morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-14
From: Campsite on ridge after chestnut knob

To: Jenkins shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: light rain

5/14Campsite on ridge to Jenkins shelter6.8 (guesstimate)The "easy ridgewalk" from the profile turned out to be an endless, tedious series of small ups and downs over and around rocks. The "kneebusting descent" after it was a pleasant and gentle walk on a slight grade. Those profiles are thighslappers, let me tell you. Still down this morning and with no great mileage planned, I didn't roll out of camp until 8;45. Between weather and ookiness, I only wanted to get to the first shelter. Though weather started looking like less of a factor as the skies cleared. Nevertheless I plan to hike shelter to shelter for a few days until storms are no longer in the vicinity. Speaking of ookiness. Two weird things. One, yesterday I was having hot and cold flashes (due to my lovely lovely pms). At lunch I watched in fascination as my arms turned white then red in sync with the flashes. At the same time goosebumps came and went, all on about a one minute cycle. I have never seen anything like it before. Weird. Also neat.Two, I'm having mild nausea on uphills. Why only on uphills?  My suspicion is I haven't been eating enough due to the cycle of "too tired to eat" leading to "too icky to eat" and vice versa. I have the energy for minimal exercise but not for more intense activity.  So I'm having a big, high protein dinner tonight and we'll see.I'm sitting at the picnic table waiting for dinner to cook and I'm being assaulted by noseeums. I have everything covered but my hands and I may get out the gloves.  The little buggers are horrible and bitey. Robins in the leaves are making enough noise for three bears. It's astounding how much racket one bird can make while digging in leaves. Fortunately I have no signal here so I'm not tempted to use up my battery tonight playing on the Internet.Word to the wise for the big of eye and small of stomach: the Enertia Trail Foods portions are very large. I'm having to pack out some of tonight's dinner, which is annoying. Between that and the expense, I don't think I'll be buying that brand again.I hope to get a picture of the privy online soon. It's a toilet on a platform. That's it. The toilet doesn't even have a lid. If it's stormy in the morning I'd be better off digging a hole. And if anybody else shows up at this shelter there will be no privacy whatsoever.
Date: 2010-05-15
From: Jenkins shelter

To: Bland
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: scattered clouds

5/15Jenkins shelter to Bland11.7 milesMotelIt did indeed storm last night. I shared the shelter with Montana and her Husky, Nico. We all huddled against the back wall to avoid any wind blown rain.  By the morning the weather was fine again.I wonder what has happened to my appetite. I force down food because I need the energy, and indeed it gives me energy. But my appetite is AWOL. Maybe it's because the weather has been so steamy. I sweat buckets all day, starting from the first uphill. Even freshly gathered water isn't particularly cold.Last night's dinner, forced down (as much as I could) did the job. Today my legs felt wonderful. I listened to the book 'Dune' and chugged right up the hills. This was assisted also by two, count 'em two instances of trail magic. Oddly, one of the coolers was mostly full of diet drinks. A strange choice for hikers. But icy cold diet drinks! Mmmm, cold.The idea of town started to prey on my mind as I walked. I had not intended to visit Bland, but I kept thinking how nice a shower would be. And different food. And a shower. I decided to try my hand at hitchhiking. If it didn't work, I'd continue to the shelter. Historically I have been terrible at hitching and today was no different. I smiled and held up my "hiker to town" bandana to the few cars who came by. I got a few waves but no rides. I had decided to try for ten more minutes when two people I knew drove up!  Chasing Cherry Coke and Forty Year Dream. They were about to start a late afternoon hike. They volunteered to drive me to the motel I wanted to go to (where they are also staying) and drive me back in the morning. I air hugged them as I am way too stinky for touching hugs. So here I am in a motel. I'm clean. I have eaten. I had a dairy queen cone! I even got some supplies that have been running low. And this was all made possible by the generosity of other hikers. I am looking forward to a night in a bed and then a return to the trail tomorrow. After suitably effusive thanks. I wish I could bake them cookies. The next few days / week hold several interesting options - Trent's grocery (which has camping and laundry), woods hole hostel, and of course Pearisburg. I may take a zero somewhere, or not. I'll see.
Date: 2010-05-16
From: Bland

