morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-04-12
From: Getting Back on the Trail - 2006

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It's hilarious how different this year's hike already is...last year my preparation entries spanned months and months before my departure date. About two months ago I thought about getting back on the trail, the last couple of weeks I've been waiting to see what plans presented themselves, and this monday-two whole days ago-I started planning this trip back to Virginia-to the spot where I first skipped even a mile because of horrific foot pain last year. I think I've healed-the rest of my body and my mind are in a far better place so I'm hoping my feet will come along for the ride. The best way to live life I've discovered this past year is to plan as little as possible, assume you know nothing, and laugh at every moment you're given and the whole sweet brevity of it all.I leave tomorrow morning and journals and pictures will follow in a week or two!!!Peace and Blessings
Date: 2006-04-14
From: Pearisburg VA

To: Pearisburg VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

A bee just landed on my journal paper and peed. I'm sitting on the deck of Holy Family Hostel which is completely constructed of wood, so I've got bee shennanigans all around. I was debating where exactly to get back on the trail. Woke up to rain, thunder, lightning, and a horribly upset stomach. All the last minute preparation for this hike and traveling yesterday made a mess of my body. So - I decided to spend a day at this beautiful hostel to get my body and mind in the right place for a hike. I've already met a couple of great guys and there are more hikers coming in as the afternoon rolls on. I'm retracing a bit of last year's walk to cover my roundabout skipping of the section here to Daleville from last year because of all my foot pain.It feels so amazing to be back - my thoughts are very much with my parents who just left - who are my best friends and biggest supporters - with my baby nieces whose little heads and souls I never knew I would love so much - with all my family and my family of friends that make going off on these solo adventures so heartbreaking . . . but, my thoughts are also very much right here in these mountains that always feel like home. With these crazy buzzing bees and buds of spring and slow, easy porch front conversations. I'm a lucky girl - a happy, humbled, lucky girl.
Date: 2006-04-16
From: Pearisburg VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up early yesterday morning,got packed,put on my shoes and took a nap on the hostel's porch...I did not feel well yesterday,and as the day wore on,I felt worse. I couldn't eat,could hardly swallow,I had a fever,my body hurt and I was a big grump so of course,I didn't walk.I took a nap,listened to music,walked to Wal-Mart to call my parents and wished my mom a happy birthday and ate watermelon on the porch with the rest of the hikers-Firefly backpacked 30 pounds-yes,30 pounds-of watermelon over from Wal-Mart.We had a big crew sleep out on the porch and early this morning,Zama and Lug made us a HUGE breakfast of Brekky Pie(think hard core hiker frittata)pancakes,fruit,juice,biscuits and toast...it was so good I had to take a picture! It was a beautiful Easter morning and I felt much better thanks to Alexandra's special receipe that I brewed into a tea and drank last night...(garlic,honey,ginger,lemon and cayenne and YES it tastes as horrible as it sounds but you know I wouldn't subject myself to a brew like that if it didn't work). SO I took off this morning and crawled out of Pearisburg - still feelin crummy. Had a heavy pack and green legs. I met 4 thru-hikers at the first shelter who had created a thru-hiker Easter egg hunt, leaving eggs along the trail over 20 miles with candy in them. They gave me a pretty serious forecast of rain, lightning, golf ball sized hail, so I sat in the grass and contemplated 12 more miles in a lightning storm to the next shelter, COMBINED with 3 extra miles I hiked from the hostel to the trail without getting picked up by anyone on Easter Sunday (I couldn't feel too sorry for myself since they were the first of my trip). A 23 mile day just seemed too steep for my first day, so as soon as I saw Scout taking it easy at the shelter, I decided to take it easy too after 10 miles on this stormy, Easter Sunday.
Date: 2006-04-17
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

