morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-05-06
From: Stealth Campsite Probably 3 mi Short of Wapiti

To: VA 634
Miles today: 18.0

What a glorious day! The sun finally broke the clouds, fog and rain! It didn't look good at first, the sun was trying, but got shut down by the clouds once again. It finally came out around 11 a.m. after 4 days of rain, 3 days hiking in wet socks and soggy boots. At 12 noon I made it to Doc¢s Knob Shelter and I took advantage of the sun by pulling out all that was wet and hanging them on my clothesline. Others showed up, but mostly just for a break. By 3 p.m. all my stuff was dry, even my boots were almost completely dry. AHHH what a joy to walk in dry socks and boots! Met ¢Sardine¢, ¢Noodles¢ and their dog ¢Gunner.¢ They were actually Northbound, but hiking back to Damascus, Southbound, for Trail Days. Left for a campground at mile 619.2, but ended up hiking 2.2 more to Pearisburg, VA to try and re-supply. I knew I would be closed being Sunday and all and it getting late. When I got into the backyards as the AT sometimes passes, I asked this guy what time Wade¢s grocery was open until? He said 8 or 9 p.m. Nice, it¢s only 6:45! I¢ve got time. Made it to the road by 7:03, huffed it across to Wade¢s grocery. The lady saw me coming and locked the door, just as I got close enough to see the color of her eyes! Drats! I walked up and down that stretch of highway trying to hitch to some food or groceries, no luck! Finally, I said forget it! I find out where the trail starts and I¢ll stealth camp so I will be in striking distance of Wade¢s in the morning.Ended up pitching up on the hill with highway in sight down below. Bono sat and watched the cards go by. He¢s not used to these different sounds, planes, trains and automobiles. He¢s grown accustomed to owls, coyotes and horses running thru his campsite! Well the plan is to stash my pack, head to the store, charge my phone and get some breakfast. Man is it loud! There is a factory right across the street that¢s been going since we got here. The train has been running behind us every half hour. Was nice to finally get reception to talk to my GF. Good luck Papillon on your interview! I plan to eat every bit of food I have!
Date: 2007-05-07
From: VA 634

