morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-30
From: Iron Mountain Shelter, TN

To: Double Spring Shelter, TN
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: clear sky

I was hiking by 7 am this morning! The sun was shining, and though it was cold enough to see my breath, I warmed up fine hiking. The trail was beautiful - not rocky, nothing too strenuous going up or down.Still, when I pulled into a shelter at noon intending to eat lunch and move on, I realized: I don't feel like hiking another 8 miles to the next shelter! I did not feel like pushing on, I really wanted to just enjoy the afternoon sitting in the sun, reading, and relaxing. So I did! I flopped down on the grass and napped for a little while. One of the hikers pulling in for lunch said, "Oh no, is Bananas sick?" No, Bananas was very comfortable! I read, wrote in my journal, snacked all afternoon.It was really nice, and I'm glad I did it, because now it's "out of my system". I'm sure at another point in the future I'll take another half day, but by late afternoon I thought, ok, this is nice, but I'm ready to hike all day again.
Date: 2008-05-01
From: Double Spring Shelter, TN

To: Campsite in Virginia
Miles today: 16.4

I woke up at 6 am to the sound of birds chirping. I lay in my sleeping bag for half an hour just enjoying it, then got up and started hiking. I was still really missing Ground Control, so I was happy it was beautiful weather and beautiful trail. It reminded me of why I'm out here!At one point this morning I came around a corner in the trail and saw a flurry of movement. I stopped dead to see what was going on. Six deer had been together (having their morning coffee?) and when I surprised them, three of them ran downhill, and three ran uphill. The ones who ran uphill stopped at the top of ridge, and I could see their silhouettes against the rising sun. Wow!It was a warm day today, and I wanted to do my longest day yet, so after lunch I'd hike an hour, then sit down, take off my boots and socks, and drink a lot of water. These small but frequent breaks really seemed to help. When I got to camp tonight I still had plenty of energy to make dinner, set up my tent, and hang my bear bag.I crossed another state line today - I hiked into VIRGINIA!
Date: 2008-05-02
From: Campsite in Virginia

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.9
Weather: scattered clouds

WOW!! I hadn't been anticipating Damascus as much as other trail towns since I was just here with Ground Control last weekend (he picked me up 40 miles south of the trail and ferried me here). But let me tell you - it felt GREAT to hike into Damascus this morning. What a beautiful town.I woke up around 6:30 this morning, and could hear Walrus, Aries, and Red already bustling around. Walrus said, "Bananas, the birds are asking for you!" He said it was a beautiful morning, and he wasn't kidding. I got packed up and hiked into town. Coming into town from the trail you could see these beautifully-kept homes with wash hanging out to dry, very quaint. Then a sign welcomes hikers to Damascus, and I found myself getting a little choked up! Over half of all thru-hikers who start out don't make it to Damascus. It's a big milestone!I walked through a bucolic park. The trees had leaves on them, all lush and green! After months of staring at dead branches, it reminded me of the power of nature. I walked through town and waved through the window at the woman getting ready to open her ice cream shop (see you soon!!), picked up a box of mine I had left at Augusta's, and headed to "The Place" behind the Methodist church. It's a hostel that's run strictly on the honor system - you claim your bunk, take your shower, and put your $4 in the cash box. I dumped my pack, put my sandals on, and now I'm sitting at a picnic table listening to the birds sing and watching the world go by! I ran into Bus Driver - he'd been sick a few days but was feeling better now. He mentioned he hikes with a radio, and says sometimes he likes it, but sometimes it keeps you from thinking the things you need to. He summed it up nicely: "We have nothing to worry about, but a lot to think about."
Date: 2008-05-03
From: Damascus, VA

