morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-27
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night Flying Turtle left his gear bag with his cell phone charger among other things in it. I found it and wanted to get to the next shelter before he left. Therefore, all three of us got up at 5:30 for an early start. We decided that the ladies would carry the bag since I was concerned about my speed with my knee injury It felt ok but was obviously still swollen and not yet tested on the trail. Gerda found Flying Turtle at Bailey Gap Shelter, he had a late start, and gave him the gear bag. A good outcome for him, thanks to Gerda's hustle. My knee was stiff early but loosened up as I hiked. There was a mile of very rocky trail after Baily Gap Shelter and that was uncomfortable. It was an overcast day windy and cold during the morning hours. There were a couple of brief showers otherwise it was fine. The downhill trail to War Spur Shelter was very painful for my knee. Nevertheless, I made it and was glad to be there. Nick and Gerda were at the shelter, I think Shel Lep went to the next shelter or tented. We did not see her again. Nick was from Philadelphia and was hiking to a wedding in Roanoke. He played the mandolin and sang Bluegrass for us til bedtime, several of the ballards he had written. I continued to treat my knee, it was still swollen and tender;not much better in that regards.
Date: 2010-04-28
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up at 6am to get an early start. I cooked potatoes and eggs and it was tasty. My knee felt better. No rain last pm but it was cold, about 35 degrees. I was cold in my 30 degree sleeping bag even with my down sweater on.I will plan to tent tonight because a low of 37 degrees is predicted for Pearisburg. It will be colder in the mountains. I felt reasonably good hiking today; there were 2 strenuous climbs today-Kelly Knob and Bruisers Knob. I passed Keiffer Oak which is the largest Oak Tree on the AT in the south. It is over 18 feet around and estimated to be over 300 years old. Unfortunatly, my pictures on the trail journal site were side ways, so I did not post them. Sarver Hollow Shelter was nice with a large poarch. The water source was 300 yards downhill and was poor but I found a strong flowing stream close to an abandon cabin. Nike and Gerda were at the shelter tonight.I set up my Huba tent (free standing)in the shelter because of the cold weather and it was not crowded. Sixteen miles tomorrow!
Date: 2010-04-29
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

I slept well in my tent last night. Gerda and I were up early and began walking at 7:20am. The climb out of the shelter was steep listed as 0.3 miles but it felt like 0.5 miles. There were two big downhills today and that really aggravated my knee pain. Another adversity was the lack of good water sources during this portion of the trail.By the time I hiked up Brush MTN and passed by the Audie Murphy Monument, I was almost out of water. Audie Murphy was the most decorated soldier in WWII and later became a movie star. It was awkward trying to explain who he was to Gerda who of course is from Germany. She was nice and vigorously denounced Hitler and his influence on the German people. At the bottom of Brush Mtn was a good water source and I was able to fill up but was probably dehydrated by that time. It is difficult to catch up once you get behind. The human body is capable of sweating up to 3.5 liters of sweat per hour but can only absorb 1.5 liters of water per hour. I tend to perspire heavy and was doing so during this hike. I finnaly arrived at Pickle Branch Shelter, Gerda was already there. No one else arrived for the night. To add to my misery, the trail to the water source was very steep. I tried to rehydrate eat and get ready for another big day tomorrow. One good indication of the severity of your dehydration is the color of your urine and the frequncy of urination. I did not urinate from 9am to 6pm and as you might predict, my urine was a deep golden color!
