morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-05
From: Roan Mtn

To: Hampton
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a conjunction of perfections! I did 25 miles (the highest mileage yet) from my B&B in Roan Mtn to my cabin in Black Bear Resort just before Hampton. The trail was not difficult and the weather was beautiful. The hike today was the complete opposite of my last day on the mountain. Then every new thing was something bad; today every turn was something easy, pretty, or interesting. During the walk I contemplated what parameters determine the difficult of the trail. I decided there are four orthogonal components. The profile of course is what the guide provides; the climbs , descents and their slopes and durations. This alone has often been very misleading. The terrain is important; whether you are walking on grass, rocks, roots, etc which can limit your stride even on level ground. The conditions also are key; with snow or mud impeding progress even on smooth level paths. Finally, the current weather, which is many times not in sync with the ground conditions, is a huge factor. Yesterday a moderately mild profile, smooth terrain, minimal mud fr previous rains, and a calm cool day joined to create hiking utopia. That will change soon. It always does. Big rain is coming in two days. I think I will hole up in my creek side cabin an watch the national championship hoops game. I did see Wisconsin lose by a point. What a poor time for them to finally miss a free throw. Congrats though on a fine season.
Date: 2014-04-06
From: Hampton

To: hampton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

On Sunday I tried my first slack pack. This means hiking without a full pack. In this cad I had decided to stay at the Black Bear Resort thru Monday to miss some big rains and didn't want to waste Sunday. It turned out great because the 13 miles between Wilbur Dam and my cabin were feature filled and the weather was great. I also got Pond mountain out of the way for Tuesday when I got back on the trail. Along the route I saw Wautaga lake, Wilbur Dam, Laurel Falls, some narrow gorges left by an old railway, lots of rock walls and ledges, a rushing creek, and even made a stop at the Kincora hostel to meet Bob Peoples, a legendary advocate and caretaker of the AT. Knowing my cozy cabin was at the end of my day gave me the time to take photos, talk to friends (I had reception on the Mtn), and sight see. Normally I have to focus on the trail to keep from tripping or getting lost.The light pack really didn't seem to make much difference. My full pack with water and food usually weighs under 29 lbs and with just water, snacks and rain gear still weighed 10-15 lbs. I guess I have gotten used to carrying it; it's like I have gained weight.
Date: 2014-04-07
From: hampton

To: Abingdon shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Leaving the resort I was well refueled and rested. I must have been because I did 28.5 miles in 10 hrs (do the math) for my longest and fastest hike yet on the AT. This leaves me only 10 miles out of Damascus, a town like Hot Springs where the trail goes right down Main Street. I am slightly behind my 110 mile/wk pace but should make it up while doing the 500+ miles in VA. Tomorrow I leave TN. I caught up to Tree Frog at the shelter. I will lose him again since he is not stopping in Damascus. I actually hike a bit faster and farther than him but take more zeros. I don't think I want to exceed my goal pace and complete the hike in less than 20 weeks. If that starts happening I feel I will take more zeros instead. I enjoyed lounging at the resort eating continually while watching movie after movie (the TV had no reception, just a DVD player). These breaks keep me from smelling too bad and getting too sore.
Date: 2014-04-09
From: Abingdon shelter

To: damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

So far Damascus has been mostly hype. It evidently does come alive sometime in May for Trail Days but right now does not have a restaurant that goes beyond burgers or BBQ. I did find a nice B&B and might have a trick up my sleeve to stay here two nights but still make time on the trail. At least I got my mail drop (thanks wife of mine).It looks like the primary tourism here is shuttling visitors around the creeper trail with or without bicycles. This trail is beautiful but I don't have time for it.
Date: 2014-04-09
From: Abingdon shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

It's time to evaluate the hostels, hotels, cabins, and B&Bs that I am finding. This is certainly the life of Riley. Just a second though. The hiker rate for these facilities is often well below the normal rate. With that comes some limitations. There is often no TV, a bathroom down the hall, no breakfast (the B&B is a B) and very often these places in the gaps don't have phone service. Boohoo right? It's well above a night in the tent or shelter. Yes it is and I will continue to try finding these as often as possible. Sleeping in a bed once in awhile resets my entail frame of mind. Leaving each morning is a new hike that may take several days but is not completely connected to the enormous 2200 mile trek I'm on. These shorter hikes let me plan my food load, control my odor and clothes a bit and, in general, keep me identifiable as a human rather than some animal lurking in the woods. It is fun to tent. It can be OK to shelter given considerate and non-snoring companions. Doing either for more than three consecutive nights is something I wish to minimize. That's just me. Many folks out here love their tent, campfire and catholes. The hiking is almost incidental.
Date: 2014-04-10
From: Damascus