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I had the "leaving-town blues" this morning. It was overcast with a forecast for rain and thunderstorms. Man, it was hard hiking out of town, but I packed up and started walking!The Trail runs through Damascus before heading back in the woods, so there's a diner essentially on the Trail (In the Country) that I stopped at for breakfast. Steadfast came in and joined me, which was nice as we have a lot in common. We were both really missing our husbands, we're both solo females who prefer to hike alone so we can go our own pace, we both had the "leaving-town blues". It was nice to have someone to talk to who understood!As I was getting ready to head out, the owner had my server hand me a to-go box - with TWO beautiful cinnamon buns for the Trail!! On the house! Steadfast tucked one in her pack, I gingerly (and happily) placed this edible treasure in my outside pocket, and I was ready to hike. I really can't tell you how much that cinnamon bun lifted my mood - both because it was delicious, and it was just so nice and thoughtful! What wonderful trail magic, on a morning I needed it. Thank you, In the Country diner!My hike was fine - the usual leaving town ritual of having to go uphill and having a heavy food bag, but as usual I cheered myself up by reminding myself today was the heaviest my pack would be. I'd eat it lighter every day! I was about to step over a really muddy, large puddle, when movement caught my eye. There were these HUGE tadpoles that looked like they were about to be frogs. There were two of them swimming around - so fast! Very agile!I kept expecting hikers to pass me, as a lot of people were planning to get out of Damascus today, but I only saw two thru-hikers all day (Sherlock and Freebird). I got to the shelter around 5:30, and a group of really jovial section hikers came in. I cooked my dinner and chatted with them. They were very friendly, great company. At 7 Sunbeam hiked in. She said during her hike that day, 3 guys trailrunning southbound told her "Your sister is just ahead!" so she figured I was on the trail ahead of her! Ha ha!It was a relaxing evening - chatting, sitting by the fire, stuffing my face so my food bag would weigh less. I am officially over my leaving-town blues!P.S. Two months ago today I started my hike!! I've been on the Trail 8 weeks!
Date: 2008-05-04
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Whitetop Mountain Road Campsite
Miles today: 11.9

The sky was so clear last night, we assumed that the rain that was predicted wouldn't come. One of the section hikers even talked about taking his rain fly down, but his friends pointed out that would guarantee it would rain, so he left it up. Good thing - I woke up at 2am and it was pouring. I felt so safe and snug in my tent. When I woke up at 8:30 the sky was clear and it was a beautiful day. It smelled like a garden near my tent - like very scented flowers - but nothing is quite blooming yet! I wish I knew more about plants, then I could have solved this olfactory mystery.I thoroughly enjoyed my hike today. The AT overlapped with the Virginia Creeper Trail for a while, it was very scenic. I had a heck of a climb at the end of the day, but it was worth it for the views. I'm at a campsite tonight with five other thru-hikers. One of them is Sunbeam - at one point today a thru-hiker went by me, did a double-take, and asked "Is that your sister behind you?" No, just my trail twin!When we stopped for lunch, I met a hiker who is doing a yo-yo: he's going to hike from Georgia to Maine, then turn around and hike BACK to Georgia. Over 4200 miles! Good luck, Brian! (broble.wordpress.com)At one point today, I was hiking up a hill when I saw three cows staring down at me, a mom cow and two babies. I said hello, and started hiking towards them (they were standing on the trail) and some more cows I hadn't seen came over. I said, "How many of you are there?" (Yes, I was talking out loud to the cows.) I got up the hill - they politely cleared the trail for me and there were 20 cows. Three adults and a whole bunch o' babies!
Date: 2008-05-05
From: Whitetop Mountain Road Campsite

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

PONIES!! I got to see the wild ponies in Grayson Highlands State Park today! I hiked to Thomas Knob Shelter for lunch, and behind the shelter there was a whole herd of them - including two foals!! I saw some more during my afternoon hike, and a pregnant pony! At one point I was taking a break, sitting on the grass with my pack beside me, and a pony came up and tried to eat the shoulder strap of my pack! (I think they like the taste of the salt.)I got to Wise Shelter, and there's no tenting at the shelter but tent sites are 0.3 miles up, so I headed there.I'm camping out tonight with Sunbeam, Sunkist, Kyanite, Shitty Forecast, and Aggie. At 8:30pm we were all sitting around the fire and I said, "I'm a little embarrassed but I'm going to bed!" Sunkist said, "No, you can't - we're going to melt things!!" They put a bunch of chocolate bars and water in a pot, and melted it to make this thick hot-chocolatey-like drink. Yum!! It was my first melting!P.S. Happy Birthday Mike W. - I tried calling you today but we had no cell signal. Hope you have a great b-day!
Date: 2008-05-06
From: Wise Shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

