morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-29
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I made a big mistake today and googled the recovery time of a high ankle sprain. It was ugly. The consensus of the experts seems to be six months. OK, they seem to be talking sports injuries but it's still depressing. Am I wasting my time here watching my swelling gradually go down? Does the swelling really correlate to recovery? How much of a recovery do I need to be able to hike again?More than I have today or likely tomorrow. I can wrap my ankle and walk to the convenience store across the parking lot. That's not enough to take off up the mountain. The storm system is expected to leave by Thursday. A decision will have to be made by then on the next step. There are very few food options where I am. But across the highway, about a mile away , there are other hotels near a group of restaurants and stores. I have decided to spend at least Thursday night at the Travel Lodge , the cheapest of the options over there. If it is too bad I'll pick another, at least for another week or so. I refuse to buy a bus ticket this early in the game. It would probably mean not having a chance to finish this year.This is now shaping up to be a psychological battle within me. Sitting in a motel is boring and expensive but nothing compared to pulling the plug and going home. The single focal point needs to stay assessing this ankle on a day to day basis. The rest of the tedium can be tolerated or even enjoyed once I know I will be able to continue the trek within a reasonable timeframe. Stayed tuned; this is not over yet.
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I have successfully moved motels, to the Travel Inn, against objections from almost everyone. In fact even the decision to stay around and heal is being questioned by most everyone I know ( except my wife). The reality is this motel is just fine, with refrig, microwave and the same TV channels but $15 a day cheaper and centrally located around several good restaurants and stores. Is my ankle recovering? Very slowly. Would it recover faster on drugs (ibuprofen)? Some people have emailed that it would. My research suggests it only reduces the pain, which would mask the problem and maybe let me do permanent damage without the body feedback. What will be left of my trail legs by the time I can hike again? This is a real concern. Today my pack felt like 100 lbs. My shuttler says the trail ahead of me (Bearwallow Gap on) is so difficult that section hikers avoid it. All this adds up to extra concern. But not enough to send me home. I continue to meet hikers I know from earlier on. Young Beard, Baby Face, Redwood, Rocket Man, Princess, Pancake, and Ranger. These hikers are passing they right now. Depressing but also important to know. I may have lost my momentum but have not fallen too far behind a reasonable pace yet. My wife and I have discussed options for proceeding. I will share those as appropriate milestones do or don't occur.
Date: 2014-05-07
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It has been awhile since my last posting. Only a few days in the real world but a whole chapter in my adventure here in Virginia. I am sitting outside my room on a bright sunny morning reading one of four cheap novels I picked up at the Dollar General last week, enjoying the sun on my back, with my ankle wrapped and elevated. If I look to the north I see Tinker mountain and the ridge line, complete with power lines that I hiked almost two weeks ago. It seems more like two months. How can time move so slowly here?Yesterday I negotiated a weekly rate for my room, avoiding the fatal decision to buy a bus ticket home. This means at least another week of limited food choices, inane TV shows, and a daily routine that is pushing my bedtime further into the early miring hours and my rise time closer towards noon. I'm sure what little is left of my muscle tone is barely enough to lift my pack by now; I'm afraid to run the test. My dreams now consist of various versions of hiking disasters, getting lost, thirsty or hungry, without options or recourse. It's the trekking version of the college dream where you forget about a test or miss a whole season of classes by accident.With the weekly rate comes a weekly mentality. Since it seems like any pressure put on my ankle aggravates it I have gone to extremes to stay off it, with some success. No longer expecting a step response recovery I am looking for anything tangible that could be construed as progress. The swelling of my foot has abated almost entirely. What remains is a tensor nodule on top the foot just above where the ankle and foot meet. This puppy reacts to having unwrapped weight applied so I NEVER stand on it anymore without the elastic wrap in place. It also reacts to bending the foot inward so I don't do that. Simple concept but one that doesn't allow me to negotiate any type of upward slope at all. Less than perfect.I will be here at least until next Wednesday. By then I will probably have exhausted every novel on the discount rack worth reading and some not worth reading. We will have to see which goes first, my faith in healing or my determination to continue this trek.
Date: 2014-05-07
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0