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 7 a.m. Backtracked to the grocery store after stashing my pack. All I can remember when I walked into the store was ¢look at all this glorious food!¢ I ended up buying way too much. I was able to find an outlet behind a coke machine to charge my phone. Headed back with two arms full of groceries (one arm was dog food) and a smile on my face. I was on the trail by 10 a.m.Went up some hills right away. Stopped for lunch around 3ish. Sat in the shade and relaxed with Bono. Ate my orange and two bananas along with some cheese and crackers. Water situation wasn¢t good. I ran out! And it was hot! Then I made another error and took a blue blazed trail thinking it meant water. It didn¢t! I went down this trail for 20 min. ¢ no water. I came back up for 20 min. swearing all the way! Can someone tell me why two different things are blazed with the same color paint? Blue? Why can¢t a side trail be blazed in orange? Any how, I think I might be repeating myself on this subject but the problem walking 13 hours is you have plenty of time to ponder on things. If it¢s a negative thought it just makes the pain in your quads and the agony of the feet that much worse. Hopefully it¢s a positive thought that makes the day somewhat enjoyable. I happened to have a negative thought running through my head most of the day, but it¢s the little things that can turn it around. Like for instance, this deer that popped up in front of me and Bono. It was cool to see and Bono just looked at me as if to say, ¢Why try to catch it. I¢ve tried before.¢ We ended up playing peek-a-boo for about a half a mile. Bono actually sniffed out water! I couldn¢t believe it! Water was hard to come by and we were both thirsty. All of a sudden, he stopped with nose in the air. I noticed him and asked, ¢what do you see another deer?¢ ¢Ah, there¢s nothing there boy!¢ But I stopped and did a double take to see something shiny ¢ wow, water! Good boy. I felt bad and let him drink for about 1 min. straight. I didn¢t drink. That was my penance for being a bad master. When we finally arrived at the shelter (7:30p) there was a huge tree that had landed on the roof with such force it exploded the beam and crushed one of the top bunks! All I could think about was glad no one was in the bunk when the tree hit. That would have been a tragedy. Depending on which way the person was sleeping, they would either have both their legs shattered or their head exploded! Goes to show there is danger all around and sometimes you¢re not even safe in the shelter.
Date: 2007-05-08
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Left Pine Swamp Branch Shelter at 7:15. The bridge that took you over the river was out, so we walked 1.5 miles on paved road until we hooked up with the trail. I was going to give it a shot, but I had no camp shoes and I did not want to get my boots soaked after it took me 2 days to dry them. Walking across this river looked very dangerous, let alone doing it barefoot. I took a fifteen to twenty minute break at which time I changed into shorts and had a late breakfast. Next it was the Rock Field for about two miles! Tough on the ankles, feet and boots. At least water was readily available. Made it to ¢War Spur¢ Shelter around 2:20 after passing a group of 20 Girl Scouts who got all ¢giggly¢ over Bono as they cleared a path for us to pass. Planned on taking a 1 hour break, eat lunch, catch up on some journaling and soak my feet. Always find time to soak my tired feet. It revitalizes them. The Girl Scout group showed up just as I was leaving for the next shelter. Bono met up with the only other dog we¢ve seen to make it this far. The owner¢s name is ¢Terrapin Flyer¢ and the dog¢s ¢Murphy.¢ She had the same pack as Bono, but it wasn¢t working for her. She kept the harness part and bought a smaller pack and attached it. She was the girl that the Rippling Waters kennel guy spoke of when he said she broke down when he took her dog. We both agreed the kennel owner was very unsympathetic when he took our dogs. Scored with some trail magic from ¢Super Dave,¢ Baby Ruth, Butterfinger and soda¢¦..it¢s all good!There¢s another group ¢The Cowboy Church,¢ some religious group, that¢s been leaving water. Now I¢m not complaining, but as I come up to their basket filled with water, sucking on my platypus filled with water, it would be nice to get a soda or Gatorade. Seems I¢ve caught up with a group that started a few days ahead of me. They all know each other, but it¢s no big deal. I¢ve never been part of a moving group. Maybe I¢ll see 1-2 people I haven¢t seen in awhile, but I¢m trying to put as many miles behind me. I call it, ¢I¢m hurrying up so I can slow down!¢ I¢m hoping to reach 750 or 800 before Trail Days on the 18th of May. At the rate I¢m going, it shouldn¢t be a problem if my legs hold out!
Date: 2007-05-09
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: light rain

7 a.m. start time, woke up to sprinkles on the tent. Got my poncho out and ready and I was off and running (well, not exactly running, more like hobbling). The early morning afforded us a look at a couple deer. That was nice. Does as usual. We hiked across farm land so there were stiles to cross everywhere. Stiles are the ladders that go over the barbed wire. We were doing well, going under them until we came to a couple that we had no choice but to climb (or should I say Bono had to climb). I took off his pack and basically did the luggage lift, with Bono being the luggage. He does really well with it. I take his main pack off and once I get him to the top, I give him a little push and he scampers down. After we got through that it was time to climb. This climb had me working up a sweat big time! Once at the top it got chilly. Then I started to get raw in the ¢frontal region¢ from all the salt build up from not taking a shower in over a week. I shoved some Gold Bond down there and that did the trick.Next we encountered ridges slanted at a 45 degree for about 2.5 miles, can¢t say that was fun. Came to a bald and looked down to see a turtle out in the middle of no where, no water in sight! It looked like a sun turtle, but ended up being a snapping turtle. Guess I should have checked before I coaxed Bono into investigating it. Poor guy almost lost his nose! I brought it to the river and dropped it in. It didn¢t move for the 5 min. I watched it. Hope I didn¢t kill it! Took a 45 min. break at one of the shelters. I was feeling a headache and I think I didn¢t eat enough in the morning, so I cooked Mac & Cheese. 3:45 p.m. and off to do another 10 miles to total out at 22.5 miles for the day. Two 3,000 ft. climbs and I was wiped! Actually I can¢t believe I¢m still up at 10:30 p.m. writing this journal entry. Finally made it to a sign that said ¢Pickle Branch Shelter¢ one mile. Up we go & go & go. What a long mile! On the way up I hear a yelp! And all I see is Bono¢s but 3 feet in the air? All I could think of was snake, bee? Oh no! Right at the end of the day. He seems alright, but I gave him Benadryl and he¢s sound asleep now. Finally make it to another sign that says shelter 1/3 mile off the AT, not good! More walking! Finally get to the shelter and the water is another good haul down this hill and over about 30 blow downs. This place looks like it got hit with a small hurricane. 13 miles to resupply tomorrow and off to the next shelter.
Date: 2007-05-10
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Johns Springs Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

