morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-07
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel - Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: moderate rain

Hit the road relatively early, about 8 am. Was feeling great, until about a mile down the trail and I had that "I definitely forgot something" feeling. Last night I hung up my go-to red long sleeve shirt to dry out and didn't remember packing it this morning. Of course, instead of taking the 2 minutes to open my pack and check, I just decided to drop it and head back to the shelter. Everyone was slightly confused by my return, and even more confused as I left empty handed... "You didn't check your pack before you came back?". No, because that would have been the smart thing to do obviously. Got back to my pack and brushed off the frustration pretty quickly. If that was the most stressed I've been in a few days, life certainly is good. Ended up hiking with a kid I hadn't met before, extremely arrogant, and by lunch I couldn't wait to let him on his own. Not too many people rub me the wrong way, but I don't enjoy the company of those who are "unusually cocky". For example, this kid game himself his trail name which happened to be a super hero, criticized my choice of AT&T phone service because "everyone knows it's useless down south!" and was patronizing me for my mileage. My plan was to hike to Uncle Johnny's where I would decide if I was just going to resupply and head back out."Oh man, a 16.8 mile day is great for you right now, especially if you're averaging like 14 a day. There's no way you should push it past Johnny's tonight. But I'm going to, because I average like 20ish a day already. Not bad right?" It was definitely one of those times I wanted to do a 30 mile day, even if it meant excessive pain and suffering, just to prove it to this clown. I legitimately laughed to myself and thought, "why on Earth do I even care what this guy thinks?" What really made me content with my hiking style and not giving a damn what "Superman" thought was when I caught up to him (much to his surprise) and asked what he thought of that last view. So obsessed with pounding out miles and the "numbers" behind the journey, he didn't even notice the beautiful view. Walked straight past without so much as looking up. What a waste. Once at Uncle Johnny's, a shower was welcomed and hopped on the free dinner shuttle. Mexican or Italian were the options. Always Mexican. No brainer. Resupplying after a 32 oz margarita wasn't my best idea though. Returned to Johnny's with a full stomach, full stash of booze and a food resupply bag that should have been much more "full". Looks like I'll have to bolster my supply with gas station snacks. Yay.Finished the night with a few beers, a few laughs and an outdoor viewing of Mad Max. Not a bad night at all.
Date: 2016-04-08
From: Uncle Johnny's Hostel - Erwin, TN

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Ugh, homework. Trying my best to catch up with the descriptions in this journal. It's definitely fun, but hard to keep up with when only 1 shared computer is constantly in use and service/battery life is very limited when in the mountains. Only makes sense to update when on a computer in town. Updated a bunch of entries well into the Smoky's, only a little more than a week behind now. Will try to completely catch up when in town again. Zero in Damascus, VA in about 6 days???Weather this weekend is going to be brutal. Rain, sleet, snow and nightly temperatures potentially in the teens with some considerable wind. Most people staying in town in hotels/bunkhouse, some are slackpacking (pshhh!). Hopefully the New England blood hasn't thinned out over the past few weeks. I'm going to need it. Heading out now (2:30pm) and a short trek to a shelter for the night.It's been great hearing from everyone <3
Date: 2016-04-09
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: snow

Brutally cold, windy and snowy. Pictured is a place called "Beauty Spot". Reminds me of food packaging or menus that force adjectives upon you. "Delicious!", "Best you'll ever have!". I can make that judgement for myself. But to give "Beauty Spot" credit, it really was a pretty beautiful spot. As long as it wasn't some narcissistic eponym...Didn't stick around too long to admire, since the wind chill kept this sunny day in the teens. Ended up finding a yellow and green croc as I was climbing Unaka Mountain. Looked too familiar to leave it behind. I could also tell that it was very recently dropped, sitting on top of the recently fallen snow without even a dusting on top. What impressive detective skills eh?Got a fire going and tented out at Cherry Gap Shelter with Fetch, Teatime, Justice and Tom from ME.
Date: 2016-04-10
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Just Before Carvers Gap
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