I'm glad I still have my cold-weather gear, because I was using it last night! When I got up, Bus Driver had started a fire and we both agreed it was colder than a snowman's butt.Once I started hiking and the sun came out though, everything warmed up. It was a beautiful day to hike! I stopped at a shelter for lunch, and Sunkist, Kyanite, Sunbeam, Brad, and Aggie were there. While we were eating Stumpknocker came through - he has thru-hiked six times! Wow! He looked at me then at Sunbeam and asked if we were twins or just sisters. Ha!I have to say, I now DREAD it when hikers ask what date I started from Springer. Nine times out of ten, when I tell them my start date, they actually laugh, or make some guttural noise that translates to: "Really! And you're only HERE?" Sometimes they actually say, "Wow, you must really be slow!" Well, let's see, I'm hiking my own hike! I wish more hikers would hike theirs, and even if they couldn't appreciate my hike, at least not judge it. To get comments like that multiple times a day is very wearing!But I must be doing something right, because I hit 500 MILES TODAY!! That's right, folks, this Banana from New Jersey has backpacked 500 miles of the AT!I'm "stealth camping" off the trail tonight. I'm just a stone's throw from the shelter, but there were no tent sites there, so I found a relatively flat spot tucked among the trees on the side of the trail. Though there are people nearby (at the shelter), I'm tenting solo in that there's no one around to talk to. But it's kind of a nice change to just listen to the birds while eating dinner! (For the record, the birds don't care what my start date was.)
Date: 2008-05-07
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: clear sky

I almost quit yesterday. I got to a road crossing, sat down, and thought: I don't feel like hiking another STEP! Had there been a hostel with a pay phone at that road crossing, I'd be typing this entry on my computer at home. I thought about pitching my tent right where I sat and camping out until Saturday, when my saint of a husband could pick me up - but I couldn't call him and tell him to come get me, as there was no cell signal!I could have walked to town to call him - but I was so tired of walking, I was basically too lazy to drop out! So I sat there for a while, then hauled my sorry butt north a few miles on the Trail to set up my tent. I think I was just down on myself - too many comments from other hikers about how slow I am, how low my mileage is. A lot more criticisms than compliments, that's for sure. My natural backpacking pace is 1.5 mph - faster than that and I'm not enjoying it, I'm thinking "When am I going to get there?"What I realized this morning is: I'm okay with that. If my entire goal was to thru-hike, to hike the whole Trail, I'd find some other hikers to hike with who were a notch faster than me and push myself to keep up with them, I'd have an iPod going in my ear all the time. But that's not why I'm out here. After I stopped hiking with Auntie Mame and V8, I made the conscious decision to stay a solo hiker, not to find another group of hikers out here to become part of. The solo experience is really important to me - to set my own schedule and pace, but also to have those hours hiking to be alone with my thoughts. Why I'm out here is to clear my head after a tumultuous few years. To simply fixate on making it to Katahdin would mean I'd go home the same person I left - the muddy waters wouldn't have cleared at all. Another thing I keep reminding myself is out here, to other thru-hikers, yes my pace is slow. But take the average American, put my 30 pound pack on their back, and they couldn't hike 10 miles at any pace! It reminds me of the time Ground Control and I ran a half-marathon. I don't set any land speed records running either, so I was plodding along, at the tail end of runners. A spectator called out to us: "You are ahead of 99% of the population!!" I'm slow, I'm steady - and wow I'm proud of what I've done!Hours later:The hike today was great! It got warm in the afternoon, but a wonderful breeze sprang up. I got to the shelter and there were some beautiful tent sites, so I happily claimed one. There's a lot of hikers here tonight - both section and thru. Hell on Bad Wheels pulled in around 7, after doing a 20-mile day! Wow! He's hiking to raise money for charity (www.trekkingforacause.com), so I pointed out he raised $200 today. Good for him!
Date: 2008-05-08
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Campsite at USFS 86
Miles today: 14.9

