morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-16
From: Trail Days Damascus, Va.

To: Trail Days Damascus, Va.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Trail Days is cool but my leg is really bothering me. I'm pretty concerned about this thing and have come to the conclusion that I will need to zero for sure for a few days to let this rest. I'm pretty sure that tomorrow I may just stay here in Damascus and wait a few days for the the rest of the group to do their last 40 miles here. I hate to miss the section but I need to take this injury seriously. I'll know tomorrow what I'm doing.   We had our parade today which was awesome. I managed to drag myself through the parade route and take the barrage of water balloons and squirt guns. Fun times.         (editors note: apparently it's tradition that the hikers walk the parade route and are bombarded with water balloons and squirt guns- check out some videos of it. Maybe this is because of the smell of the hikers!)
Date: 2009-05-17
From: Hampton Tenn

To: Watuga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 2.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Trail Days are over and I"m back on the trail. I ended up making a decision to come back on the trail with the rest of the group where they got off. Even though they were 10 miles ahead of me when they got off. I am going to be missing those 10 miles and will have to make it up after I get to the end of the trail- I think it was still a smart decision for me.       (editor's note- most hikers catch a ride ahead or back to Damascus for Trail Days and then get taken back to the same point to resume hiking. In case of the boys, they weren't quite to Damascus so hitched a ride and then had to get back to their spot on the trail so they could continue on and eventually walk back through Damascus)       The first thing that made me want to come with them is that were only planning on hiking 7 miles to the first shelter which would allow me to keep resting my leg. The second reason is that I was nearly on hour from where I got off the trail and hitching could have taken awhile. Since Jack's sister was already taking them, I figured I'd just ride along. My leg felt alright (still painful but getting better) on the walk in today. I am looking at walking around 7 miles tomorrow to the next shelter and possibly even going to the shelter after that depending on how my legs feels. I"m optimistic.
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Watuga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

Well my leg is holding up and healing faster than I thought. I am walking really slow and listening to it as far as how hard I go. Luckily the miles today were pretty easy and the terrain seems a lot more level than usual. Tomorrow I am going to try to hike the 16 miles and see how I feel.   The weather has been pretty cold the past two days. Last night the temps dropped into the low 30's. Brrrr. I am glad I still have my cool weather gear because I would have been cold.   The way it's looking I 'll be in Damascus, Va. again in two more days. I was just there but I am already looking forward to a cheeseburger.
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abingdon Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Today my leg is feeling loads better. I think the rest I am getting is doing some good and hopefully I'll be back to 100% soon It really was hard for me not to try and walk on into Damascus tonight but I'm glad I had the discipline not to.      I am looking forward to building a fire tonight and reading.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Abingdon Shelter

To: Damascus 
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: clear sky

I REALLY like Damascus. This town was so-so during trail days, but today I fell in love with it. I walked about 10 miles this morning to get here and sauntered into town about 10:30 A.M. I found Randall and James at the hostel (they got here last night) and found out they had reservations at 11:30 to ride bikes down the Virginia Creeper trail. I liked the idea so I decided to go too.   Now you have to understand that Damascus is not only lucky enough to have the AT run right through town, 3 trout rivers in the town and once again, no fast food,they also have the Virginia Creeper bike trail. The Creeper runs from Abingdon, Va. through Damascus and then continues north paralleling the AT.   http://www.vacreepertrail.us/ (here is a link- if you want more info-editor)   Most of the bike rental places in town run a route for the hikers where they will take you up to Whitetop Mt. and drop you off. You then get to ride a bike DOWNHILL along the Creeper and cover the same ground that the AT covers. It is the ultimate slack pack. I don't feel like I'm cheating because I covered the distance under my own power and also had a ton of fun. I would recommend going to Damascus and riding that trail.   Once we got done with the bike ride, Randall and James got a ride back up the hill and started hiking again. I had essentially just gotten to town and still needed to do all my town chores so I am staying tonight with ole Jack. His leg is starting to bother him he may be 0'ing here tomorrow (no miles) I would like to 0 here for about a year and I just might one day.
Date: 2009-05-21
From: Damascus 

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 39.0
Weather: scattered clouds

O.K. So I didn't really walk 39 miles today. I got dropped off by the bike company about 17 miles up the trail because of the bike ride yesterday. I still walked a ton of miles today (22) because I need to make it to the post office in Atkins, Va. by 11:00 a.m. Saturday. I have a package coming to me there and because of Memorial Day on Monday, the P.O. won't be open again until Tuesday. Enough of the technical stuff.   Today I hiked what James calls "Miracle Miles". Miracle miles are just sections that are so beautiful you never think about being tired or even hungry. The section today that was MM was the Mt.Rogers/Grayson Highlands. There were views that were breathtaking and also wild ponies that would let you pet them. I could go on and on but I'm sure there is a Va. state park website that has pics and descriptions- check it out.    I'm in my tent and tired. Good night.
Date: 2009-05-22
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: clear sky