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Catawba Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 14.6

Yesterday I struggled with my hiking which was a combination of my dehydrated state and the discomfort in my knee. I had to stop more often and felt drained and was no longer having fun. However,I was able to push my body to continue forward. Today, even though the mileage was 14.6, there is only one small climb up Cove Mtn with the remainder of the trail relatively flat. Under normal circumstances this would not be a challenge for me. Today was different. It should have been a highlight of this section for me. We would pass the Dragons Tooth today and McAfee Knob tomorrow. I was miserable. I neglected to mention that I elected to stop taking the Aleve for my knee. As a Urologist, I am keenly aware that non steroidal anti-inflamatory meds like Aleve and Ibuprofen will permanently damage the kidneys in some people over a period of time. A friend took eight Advil tablets a day for 1.5 years and had to go on dialysis for renal failure and later received a kidney transplant from his son. I knew in my severe dehydrated state, I could not afford to expose my kidneys to the potential detrimental toxicity of Aleve. My compromise to protect my kidneys increased the pain and inflammation of my knee.I stumbled into Campbell Shelter late and was in pain and exhausted. Gerda was worried about me. Originally, I planned to do a 16 mile hike to Daleville the following day but knew I might not make it so I decided to cut the hike in half and stop at Lambert Meadows Shelter. Gerda agreed.
Date: 2010-05-02
From: Lambert Meadow Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 9.4

A strange thing happen this morning. I woke up feeling bad, nauseated with no appetite and dreading the hike today. While eating my oatmeal,still very nauseated, I heard Gerda saying "Tony are you ok"? I had been sitting on the edge of the floor of the shelter and now I was lying on the shelter floor. Gerda told me that my eyes rolled back and my legs jerked. I knew that I had a syncopal episode(fainted) and as a result had seizure like activity which is not uncommon when your Blood Pressure drops. I reassured her that that I was ok and continued to eat my oatmeal. However,I felt like HELL! Three weeks prior to my hike, I had a routine stress test and my BP went to a systolic of 220; therefore, my Cardiologist doubled my BP meds. I had no problem at home but now it finally made sense to me, I had encounted the Perfect Storm. #1 An injuried knee that slowed me down and exposed my body to excessive heat(temps in the 80's) and perspiration,#2 a paucity of water sources in this particular section of the AT resulting in dehydration and #3 an increase in BP meds that my body had not adapted to resulting in occasional episodes of hypotension(low BP). Thus my dizzyness, need to stop often to sit on a rock and lack of stamina. What was the name of one of the AT books-"Hiking on the Happy Side of Misery"? Well, I had been hiking on the Unhappy Side of Misery. Gerda was concerned and told she would stay with me to Dalville. It was a short hike but another difficult one for me
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday I made it to Daleville and sat on the lobby steps while Gerda checked in and then I checked in. I barely made the walk to my room. My car was already at the motel so that was good. Gerda and I ate at a Mexican restaurant across the street and I was beginning to recover. I was peeing clear urine for a change and was no longer dizzy(off the BP meds). My knee was the primary concern now, I had difficulty in walking even a few feet. The knee was very swollen and painful. It was obvious that I could not continue on the trail so I decided to go home the next day. Gerda was disappointed and so was I. At that point I was convinced that my AT section hikes were over and it took several months before I decided to try it again. Gerda and I emailed each other over the past year( today is 3/18/2011). I did see my Cardiologist and made adjustments of my BP meds. My Orthpedic Surgeon diagnosed traumatic bursitis of my left knee. The direct blow to my knee cap resulting in bleeding (I am on ASA) into the patella bursa. The blood is very irritating hence the bursa sack became intensely inflammed. I was doing the correct treatment with cold compresses and the Aleve but the bursitis flared when I stopped taking the Aleve. Since this section I have done a number of hikes in my region and one week long backpacking trip in the Olympic National Park with no problems. As stated earlier, Gerda and I will be back on the trail May 1st. Gerda will fly from Munich, Germany to Birminham, AL(what a culture shock) on April 27th and spend a few days with my wife and family. I will update the journal, hopefully with good news of a sucessful hike either during the hike or immediately afterwards.