The word of the day was: humid! Wow, the air was thick. I'd take a break, sit on the side of the trail drinking water, and other hikers would crawl by saying, "It's so humid!" We all wanted the rain to start to clear the air, and that's not something hikers often wish for!I met Willow and longwe tru today, two really nice ladies. I asked if they'd seen Barley and Rain, and they said they were maybe an hour behind me. I was happy to hear that! I haven't seen them for almost a week! I wrote a note for them ("Barley and Rain, I heard you're right behind me. See you at the shelter for pizza! - Bananas") and stuck it on a tree. They found it and said it made their day! They came in to the shelter just minutes after me, and we ordered pizza. Yes, you read that right - a pizza place delivers to Partnership Shelter. I got a pizza with bell peppers and fresh garlic, and boy it was good! I ate half and tucked the other half in my pack for breakfast tomorrow.After my pizza digested, I hiked another four miles with Barley and Rain. It started POURING, lightning and thunder. Far enough away so we were safe, and wow it was exhilarating. We found a campsite, and I don't think I ever pitched my tent and hung a bear bag so quickly! Now I'm tucked snuggly in my sleeping bag, listening to the rain on my tent. It's a very soothing sound. I'll sleep well tonight. And tomorrow: laundry and a shower! Yes!
Date: 2008-05-09
From: Campsite at USFS 86

To: Interchange at Atkins 
Miles today: 7.4

What a day of extremes! I woke up to what sounded like terrible weather. When I poked my head out of my tent I realized it wasn't that bad. It was windy, but not raining. (The wind was blowing the water off the leaves, so it sounded like steady rain!) Knowing I was 7.4 miles away from a GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH, I packed up and hiked! After a few hours the sun came out just as I was walking through these grassy fields - just beautiful. I got into town and saw some hikers sitting outside the gas station, so I went over to chat. Of course, everyone is buzzing with news of the shootings. Two guys (fishermen) camped near the AT were shot last week, by a convicted murderer who was out on parole. (He was convicted for killing two AT hikers in '81.) Thank HEAVENS they caught him, and the two guys who were shot will live. This has all been confirmed in the news and by a ranger I talked to. Unfortunately there are two other rumors flying up and down the trail that I haven't been able to confirm, so I won't repeat them here, but have to do with hiker safety. It just got me a little freaked, especially being a solo hiker! Another hiker asked what my plans were, I said I was staying here tonight, then just doing the three miles to the shelter right out of town tomorrow. He snorted, "God, you are moving slow." I'm really getting fed up with comments like this. I really expected the hiker community to be more supportive of all hikers, not just those who fit in the narrow band of "normal" pace/mileage. I went to the Barn Restaurant, read the newspaper articles about the two men who were shot, and brooded over my grilled cheese. Just as I'm ready to leave, Willow and longwe tru walked in, so I sat with them and chatted for a while. They're such nice ladies, very upbeat and encouraging. And not freaked out by recent events!I wandered back to my motel room, and thought: Do I feel safe on the Trail? I'd promised my mother-in-law if I ever felt unsafe, I'd go home. I thought about it and realized: I do feel safe - even being solo I feel quite safe! For a moment I thought, maybe I should find other hikers to group up with so I'm not solo anymore. But then I realized: those two guys getting shot shows that being with someone else doesn't necessarily grant you immunity. And things happen all the time off the trail too - a lot more often, in fact! All I can do is keep hiking my own hike, and hope it continues to unfold the way it has so far, with luck on my side. Let's keep those two men in our thoughts for a complete recovery. What a terrible act of violence!
Date: 2008-05-11
From: Campsite at VA42