7:15 a.m. start and a nice cool morning. Came into some thickets and saw these really cool looking Blue Birds. They were bright blue. Something I never saw before. I tried to get a picture but they were too fast. Suddenly, a Cardinal came into the picture. Would have been a good shot having the two color birds together¢¦¢¦no luck. I did get a picture of a small squirrel though. Saw a good size group of deer. I have been seeing a lot of deer. So graceful in the woods. That¢s how my day started out. A high point, then it started to go downhill from there. Hiking was tough with rock scrambles coming down Dragons Tooth. This giant rock sticking up on top of this mountain. Coming down was rough going with Bono. He did okay, but I had to lift him a couple of times and carried his pack for about a half hour. It was slow going. I finally made it to the first road crossing, took pictures of a couple Geckos on trees. The mileage in the book and on the tree were off. This is when I started to lose it! The heat, the strain of doing 20¢s all week and a trail that kept going down then up, down then up really got to me! I could see the road where I needed to go, but the trail wasn¢t going to it, plus my dog was feeling the heat of the day. All I wanted was a pizza and a mountain dew. That and I needed fuel. Finally, Finally! We made it to the parking lot! General store 1 mile west (which ways West again?)! No one picked us up, so we walked the mile. Bono¢s pads were tender from the rock scramble and now he was on asphalt! Poor dog! I yelled at him for wandering into the 55 mile an hour road (o.k. I screamed at him!) He kept doing it and it made me irate. I couldn¢t talk to good after my ¢hissy fit.¢ I got to the sore and finally had my pizza and Dew, but no fuel! Had the lady cook Bono a burger, plus he had some pizza. Hope he forgave me. All the other hikers were going to an all you can eat up the road. I elected to stay at the store, nice table and chairs and nice and quiet for me to mellow out. It was getting around 7:30 and I still had to get back to the trail and a 1 mile hike to the shelter. Missed my first opportunity for a ride back up the hill, but was lucky to snag another pick-up going that way.So the day went from good to really bad to really good. Once to the shelter we got a fire going and talked for a bit, watched a toad hop around and called it a night. The morning hike will bring us to MacAfee Knob, this outcropping that overlooks the valley. Hopefully it¢s a better day for me and hopefully my boys pads are good enough to hike.
Date: 2007-05-14
From: Johns Springs Shelter

To: Full Hardt Knob Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

Thought I would never leave the motel. As I sit and watch all the hikers I caught up to leave, I sit and watch TV with a lame dog. I know it¢s not a race, but it boosts your confidence when you¢re able to do 20 mile days for a week straight and you see the miles start to drop. I ended up staying 3 nights and 2 zero days (that¢s an equivalent of 40 miles) at Ho-Jo¢s. Bono finally started coming around, less hobbling, more of his old playful self. Maybe he just needed a rest; maybe I pushed him to hard? I never thought he¢d break down like this! I know it¢s not his fault; he would keep going if I asked him to.So this morning we are scheduled to check out of Ho-Jo¢s. I had a decision to make ¢ take him to the vet or not? We have a ride from Delwood, a local trail angel who¢ll drive us. I decided not to take him. He¢s his playful, spinning, jumping self again. What¢s the point? I¢ll carry his pack and we have to get going. I feel like junk! Lying around for 2 days! Don¢t get me wrong, it feels good to rest in a bed and shower and wash clothes, but I lost my momentum! I wanted to be at 800 miles before I took a break. Guess that¢s what you have to deal with when the AT throws a wrench in your plans. You have to bounce back!Decided to just do 5 to the first shelter and take it easy for both of us. Feels pretty pathetic only doing 5 miles when 20 has been the norm. That¢s okay, play it smart Bowleg and get your partner healthy again. Rethink what you¢ve already thought. Plan B if you will. That¢s all I kept thinking to myself. I¢ll get some writing done, plan out the ¢Hike for Hunger¢ I¢ll be doing with my students in the Spring of 08¢ and catch up on some journaling. Shoot! Everyone and their mother showed up to this shelter. Guess I¢ll take a nap, not that I¢m tired or anything. Not much else to do. I can give my GF a call to see how her interview went and to let her know how much I appreciate her. Ya, that¢s what I¢ll do.
Date: 2007-05-15
From: Full Hardt Knob Shelter