What a day. Ice, snow and mud makes for some difficult hiking. Though the bitterly crisp air allowed for some pretty spectacular views over these North Carolina/Tennessee mountains. Brief mental lapse when the thought of quitting was floating around my head after the Roan High Knob Shelter was filled with a weekend-hiking church group with no room for anyone else...Would have been a cool place to stay. Highest elevation shelter on the AT at 6193'.Continued hiking to try to find a relatively flat/dry spot. Pitched the tent and cooked a hot meal in the dark. Hopefully to awake in better spirits. And warm.
Date: 2016-04-11
From: Just Before Carvers Gap

To: Mountain Harbour Hostel
Miles today: 14.9

This is a little soon for me to be staying under a roof again, but I definitely misjudged my last resupply. Running very low on food, I had no choice but to stop into Mountain Harbour Hostel. I had also been conversing with Top Knot after hearing how stressed he was about losing a croc. Familiar faces that had been slackpacking from north to south, had relayed this distress message and one of them passed my phone number along. He decided to stop in for a snack and soda at the hostel and wait for me to arrive to deliver his croc. Overly thankful, he gave me one of his favorite homemade dehydrated meals - barbacoa and fixin's from Chipotle. After checking the weather, and seeing more impending precipitation and wind, the decision to stay was made. More importantly, a section hiker was staying there before heading home. So he had a car. And there was real food a few miles down the street. Cheeseburger, pulled pork sandwich, fries, salad, hot dog and chocolate shake. Such a pleasant surprise. It was hear the rumors started about a possible relationship between two familiar faces on the trail....hmmmmmm....
Date: 2016-04-15
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: broken clouds

Damascus, VA - Home of the annual hiker festival/party known as Trail Days. A town that typically has a population of 700 people explodes to 15,000+ during that weekend. I will be towards the end of Virginia by the time this happens, and since I went to UConn and experienced the real "Spring Weekend" a few times, I won't feel too bad about missing this similar level of debauchery...
Date: 2016-04-16
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

The first order of business today was hit up the dollar store and get my resupply taken care of. While I was there, I couldn't pass up a half gallon of chocolate milk and some oreos for breakfast. Enjoyed these thoroughly at the library while painfully updating my journal. As I was doing so, my friend Hooks (from RI) strolled into the library coincidentally. I hadn't seen him in quite some time, but it was perfect timing. Friends of friends left us a hint of where to find trail magic they left for us in town. The kindness found on this journey never ceases to amaze me. My fantastic pals Alex and Molly from RI informed their friends Michele and JD that Hooks and I are hiking the AT. Despite never meeting in person, they decided to surprise us with some trail magic and genuine southern hospitality with gifts at both a restaurant and a local brewery. The only thing that could have made this better would be actually meeting them and sharing their company. Someday for sure!
Date: 2016-04-22
From: Atkins, VA

To: Wytheville, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I seriously have to get better at updating this somehow. Catching up via computer for multiple weeks worth of hiking is exhausting. Mom and Dad came down to hang out yesterday and I took them to see the ponies today. Ton of rain. Not going to lie, it was nice to head back to a hotel to change into dry clothes instead of staying out in the rain all day/night. More updates to come...once I stop procrastinating...
Date: 2016-04-25
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Free church breakfast...only on Mondays...from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m....happened to camp 4.4 miles from this.Great breakfast, they fed about 30 hikers this morning. Lot of familiar faces, lot of new faces.
Date: 2016-06-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