I spent the majority of today counting seconds between lightning and low menacing grumbles of thunder - it rained ALL DAY - poured at points and was very cold. I was surprised by how little I minded - I feel very differently hiking this year - in '05 from day 1 to 700 miles I LOATHED rainy weather - come to think of it I often had a crap attitude toward any adverse situation. . .hills, mileage - I feel much more laid back this year for a number of reasons I imagine - maturity, experience, better health, better diet (cutting a lot of the super processed high sugar foods) and being off a certain prescription that's made me bonkers for years. Scout and I cowboy camped in Rice Field last night while the two boys set up their tents around us. I woke up several times to a big sky of beautiful stars and then later to a huge waning almost full moon - At 4 AM, in the middle of some horrible nightmare I woke up with a jump and near heart attack to Scout tapping me on the shoulder to head in to the shelter since a big thunderstorm was headed in -and sure enough 20 minutes later the sky fell. One of the guys in the shelter decided to hang his food bag on a nail against the wall and the mice were at it all night. I tried not to freak out and fall back to sleep - nightmares were better than visions of furry mice. I've been a little ill the last few days - still feeling a really sore throat right now and know with today's miles I will sleep solid mice or no mice.
Date: 2006-04-18
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Just said goodbye to the crew I've been with since Holy Family. My body can't keep up with thru hikers yet and I know from last year not to push it - might be my first night solo in a shelter (I'm tenting actually next to the shelter) which is really nice and a little lonely, too. I needed this time to think and regroup after a couple nights out which is pretty much impossible when you're sharing your night's home with an entertaining group of people. My shorter day has already allowed for a very cold bath in the stream, a little laundry, a foot soak and a bunch of lounging in the sun - what a drastic change in weather - from thunder, lightning and a morning time temperature below 40 degrees to blue skies and 70 degrees throughout the day. We met a couple of day hikers at a rocky overlook that said it's supposed to thunderstorm again tomorrow night - I have a 20 mile day planned tomorrow and I'm hoping tonight's rest will help me get to that shelter - I'm also hoping I can bribe my body to hold up with an overnight stay in Daleville and trout dinner at Cracker Barrell.
Date: 2006-04-19
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Oh. . .I'm tired. . .I felt amazing when I got to the second shelter at 1 pm but the last 9.9 miles kicked my butt and now I have blisters and I want to sleep for 12 hours straight and get a spa treatment in the morning. I've discovered the luxury of daily creek bathing and clothes laundering and wonder why I've never taken advantage before - I smell 50% better (probably not really) and sleep much better clean. I'm taking it easy tomorrow - I can't top last year's Catawba experience and I'm not even going to try so it'll be two nice days into Daleville - already made plans with the crew here to split a hotel there - as much as I loved having a shelter to myself last night it's good to be back in good company.
Date: 2006-04-21
From: Pickle Branch

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: light rain

11.2 miles today and 11.9 miles yesterdayYesterday was 85 degrees and not much water around ¢ my body was a mess from the 20 miler the day before so when I got to the Catawba road crossing and an angel showed up and said he¢d take me to Daleville I took the blessing offered to me (I hiked the Catawba to Daleville section last year). In Daleville I had a long talk with a little boy/man at the hotel desk who was awkward and sweet and some day wants to thru hike the trail ¢ and I had a long talk with a truck driver at the Truckstop of America that couldn¢t look me in the eye ¢ and over laundry we talked about Fyodor Dostoyevsky ¢ and I got honked at by 10 trucks as I desperately tried to hold my skirt down against the wind and hightail it to the Cracker Barrel to get an enormous trout dinner and I ate every single delicious bite and drank 4 cups of coffee. I soaked my feet in a tub full of water and ice and then I soaked my body in a tub full of scalding water that jabbed knives into my sunburned skin. I met a sweet old man at Kroger that followed me around asking questions and every single person I met wanted to make sure I wasn¢t out there hiking alone ¢ I told them I am and I¢m not; depends on how you look at it. I had an old couple ask me what it was I called myself ¢ a nature lover? An outdoorsman? I smiled and said I called myself lots of things ¢ crazy for one and yes I love nature, the outdoors, hiking, traveling, meeting all kinds of wonderful people that make me realize this world isn¢t as bad as we all think it is ¢ it is in fact full of a million small miracles if we open up our little lives to adventure ¢ not just hiking a 2000 mile trail but talking to that truck driver or waitress you¢re sure you don¢t have anything in common with or sitting by yourself in a coffee shop and smiling at strangers or taking a walk outside and getting to know your neighbors. . . I¢m by myself in the shelter tonight ¢ second solo shelter experience so far ¢ it¢s amazing to have this scary kind of experience where you confront your fears all alone in the woods ¢ makes you learn a lot about yourself and your idea of independence. I¢ve decided though that too big a part of hiking the AT for me is being around the instant friends you find out here ¢ I¢m planning a really low mileage day tomorrow so they can catch up and so my bright red swollen blistered feet can have a break. I¢m saying a sweet prayer for SouthPaw, my sweet trail angel, tonight and for a handful of other angels I hold dear to my heart and am missing so so much tonight. Hard to believe 24 hours ago I was in a plush bed watching Iron Chef and Sex in the City and eating Cheetos.
Date: 2006-04-22
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

I was so LAZY today ¢ it was fabulous ¢ I stayed in the shelter reading ¢ and listening to the last of the night¢s lightning/thunder storms roll through and didn¢t¢ leave until 1 p.m. My feet still don¢t feel great ¢ made some stupid decision to bring flax pills, fish oil pills, MSM pills but none of the almighty all powerful vitamin I ¢ my feet are absolutely throbbing ¢ I got down for a little while too ¢ all the usual mid-20-something life crises. Right when I thought I was gonna spend my second night alone in a shelter with my worries and pain (I know, woe is me, out in the middle of a beautiful woods w/o a 9 to 5) Firefly comes strolling down he hill after sunset yelling ¢Honey, I¢m home.¢ It¢s been big smiles and laughs ever since.
Date: 2006-04-23
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Some campsite
Miles today: 19.1