To: Jenny knob shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

5/16Bland to Jenny knob shelter12.1 milesShelterThe trail is quite poorly marked here. If you don't have eagle vision or you can't see around corners, you're going to spend time searching for the trail. Also fwiw there is a bunch of roadwalking.Anywho. I woke up this morning to a world filled with fog. I briefly considered staying at the motel as more bad weather was coming. But after checking the weather carefully I  decided to move on. My angels and I got subs for lunch, then they dropped me off at the trail. I spent the morning listening to Dune. Frustratingly it started pouring and I couldn't endanger the phone by taking it out to forward to the next chapter so I'm left hanging until good weather.I'm sharing the shelter tonight with Fig, a third time thruhiker. So far the madding crowds of hikers coming out of trail days have not caught me. Soon, I expect. Or maybe they're waiting out the foul weather? Nah. Apparently the plaza motel in Pearisburg is full all week. So my plans are definitely changing a little. A zero day would be nice though. Preferably while the weather is crappy. And I need to put in my obligatory hours of work. Yay!Town is still a few days away so that's a problem for another day.  For now I am dry, full, under a roof, and with good company. Life is good. (Though there may be screeching in the morning when I have to don wet clothing.)
Date: 2010-05-17
From: Jenny knob shelter

To: Wapiti shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: light rain

5/17Jenny knob shelter to wapiti shelter14.2 miles plus .8 round trip to trent's grocery ShelterI woke up to rain. Of course. I waited until the last moments of packing to put my wet clothes on. I was proud of myself for not shrieking. The worst part was the sodden socks and shoes. The day was grey and dreary but not bad otherwise. The terrain was quite nice. For hiking, anyway. There wasn't much to see on the light fog all day. The highlight of my day was visiting Trent's grocery. I got to sit in a booth and eat a very good hamburger and fries. The store was .4 off the trail on a level road, which is unusual. Normally you walk way down and then you have to climb back up afterward. So this was quite nice. I managed to walk all of my clothing dry except my socks and boots, which were continually rewet by dew, rain, wet grass, puddles, overflowing streams, and probably other things. My feet now look like big white wrinkly prunes. Yucko!  Also the skin is peeling off in sheets. It's horror movie quality nasty.Tomorrow I'll have a short day and then I hope to stay at Woods Hole Hostel.  If they're full I'll go to the shelter shortly after it on the trail. The book says they have a daily yoga class at the hostel. I could really use a little bendiness in my life right now.
Date: 2010-05-18
From: Wapiti shelter

To: Woods hole hostel
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: clear sky

5/18Wapiti shelter to woods hole hostel6.2 milesHostelSo today the only thing on my mind was a short day in to the hostel. The hike was a blur. Not a fast blur. Just not in focus. I finally reached the intersection for the hostel. It seemed like it took forever to get there. No rain though, that was nice. As I walked down the road, Neville pulled up and gave me a ride the rest of the way there. I got a private room!  It's really nice  too. Neville washed my laundry and I got a hot shower. Then (drumroll) I got a really excellent massage!  And then a nap. So for me it was pretty much a perfect day. Before the massage I looked out a window and realized it was pouring.  I had managed to make it in just before the skies let loose. Good thing, too. I had just decided it wasn't going to rain and had put away the raincoat and pack cover. Fine weatherguessing skills I have. Neville and Michael prepared an entirely organic, home grown (or killed) dinner.  It takes burgers, fries, and salad to a whole new level when the buns are freshly baked and you've just watched the greens being picked. The burgers were venison and delicious. I couldn't quite finish mine despite being ravenous when I started. In short this place is awesome and I'm so glad I stopped here. In the morning I'm having breakfast here, then a short yoga class. Then it's on to Pearisburg for resupply. I think I figured five days to Catawba. Maybe I can figure out how to carry slightly less food this time.
Date: 2010-05-19
From: Woods hole hostel