If you're new to my journal, hello! Maybe you found me from my TEDxUCLA talk?TEDxUCLA Hike Your Own HikeAT-AT Walker's 2015 AT JournalAnd if you'd like to see the 2015 trail journal that shows the inspiration behind the talk...the link is above.It's hard to believe that it's been a year since I set off to do my first long-ass section hike (LASH) on the AT. And yet, here we are! Ready for Round Two!In 10 days, I'll be out there again. I'll have to re-learn all kinds of skills that were second nature to me a year ago...but I'm also armed with a lot more knowledge heading out than I had last time! (For example, guess who is NOT eating ramen for every dinner this time around?)I vowed at the end of the last trip that I'd be back...and I'm staying true to my promise. It feels great. And intimidating. And scary. In the best possible way. This week at UCLA has been hard, as I'm sure many of you know. The shooting on campus and the professor who lost his life have been on everyone's minds and it's a sad way to end the year. I've found solace in meeting with my students (who are so lovely and gifted and funny and remind me of how lucky I am to teach them) and in thinking about the journey ahead on the trail. I find peace in people and in nature. The AT offers both.I've stayed in touch with the hikers from last summer - UFC is out on the trail right now (yay!) and Pilgrim has a summer job that won't allow him to come out this summer, although that's not stopping me from bugging him to. I've also met new hikers virtually (hello Kiba!) and am eager to see what new folks I'll meet this time around. My friend Tanya, the professor at Radford, will once again be meeting up with me, this time walking some of the trail with me. (COME TO THE DARK SIDE.....)And, oh yes, my blue pack (still reeking of the AT hiker stench, which is amazing) made its debut on the red circle of the TED stage a few weeks ago - the video is probably going to post after I'm already on trail, but I'll figure out a way to link it. It's called "Hike Your Own Hike" and was featured at TEDxUCLA. And no, I don't normally hike in a full wetsuit. ;-)So this is it...It's the fiiii-iiinal countdown! (Duh-dee-dee-DEEE! duh-dee-dee-dee-DEE!)
Date: 2016-06-16
From: Vandeventer shelter (or Vanadventure!)

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 14.4

Saw the cool orange salamanders again! And an exquisite green fairy moth. Huge! Never seen anything like it.Today I did a stop at the Nick Grindstaff monument along the trail. He was a local hermit who died in 1923. The epitaph read: "Lived alone, suffered alone, died alone."I stopped for maybe 15 minutes, when suddenly this little black cat materialized from behind the headstone! I was nowhere near a road or town, a good 10 miles from a hostel...where did this little guy come from? Did he escape from Kincora? Was he a hiker's pet? Or perhaps the spirit of old Uncle Nick Grindstaff? I opened my pack, dug out a packet of tuna, and gave it to him. Little critter needed it more than me. And I follow Neil Gaiman's "Instructions" (as good advice for life and hiking as it is for fairy tales):If any creature tells you that it hungers, feed it.I wasn't expecting it, but suddenly the trail today went out into a cow pasture and had an ADA accessible section. How cool is that?Met up with Major Tom again for lunch at a shelter and then again at night at Double Springs Shelter. He said he really admires section hikers because they have to regain their trail legs every time they come back. I hadn't thought of it that way.And one more ubitquitous trail thing I forgot but am definitely re-living now....gnats!
Date: 2016-06-17
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Damascus / Woodchuck Hostel
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