Date: 2011-04-30
To: Abingdon, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Last year, as mentioned in my journal, I was fortunate to meet Gerda Hartl, a nice lady from Munich,Germany. Last year she started at Springer Mtn and I met her at a shelter just above Pearisburg. Our daily mileage was similar, so we hiked together the first week of my hike but I had to get off the trail earlier than planned in Daleville due to a knee injury. Later we emailed back and forth and decided to hike a section this spring . She and I are both married and after approval by our spouses we made our plans. The intent was to start in Daleville and hike to Harpers Ferry, WV, about a 300 mile section. Gerda was scheduled to arrive in Birmingham from Germany on April 27th but that was a terrible day for the state of Alabama. We had multiple tornadoes hit us stating early in the morning and again late in the afternoon. An EF2 woke me up at 5:30am and caused a great deal of damage to our neighborhood. There were over a thousand trees blown down within 2 miles of my home and one death. The power was out and our street had the power line lying in the middle of it along with multiple trees. It was not only unwise to travel but almost impossible. Starting around 2pm we began hearing reports of more tornadoes coming in from Mississippi and of course we monitored the siuation closely. An EF5 came through Tuscaloosa and proceeded to north Birmingham, about 5 miles from my home, and then up to north Alabama. Over 200 people were killed in Tuscaloosa and 40 killed in Birmingham. The total deaths for the day was over 300 for the state. The total number of documented tornadoes in Alabama was 28. Gerda flew from Germany to Atlanta without any problems but flying from Atlanta to Birmingham on that day was not possible; therefore, she spent the night in Atlanta and was able to get on a flight mid day on the 28th. This was not a very good omen for our hike.On Thrusday afternnon went to WalMart and a local outfitter so Gerda could purchase her suppies and made preparation to depart on Saturay the 30th. She had dinner with my family Thursday and on Friday dinner with a few of our German friends. We did not have time to sightsee other than a few local spots and, of course, saw the tornado damage which was all around.On the 30th my wife treated us to a hearty breakfast with eggs, bacon, fruit and toast. We left Birmingham at 8:30am and drove to Abingdon,VA in order to break up the long drive. We stayed at the Super 8 Motel (separte rooms!) and ate at the Tavern which is a German restaurant located in the oldest building in Abingdon. It was a stage coach stop originally.I was tired so went to bed early after dinner. The motel was only ok, not great by any means.
Date: 2011-05-01
From: Abingdon, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Gerda and I woke up early at the Super 8 Motel and ate their continental breakfast in order to get an early start. We left Abingdon at 8:30am on our way to Waynesboro, VA. Our plans included a brief stop at the Howard Johnson Motel in Daleville, VA to leave our first resupply boxes. The interstate is very close to Daleville so it was convenient to stop. We checked into the Quality Inn Motel in Waynesboro at 11:30am, it was basic but an improvement over the Super 8 in Abingdon. After a hamburger at Hardies, we went to the Moss Museum which featured pantings by a local artist-it was nice. Later we drove to the Rockfish Gap Visitor's Center to get information re the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail passes close to the visitor's center and they offer free shuttles into town, a very nice service for the hikers. It was raining most of the day but primarily showers. Scottos, a local Italian restaurant, was recommended for dinner. I had spaghetti with meat sauce and it was very good. We left my Grand Cherokee Jeep as well as our resupply boxes at the Quality Inn ( to keep them out of the heat in my car).Our schedule included a zero day in Waynesboro on May 15th and it will be nice to have a vehicle for errands and eatng. I called Lyle Kirby to confirm our shuttle for the following morning. All was well.