To: damascus
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Looking at the journey to Atkins there isn't much in between except mountain. I estimated at least three nights up there so... I decided to break it up a bit. Today I did a 23 mile slack pack ending up back in Damascus for the night. Tomorrow I am evidently walking thru the highlands which some say is the most beautiful hike in the country. There is even the chance of seeing wild ponies. It was a perfect day today, much like the hike to Hampton. In fact, the whole week has been great since I sat out the one rain event. It looks like good weather long enough to get me up and down the mountain into Atkins in three days. This means two shelter stops (or tenting). Interestingly, you can call got a pizza from one of the shelters. I bet it will be popular.We'll see if the plan works as well as it sounds. Things seldom go exactly as planned in this microcosm.
Date: 2014-04-10
From: damascus

To: damascus
Miles today: 0.0

My shuttle driver was a great example of a Damascus resident. Not necessarily typical but definitely colorful. By day he works in the local outfitter and sometimes drives the shuttle van. When not working, which might be most of the time, you will likely see him driving around on his bike, which has an attached trailer for his sheepdog mix dog. The first time I saw him riding he had lost the dog sometime earlier and was retracing his steps. On the way up the mountain he pointed out where he lived. I looked for a cabin in the woods where he pointed, thinking the combination of running stream and trees was a great location. Not seeing a building he explained he lived in a hammock. That is a hard way to live! He seemed a quite happy man, content with his life; a perfect fit for this small community that owes its existence to the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2014-04-10
From: damascus

To: damascus
Miles today: 0.0

It's time to mention who is on the trail around me lately. most impressive to me is Rambo, a young man who showed up in town after walking 50 miles in 21 hrs. Why I have no idea. There is also Handsome Dan who kept to my pace during my recent slack pack and his partner Goliath who is recent mechanical engineering graduate hoping to land an Aerospace job after this is done. Penguin Man keeps popping up; he turns his house into a major penguin showcase do Xmas (look for the utube). I saw One Day again today, without Fun Size who is taking a short break. Fletch and I talked; she didn't really mean to snub me when I asked her about weather reports during the thunderstorm. She says she had the Norovirus. I'm glad I didn't get too close. PooBear was a bit too much. He has a charity, his own radio show and blog (reflections of PooBear). Wiffle carries a blue plastic bat. It is not long enough to use as a pole but helps me identify him on sight. Young Beard broke his hand a week ago bit just got the cast after going to the hospital when reaching town. That had to hurt. His fianc© Sunshine gives him high marks for keeping a positive attitude. Tuesday was walking with One Day but I hadn't seen her before. Tree Frog wore out his pole tips. That may slow him down some. I need to look if I sent my rubber tips home in my latest pack purge. If not I can help him faster than Black Diamond. This is nowhere near a complete list but hopefully gets the point across that the trail is not that lonely of a place, especially if you are going south while most are going north ( due to the slack pack).There was one more that will leave a slight mark my ego. I met Scott in the Smokies when he tented illegally near a shelter. Later he was one whose footsteps I followed after a snowstorm. In general I found him experienced but a bit cool. In Damascus I found him waiting for ride to leave the trail for personal reasons. I told him about my upcoming slack pack and he acted like it was a cheat, calling himself a purist. It just goes to show that the hike means different things to each of us out here. I am hiking every mile of this trail and intend to do it all this year. That is a thru hike to me and to most everyone. I hope his comments weren't sour grapes due to his need to give up early. It probably won't be the last critical thing I hear out here but it is the first.
Date: 2014-04-11
From: Elk Garden

To: Hurricane Shelter
Miles today: 20.0

The hike through the highlands was a beautiful as predicted. It was not easy though. The wind at 5500 ft was brisk although not as bad as the gale on Hump Mountain. I walked through hardwood and spruce forests, scrub brush, pasture land, huge rock formations, including a small tunnel, and actually saw a herd of while ponies. They didn't seem too wild to me but I never got too close and they didn't beg me for food or bite me. I passed three shelters before stopping for the day; the Virginia shelters are awesome compared to others up to this point. The Hurricane shelter was empty when I got there and stayed that way while I refilled my water, had supper, and claimed a corner of the shelter to deploy my sleeping bag and crawl into it. It was not yet 6pm but it felt good to change modes. Soon after I did this another hiker showed up. His trail name was Priest because he was studying to become one. I talked to him briefly from inside my bag and we never actually saw each other. When 6am came I packed up and left by 7am. He was still sleeping. Leaving this shelter I broke out into a song after song but kept getting tears in my eyes due to how happy I felt at the moment. What a beautiful place on another pretty day (I was already in tee shirt and shorts by 8am). I was glad no one came by while I was having my emotional breakdown but actually I was proud of myself to be able to let myself go so completely. This trek is so fantastic and I am so lucky to be in good health and good luck to have not hurt myself (yet). It seems I hear stories every day now about hikers who have had injuries that delayed their hike or took them off the trail completely. In the earlier days the dropouts were mostly due to lack of preparation or motivation. At the 25% point it is taking injuries to remove these hikers.
Date: 2014-04-12
From: Hurricane Shelter

