morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-04-15
From: Campsite near Marion, VA

To: Campsite near VA 42
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a very good day. I was on the trail by 7:16. I was enjoying listening to my music on my iPod - a luxury I'd decided on when giving Gayle a list of stuff to bring me. So I simply started with the first album, 'Abacob' by Genesis, and let it roll alphabetically by album. Soon I had Abba coming at me, Malian desert blues, Andy Irvine, Abantu, U2, Portuguese fado - yes, quite the variety, and I was just rolling along, up hill and down dale, pretty much alone apart from occasional SOBOs. Near the town of Atkins I met quite a large group of trail maintainers - many of them young ladies of school age - hacking away at the edges of the trail with mattocks, leveling it. Atkins itself did not attract me. I'd had a thought of checking in at the Relax Inn, a motel right by the trail on the highway, but I had only done 10 miles and felt no particular weather-related or injury-related reason to head indoors. Okay, it's been quite a few days since my last shower, but I don't smell bad. Not really. And I'd had my burger-and-lemonade fix in Marion less than 24 hours before, I was more than adequately supplied, so I just passed through the town's outskirts and plodded on, nodding my way in time to some Turkish music. There were stretches of the trail that led through farmland - big empty fields with warning signs about sticking to the path. I took things easy, not forcing the pace, surprised at how relaxed I felt. I think finally my 'trail legs' have come in. Even with the overloaded backpack I have again, I eased up the slopes and didn't hurt on the descents. My pace is still about 2 mph, maybe a little more. Around 6pm I'd done my quota for the day, and started watching out for campsites. I found the perfect one, just after a road crossing, but around a bend in the trail, so traffic noise is eliminated. There's a stream gurgling beside me. I got a big supply of water from it and shampooed my hair and took an almost-shower. I feel quite civilized with my clean self, socks washed and hanging out to dry, bear bag neatly hung right beside me, tummy full of BBQ'd pulled pork sandwiches (thanks, Jake), Idahoan mashed potatoes, and a bag of Cadbury's chocolate Easter mini-eggs (an almost religious experience). Milestones: so today saw me complete week five. Yes, thank you, thank you. I'm healthy, on schedule, the weather has been great. My backpack choice is disappointing, especially since it's pack #2 for me on the trail and is generally accepted to be the go-to brand and model on the trail. My boots may not make it to REI in Richmond. Yesterday I passed the 25% completion mark. I read somewhere that in doing the AT, you climb the equivalent of 16 Everests. If so, yesterday I reached the peak of Everest #4. During the last week, I completed Tennessee, state #3 of the 14 I will encounter.Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-16
From: Campsite near VA 42

To: Jenkins Shelter, S. VA
Miles today: 22.4

I woke before dawn, and was striding along by 7:13. I had been apprehensive about today's hike, as the profile showed an immediate 700-foot ascent, another 600-footer, but then a 2,000-foot beast spread over 4.5 miles, taking us up to 4,393 feet. And that was just the first ten miles. After that, there was a descent, and a lot of ridge-running for miles at 4,000 feet. As it turned out, the climbs were okay, as it was cloudy with a light cool breeze. The first half of the beast was tough, but the second was across summit grassland and was easy. I stopped in the woods after the summit as I found I had great coverage and caught up on my journal for yesterday as well as family messages and emails. Along the ridge there was a light rain. Ironically, I ran out of water, and around the 20-mile mark was really unhappy with the world. I eventually downed the contents of a stream I found, and then it was downhill to a shelter. I opted to skip the shelter and camp a hundred yards away right by a creek. I'm getting to like the sound of rushing water as background noise. It's 8pm and I am aching and tired. It's the earliest I've been ready for lights out, but it's not dark yet. Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-17
From: Jenkins Shelter, S. VA