Another great day on the trail. I woke up at my usual time, 7a.m., and got on the trail by 7:30. I knew that there was a road crossing after ten miles where I could hitch a few miles to a restaurant for lunch and that motivated me for the morning. I got to the road and was happy to find James and Randall waiting on a ride to the same restaurant.   We caught a ride from a former through hiker and I ate one of the best burgers I've had in awhile. We got back to the trail about 1 p.m. and started the 15 miles we had to do to make the shelter. During the walk I decided that I would just call the PO in the morning and have them forward my package on to Bland, Va. Getting that package forwarded is going to save me from getting up at 4:30 tomorrow and busting my butt to Atkins to make it there before 11 am. Good decision I think. I mean I think I have enough food to get to Bland anyway.   Partnership Shelter is awesome. Not only can you take a warm shower here but you can also order pizza from a local place and they will meet you at the trail with it. This shelter is about .1 miles from a road.   Well apparently there is a cave near (within 5 miles) of our shelter. One of the guys I know, Patience (who's deaf) went there today and showed me some awesome photos. Like most cavers, he won't tell me the exact location of the cave. Maybe next time.Happy Birthday Uncle Steve out in Utah!
Date: 2009-05-23
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Crawfish Valley
Miles today: 17.9

Man am I glad I didn't get up early to go to the PO this morning. Turns out they don't have my package yet. I would have been so mad if I had hustled there only to find out it wasn't there. Luckily I worked it out with the postmaster to forward the box to Pearisburg,Va. (about 6 days up) for me. I guess I'll just buy some food in Bland, Va. to last me.   Today's hiking was pretty standard. Don't take that as bad, it was just not miracle miles is all. We have been getting spoiled lately with awesome scenery. Come to think of it, this whole trail spoils me. Me, I'm so happy on the trail. I couldn't long distance hike indefinitely like some people do, but I'm having the time of my life on this hike. It seems unreal that I am able to do this for 5-6 months. Without support from friends and especially family, I wouldn't be able to be here and I am grateful everyday for the love and generosity I'm shown. When this is all just a memory, I can't wait to have the chance to share my love for the outdoors and repay the generosity. I've chased my own adventures so hard that I've never taken time out to help other people chase theirs. That's going to change in the future. Wow, what a rant.   I guess I'm saying that I'm a adding outdoor educational/instructor to my list of possible jobs when I get back to the world.
Date: 2009-05-24
From: Crawfish Valley

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a standard day on the trail-awesome. I hiked by myself all morning and had a great time just putting one foot in front of the other and letting my mind wander. I walked over a gradual mountain and then down into some cow fields. After the cow fields I came to a small river and an old farmstead. It was really beautiful and I let myself get lost in the thoughts of living on a farm in a mountain valley.   I stopped for lunch by a creek and then walked to a valley with a larger creek. James and Randall caught me at the valley and we sat around for awhile and I left and started the 6 miles we had left to get to the shelter. Chestnut Knob is an old fire wardens's cabin and is located on a bald over looking some nice valleys including Burke's Garden, the first spot picked by George Vanderbilt for the Biltmore Estate.   Tenting tonight and hoping the rain holds off.
Date: 2009-05-25
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Bland , Va.
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: light rain

Today we started hiking with a plan to stop about 7 miles short of Bland, Va. Well we heard about a Subway in Bland and got motivated to just go ahead and walk all the way there. We got into Bland around 6 and got dinner at Subway which was great.   We looked around Bland for a place to stay since it has been raining on us again, no surprise. The choices were pretty slim and we narrowed it down to an old abandoned school, under the interstate bridge, or give in and spend the money for a hotel. Well while we were trying to decide, I was on the phone with my mom and after hearing about our options, she insisted we choose the hotel. Now we are in the hotel, dry and warm. Thanks MOM! (editor's note- Mom offered to pay for the hotel for added incentive)   Also , Happy Memorial Day to everyone and thank you to everyone who is or has served this great country!
Date: 2009-05-26
From: Bland , Va.