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: clear sky

No hurry today. I¢m going to take it easy even though it¢s killing me to pack and unpack my tent for a 5 mile hike. Am I getting anywhere? Doesn¢t feel it, that¢s for sure. My hiking partner still has me concerned. Why didn¢t I have him checked out in town? Why was I so indecisive about bringing him? I hope this decision doesn¢t cost me the dream of hiking the AT with my dog. Even though today was a ¢late to rise¢ short distance day I was clearly irritable about every little thing. I could blame it on no time off, but I just left the comforts of a motel yesterday! The fact that I had Bono¢s extra weight pissed me off! The fact that 4.5 miles seemed to hurt more than the 15+ miles I had been doing pissed me off! The little flies that followed me the whole way pissed me off. The fact that I misread my notes (again) and left the shelter on an 80+ degree day without water pissed me off, especially when my dog was clearly thirsty. The fact that my air mattress has a hole in it, my tent zippers broke and a tick fell into my pubic area when I was changing my shorts pretty much sent me over the top today as I had just about enough of the AT (I guess now I¢m complaining!!!!).My Achilles tendon is flaring up again. You would think with the time off it would be better? Whatever, guess I¢ll try to take a nap, not easy in this heat and on a mattress that has a leak. Got up around 6ish from a 2-hour nap (guess I was tired). Tons of people here. I was hoping for some solitude, not feeling much for conversation right now and I think the hikers that have come in contact with me the past few days have sensed this. Don¢t get me wrong, I haven¢t been rude, just a bit abrupt with some of my answers about Bono that they ask over and over. I guess I need to change my attitude? Going to feel good to see my girl, someone from back home.
Date: 2007-05-16
From: Wilson Creek Shelter

To: VA 614 - Jennings Creek
Miles today: 16.9

Up and running (more like walking) at 6:30 a.m., not before I took a picture of this copper head lying in the leaves. You could barely see it with the pattern of camouflage on its back. The guy that spotted it sleeps in a tarp that just covers him from the rain, no floor. He said the snake looked at him, he looked at the snake and they both had the same reaction, AHH! The guy said it¢s poisonous. I¢ll take his word on that. Not much to report about today. Most of the hike was spent crisscrossing the Blue Ridge Parkway, which the trail will continue to cross over for the next 100 miles or so, give or take. So we saw quite a few motorcycle tourist and it ended up being a pretty good day at 16.9 miles, compared to what we¢ve been doing at 5 miles a day. 2nd day I carried his pack. He seems fine now, but I still kept his mittens on another day just in case. I stopped for lunch in Buchanan, VA by the side of the road and did a tic check on him. Sure enough, found 4 ¢ I had taken a nice chunk out of him! Man do I hate those things! Made it to Jennings Creek at around 2:30 ¢ 2:45 and met a trail angel named ¢Daddy O.¢ He was cool and helped out with some ¢soda¢ and cheese combo¢s. Two shots of Baileys warmed me up and put me down for a nap. Bono was psycho when he saw the nice trout pool to swim in and fetch. Spinning and running around like a mad man. Maybe he¢s been fooling all along? Nah! Course he limps after because he over does it. Just about got everything in the tent when the down pour came! 10 seconds too late! Darn! In the tent the soaking wet dog goes ¢ throw all the gear in too ¢ everything soaked! Some kids came to swim in the pool wile it¢s raining and I¢m out in no time at all for a nice 3 hour nap. Like Cheryl said, it all catches up to you then your body shuts down. I agree. Going from two 5 mile days to 16.9 took a lot out of me. No worries, I see my GF tomorrow for some time off finally. I didn¢t get to mile 800, but 742 isn¢t too bad. I know now not to push Bono as hard and keep between 12-15 miles a day.
Date: 2007-05-21
From: VA 614 - Jennings Creek