To: Jenny Knob Shelter, S. VA
Miles today: 23.1

I woke well before daylight, and was on the road by 6:29, my earliest start by a long way. I used my headlamp for only a few minutes before it was no longer needed. Most of the hiking was gentle, as in recent days. But at one point the trail took us out onto a gravel road, which fed down the hill onto a paved minor road, where it began to rain. The road then went over US 52, a four-lane interstate. The climb back up the mountain on the other side was brutally steep but even at my pace only took me 24 minutes. My pulse was racing at the top. The rest of the day was relatively easy going. The rain was what we'd call in Ireland 'soft', meaning it would soak you but only after an hour or so. I just stored my electronics away, deployed my backpack cover, and went on. Again I met not one NOBO, but several SOBOs. I was aiming to reach the 600-mile point and camp, but when I got there, it was after several miles with no water resupply, and I was dry. So I had to continue another couple of miles to the next water source, which was at a shelter. When I arrived, there was just one man there, so with the rain and all, I decided to risk staying in the shelter itself, for only the second time since I began the AT. But as I type this, I am one of six. I wish I was in my tent. Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-19
From: Powerlines after Docs Knob Shelter, S. VA

To: Town of Pearisburg, S. VA
Miles today: 5.7

It rained on and off during the night. The wind was strong enough to make the metal girders of the nearby power line tower jangle. When I emerged from my tent at about 6:45, it was wintry. My hands were soon numb from the cold of taking down and folding my wet tarp, but yet again I was lucky to at least be putting my gear away without it also raining. I left as soon as I was packed; Smoky was a little later in getting going so we said our goodbyes. He is planning on a series of 25-mile days before his girlfriend joins him and slows him down. Starting at 7:09, I walked fast to cover the slightly more than five miles on the AT to reach the paved road into town, and then started walking the mile or so on that road to reach the motel I'd booked into yesterday. It rained for a mile or so while I was on the AT section. Down at these lower altitudes, everything is greening up; soon the higher elevations will follow suit and it will become impossible to look through the trees at what lies ahead as the trail curves away. The wildflowers are blooming and even the green of the grasses is quite luxurious. I walked a half-mile to the outskirts of Pearisburg and a gentleman heading in his pickup to his game of bowling offered me a ride the rest of the way; he said his name, given him by his grandmother, was Jug. I threw my backpack and poles in the bed of the truck and squeezed in front beside his kit bag. I was glad of the short lift as I find walking on the paved road quite punishing on my legs. I checked into the Holiday Motor Lodge ($50) and basked in a shower, my first in twelve days. I headed the hundred yards to a Hardees. I saw Smoky in another eatery along the way. He'd already done his shopping, including scoring a $4 fleece at a Goodwill to replace the Patagonia fleece he'd lost or had stolen a few days ago, so he was quite happy. At Hardee's I ordered and ate: their last biscuit with gravy; one ham biscuit; and three steak biscuits. Even I had doubts that I could put them away but in the event I needn't have worried. The large lemonade and large Dr Pepper I had helped wash them down. While there, Tim Brightman, my PMC cycling team captain from the Boston area, called me to catch up. Later, across the street in Food Lion, my former work colleague Sarah Demerling called me to see how I was getting on. I even managed to prod text messages out of both my children. Once again oversupplied with food for the trail, I headed back to the motel to do laundry, charge my devices, and eat the 1.5 quarts of Turkey Hill Cookies 'n Cream Premium Ice Cream I'd bought (hey, I have to keep my strength up). [By the way, is this too much detail? Sorry. I'm almost done. Did I mention the eight oranges I'm eating for dietary balance?] I started reading a random Jodi Picault novel I picked up at Goodwill, and when it came time for dinner I took it across the street to a Mexican restaurant where I had a very fine T-bone steak and shrimps with a humongous Dos Esquis cerveza. I am beginning to feel full. It's time I waddled to bed.Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-20
From: Town of Pearisburg, S. VA