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

We got some cool trail magic in Bland today. This morning we checked out of the hotel after another rainy night (thanks again mom!) We headed to the Dollar General and resupplied for a few days to get us to Pearisburg where we are going to zero (yes!!) After we got done shopping we a met guy named Troy who offered to basically chauffeur us around town until we were ready to hike . He took us to the pizza buffet that was about 10 minutes away and then even sat around and waited on us to eat. He wouldn't let us buy him lunch but he had some coffee. After lunch he gave us the scenic tour of Bland County and even took us to see his hunting cabin. After about 2 hours with Troy, he let us know his wife had passed away from cancer 4 years ago. We were all having a great time with him and I'm sure he enjoyed having people to talk to. When it was time for us to go, he offered for us to stay at his house for the night but we needed to get hiking. We told him that the next time we came through we would visit.    Around 4 p.m. we finally got back on the trail and hiked 12 miles. We got where we were going using headlamps as the light slowly disappeared. Around 9 p.m. we made it to the shelter and found a large group of section hikers partying with their wives who had driven up from Florida to see them (there was a road 1 mile away) I would have enjoyed some of their food but my stomach is killing me from eating too much at the pizza buffett. UGHHHHHHH.
Date: 2009-05-27
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: moderate rain

Last night was horrible. My stomach churned all night , keeping me awake and constantly forcing me to the privy. I finally was able to get some solid sleep starting around 6 a.m. and then getting up about 10:00 a.m. Luckily my hiking buddies were also wanting to sleep in and we all left the shelter at 1 p.m. and started for the next shelter.   I moved pretty slow today and got to a small grocery that serves hamburgers at 3:30. My appetite just wasn't there and I couldn't even finish a regular hamburger. Oh well.   The rest of the hike after Trent's Grocery was really pretty and we crossed lots of creeks and streams that were overflowing from all the rain we've had. Just to give you an idea of how much rain we've gotten , the county we are hiking through has had flash flood warnings for the past two days. I am ready to get to Pearisburg and wash clothes and be dry for a few days.      By the end of the day, my stomach isn't feeling much better. I hope I don't have food poisoning or especially not Giardia.
Date: 2009-05-28
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg, Va.
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Pearisburg!!! To no one's surprise we walked through storms today to get to Pearisburg. Now we are at the hotel and are dry, clean and warm. Oh yeah.      This town trip is awesome because we are going to take our first zero day in about 200 miles tomorrow. My feet and legs are ready for the rest and I might need to get my stomach checked out. If I can't keep food in my system long enough to get the nutrients I'll be in bad shape soon.      Trail Magic as soon as we got to town!! The volunteer EMS people were cooking out as we walked by to the laundry and they offered us food. WooHoo.      I also got to see my first daytime bear today on the trail. I was about halfway to Pearisburg when I rounded a corner just in time to see a juvenile bear using the trail walking the same way I was. I only saw him for a second because he followed the trail and it turned around some bushes. I waited for a second to see if I could spot it again but no luck. Eventually I yelled a few times to make sure it was gone and then I kept moving.
Date: 2009-05-29
From: Pearisburg, Va.

To: Pearisburg, Va.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today I am zeroing in Pearisburg and it's great. This morning we got word that Randall has a flight home from Roanoke tomorrow but can actually get a flight this afternoon if we get him to the airport by 2p.m. He is going to rent a car here and we are going to drive him soon (editor's note-Randall is one of Tyler's Clemson fraternity brothers that has been hiking with them since the beginning. He needs to be back in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. for a wedding but will be back on the trail in a week. I think they will try to get back together. Tyler has to leave the trail for 4 days in August for a wedding.)      I'm looking forward to our road trip and hopefully I can buy some new shoes in Roanoke. I'm fairly happy with my shoes but they are heavy and hold lots of water. I am going to get some trail runners that will hopefully dry faster. Time to relax. Oh yeah, my stomach is still messed up.
Date: 2009-05-30
From: Pearisburg, Va.

To: Rice Field Shelter, Va.
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: scattered clouds

It took all day but I finally decided to leave Pearisburg and get back to the woods. Staying another night was a strong option but ultimately boredom won out. Towns are great but eventually you run out of things to do. James and I made sure to go by Wendy's on the way out of town and I have officially found my new favorite fast food dessert; Move over Chic-Fil-A milkshakes, hello Coffee Toffee Frosty from Wendy's.   Got to Rice Field Shelter area just in time for an awesome sunset and then set up tents in some primo real estate on the meadow ridge. I'm looking forward to waking up to this incredible view from my tent. Come to think of it , I'm looking forward to being in the woods again. It's crazy how much I miss the woods after only 2 days.go to this link to see a videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JVBwIZanJw
Date: 2009-05-31
From: Rice Field Shelter, Va.

To: Bailey Gap Shelter, Va.
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

Last night was the scariest night I have had in my whole life. I woke up at 2:45 am to the sound of thunder and by 3:00 am there was a huge storm right on top of us. Instantly the awesome ridge meadow from the night before turned into a lightning, wind, and rain hell. Eventually the lightning was so bad that I took down my aluminum trekking pole (the only support for my tent) to lesson the chance of being struck by lightning.       I laid inside my now flat tent and got soaked for the next two hours. Around 5:30 am the storm passed and I was able to set my tent back up. I was completely soaked but so tired and mentally drained that I was able to sleep.      This morning was warm and sunny so I was able to dry my stuff out. We didn't end up getting on the trail until 11:15. The hiking today was great because I was so happy that last night was over.
Date: 2009-06-01
From: Bailey Gap Shelter, Va.