Oh my god, I did an 18 mile day on what, my fourth day back? No wonder my legs are wrecked. Seriously, there's all this lovely restaurant food out there and I'm in here eating peanuts I found in the hiker box because I can't get myself to WALK out to food.I probably should have split the return to Damascus into two days. I was just so excited by the idea of clean, dry clothes! I suspect it was worsened by wet socks (Did you know it doesn't have to be raining to drench your socks and shoes? Just walking through dewy grass can do it). And in doing my laundry, I realized that one pair of my socks are actually those cropped length ones. I didn't notice, I just put them on. I noticed a blister on my heel and hot spots on both heels at lunch. Maybe all of the above did it?Or ramping up my miles way too fast. Do as I say, not as I do.Last night 3 hikers showed up really late to the shelter, well after dark. Turns out they were Bambi (from Australia), Elsa (from Fullerton!), and PBS (who, yes, has a fondness for public broadcasting).We chatted with them in the morning over breakfast (they played Eddie Vedder!). PBS teaches elementary school science and said that when his kids complain about assignments, he sings "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Let It Go." I love teachers.(okay, this is probably pathological, but I'm cooking up a Backpackers Pantry meal here in bed because I can't face putting on shoes and walking to the restaurants)In talking with the others today, I noticed this strange sensation of being out of time and place, like a time traveler. it's weird - I can talk about my memories of all the places they've just come from, as well as places ahead that they haven't reached yet, that technically would be in my future too, if I continued northbound from here. And I get the memories mixed up, since this section is out of order. For example I mentioned Partnership Shelter where you can order pizza, not realizing that's ahead of us on the trail. It's my memory but their future. I'll be glad when I get dropped off back in my normal trail-time-stream. The other tricky thing is that the people I'm meeting have been on trail a month or longer. I'm just 4 days in and still getting my trail legs (and feet...and lungs). It's going to be hard to find someone with my pace.Another thing I'd forgotten about: stinging nettle. With a name like that you'd expect it to look like thistle or be red or spiky or something. Nope. They look innocuous, just regular weeds. And when the trail is overgrown with them, there's nothing to do but go through them. So I spoke too soon about lack of blisters...and now that I have them, I have to figure out how to heal and still walk.
Date: 2016-06-19
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

I have found heaven and its name is Woods Hole.There are hostels you stay at because they are convenient. And then there are hostels that themselves are destinations. Woods Hole is definitely the latter. I had heard about it last year but hadn't gotten close enough to hit it. This year I was excited it was close - and just around the time when I needed to go slower and rest my feet.An 1800s chestnut log cabin which Neville's grandparents purchased and eventually turned into a hostel in 1982.Being here more than makes up for last night. Oh my god. Porch swing. Bed and room to myself. Smoothie and homemade bread and cheese. Goats frolicking in the pasture and pigs snorting. Ducks crossing the driveway en route to a little pond. Dogs. Organic gardens. Stone walls.It's a place so beautiful, so perfect inside and out, that it almost hurts. You just can't handle it. Stained glass windows. Exposed beam vaulted ceiling. Amethysts on the windowsills. The Beatles playing in the living room.And they offer massage! I am totally splurging on a massage.Captain, a work for stay hiker here, saw my trail name in the register and came over to show me his Boba Fett tattoo. :-)Juju and Walkmoore, the folks I met at the trailhead, arrived! Walkmoore is an ND who got his degree from Bastyr, where my friend Kelly taught. And he knows Naturopaths Without Borders, the org my brother and sister in law are involved with. What a small world.We all sat around the community dinner table that Woods Hole is famous for, shared what we were grateful for, and feasted on rice lasagna and homemade bread and peach ice cream."And everywhere people asked him why he was walking throughout the country. Because he loved true things, he tried to explain...he wanted to see the country, smell the ground and look at grass and birds and trees, to savor the country, and there was no other way to do it save on foot."- John Steinbeck, Cannery Row, 104.
Date: 2016-06-20
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: VA Route 100 / Radford, VA
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: clear sky

Today we had another stellar meal at Woods Hole. Juju and Walkmoore stayed behind for massages. Hopefully we'll meet up again soon.I met ET on her way into the hostel - the day after I'd brought up the movie (and my kid brother's love and fear of it) the night before.The hike today was okay despite a popped blister and turning my ankle on a tree root on a steep downhill section. At Cloud's Rest, looking over Perisberg, all the trees looked like broccoli crowns and a bird of prey effortlessly circled below, not even flapping its wings.I was so excited to see my friend Tanya, a professor at Radford. We made plans to meet at Lane street, since according to the AWOL guide that's where you can leave the AT for Perisberg. We were due to meet at 4:00 but quickly realized something was amiss. I was at the mileage point where Lane was supposed to be....but wasn't. Tanya was on a residential street. Thank god, this is one of the only places on the AT so far where I had cell service! We texted back and forth as I tried to pick a new meeting spot. I opened the Guthook Guide on my phone, and in the comments read that they'd re-routed the AT at this point in March! No wonder!We met up further down at route 100. I'm so happy to see her and catch up! I can't believe she's come to pick me up off the AT two summers in a row. What a great friend! I feel very fortunate.
Date: 2016-06-21
From: VA Route 100 / Radford, VA