To: The Captain's Place, S. VA
Miles today: 20.5

It was nice to wake up and luxuriate in a real bed. Conscious of the fact that I planned to hike 20.5 miles, I wasn't able to stay in bed indefinitely. I took another shower just for the heck of it (who knew that one's hands could get so clean, even under the fingernails? Awesome.) For some reason I didn't have much of an appetite, but I ate an orange just to reduce the volume of food for packing. In freshly laundered clothes, I sauntered out into the overcast, very humid (93%) morning, gave my keycard to Mary the receptionist who was sitting outside the office having a smoke, and started walking. I had no lift to the AT but it was mostly downhill and oncoming drivers waved to me. I hit the trail at 8:46. The mile or two of leaving Pearisburg is dreary - the trail runs on or close to the highway; there's a long bridge to cross; you are skirting the industrial side of the town with manufacturing plants, railway, freight trucks; when you get climbing away from all that there's a surprising amount of rubbish (light plastic bags) in the bushes until you realize that the chain-link fence paralleling the trail is the edge of a landfill. I met a young Danish couple, Friendly Ghost and Beetle. They were pleased to meet another European. We kept on leapfrogging each other all day. It's not a race, but I did get to the destination before they did. During the middle of the day, there were thunderstorms to our west that traveled across the trail and dropped some light rain. There was a lot of up and down. I climbed over 4,500 feet during the day, and descended 3,700. A lot of us (and for once there were lots of us that I ran into) were aiming to stay at The Captain's Place. This is the home of an unusual man who for twelve years has been letting hikers stay on the mowed area beside his house. The AT is across the river from his house, and to get to it you sit on a thing like a kid's swing in a park and zip-line across to his lawn. It's quite fun. Once there, there are benches, a big fire-pit, a fridge full of soft drinks, a plethora of level spots to pitch a tent, and fresh water from a tap. I ate with my Danish friends as well as Snaps (paramedic with excellent French from childhood in Lyons), and a young brother-sister couple, Rash and Pi±ata. I mentioned having once been to Taiz©, a religious community near Lyons, and Rash not only had heard of it, but he has some of its music on his phone. I would not have bet on that. In my tent, I updated my journal and continued to read the Jodi Picoult novel I bought yesterday. Before leaving the motel, I'd torn off the 100 pages I'd read and threw them in the trash, to reduce weight in my pack. I'd also thrown my used headlamp batteries in the trash, which I know is bad but what's a girl to do?Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-21
From: The Captain's Place, S. VA

To: Bridge near VA 630, S. VA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: light rain

Today was hard. It started well enough. I was the first to leave The Captain's Place, hauling myself back across the river by zip line. There was a big climb straight away of about 1,300 feet. Then there was a running of the ridge line for about six miles. Much of it was rock-covered, so that imposes its own costs in terms of the need for constant vigilance as to where to set each foot and plant each pole, and the stepping or hopping from rock to rock for hours is hard on the joints. Plus, at some point during the morning I noticed that the carbide tip on my left pole had disappeared, like the one on the right pole a couple of days ago. This means that the ability of the poles to grip onto a rocky surface is vastly reduced and the poles cannot be relied on unless you plant them in soil or in an indentation. The state of my left boot, with the upper starting to rip, is mildly concerning too. The waterproof shell is still holding up. I hope I can eke another two hundred miles or so out of the soles, as that will put me at REI, an outfitter in Richmond, where I will sort out boot, pole and backpack issues. There was a second big climb in the afternoon of 2,000 feet. I ascended very slowly. There was a thunderstorm while I was climbing and some light rain. Hermit caught me just after the crest, while I was calling my son to wish him a happy birthday. Hermit arrived late at the Captain's last night so I didn't see him. We both watered up at a shelter at the 17-mile mark but opted to continue further. For me, that meant another three miles. They were three very tough miles simply because the rest of the day had already exhausted me. (In total I climbed 4,700 feet today.) I arrived at a paved road where it crossed over a bridge on a river and decided to pitch my tent on a flat spot nearby. At least I have plenty of water handy. Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-24
From: Lamberts Meadow Shelter, mid-VA

To: Daleville, mid-VA
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I had to pack my muddy and wet tent components in the rain. This was disheartening. I took some stuff down to the river to wash. This included my socks from yesterday. I then put them on, and stuck my feet into my wet, cold, muddy boots. I had dry socks, but what was the point of putting them on? Ah, the joys of the full camping experience. As I went by the shelter, I stopped to chat with the gang there. Although they all appeared dry and distinctly unmuddied, they all seemed to be planning to stop for an overnight in the town of Daleville, less than ten miles away. Wimps. However, after less than a mile of squelching along in my sodden shoes, the thought of a dry bed and a shower - look, I'm sorry, I'm weak, and I confess that I am typing this in the luxury of a Howard Johnson motel, after a giant pulled pork BBQ meal (with peach cobbler and ice cream dessert), washed down with two large flagons of ale. So there. I have bought ten days' worth of food, washed out my clothes and tent, and even bought a Nike rain jacket for $4 at Goodwill next door. I am not proud, but I have wifi. (My phone has been acting up as a result of the dampness, so the attached photo is from a couple of days ago.)Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-25
From: Daleville, mid-VA