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

5/19Woods Hole Hostel to Pearisburg10.4 milesMotelI left the hostel feeling very peaceful. Also very late. It was 10:45 when I got on the trail. I think that's my latest start ever. That was after a yoga class with Neville. I was really happy with my whole experience there. It was just exactly what I needed. The ten miles to Pearisburg went by pretty quickly. The weather was just about perfect for hiking - cloudy and cool. My whole body felt good, if still a bit tired. I was very happy to be walking, even as I knew that I needed some rest time. However : Dear Roanoke ATC:Please blaze your trails well enough that a child can follow them. This will give the thruhikers a fighting chance. Also, please ask another club how waterbars work.You could say I'm not impressed with the blazing and trail conditions here. Conversations with Neville and other hikers had caused a few things to crystallize for me. Without further ado, please findMrs Joy's Slow Hike ManifestoI am a slow hiker. And that's okay. They say you should be hiking 20 mile days by now. But who are they referring to? The 20 year olds?  The 65 year olds?  The retired, fired, or divorced?  I am none of those. I am a middle aged woman of no great athletic ability. I just like to walk. And if I do it too fast or for too long in a day, I don't enjoy it. Fatigue and injuries accumulate. Herewith I am stating (again, and mostly for my own benefit) how I want to hike this hike. I want to dawdle. I want to smell flowers and savor views. I intend to stop and breathe regularly rather than driving myself until my legs and lungs burn. I want to meet new people, explore new places, and see what is around the next corner.I am going to take my time, hiking for the smiles rather than the miles. I have four months left of this amazing vacation. I may or may not make it to Katahdin or even Maine. But I intend to have a darn good time trying.Given that I am an adult with plenty of savings, I am not going to live more Spartan a lifestyle than I have to. I will go to B&Bs. Even in New England. I will drink the good beer. I'll get the best food I can to carry into the woods. I will eat steak.I will also ignore my surroundings and focus on a book or music if I feel like it. I am not a biologist. I'm a computer nerd. I can get too much nature. And given that this is MY hike, I'll do it any darn way I please. (end rant)With this in mind, I thoroughly enjoyed today.  The rough downhill before town is apparently much easier if you take it slowly.   Arriving in town, I got a cell-like room at a motel. Oh for a Holiday Inn!  Anyway, I plan to have a very sedate zero day here to let the old body heal a little and get some more rest. Though the room is not so nice that I'm thrilled to be staying here. It's my best option until next week, and I don't want to wait that long for a day off.The second I registered, a bunch of hikers showed up so I had dinner companions. I bet there's a new crop tomorrow, too.
Date: 2010-05-20
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

5/20PearisburgZero dayMotelBoy, I really needed this day off. I overslept until 9:30 and felt like I could have slept more. There may be napping this afternoon. Too be honest I feel like a second day off would be good, but I don't have the patience for it. If I were somewhere more comfortable and pleasant I'd probably take the second day.  But the bed here is hard and the concrete block walls do not inspire me. So I'll take off in the morning. I wish I could have just slept all day but my stomach would not be denied. Both now and over the next five days. So I had to go out and buy food and other supplies. I probably bought too much again.  It's hard to say right now. I have breakfast and snacks packaged for each day, a bag of lunch supplies, and the dinner materials left over from last time. I'm trying to cram a bunch of protein in for long term energy, with lots of fruit and sweet snacks for immediate energy.  Palatability is becoming an issue.  I can't stomach tuna at the moment, or peanut butter either. So shopping is interesting.  At the RiteAid the cashier tartly informed me that I had better plan on taking at least one day off between here and Harper's Ferry. I laughed. I'm the last person you need to worry about not taking enough time off. I told her I definitely would take at least one day off.As the day draws to a close (and hopefully an early bedtime for me) I realized that I just spent the first perfect weather day in a long time NOT hiking. Doh!  And it's back to wet weather tomorrow. I did this all wrong!  Ah well.
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Pearisburg

To: Campsite
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: light rain

5/21Pearisburg to campsite 8.4 milesThe climb up out of Pearisburg was unpleasant. Trains, big trucks, dense vegetation on the wooded parts. And my stomach roiling from breakfast at Hardees the whole time. Ugh.And it went on for ages. By the time I got to the shelter at 3:30, I'd only gone 6.8 official miles, not counting the walk out of town to the trail. I know I said I was going to go slow but that's ridiculous. After conferring with JD about the weather (thunderstorms had been predicted earlier but were no longer in the forecast) I walked on.  The air started to get an unsettled feeling. When I arrived at a campsite less than two miles from the shelter, I stopped and set up camp while still dry.  Probably would have made more sense to stay at the shelter rather than take down a wet tent in the morning.  But here I am.  I had decided against walking to the next listed site as it was listed as a meadow. I'd rather tent under tree cover.I ate the lunch my stomach had been too upset for and hung my food as it began to rain. I am getting so sick of town food. It always makes me feel bad  You know what I want? Something that isn't fried. Shake and bake chicken and steamed broccoli. A baked sweet potato. Corn chex in soy milk. A banana. All things I can't find at Hardees or Dairy Queen or any other spot I've been to. Even the grocery didn't have good bananas.While setting up for the night I noticed that my NeoAir pad has large bulges. The internal baffles are evidently coming loose. I haven't subjected it to extremes of heat or pressure, but it doesn't seem like it's going to survive my hike. I'll probably switch to the little NeoAir I have at home, and once that goes fall back on my nice sturdy Big Agnes pad. It's a little heavier but warmer, and will likely deal better with the stresses of a thruhike.I feel less alone out here than I did in town. Here I'm not surrounded by people. All the sounds are regular woods sounds. I can't hear anybody talking to anyone else. It's relaxing. I feel safer here too. There I kept the door locked the whole time. Here there's nobody to lock a door against!
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Campsite

