that this is nothing new!). Anyway, I digress. There were evil thunderclouds and distant thunder so Cerveza and I decided it would be best to head down off the ridgeline before anything hit. It never did develop and we headed to the shelter where Gonzo was! We'd been separated for several days. We shared stories of our hikes this week and have plans to hit Catawba for dinner tomorrow night.
Date: 2010-05-28
From: Pickle Branch shelter

To: Catawba (Catawba Valley General Store)
Miles today: 12.6

Happy 30th birthday Erik!!!Hmmm...Today was not so good. I was void of energy all day. Climbs were difficult and I was just plain tired. We had our climb up to Dragon's Tooth, which consisted of a large number of false summits and very rocky terrain. I was frustrated! My tummy was upset, which didn't help things. Dragon's Tooth (a large monolith) was pretty cool though and the view was nice. We (Gonzo, Cerveza and I) had lunch there and then descended the, even rockier, trail which at times required the use of hands and butt-scooting. We were relieved to make it to Catawba and got a hitch (my first, but not before Gonzo gave Cerveza and I his excellent hitching lesson). Thanks for the ride Adam!We had dinner at the famous Homeplace restaurant. We sat with several other thru-hikers: Chicken Feathers, Shagman, Pilgrim, Ohibro and Overload. The food was good, but there wasn't much for the vegetarian. I had mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and biscuits. As we ate our dessert a storm moved in and was raging outside, which cancelled our plans to hike on tonight. We ended up sleeping in the shack behind the general store.
Date: 2010-05-29
From: Catawba (Catawba Valley General Store)

To: Daleville/ Fancy Gap, VA
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today we slackpacked!We were back in touch with Funky Monkey who had gotten a ride out early to meet her boyfriend Justin (Cosmic Jackpot) who was down for the weekend. They graciously agreed to take our packs while we hiked the 20 miles to Daleville so we could get their in a reasonable amount of time. My sister, brother-in-law an nephew were meeting me there.It was a wonderful day for a slackpack! The weather cleared up and we had great views at McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs. When we reached Daleville we met Funky and Cosmic who had walked up the trail with cold beer and sodas for us! Trail magic!Cerveza and Gonzo let me shower in thei hotel room and we all went to dinner at the Mexican restaurant across the street. My sister, brother-in-law and nephew (who drove out from Indiana) met me there and we took off for Fancy Gap, VA for the weekend where we had reservations at a cottage along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had a great day!!!
Date: 2010-05-30
From: Daleville/ Fancy Gap, VA

To: Fancy Gap, VA
Miles today: 0.0

My family (sister - Kim, brother-in-law Erik, and nephew Ryan) and I had a wonderful day spent together starting with a homemade breakfast, cooked by the folks that run the cottage and inn. After breakfast we hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway and drove to Asheville, NC for a brief stop at the Biltmore and then back to Virginia. I had so much fun just being with them and spending time with my adorable, almost 3-year-old nephew. They even helped satisfy one of my food cravings - Olive Garden! Woo-hoo!
Date: 2010-05-31
From: Fancy Gap, VA

To: Fancy Gap, VA
Miles today: 0.0

We had another wonderful home-cooked breakfast of eggs, pancakes, muffins, fruit, juice and coffee. We spent some of the day around the place, lying in hammocks and then headed north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Mabry Mill. After touring the mill we headed to Chateau Morrisette winery where Kim and I did a tasting and bought some delicious blackberry wine and brie that we enjoyed with Eric on the winery grounds. Ryan and I drove around pretend cars and played on the music stage.Another wonderful day!
Date: 2010-06-01
From: Daleville/ Fancy Gap, VA

To: Wilson Creek shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light rain

After another incredible breakfast we sadly left Fancy Gap and Kim, Eric and Ryan drove me back to Daleville to get back on the trail. I was happy to learn that Cerveza, Gonzo and Funky all took off 2 days too so I wouldn't have to catch up with them. I did have to say goodbye to Kim, Erik and Ryan (thanks for everything, including the wonderful cookies!) and hike out alone, in the rain, to where Cerveza, Gonzo and Funky (we have christened ourselves the Motley Thru so I may refer to the group of us by that name from time to time) were. It was painful to hike. My pack was too heavy (too much resupply!) and my feet did not want to walk. Taking more than one day off usually does that to me! But, I made it to the shelter before dark and met back up with the Motely Thru.
Date: 2010-06-02
From: Wilson Creek shelter

To: Jennings Creek
Miles today: 17.0

The trail crossed over the Blue Ridge Parkway several times today. It was hot and there were very few water sources. So we were ecstatic to be able to swim in Jennings Creek at the end of the day. Tadpoles nibbled on our toes and it smelled a little swampy but it was wonderful!We tented just beyond the creek and had a wonderful, relaxing night despite the gas that seemed to rage from all of us. All manners have left the building! We no longer live a civilized life. We are burping, farting, tick-checking each other, and attending to each others hiker/heat rashes. In no other capacity would I ever know these people like I do and I love it. They're awesome!
Date: 2010-06-03
From: Jennings Creek

To: Thunder Hill shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

Today we climbed. It was hot, I was soaked in sweat and had bugs in my face all day. I have a love-hate relationship with climbs. I love the challenge and the workout, but man...they're still tough! I can tell I'm in pretty good shape now: sustaining a 2mph pace on inclines and hardly needing breaks. The ipod helps of course!We, the Motley Thru, had lunch at Cornelus Creek shelter where we spent some of the hour chatting with a gentleman named Island Boy. He was a section hiker from the Florida Keys who had gotten on the trail just a couple of days ago. He was very talkative and happy to be out hiking, but mentioned that he struggled a bit up the climb.We left him at the shelter and continued to climb more that day. We passed through the Guillotine, a large, precarious boulder seeming to hang by a thread above the trail, and met a man named John Hasty who asked us if we were interested in some trail magic. Of course!He met us at the shelter and proceded to cook us a pancake breakfast for dinner, complete with sausage, eggs, and orange juice...with ICE!!! We were elated! THANK YOU JOHN HASTY!!!!!!!!!!!