To: Cove Mountain, mid-VA
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: overcast clouds

After 44 days, it's not often that the trail dishes up something completely new, but today it did. After breakfast at 6am , of scrambled eggs and biscuits and gravy, I took it easy for a couple of hours and got going by 9:09. I was wearing my poncho at first but when the threat of rain receded I put it away. After a couple of hours I came to a stream that had been swollen by the recent rains. It was now impossible to cross by hopping from rock to rock; all the rocks were submerged. So, in my nice dry socks and somewhat dry boots, I forded the stream. Water reached halfway up my calves. At further streams afterwards, I repeated this exercise four more times. My boots were no longer dry, but let's look on the positive side: at least they were clean, and the water wasn't icy-cold, and I didn't fall in. I stopped in at Wilson Creek shelter around 2pm for a snack, to remove stream pebbles from my boots, and to wring out my socks. There were four other hikers there, the first NOBOs I've hiked with in at least three days. They stopped for the night at the next shelter, but I carried on to Cove Mountain, and finally pitched my tent at 7:40, a long day paralleling the Blue Ridge Parkway, with 4,500 feet of ascent built in. I have done over one-third of the AT. I have a massive amount of food picked up in Daleville*, enough to see me through the next eight days, I hope. My legs are in good shape, and as I use up the food and my pack weight drops, maybe my shoulders will stop screaming at me.*Food supply14 Snickers bars3 protein bars14 Carnation "Breakfast Essentials" protein mix22 large flour tortillas9 sachets of tuna or salmon10 packets of dehydrated Knorr/Idahoan meals (mashed potatoes, rice, ramen noodles, pasta)Nutella (nearly 2 pounds!)Trail mix (almonds, chocolate raisins, cranberries, beef jerky, chocolate malt balls)Tabasco (medium bottle)I estimate the weight of the above at about 20 pounds. While this is insane, it does mean I don't have to stop to resupply for at least a week.Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-26
From: Cove Mountain, mid-VA

To: Thunder Hill Shelter, mid-VA
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: mist

What a difference a day makes. I emerged from my tent to clear skies and warmth. Apparently it reached 82 degrees this afternoon. Ah, the joy of packing up a dry tent. But the hiking day was tough. 6,400 feet of climbing - lots of ups and a few small downs (like a good marriage). I had intended to do about 23 miles, but it was getting too late for that by the end of the day and I was exhausted so I stopped at a shelter after 19.7 miles. The weight of my pack affected me no doubt, and it was very warm most of the day. Again I saw no other NOBOs all day until I pulled into the shelter. I met a number of SOBOs, a mix of section hikers and thru-hikers. Among them were Parson's Trippin', a pastor from western NY state with a big camera and a small tripod strapped to his chest; he took a video of me. I also met Charley "Trapper" Smith, a 74-year-old trail maintainer. At the shelter, my gas canister ran out as I was cooking, but Slider, a section hiker I'd first met at breakfast yesterday back in Daleville, boiled my water for me (i.e., "cooked"). I am beat. So a short entry today.PS Late addition to Day 45: How could I have forgotten this? So, avid readers will recall that on that day I met four hikers taking a break at a shelter at midday. One, Glim-Glom, mentioned that he'd been to Ireland and had even driven through Tipperary. He somehow met a young hurley manufacturer there, who had given him a hurley for free. I looked at him, stunned, and asked him if by chance the hurley was a miniature one, and he said it was. He couldn't remember any other details of where, or name, but I told him that he had probably met my niece's boyfriend, Cathal.Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-27
From: Thunder Hill Shelter, mid-VA