Inane TV shows shape my recreational world these days. Sometimes they enhance it and sometimes their message is best ignored. Watching shows like Game of Thrones accentuate how primitive and potentially dangerous being alone in the mountains can be. It's all a mind set though; I doubt any feats will persist after one or two days of hiking. I have a feeling that this late in the season the AT will be much more populated than when I left it in late April. It might be crowded up there. Sometimes the show's message is inspirational. This would seem to be good thing for me right now, persistence in the face of adversity. Just what I think I'm doing. Almost heroic; beating the odds when the odds are stacked against me. A recently aired Bonanza on TVland was a good example. The sons showed ingenuity and dedication as they invented the tools and power sources to drill over 100 ft down for water to save a family during a drought. It was heart warming watching the climax as the windmill powered pump tried valiantly to pull the water to the surface, only succeeding after it was primed with a cup of water. Hurray for technology! Unfortunately I was not able to get total assurance from this parable. You see, an above ground pump can only raise water about 30 ft, since it depends on air pressure to push while the pump sucks. Ignoring the physics made for a simpler story line but doesn't translate to real life. Perhaps I am making one or more similar mistakes with my own situation. It could be my ankle has already recovered and I am now feeling the pain associated with limited range of motion. Perhaps adding Ibuprofen to my regimen would indeed hasten recovery without danger. On the other side of the highway, where the trail is, I saw a physical therapy business close to the emergency clinic. I had actually stopped there but they were closed for lunch and I never made it back before relocating here. Before the week is up I am thinking of hobbling up there to ask for a professional opinion. I will certainly do this before buying that bus ticket!
Date: 2014-05-09
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The tide has turned! Yesterday I had my first day of being able to walk with a normal stride without pain. Ok it was slow and deliberate, only on level ground, and with nervous caution but nonetheless I was walking like a normal person. What a mental uplift this was. How, you may ask did such a transition occur so quickly? Here's my opinion. I was searching the web for ROM exercises and found plenty, most of which had utube videos. Trying some of them quickly helped me narrow down my particular area of interest, since the exercises covered ankle sprains in general. The ankle pump was the only one that had significant pain and ROM limitations, relative to my left foot. I started doing some reps, extending and contracting the angle between foot and ankle and my foot responded with the expected resistance but must have been ready (for how long I will never know) because there was almost instant relief in the worst spot, the point of inflection between foot and ankle. Just a few hours of flexing and I could gingerly extend my right foot forward or backward while standing as long as I stayed within the existing ROM. More importantly, I could watch the ROM improve by comparing it to the left foot. I was truly into rehabilitation phase!Today things have continued to improve. No more elastic wrap; just several pair of silk socks under my hiking sock. I am spending lots of time sitting outside my room in the sun, reading with my feet elevated up against the window, doing sets of ankle pumps and drawing the alphabet, measuring the gap between the ROM of each foot and seeing it slowly diminish. Every so often I slip into my hiking shoes and test my stride and mobility. It interesting how much my balance has been affected. I guess the muscles in the feet are used reflexively for stability because it is hard to keep them from adjusting even when I know it will hurt. I saw two hikers check into the lodge this morning. They started on the trail Feb 28, ten days before I did. I have not lost my window. But the trail has changed while I've been convalescing. The leaves are out and the average temperature has risen 15 degrees. It will be a different trail when I start back up next week (hopefully). I already know that water will become much more important and probably more scarce. The poison ivy is out everywhere; I've been lucky to avoid it so far. Looking at the weather forecast I see a chance of thunderstorms all next week. So be it. I am having my summer sleeping bag shipped to me along with a lighter weight pullover to replace my cardigan sweater. This should knock another pound off my pack, even though it will still seem ponderous to me at first. I plan on starting to walk with the pack soon and make a trip to the UPS store to send back my winter bag and other stuff like books I have read while here. It's grown into quite a stack. I wonder whether looking at them later will revive memories of my time here. Stay tuned for more updates. I hope future posts have the same optimistic flavor this one has.
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The decision has been made; I'm hiking again starting Friday morning. Del will shuttle me back to Bearwallow gap early in the morning and I will start the 3-4 day hike to Bueno Vista. It will not be easy; there is over 3000 ft of climbing the first day and Del says there are some uncleared trees blocking the trail. But I need to push thru it and hope my legs are still with me enough to make it up the mountain. Why Friday? It is expected to be the end of the latest storms, with at least a few nice days after. No rain and not too hot. Just right to concentrate on hiking mechanics and getting stronger. I should be getting my summer bag today but UPS hasn't come yet. No matter. Tomorrow will do.I weighed myself today, with and without pack, using an I calibrated bathroom scale. 158 fully dressed and 186 with pack. I have not gained much weight back. I probably am about 150 in my birthday suit which is still 15 lbs down from normal. The pack weight included water and some food but I will probably add a few more lbs of food before leaving. That's one problem with hiking slower; you need more food between cities. But better safe than sorry. I intend to resupply in BV even though it's 10 miles off the trail. My shuttle contact should be Ken but I haven't called him yet. The biggest hurdles to this restart seem to be mental. Or maybe awareness. My foot will be good enough to hike on but not strong enough to survive a major fall or trip; something that has happened routinely thus far. Knowing this puts the hike at risk and only gaining strength will dissipate the anxiety. Not having margin is new to me; we'll see how much I actually fret about it. Along with this new fear come all the ones that were already there: snakes, ticks, poison ivy, etc., all helping to push my attitude towards the dark side. Luckily the simple fact that I am here in Virginia walking over mountains remains powerful enough to suppress these fears, or at least not let them get the upper hand. I suspect the matter will resolve itself by the time I hit BV.
Date: 2014-05-15
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Last day in the Travel Inn. Everything is ready to leave tomorrow for the mountain. It will be exactly three weeks since my last hiking day and I am nervous about how it will go. It's one thing to expect to take things slow, everybody and their mother has given me that easy advice. It's not going to be that easy to intelligently follow. How far to go will depend on body feedback and I need to learn what soreness to act on and what to work thru. Previously I just expected all soreness to resolve itself. Planning multi-day hikes always involved starting with 20 miles per day and adjusting for where the shelters or camping was. Using this method makes my next leg 3-4 days. I think I have enough food for more than that. I have also allowed for the possibility of being shuttled from one of the intersecting roads such as the BRP. If this becomes necessary I have problems. So I will transition away from TV, restaurants, and inside plumbing to shelters, tents, and privies. The gift of being able to hike thru the woods each day is the prize for this inconvenience. Right now that feeling is not as strong in me as the fear of having more problems. I don't know how to bring it to the forefront without testing it. No matter how much I want to be excited I will just have to wait for that to come tomorrow, somewhere along the trail. It could go either way.
Date: 2014-05-18
From: Roanoke