To: Atkins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

While I am having my grand vacation my wife must cope with the trials of the real world at home. Yesterday she had a bad day, got blindsided by a parent of one of her students, and took it personally as usual. My wife is a special ed teacher and is gifted to naturally care about kids in a way they understand and appreciate. She does wonders with kids with emotional and physical disabilities. To me her job seems impossibly difficult but she does it every day. I can't imagine handling parents. An example would be someone like my previous boss who would loudly lament, while standing outside my office, how put out he was having to go to a parent teacher conference and how much smarter he was than the teacher he had almost certainly never met. Forget the fact that several other engineers within earshot also had wives that were teachers. The fact is my wife and thousands of teachers like her must politely handle such people while keeping their opinions to themselves (unlike me at the moment). I love my wife and respect her for the job she holds and performs so well. I hope this latest problem helps her learn to keep the teacher/parent relationship on a purely professional level. Making friends with a parent can definitely backfire in costly ways.
Date: 2014-04-12
From: Hurricane Shelter

To: Atkins
Miles today: 30.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I broke the 30 mile per day barrier today and had not intended to. My original goal was a reasonable 20 miles to the Partnership shelter, a place with a shower and a way to order a pizza. But I made super time to it, breezing at slightly over 3 mph and couldn't stop when I reached it before 2pm. I was also slightly put out that I had evidently just missed the ice cream truck and had to watch several other hikers there lounging around licking their cones. So I never stopped walking, deciding instead to shoot for Atkins itself, 10.5 miles further down the trail, even though the profile included a number of substantial climbs. The main problem with this impulsive decision was that I only had enough water in my bladder for the 20 miles, not 30. Of course I could always stop and refill. Or so I thought. By the time I started worrying about water I found myself in an arid section of the trail where the next water source was three climbs away. Just about when I started rationing my bladder sips I started sucking air. The bladder was empty. That left me with about 6 oz of Gatorade left in my emergency bottle on my pack strap. Looking at the map there were several springs on the other side of the last mountain before Atkins. This was further away than I hoped but what could I do but move on. I reduced my pace to reduce sweating. I sucked on hard candy to create saliva. I met some hikers coming south who confirmed a solid spring gushing out of the ground over the last mountain. Boy did that sound refreshing.I drank my last swallow of Gatorade at the base of the last mountain and began the last significant climb of the day. I tried to manage my mental state of knowing I had no water. It made me more worried about getting lost, something that had not happened for awhile but could be nasty at the moment. Rounding the summit my ears turned to listening for the sound of rapids. It seemed a long time but finally happened; water literally gushing out of the ground right along the trail. It was all I could do to actually filter it. It was the first time I sucked water from my Sawyer right into my mouth.The descent into Atkins seemed long but I finally got to motel and then went directly to the nearby Barn restaurant. After a hearty meal and a romp thru the adjacent convenience store I ended up in my room with treats and the start of the chills. Maybe I overdid the hike. Maybe my body was just reacting to knowing I was safely home. This had happened several times in earlier hikes in Austin and I never could explain just why. I took a hot shower and crawled into bed. The chills went away as they had then also. Hypothermia? I think not. I think my body was just telling me enough is enough; let's relax now. The chills are just a threat to make sure I take notice.
Date: 2014-04-13
From: Atkins

To: Atkins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Well here I am, at the 25% point. Before I started I divided my guide book into 550 mile sections. My current section has been exhausted and I need to wait for my next section and the corresponding set of maps to arrive. They didn't show up yesterday as promised by the post office. My buddy back at home, a retired postal worker, had warned me that two day priority mail took four days. Maybe that's the problem with the post office; their accounting department has the same problem handling the math. At any rate , I am not likely moving on until the package with maps, meds, and new pole straps arrives. By the time they do I will probably also wait out the rain due in on Monday and Tuesday. I am trying to think of this as a restart for the trek to Harper's Ferry. Luckily there is everything here I need: hotel, restaurant, and convenience store. I should be able to do laundry and clean my equipment. I may even decide to send some winter gear home (mildly risky) because it would make me feel good to take another pound out of my pack. The glove liners can certainly go; the long underwear too. In an emergency I can simply sleep in my clothes since I will keep my 15 degree bag for awhile. Later I can switch to the 30 degree bag and save another 8 oz.
Date: 2014-04-13
From: Atkins