To: Saltdog Gap, mid-VA
Miles today: 22.0

Today was almost the opposite of yesterday - a lot of downs with a few ups (like a bad marriage). At least that's how it started out at 7:52, with a huge set of descents of about 6,000 feet in total to the crossing of the James River. There was also some of the nicest trail I've seen on the AT, with a wide and mostly level path, gravel base, vegetation not in the way, and all experienced in sunshine. But then at the end, with storm clouds gathering, there were two stiff climbs totaling 2,000 feet to get me to my planned campsite. I took a big break in the middle to update my prior day's journal. After that I was refreshed and completed the second half of the climb in fine form. At least, I would have if I hadn't fallen and grazed my left hand near the wrist on some of that great gravel. The cut didn't interfere with the pole strap. I grabbed a handful of dry grass to stem the bleeding and was impressed with my macho approach until I stumbled and opted to fall into the leaves off the edge of the trail to save myself from more cuts. Worse was to come. On arriving at Saltdog Gap, I discovered that (a) the campsite was virtually non-existent and almost overgrown, (b) the water source was a half-mile away downhill, and (c) the trail to the water was signposted as closed due to flooding. It must have been closed for at least two or three years as it was almost impossible to find. I fell two more times trying to forge a path through the leaves and rocks. Oh and that lovely 'greening of the trail' that's been taking place this last week or so? Well, I discovered that about 20% of the charming greenery is nettles, and they sting. I eventually found the water source, and it was a good one, filled my bottles and thrashed my way back up the hill and started to set up my tent just as a huge squall came through. I had everything unpacked and lying around and everything got soaked. I had planned to make a fire to boil water for my meal, but now all the wood was wet. I spent about two hours drying the inner tent. It's 11:30 as I type this but hey - my phone seems to be behaving itself again so I will count that a net win for the day. Excitement earlier - on that lovely flat stretch, I was startled by the sudden roar overhead of what looked like an F14 fighter jet that pounced over the ridge beside me with no advance warning sound and rocketed down the valley. Frightened the dickens out of me. Tipperary
Date: 2017-04-28
From: Saltdog Gap, mid-VA

To: Hog Camp Gap, mid-VA
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: light rain

7:32am. I was very happy to leave Saltlog Gap, after packing all my wet and damp gear away. At almost 2,600 feet elevation, I was above the fog-line and the sun was shining. As is so often the case, I was faced with an immediate climb to the top of a peak called Bluff Mountain. I was listening to my iPod and as I reached the top, on came Bach's iconic work, the Toccata and Fugue in D minor. (Even if you think you don't know it, you do.) And there, spread below me, was a sea of fog, pierced by mountain-top islands. It was mesmerizing. I took photos, and I think they capture a lot of the glory. I realized that I was the only person in the world seeing this particular view. It made up for a lot of what I'd suffered the night before. I dropped down 2,000 feet, and at the Pedlar River Bridge, came across an amazing sight - dozens of butterflies and bumble bees in some kind of feeding frenzy. I took a video and photos. They seemed oblivious to me. I crossed the bridge, passing the 800-mile mark on the trail. There followed a long stretch of almost level going. I paused for 90 minutes at a campsite by another bridge to empty my pack and put up my tent to dry. I put a tarp on the ground and put everything on it to dry - food, papers, odds and ends. I hung my sleeping bag from a tree branch. In less than an hour all was fit to be repacked and I resumed my hike. The level path arced up. In the course of the day I would achieve 5,700 feet of ascents; 2,900 of that would be on this killer climb to the peak of Bald Knob at 4,059 feet. I just put my head down and tried to be relentless in putting one foot after another. It took me 90 minutes of non-stop cadence to finally reach the top. The 2 litres of water I'd started the climb with were long gone and I was still sweating. I survived a couple of smaller high-altitude descents and ascents before limping into a grassy meadow called Hog Camp Gap at 3,500 feet. I started a fire and boiled water for my noodles, water supplied by the Burnham family - parents with three young girls - who were also camping there. It's so nice to be tucked in in a dry sleeping bag, with a phone that seems to have stopped auto-typing and auto-deleting. Tomorrow looks like a much easier day of ridge-running at 3,500 feet for 12 miles; there's a knee-killing 3,000-foot drop almost at the end. Can't wait. Tipperary