To: Austin
Miles today: 1500.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am writing this as my Greyhound bus cruises thru Temple TX, a 30 hr segment of my 70 day adventure east to the Appalachian Trail and back. Thinking about this moment I had anticipated feelings of sadness and failure, due to an inability to accomplish what I considered an achievable goal. That is not close to what I feel right now. This was perhaps the greatest adventure of my life. At least I can't come up with anything else that approaches it from a standpoint of preparation, commitment, or endurance. There are so many stories and dimensions attached to this trip that I can't even catalogue them in my mind. I do realize that I will have to watch myself to keep from becoming an annoying guy who did the AT; rambling on to anyone who will listen or who is too polite to tell me to "shut up already".This trip did change me. I now know I am not 25 years old and cannot afford to forget that. I have strengthened my belief that good things happen, even to those that do not plan everything down to the last detail. Why I still don't know but I will not be so quick to look down my nose at people who just go for it once in while. There might be more things but now I realize I don't have to come up with the perfectly complete list. Maybe later. I do want to thank my wife, who never lost faith in me and supported every decision I made, even when she knew I was taking risks. She and my other friends and family helped me feel connected to the outside world and kept me from being lonely while I was definitely alone. I may go back and do more than the 760 miles I hiked. If I do it will be under different circumstances though. I will not go alone. I'm convinced being in a group would mitigate most of the problems I encountered this time, although at the expense of being completely independent. I think that would be preferable. After all I not have one third done. Doing more in segments could get me the whole enchilada without having the pressure that this trip dealt. I met one group of men my age who have been working on it for five years. Who knows? I intend to leave this door open because no one is forcing me to close it. My final words go to superman, who saved me at the end when my spirit was all but spent. I can't imagine even wanting to do the amount of documented hiking he has done but I don't believe I will ever forget the amount of trail magic he gave me. I wish him good luck and hope others he helps appreciate his efforts as much as I do. I would love to give more clues to his identity but a promise is a promise.
Date: 2015-04-10
From: central virgina

To: James river
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

I am back in Virginia and ready to start the second third of the trek. Tomorrow I will attempt to reach the James river, a test for my legs and equipment. Circumstances are different this year, more complex. At the moment this makes everything more confusing but I think that will change as WE get use to the coordination aspects. I will fill in some details once I get a few days hiking under my belt. For now I just hope to do my 20 miles without incident. The weather should be good although tonight the area is having storms and even some tornados. Yep, just like last year.
Date: 2015-04-11
From: cornelius creek shelter

To: james river
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The harbor was quiet on a beautiful bright morning. The developing breeze was creating some chop out by the breakwater but only a slight lapping made it to the slips. The newly repaired single master rode easily against the dock, her hull scraped of barnacles with a fresh coat of varnish that could still be whiffed by passers by. It was a perfect day to test out the repairs before venturing into the open sea. She answered a bit sluggishly to early maneuvers away from the dock, surely pilot error from lack of recent practice. As my seamanship improved so did her response. Together we rode out to the breakwater, tacking back and forth in the pseudo swells just inside the harbor jetties, nothing dangerous, enjoying the feel of being back on the water. When we slid back to the dock both of us felt ready to hit the ocean tomorrow. The trip from Cornelius shelter to the James river mildly tested all the elements of hiking the trail. There were some ups and downs, some views, some rocks and some water. The last few miles wandered along Matts creek and the James river, ending in a stroll across the longest footbridge on the AT. I was back and had just made my first 20 miles.
Date: 2015-04-12
From: james river