Date: 2011-05-02
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We were up early and quickly ate cereal at the motel; Lyle Kirby arrived on time at 7am. After loading our packs we were on our way. The plan was to shuttle down the Blue Ridge Parkway from Waynesboro to mile marker 76.3 and start hiking south to Daleville. By doing so this would break up the trip and we would not have to carry 7 days of food because there is no easy resupply on this portion of the trail. We had a little difficulty actually finding the trail but another couple arrived and we located it. We started hiking south with our destination being Bryant Ridge Shelter.Soon we approached the Guillotine and the FAA Tower on top of Apple Orchard Mtn. The weather was good, cool early in the morning but it later rose to the 80's. Cornelius Creek Shelter was about 5 miles and was a good place to stop for lunch. A few people were there. The remainder of the hike was downhill and Gerda's knee became painful.It slowed her down considerably. Bryant Ridge Shelter is a nice two level shelter. It was a memorial for a young man who died, I am not sure if his death was hiking related. His family funded the building of the shelter and the design was greatly influenced by their son's classmates; he was an architextural major. A section hiker from Knoxville, TN ,TN Tom, was there and a couple of thru hikers from VA named Sprocket and Inchworm. They started in January but had to get off because of huge snow drifts. They went back to Springer Mtn and started over again! The shelter was comfortable, a number of hikers came in late and I did not get their names.
Date: 2011-05-03
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We had a good night at Bryant Ridge Shelter. As mentioned, a number of hikers came in late and were talking but they finally went to sleep about 10pm. I woke up at daybreak which was 6:30am and prepared breakfast . I did not enjoy my oatmeal; therefore, I will probably eats bars instead. I do enjoy my coffee so I will still boil water. We left at 7:30 heading to Bobblets Gap Shelter- a 13.4 mile hike. The weather was very good, slightly cloudy but no rain. Two Mtns on this stretch, Fork Mtn and Cove Mtn. We stopped at Cove Mtn Shelter for lunch; it was not very appealing. There is no water at this shelter and so not many people stop and it looked dirty. There was no water for 7 miles so we had to carry extra water and be careful not to dehydrate. We were told that there was trail magic at Bear Wallow Gap . Since we were hiking south, we were passed several north bound hikers. They were all telling us about a cooler of soft drinks and snacks a few miles south. It was a dry section of the trail, so Gerda and I were looking forward to the drinks. The closer we got , the hikers were saying only "4 more drinks" left. Then it was "2 drinks" and less than 5 minutes from the trail magic another hiker came by and said "one more left"! We found the cooler, one Grapico Cola was left, I offered it to Gerda but she insisted that we share it. Just as we drank the cola a young couple arrived and were disappointed to find an empty cooler. I hated that for them. Gerda continued to have knee pain and was slow on the downhill sections but was in good spirits. Tn Tom and a section hiker from CN were at Bobblets Gap Shelter, not too crowded. We elected to stay in the shelter because it looked like rain was coming during the night. I had my usual freeze dried meal and it was good.
Date: 2011-05-04
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It rained heavy during the night with strong winds. A small amount of rain blew into the shelter but my sleeping bag stayed dry. There was a full shelter with no room to spare. I was on the cool side in my sleeping bag but not cold. More snoring tonight, I guess everyone was enjoying the sound of rain,especially since we were inside, and the cool weather. I was up at 7am and on the trail by 8am. Destination today is Wison Creek Shelter. It will be a short hike,7 miles,so we will have time for our bodies to recover. At my age one has to plan easy days after hard days. I learned the importance of not pushing yourself with my marathon training and try to practice that concept with my hiking-"Easy days after Hard days". Gerda was better today and hiking with less pain; I believe the Aleve was helping. We ariived early and ate lunch at the shelter. We had a leisurely afternoon and I was able to read my Kindle to break up the monotony. Four section hikers were at the shelter-no thrus.