Wrongway came in last night after Firefly ¢ he¢s been doing 25-30 mile days but did a measly 19 miles with us today which must mean we¢re pretty cool ¢ just kidding ¢ he¢s from NYC and has a camera full of amazing wildlife photos he¢s taken along the way. . . and photos of his various body parts with crawly things all over him. Silver caught back up with us too and I had a fabulous day ¢ Firefly gave me Vitamin I and I¢ve been feeling no pain ¢ we took two really nice hour long lounge breaks, got a bunch of fruit trail magic from section hikers and followed Wingfoot¢s promise of a campsite to our current location which resembles a bog more than a stream and an itty bitty patch of grass more than a campsite. We have 4 tents squished in about a 5x5 foot space ¢ I¢ve been made fun of twice not only for my campsite finding skills but my bear bagging skills as well ¢ My 10 pound bag of food is literally 3 12 feet off the ground hanging from a twig of a tree ¢ Firefly expressed relief only midget bears roam these woods. . .I¢m exhausted and happy and sliding down the hill that my tent and sleeping bag are currently set upon.
Date: 2006-04-24
From: Some campsite

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Whoa! My feet hurt! It was such a beautiful day!!! Scout caught back up with us and did a 26 mile day! I¢m currently bloated on a 12 gallon of ice cream, box of Cheerios with whole milk and bananas! Wrong Way hitched into town 2 miles back & brought us trail magic in his pack to the shelter ¢ amazing! Silver and I came out of the woods onto a huge footbridge spanning the John¢s River and Firefly was jumping off into the river with a bunch of VA local boys ¢ we all took a great break there as the sun set and it was as perfect an evening as I¢ve had in a long time. My wildlife sighting is now up to 9 deer and a big huge black snake that scared the pee out of me and a little green snake that I almost stepped on. My trail legs are amazing, my shoulders just recently caught up and my feet are a distant 3rd but I¢ve found the best trail family and a Waynesboro zero day is just a few days down the trail ¢ I¢ve got big plans for the YMCA pool there and now that I¢ve got a ravenous trail stomach visions of pizza and salad are dancing through my head.
Date: 2006-04-25
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was beautiful ¢ so so hot and I tried to jump in a lake with Firefly but chickened out last minute. Days like today are why I love the trail ¢ days when I get to act like a big kid, splashing around in streams, lazing around in the sun, running through the woods laughing and joking, watching thunderstorms from the shelter, talking and smiling over steaming pots and cups of dinner and falling asleep to the sounds of a stream. Trail angels left cake and doughnuts in the shelter which ended up being the bulk of my meal. Just 3 of us all spread out in the shelter tonight ¢ Silver and Wrong Way went in to Buena Vista ¢ comfy & cozy listening to pitter patter of rain.
Date: 2006-04-26
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Either I¢m in Virginia or I¢ve got my trail legs or both but today was so easy ¢ we planned a shorter 16 over more steep terrain, but I flew. It is cold and wet ¢ thermometer reads 45 degrees at 6 p.m. I slept like a baby last night and stayed in the shelter until 10:30 talking with Firefly and resisting crawling out of our bags. I ran into Silver 6 miles out and he said the town was a disaster ¢ no one would pick up two soggy hikers and they didn¢t get into the hotel until 11 p.m. cold wet and tired and THEN Silver told me Wrong Way decided to get off the trail and go back to New York this morning ¢ BIG BUMMER. I have felt so sick all day ¢ my stomach is absolutely raw and I¢m hoping it¢s just something I ate that will go away tomorrow. Also have a sore throat and runny nose. . . Scout fed me peppermint tea and I¢m feeling a bit better but not much. Had to double over several times during the hike cause my stomach cramps were so bad ¢ still made the hike in just over 5 hours so I¢ve had lots of time to take it easy and cuddle up in my bag. This morning I met a SOBO section hiker that as we were talking backed away from me waiving his hand in front of his nose saying ¢Whew ¢ you just get back from town or something? You smell sweet!¢ He was either warped, being sarcastic or after 6 full days since town I have just won some sort of best smelling hiker award.
Date: 2006-04-27
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Out of the ridgewalking and lowlands of Virginia a huge hard climb ¢ one of the wildest so far ¢ came and kicked me on my ass today. Still felt nauseous all day but I think I figured out it¢s from taking too much ibuprofen ¢ went from 0 to 3 a morning and my system freaked out a little. I was so tired I had to pass out and I¢m finishing my journal in the post office so I can mail it to my parents to put online so suffice it to say my belly¢s bloated with a big milkshake ¢ I did ANOTHER 21 mile day today. I¢m psycho running around doing errands ¢ they¢re shooting a sequel to Bruce Almighty in Waynesboro so all the streets are closed ¢ I can¢t wait to take a shower and curl into a milk induced coma!
Date: 2006-04-28
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I always have insane impatience the day into a trail town and I¢m ashamed to say I rushed through today¢s hike in less than 8 hours¢¦ it was a beautiful day. The terrain was easy, and I was out of food and hungry. Silver and I got to Rockfish at the same time and no sooner had we sat down to figure out what direction to go when a young guy had stopped on the side of the road asking if we needed a ride ¢ Magic! Next thing I know I¢m sitting in a Tastee Freeze sipping the best milky sugary goodness of a peanut butter chocolate shake I¢ve ever had. Somewhere between drinking my shake and running to the post office I turned into an over excited child, everything felt and tasted so good that I had the biggest most dumb smile on my face for the rest of the day. The whole town was shut down for the filming of the sequel to Bruce Almighty and in true small town fashion it was all any locals were talking about. The people here are amazing, so friendly and helpful and excited to have hikers in their community. None of the strange stares or what train did you come in on looks you get in many trail towns. Scout, Firefly and I are splitting a room at the Quality Inn and promptly hit up an AYCE salad bar place. I¢m stuffed sitting in a big plush bed watching Austin Powers and drinking a Yuengling and I smell good too.   Ah, small wonders.
Date: 2006-04-29
To: Pre Amble Ramble
Miles today: 0.0