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: moderate rain

5/22Campsite to Bailey gap shelter14.8 milesToday didn't start auspiciously. I got my bear line bag wedged in a tree after I got my food down. I was forced to cut the line. I've had that bag for years. It was in crappy condition, and mostly held together with fabric tape, but it was mine. The rest of the day was an improvement even though it rained. I ran into a few southbounders who told me Webwalker and Just Blue Skies were ahead of me so I was excited to see them. And I ran into them at the shelter! I'm having a nice evening catching up with them.
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

5/23Bailey gap shelter to war spur shelter8.6 milesI'm feeling pretty down on the trail today. This morning's hike, which looked pleasant on the profile, is a series of short ups and downs (for no obvious reason) over rocks which you must painstakingly pick your way through. Not fun. Strenuous. And with no rewarding views. Also, I'm bored. I miss civilization. Clean clothes, refrigerators, comfortable beds, air conditioning, sofas. I'm not even a third of the way through this trail and I'm ready to be done. Maybe I'm a section hiker at heart after all. I'm not sure I have the gumption to do this for months longer.Grumpy and out of sorts (obviously) and with a headache, sore knee, and aching feet, I stopped early. Rain was predicted for the evening, and rain all day tomorrow. Staying in a shelter will at least mean not packing up a wet tent, even though I'll have wet shoes after the first minute. They say the trail is all mental, but I think it's really emotional.  I might have to talk to some former thruhikers to see what kept them going.
Date: 2010-05-24
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

5/24War spur shelter to sarver hollow shelter12.2 milesShelterI am happy to report that today is a much better day than yesterday. The weather is worse but my mood is better.  I'm happy to be hiking today. Somehow in a shelter full of self proclaimed early risers I was the first one up around 6:30. After a leisurely nutrigrain bar breakfast I loaded up my now fairly light pack and set out. I have good music playing and therefore a variety of songs in my heart. There was excellent trail magic near a forest service road today. Cokes and donuts. They made the next couple of miles much easier. Also I finally got enough cell signal to text JD where to meet me tomorrow, which took a load off my mind.The afternoon was significantly harder for me than the morning. The miles stretched on and on and the profile map was just plain wrong. Oy. Left pinky toe is also complaining for no obvious reason. Just before I would have gotten to the shelter turnoff I heard voices. Beaver Chief and Perfect Storm had a fire going against overhanging rocks. They offered me quite a nice white wine and a biscotti. I stopped and had a very nice time chatting, then finished the hike to the shelter where I ate a much less distinguished dry ramen and beef jerky. I'd rate today in my top five hardest days so far, from a hiking perspective. Definitely harder than the 18.5 into Damascus.  Shew. Glad JD will be here tomorrow. I'm taking a shorter day so I can be at a road crossing.
Date: 2010-05-27
From: Salem

To: Pickle branch shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: scattered clouds

5/27Craig creek valley rd to pickle branch shelter8.8 miles plus a long .3 to the shelterShelterToday was pretty painful, due mostly to my new boots. The old boots were smelly, heavy, and were hurting my feet. So I didn't carry them with me. I knew there was a chance the new ones would hurt but I didn't have a good option. I was only surprised by exactly how they hurt me. They felt like new orthotics. Which is pretty weird because the superfeet aren't supposed to have any arch support up front. But that's what it felt like. As a result my front arch in each foot is really sore. I had originally planned to hike farther today but my new foot pain and some persistent thunder decided me otherwise.  So here I am in this grim dark shelter. I might be enjoying it more if I weren't so homesick after seeing JD, or if Scapegoat weren't sick in the other side of the shelter. I dearly hope it's not contagious. A southbound female hiker thinks I'm going to have trouble tomorrow getting down from the dragon's tooth, especially as it will be raining. And I think she's right. But she said I'll probably be okay if I take it slow and take off my pack and scoot on my butt in places. I'm fine with that so it gives me hope.  It's not too far into tomorrow so I hope to get it over with quickly. Tomorrow afternoon I'll go by the Homeplace. To be honest I'm not too excited about it. People have raved about it, but it's all American food which is not my favorite. And it's all you can eat but I can't eat that much. I guess I'll see when I get there. I have enough food to skip it if I'm not in the mood.  Oh, and it's 1.4 from the trail, which would add 2.8 to an already long day for me - probably on still unhappy feet.The trail itself was quite nice today. It was as gentle as it could be for sore feet, covered in pine needles and shallowly graded. I met a few new folks and said hi to some people I'd already met. It's funny how faces keep popping up. You'd swear you were never going to see someone again because they were faster hikers, and there they'd be. Time off is the biggest reason although I've met several people who rehiked the Grayson Highlands just because they were so pretty. Which is kind of awesome.