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: few clouds

Man, is it tough to take time off and then try to get back into the groove of things! Your body does need the time off, but you get out of your routine and it doesn¢t seem to click any more like it did. Your feet become desensitized when you hike daily, and then become sensitive again when you start walking again. I also felt quite clumsy walking today and the pack (as always coming out of town) felt very heavy. I ended up weighing it at the outfitters, 40 lbs., full food (probably 8 days when I only need 4) and water ¢ base weight (no food or water was around 30 lbs. I talked to Chris Messier¢s mom on the cell phone today. Nice lady. As it turns out, since no schools wanted to participate in the musical scholarship in Chris¢s name, the consensus thinks trying to get a musical venue named after him is the next best idea. I agree. I¢ll be writing a letter to the mayor and let him know what in dollar amount we collected and go from there. Bono did great today and although we did only 8.9 miles, it was about a week off from carrying a pack for him. Today was 85 degrees and we gained over 2,000 feet in elevation! He had about 10 lbs. on his back. It¢s funny when you hike. You crave everything you usually don¢t eat, like for instance, the soft serve caramel ice cream I had at Dairy Queen today. All I can say is I¢m glad there wasn¢t anyone behind me! LOL! A lot of questions from other hikers as to how I got Bono over the sometimes difficult ¢stiles¢ that go over the farmer¢s barbed wire. Most of the time he can crawl under, other times I use his luggage handle to get him to the top. (Sometimes 8 ft. high). Once he has his hind legs up on the 2X6, I give him a nudge and he scampers on down no problem.Made it to the shelter tonight to find EZ Duzit. I owe him an interview which I will conduct in the morning. Otherwise, it was a decent day and I really enjoyed my new hiking clothes, shorts with pockets! I¢m very excited about that. Had a few comments about my boots in which I used gorilla glue to try and seal some tears. The boots look terrible, so I took a picture to remember them by and I¢ll encourage everyone else to do so as well. After all, it¢s not a fashion show out here. It¢s what works.
Date: 2007-05-22
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Marble Spring Campsite
Miles today: 12.2

Today has got to be my most enjoyable day yet! No Rush/no worries! Out of the shelter at 10 a.m. I¢m taking it slow since I took time off and although today was 12.2, I felt it was just enough. The weather was great, 65 degrees with a sweet breeze all day long! What I was trying to figure out was ¢Is it the leaves that move the breeze or the breeze that the moves the leaves?¢ Either way it was nice. Took an hour worth of breaks today. Like I said, it was an all around great day for hiking. All my gear/my clothes are working great ad I think I finally FINALLY! Have it dialed in. Now all I have to do is figure out how to carry less food without worrying about being hungry. I spend another good part of the day filming this baby mouse on the trail and getting its picture. Tough subject to capture¢¦.fast like speedy Gonzales. The Guillotine was also a cool photo opportunity. It¢s this natural pathway made out of stone and on the top is a wedged rock similar to a blade of a guillotine. Bono met ¢Hooper¢ a short-haired golden on top of Apple Orchard Mt at 4225 ft. Everyone is reporting bear sightings. Not sure if I¢m hoping to see one or not? As long as I see it before Bono does, I can control the situation and get some great video and pics. Otherwise, he¢s gone and that could be a bad thing if it¢s a mom and her cubs. Not sure what it is about Bono and snakes, but he walks right by them and the snakes don¢t seem to mind him. I did pass a garden snake and called Bono back to try and expose him to a now poisonous snake. He was quite afraid of it. I¢m glad so he¢ll stay away from them. Hung the food up just in case of a bear strolling into the campsite. Don¢t need a bear ripping through my tent to get my food! My feet seemed to be getting back to their old selves. I had my gel toe caps on my little toes ¢ WOW! What a difference in comfort ¢ felt great, but Achilles tendon still giving me problems. Hopefully this cool weather keeps up. We won¢t have to get up at 3:30 a.m. like will be happening soon in midsummer. I think it¢s time to crawl into my bag and think about what I will need to get done tomorrow.