To: Casa Corbin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

First Zero Day!Had Tanya's incredible mint-feta-watermelon salad. We went to yoga - same studio as last time! Relaxing and so helpful for the Frankenstein-walking that happens the morning after a lot of hiking.Tanya, Mike, and I lounged on the couch, ate good food, drank wine and coffee, and caught up. It was like a slumber party....except I couldn't stay up much past Hiker Midnight. I feel soooo fortunate to have such funny, smart, kind-hearted friends. I wish we lived closer!I also took care of business - uploaded letters of rec for my student applying to med school, bought saline (forgot to put more contacts in my resupply box!), sewed a button on my pants, did laundry, trimmed the straps on my pack that were bothering me.Heels looking better!
Date: 2016-06-22
From: Casa Corbin / VA Route 100

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Sometimes it's just nice to get in early, lie in the shelter, and look out at the view. And this shelter has an incredible view. Makes up for a hard first day back in which I'm carrying too much food, still adjusting to messed up feet, and it was just a long climb up here. And thunderstorms are supposed to come in...and it's way exposed up here. I am so done with lightning.This morning Tanya made me the watermelon salad to bring with me! So nice! And we visited her colleague who does athletic training instruction and she took a look at my feet. Turns out, I've been using pieces of moleskin that were too small.The folks here are Straw (wearing a jaunty deerstalker) and her son Atlas, Ninja (hiking in a Trilby / porkpie? Heisenberg hat?), and JuJu and Hikemoore again! What a motley crew we are - all 6 sleeping on one level in the shelter (Hikemoore hammocking above our feet at the back).Tanya drove me 40 minutes from Radford and came and hiked with me on the AT for an hour! It was so nice to share this in person with someone! Tanya is now officially the only of my friends to hike the AT with me! :-) In the brief section she saw, there was trail magic (a cooler of watermelon and apples), a graveyard, three types of blazes, a weird bridge crossing...it was like a mini taste of everything! We are planning to meet up again for McAfee IF IT EVER STOPS RAINING.The field outside this shelter (from which it gets its name) has a gorgeous view and this funny sign that shows West Virginia in one direction, with "by God" carved into it. The field is currently home to a pack of Boy Scouts ("coming this Christmas to a theater near you..." -Nature Trail to Hell, Weird Al)Watched an incredible sunset from the shelter while lying on my sleeping bag and finishing Cannery Row.
Date: 2016-06-24
From: The Captain's

To: War Spur shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

What a lovely spot this is! It was rejuvenating after a long day of rocks and an endless decline that kills your knees AND everything was soaked from an insane storm last night.The rain came back while AP and I were cooking dinner so we grabbed our things and ran into the Captain's back porch. The storm got fiercer and fiercer and the Captain came out to watch - he was worried the power would go out. It was incredible to watch the rain beat the surface of the creek.I really enjoyed just sitting in the dark with AP, chewin' the fat, passing time waiting for the rain to let up enough so we could run to our tents.At one point, I noticed my tent was glowing underneath. There was a lightning bug under it!Stitch and I got into War Spur at about 2:30. For the first time all day, the sun was out! I was so tired I collapsed right on my back on the ground in the sun, and it felt GREAT!I put up my laundry line and hung up all my wet things. It was so nice, I was staying. Stitch moved on.Later, the 20 Boy Scouts arrived, along with Straw and Atlas (who is making Jello by "refrigerating" the batch in the cool creek water). Also here: Alpiner from Switzerland, Team Slowpoke (two sisters), Princess Peach, and another girl. New record for number of folks I've seen at one shelter!.Dream: It was Valentine's Day and David Bowie came to serenade me. He was singing "You Remind Me Of The Babe" from Labyrinth. I was trying to do a video selfie so I could show Christie.(I have very vivid dreams on trail!)