Date: 2011-05-05
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 11.3

Another cool night with the temperature on my small thermometer registering 44 degrees. Our hike will be primarily downhill to Daleville and the Howard Johnson Motel. It is always nice to take a shower, sleep on a mattress and laundry my clothes. This will conclude our south bound portion of the trail and tomorrow we will be heading north. The weather was pleasant and easy hiking down to town. I checked into the motel,and got my resupply box that I had left on the drive up to Waynesboro. After a shower and washing my clothes, Gerda and I decided to eat at the mexican restaurant across the street, I did not think about the date but it was May 5th and obviously Cinco de Mayo. The restaurant was packed with a long waiting list, so we opted for Pizza Hut and that was ok. Back at the motel, I sorted through the resupply box and left a few items in the hikers box including all the oatmeal. It was too heavy and I was not enjoying it. My eating routine became a Nature Valley Bar, a couple of fig newton cookies and coffee for breakfast. After one hour of hiking I ate a package of sports beans(100 calories) and an hour later a Snickers Bar(280 calories). Lunch varied but predominately was peanut butter, jelly and raisins on round bread, dried fruit and a Nutty Bar. M&M peanuts was my afternoon snack and I always ate a Power Bar at the end of the hike as my recovery food. Again my running taught me that it is important to eat within 30 minutes after endurance activity and no later than 2 hours in order to replenish the glycogen stores in your body. After the 2 hour window, the blood vessels in your muscles will shut down and it will take 24 hours to replace the glycogen. This principle has been studied and validated by a number of sports physiologist and is advocated by most sports nutritionist. I had a variety of freeze dried dinners followed by cookies for my supper. I digressed re my spill about post hike snacks but did go to bed anticipating a comfortable night in the motel.
Date: 2011-05-06
From: Daleville, VA

To: Matts Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

I had a good night of sleep at the motel. I met Gerda in the motel lobby at 6am to eat a bowl of cereal before our shuttle. Maurie Turner picked us up at 7am for the shuttle back to mile 76.3 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Again we are on Apple Orchard Mountain but now we will be hiking north for the remainder of this section. Thunder Hill Shelter was on our left a few humdred yards after we started. It had a new privy, one of five recently built in this area. They are clean and spacious with plexie glass for the roof; therefore, the privy is not dark inside and a definite improvement compared to most of the privies. The weather was cool and comfortable for hiking. I developed a blister on my left heel. I believe it was from new inserts that I was using so, I took both of them out. I applied a Blister Block band aid and it helped with the discomfort. We covered the 12.7 miles in 5 hours. I always use the stop watch function on my watch to determine actual hiking time. Thus, I can accurately guess my mileage at any point in time. I usually average about 25 minute miles, of course, it will vary some by the terrain. Ten minutes after arriving at Matt's Creek Shelter it started to rain but after 40 minutes it cleared and we were able to move around without worrying about getting wet. Gerda's knee continues to get better with less pain. I talked with my wife, Kay, and she is enjoying her time at the beach in Destin, FL. Several people were at the shelter, Black Dog and another thru hiler who said 7 more were on their way and expected to arrive later in the evening.
Date: 2011-05-07
From: Matts Creek Shelter

To: Punch Bowl Shelter
Miles today: 12.7

Last night was cold, especially my feet but I discovered this morning that I slept with the inside of my sleeping bag on the outside! That allowed the wind to penetrate, I won't make that mistake again. Last night I ate instant mashed potatoes with chicken gravy and chicken; it was very good-need to do more of that.We left the shelter at 7am for a 13 mile day. The walk down Matts Creek was wonderful, it was so lush and peaceful. Matts Creek emptied into the James River. We crossed the 625 foot Foot bridge which was named in memory of Bill Foot. It was consructed in 2000 on piers left from an 1881 rairoad bridge and is the longest foot bridge on the AT. Ironic that the foot bridge is named after a fellow named Foot!The James River is prominent in our history as well as for the local indians who depended on it for transportation and was a good source for water and fish. Think Jamestown etc. The climb from the James River was OK but the second Mtn, Bluff Mtn, was tough. I was exposed to direct sunlight most of the way and I was a tired puppy when I finally reached the top. This is the location of the memorial for Otis Cline Powell, a 5 year old child that became lost while gathering firewood for his school. He was lost in Nov. 1891 and his body was found the following April. We arrived at Punch Bowl Shelter in good spirits and found 2 other hikers there, Ian and Padre. Padre is an- Episcopal Priest originally from Michigan but now living in Leadville, CO. Gerda and I would spend almost a week hiking with him. A very nice gentleman.