To: Atkins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Time to bring the log up to date. Day 27: Sat 4/5 25 miles from Roan Mtn B&B to Black Bear Lodge near Hampton. Day 28: Slack pack back from Wilbur Dam. Day 29: Zero at lodge expecting rain. Not much fell but had a nice day watching movies. Day 30: Abington Gap shelter. Day 31: easy drop down into Damascus. Day 32: Slack pack back from Elk Garden (23 miles). Day 33: Hurricane shelter in Virginia highlands. 20 miles. Day 34: 30.5 miles to Atkins. Package not there. Day 35: zero. 542 miles total is 25% of trip in 5 weeks.
Date: 2014-04-13
From: Atkins

To: Atkins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

There will be some time here to contemplate what the hike is doing to me. Actually I think about it quite a lot while hiking but don't have time to write anything down. Everyone says such a journey will change you but from what to what? At the start I expected to be withy son and was apprehensive about walking with someone. That has turned out to be a legitimate concern. It appears I will walk this alone. But I am definitely not lonely. Support and human interplay are everywhere I look, from the phone calls to family and friends to the advise and banter shared with other hikers I meet everyday. My mental state swings as each day plays out. As I become too self impressed with my footwork or trail smarts I am quickly reminded how one misstep can end the trip. The extra caution only lasts a few seconds and the cycle repeats, all day long. I can imagine the sound of a breaking bone, sensation of a groin pull or twisted ankle. From time to time a muscle moves the wrong way, creating stress on the rest oft body. I try hard never to create momentum towards the cliff side of the trail. Trust me, there is usually a cliff and it's usually steep enough to do harm. So am I becoming more or less independent? Less. The impression of doing this by myself is superficial; so many people are making it possible. I am a long way from being Jerimiah Johnson (the movie). I still give verbal thanks to each blaze and take note of runoffs and switchbacks that prove trail conditions. Signage and shelter quality are improving as I go north, probably an artifact of the trail not being as remote but still indicative of hard work on the part of the clubs that maintain the trail. My wife is taking good care of me and even the post office deserves some credit. People in supporting businesses are not quite as pleasant or helpful as I move north but still provide much needle support at each town. I think their change in attitude comes from the diminishing pact of the AT on their commerce. Fewer hikers make it this far. Before starting this my wife and I had a general agreement about planning vacations. I supplied the money while she made all the arrangements. For the last five weeks I have done all my reservations because there has been no option. When I return home it will probably revert to the old system but I might have more opinions. She might not like that. There is still a long way to go and many more changes to come. I have developed trust in fellow hikers concerning my pack but may become less trusting when getting near more populated areas. I already try not to stop on actual road intersections, instead walking on into the woods a bit to avoid being seen by passing cars. Just one bad incident could undo my trust permanently. Right now though I feel like I'm a part of a greater whole; one of many Trekkers on the way to Maine.
Date: 2014-04-14
From: Atkins

To: Atkins
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I sent my merino wool base long johns and glove liners home today, taking another pound out of my base pack weight. Of course this precipitated the next few days being forecast as unseasonably cold. Neither event will make much difference. The pack weight will initially be nullified by my new map set and two week supply of meds from my latest drop box (which came today). The base layer has only been used for sleeping on below freezing nights. Wednesday and Thursday May drop below freezing but not by enough to affect me and my plans call for me to be inside buildings both nights. I plan to wait out the rain on Tuesday before starting my second quarter of the trip. If all goes as planned the first few nights should be up and downs. In my terms this means one night up on the mountain followed by a night down in a hotel or hostel. Having now made this prediction lets see how accurate it turns out to be.It's interesting that almost no other hikers (most of them young and some of them women) seem the least bit worried about tackling the trail with the upcoming rain and cold coming. Batman blew me off with "after all it's about the experience". I guess that was supposed to mean walking in cold rain creates memorable moments. I already know that; I just don't need more of them than necessary. There must be considerable peer pressure in these groups of young people. They eat together and talk constantly till late at night and continue starting early in the morning. It's not hard to pick up on their conversations because they don't try very hard to be quiet. I don't think it crosses their mind that other people might be affected. They are not bad kids; they are simply caught up in their adventure and subject to a degree of mob mentality which makes them oblivious to others. Personally I think I would have a difficult time talking all day long and an even more difficult time listening all day long. In their defense I'm sure traveling in the group keeps them motivated and gives them the social interaction necessary for relief from the daily hiking routine. Traveling alone I sometimes have to stop and reflect why this moment in time is so important because there is no one reminding me. In other words I need to play multiple roles in my solitary hike just to keep the trip from getting boring. That may sound quite introverted and of course it is. Still, if there is anyone I can get along with for four continuos months it would be myself.