To: Chestunut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I decided to spice up my daily routine! I got up at five a.m., packed up by headlamp, and was hiking by 6. I heard the birds wake up! The woods was silent at first, then I heard the first bird song of the day, then the whole forest was singing!I didn't get to see the sunrise, because there was a dark, brooding rain cloud taking over the entier sky.After 5 miles, Rain and Barley were sitting in a really pretty spot near a river, heating water for coffee, so I sat down to visit. Hikers kept going by us, asking "Did you camp here last night?" We kept calling out, "No, just taking a coffee break." I said we were union hikers, we get our coffee breaks.I started hiking again, and the rain kept holding off, and I kept hiking, and the rain kept holding off. I even put on my rain pants and my pack cover, figuring that would guarantee it wouldn't rain. ("That's good preventative medicine!" Walrus said last week when I told him this theory.) At noon my luck ran out - the sky opened up, the rain came down, and the wind kicked up! I was only about 2 miles from the shelter, so I just put my head down and kept my legs pumpimg!I got to the shelter and I was SO HAPPY - it had 4 walls and a door. All the other shelters are open on one side and don't offer much protection against the wind and rain combo. I went in and the shelter was PACKED. Most hikers were just stopped for lunch, though, and cleared out after an hour. I claimed a bunk, and lay in my sleeping bag listening to the rain and the wind. It felt so good to be there!We have a fun crew here tonight: Barley and Rain were literally packing up to leave (the sun came out briefly, teasing everyone) when the rain started again, so they stayed. Willow and longwa tru came in, and Shout and Whisper are here. I was just wondering where Hell on Bad Wheels was, and he came in looking a little weary. ("Did anyone else get hailed on?" he asked. Oh dear!)Hopefully this will blow out by tomorrow morning!
Date: 2008-05-12
From: Chestunut Knob Shelter

To: Chestunut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

All night, the wind blew and the rain was hitting the roof! Rain and Barley left at 6 a.m. I picked my head up to say goodbye to them, and when they opened the door to leave, I could only see a cloud!I slept in, got up around 7:30, ate breakfast, and kept waiting for the weather to break. Finally I decided to just stay put for the day - it was too messy outside and too dry and cozy in here. A few others also decided to zeor. The rest of the hikers headed out in the early afternoon, and another wave of hikers came in!Two section hikers came in and were cooking their dinner. One of them spilled something, and was going to clean it up and throw it out. Shout said, "Oh, I forgot you're not thru-hikers, so you won't be eating it off the floor." He told his dog he could eat it, solving the problem.The forecast is for sunny skies tomorrow!
Date: 2008-05-13
From: Chestunut Knob Shelter

To: Laurel Creek
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

The sun was out this morning! It was cause for much celebration in the shelter. I hadn't had cell service for a few days, so I turned my phone on and wandered around outside the shelter but didn't pick up a signal. I kept the phone on and put it in my pocket, knowing sometimes I inadvertently find a hot spot and it springs to life. I head to the privy and guess what - I had an excellent signal there, allowing a quick call to Ground Control. ("Honey, guess where I'm calling from!")I packed up and started hiking. A few miles into my hike, I met 4 section hikers heading southbound. One of them - Poleclimber - knew my trail name from this site, and had trail magic for me - a Butterfinger! He's been following my trailjournal and figured he'd run into me during this section. He wanted to bring me a banana, but they were all out. The Butterfinger was delicious!When I stopped for lunch I met two guys doing trail maintainence. They filled my waterbottle and took my trash for me!I made it to the shelter at 4, intending to stay there. Hell on Bad Wheels was heading another 5 miles to Laurel Creek so I decided to push on too. We rolled in around 7:30 - by the time I cooked and ate dinner, I was putting my tent up in the dark! But that's okay, at this point I think I could do it with my eyes closed.Some people are heading in to Bland, VA tomorrow. I don't need to go there to resupply, but if the thought of a restaurant meal is too tempting, I may head that way!