Even though I'm two weeks in to my hike, I wanted to post a little warning to all potential readers outside my family/friend circle who already know the potential swings of my crazy life. And also please excuse any retarded thought processes in these words cause i've just consumed a very large pizza, have hiked four twenty mile days in a row, was just lazing outside Waynesboro in the sun, and was just awoken from a nap on the couch of the library where i was waiting to use a computer...computor? wow, i'm really dazed...okay-this is NOT a journal of a thru-hiker...a of all because i started in Pearisburg,VA 13 days ago and b of all because i don't promise to get to katahdin. I'm starting from where i left off last year and from my previous experience and older and wiser point of view these days i know it does no good to assume I'll get to Maine or make a straight-line-black and white rule book for what this hiking experience is going to be...deeming it a failure if it doesn't end with a picture of me standing on a wooden sign 6000 feet up in the air. I don't know where I'll be ten minutes from now much less three months from now, so all that matters is this second right now sitting next to my friends in a public library a skip and a jump away from the Appalachian Trail. As my buddy Firefly and I were discussing this week, hiking the AT is not being able to say I hiked from point A to point B but being able to say I hope my hike never ends. I want to hike every mile of the trail-hell, i want to hike some sections five or six times, and I'm structuring this year's hike so that if I keep heading North i will have hiked the whole monster, but this thing is a way of life for me-i'll never be done hiking. It's been a blast so far-a million times better than any day last year because this year the hike is mine-i'm on my own, i'm not tied down anywhere or to anyone, and i feel free as a bird...The trail holds nothing over my head this year-if I don't finish it's not the end nor will I feel disgrace...if I choose another path in life I'll do so with complete presence and confidence...if I end up in Maine it will be because that's what i choose to do every day for the next two months-wake up, walk, and eat, sleep, breathe the outdoors. There's no better teacher than the trail to bring you to terms with what's inside of you-of what you carry around with you trying to cure or make happy with this place or that person-of what is always seeking to be filled-of how we are hungry, to borrow the words of a great author...in a sense i think every man is an island that can't move forward filled until he comes to terms with what he really is. Whoa, told you i just ate a big pizza So journals will be forthcoming in a few days with pictures and the whole works. I've posted a few Post Office drops FYI. Planning on doing Trail Days with some friends from last year...so enjoy and as always love and peace-thanks for all your support along the way.
Date: 2006-04-29
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Waynesboro
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Continental breakfast, laundry, Papa John¢s, library, Kroger, Tastee Freeze. I¢m sensing a common thread to my time spent in town¢¦ we¢re camping out tonight at the beautiful and free YMCA campground. Great day ¢¦ my feet and my stomach thank me. The recent cold front has me feeling a little ill, not at all helped by staying up to 11:00 talking on a park bench with Firefly- I know morning will come too soon.
Date: 2006-04-30
From: Waynesboro

To: Black Rock Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

I felt like crap today, my blisters won¢t go away, my throat¢s sore and I have no energy. Scout and I didn¢t get ¢home¢ until 8pm. Everything hurts ¢ the Shenendoah¢s are ridiculously easy ¢ I made a really good dinner of Annie¢s white cheddar mac-n-cheese and concentrated pesto sauce out of a tube ¢ that¢s the only good thing I can say about today ¢ and it didn¢t rain. . . there, that¢s it¢¦. These days just happen on the trail ¢ grin and bear it ¢ tomorrow's another day and all that crap.