To: Bueno Vista
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

With my first day behind me, a fairly easy one from the shelter down to the James river, I now had some major climbs ahead to get to next road. Was my month of mostly level ground training in Austin enough? Surprising it was enough to let me make the first 2500 ft climb without resting (OK I did stop a few times to tie my shoes and heed Mother Nature) but neither the legs nor lungs cried uncle and just like that I'm back at 4000 ft looking at fantastic mountain views. There were more ups and downs that day and they took their toll on my uninitiated body. Especially my feet and right ankle. Yes, the same ankle I hurt last year. I now know that the irritation that feels like rubbing against my shoe is actually the ankle swelling. Bad news and definitely worrysome. Whereas last year I would have ignored it, this year I eased up on the pace. Knowing my wife would be there to scoot me back to a room in Waynesboro helped quite a lot. By the time I hit US60 I was beat and overheated. She found me sitting on a guardrail. She had a cold coke ready for me to guzzle (hard to describe how good that feels) and an hour later we are back at the hotel battling roaches. Life is good but I am sore.
Date: 2015-04-13
From: Bueno Vista

To: SNP almost
Miles today: 20.0

Rain is coming tomorrow. Continuing on from Bueno Vista would put me in the Priest shelter and that meant walking down a steep 4 mile descents (3000 ft) descent in possibly heavy rain. Not something to do on purpose. Instead we decide to bite off an easier segment of 20 miles just before the Shenandoah National Park. It was also less rigorous so it might give me more time to adjust to the rigors of climbing again. My ankle was hurting but I was trying to pamper it.As sometimes happens, luck smiled down on me this day. I ran into anothe hiker (warcry) also known as JP. We walked all the rest of the day together and I learned some things. He is a career hiker so far. Between hiking he does trail maintenance and has various spots along my the coast where he does woodsie type jobs. Great guy. The day was easy and the hot dog and root beer at Rockfish gap went down easily just before my wife showed up.
Date: 2015-04-15
From: Bueno Vista

To: priest shelter
Miles today: 20.0

After a much needed rain day I set out for my first night on the mountain. The two day trip promised significant climbs each day along with the dreaded Priest descent. My goal for the first day was the Priest shelter, hopefully without bowing out my now sore and swollen ankle. What actually happened? All good. My body had absorbed the prior three hiking days work and it responded in kind, taking the 2500 ft initial climb with ease. After a day long hike I made it to the empty shelter and enjoyed going through well rehearsed motions of setting up my sleeping bag, refilling my water from a nearby stream, and eating a light meal of pretzels and nuts. It was a warm quiet night, no wildlife of any kind, and I left the next morning at sunup ready for the descent. With ankle feeling OK and weather and condition fine the Priest descent was long but not scary. Just long. The 3000 ft up after it was also long but I knew it was the last one for some time. I'm not sure there will be another as high this trip.The total two day trip left me stronger than ever. Onto the SNP tomorrow with the first 100 miles of this trip behind me.
Date: 2015-04-16
From: waynesboro

To: none
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Last year I was injured dozens of time; a slip, turn of the ankle, wrong step and down I would go. My sticks saved me most of the time but I still sometimes did some damage. The treatment was always the same; walk it off. And it worked for 760 miles. Until it didn't and I could not walk downhill at all. That knee injury actually stemmed from walking on a still weak high ankle sprain too soon, another injury that seemed to come on overnight Now I know it didn't. I have felt the onset of the weak ankle after only two days of hiking. It feels like a simple hiking shoe irritation but it is really a swelling of the ankle that rubs the shoe interior wall. This year I know it will not simply walk off. Something needs to change or I will be going home in days. But what? For lack of a better plan I simply reduced my pace, not my daily progress, just my walking rate, until the irritation subsides. Whoa! It worked. At least it stopped getting worse. My mind raced as I realized I probably could have avoided last year's abort simply by recognizing this progression and feedback. Luckily I think I can prevent a repeat this year by walking smarter. Now I check my ankle each night for tenderness and swelling. The injury remains active but is not allowed to run rampant. I am neither superman nor even a twenty something hiker. I am however in control of my body again and have sufficient resources to complete this 800 mile segment hike. Knowing that might make all the diffence this year.