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

The weather today has been awesome. I am really excited because this is our first day of really nice weather that even comes remotely close to being called summer. I don't want to talk about it too much so I won't jinx us.   Small world- I met a guy today from Seneca, SC that I actually played soccer against. It's cool to be able to talk to someone about home. He is at the shelter with us now and is named Hopscotch. He got really good trail magic in Pearisburg when a guy lent him his truck for 2 days.   Well the past few nights the moon has been bright when it isn't storming so we are thinking about doing some night hiking. We took naps here from 4 to 6 and then ate dinner and now are getting ready to leave for a few hours of hiking in the dark. SWEET
Date: 2009-06-02
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: clear sky

Last night was awesome. Hiking right at dusk is the best time of the day since the temps were just right and the bugs had already gone in. We made it about 7 miles before the terrain got really rocky and we were kinda stumbling around. We found some flat ground and tented for the night. I was in bed by 11:00 p.m. and slept like a baby.   Today was HOT! Luckily during the hottest part of the day (around 1:30) we came across Craig Creek and took a break to swim and actually wash off a little bit. It was great to swim around and stop sweating for an hour. Eventually we left the creek and came up to this shelter area. Sleeping in the tent tonight and looking forward to tomorrow. I am going to to to Catawba and resupply of FOOD! Yeah, more poptarts!
Date: 2009-06-03
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Catawba
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Great day so far. This morning we were at Oregon's Tooth and hung around there for awhile. Dragon's Tooth is a huge rock spire on top of a mountain and is really cool to climb on and sit on top of. We left there and found a cooler of cold sodas by the road about an hour later. That soda was dy-no-mite! On a serious note, the trail from Va. 624 to Dragon's Tooth was pretty nasty and some of the most technical hiking yet.   At 3p.m. we got to the Hwy. and hitched down here to the general store in Catawba. I picked up my food box at the post office and then went to the store to crush a bag of chips and drain a Monkey Dew. The weather started to get nasty and we were really feeling like staying around for awhile when the cash register guy told us we could hang out in the barn out back. Once we heard that, it wasn't a hard decision to wait out the storm here. Now we are drinking beer in the barn and chillin. Looks like we might be staying here tonight. (the offer has been given)
Date: 2009-06-04
From: Catawba

To: Daleville, Va.
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: light rain

I don't feel like writing much so here are the highlights of the day in chronological order:      * McFee's Knob      * Tinko Cliffs      * Rain      * Hotel Shower      * Ned the Fed buying us an Italian dinner      * McDonald's sundae Good day, better tomorrow: Shoneys breakfast buffet   for video of Ty hiking in the rain go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDGmWlUpbYE
Date: 2009-06-05
From: Daleville, Va.

To: Daleville, Va.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Protesting the rain and staying in the Comfort Inn for another night. Well we aren't really protesting because if that was the case, we'd never get to the next state much less Katahdin with as many rain days as we have had. None of us felt like walking into the rain today and the forecast for tomorrow is sunny so I guess we'll walk again then. I went to the outfitter today to buy a new warm weather sleeping bag but they were sold out of the model I wanted. I decided not to compromise and buy a bag I didn't want so I came back to the hotel and ordered the bag directly. I wanted to support the local outfitter but oh well.    It's been a relaxing day and I had a really good and cheap meal at the restaurant, Country Cooking and am now drinking some Yeungling Black and Tan beer in the hotel room. I'll end with this: America's Funniest Home Videos, and expecially videos of people falling, will NEVER get old. HaHaHa
Date: 2009-06-06
From: Daleville, Va.

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today the sun is shining! We woke up this morning and the sun was already out and I really don't think you could have slapped the smile off my face. I got some continental breakfast (who am I kidding, I ate way more than they ever intended anyone to eat) and picked up my stuff to hit the trail. Before I left town I had a few things I wanted to do.   First I have really wanted to get a new book since I finished my first one and secondly I wanted to eat some more town food. After checking a few places I came to grips with the fact I would have to leave town without my book. During the same time I also came to grips with just how awesome the dollar menu is at Wendy's. Needless to say I waddled onto the trail happy.   Today we got our first, but assuredly not our last, taste of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Pretty much for the rest of Va. , the trail goes through an area that is also occupied by this famous highway. I guess it's not too bad because the trail is easy, but you are constantly crossing the highway. It just isn't as cool knowing you are also so close to civilization.