morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-05-27
From: Vandenenter Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: light rain

An overcast and a clammy day. Everything feels sticky. I'm in no hurry to leave this morning. I'll probably see Scott and Ken at the next shelter. Oh great, I just realized that Im getting low on instant coffee. More rationing. And while we are on the subject...I'm low on wipes too. 32 miles to Damascus.The flower of the day is rhododendron with flame azaleas a close second. I was surprised by the similarities between the pink and orange blossoms.Today's hike was along Iron Mountain ridge. There were several places for views, but no views because it was so hazy.I arrived at Iron Mountain Shelter before 3:00pm. It was sooner than I expected, but I just don't want to do anymore miles. Besides, it might rain.Then along comes Normal and RockLocks. They left the lake this morning and are hiking on to the the next shelter. It took them 2 hours to hike what I hiked in four and a half hours today. Sheesh.Warren showed up at 6:00pm, teased me for stopping at 3:00pm and moved up the trail.
Date: 2008-05-28
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter.
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: moderate rain

It had rained during the night. Ken said it started at 10:30pm. It rained during my hike. It was too hot to wear my rain jacket, so I just tied it around my waist and let the rain get me wet.I reached Double Springs Shelter at noon. I'm so not motivated to push on...maybe tomorrow...Ken and Scott, to my surprise, decided to push on to McQueen Knob. So I'm here at Double Springs Shelter, not wanting to hike on, listening to the rain. I'm not happy with my slow self. I'm visiting with hikers who are stopping and moving on. An older woman named Satchel decided to stop for the night here. She's delightful. To my surprise, Warren showed up. Somewhere along the trail I had passed his tent. He had slept away the rainy day. I ignored him as he kept saying, "So Slow Barbara," and "She never me a shelter she didn't like."4:00pm. Maybe I'm smart and not lazy. It is really pouring outside and I'm dry inside the shelter.Mama Maple (from Canada) and her two daughters, Peanut Butter and Jam, have arrived. They are big mile hikers. They feel the time pressure to finish in time. They have a hiking follower, Robert. We all slept in the shelter while it rained.
Date: 2008-05-29
From: Double Spring Shelter.

To: Damascus
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: scattered clouds

It was overcast in the morning and I, of course, was the last to leave the shelter. At 6:30am Warren tried to sneak out before we woke up, but he got turned around and I had to point out the trail. I was motivated to make it into Damascus. But could I? I remember it being easy miles, but I haven't been doing big miles and have never done that many, ever. Four quick miles to US 421. It is a special road crossing for me because 421 goes through my town in NC.Three more quick miles to McQueen Knob. The guide books won't tell you, but there is a cute little shelter located there. It's dinky. Someone had carved "Holiday Inn" on the lintel. And someone else had added "express" with Magic Marker. I stopped in to read and sign the register. The sun was shining when I came out and it encouraged me to continue.I quickly reached Abingdon Gap Shelter. After 1:00pm no one was there and it was way too early to stop. I felt encouraged to keep going. I remember that the next 10 miles to Damascus would be mostly downhill and easy. Funny, where did all these uphills come from? Just keep going, Barbara.When I reached the Virginia border, the sign said 3.8 more miles to Damascus. I had to entertain my mind as I was punishing my feet. So I counted the white blazes backwards from 38. It worked because when I got to number one, Damascus was in sight. My feet were hurting and I was hobbling, but I made it to Damascus. Hot shower! Clean clothes! Town food! Yes!I went to Hikers Inn. It cost more than the other hostels but less than the Bed and Breakfasts. I was delighted to see Wipeout, Inside Out, and Flying J there. I last saw them at Trail Days. Suzanne, my hostess, pour me a glass of sangria and pointed me to the shower. Heavenly! Later it took 6 ibuprophen to finally make my feet stop hurting.
Date: 2008-05-30
From: Damascus

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

In the morning I called my husband and he prepared to come pick me up. I was so happy that he was coming. Meanwhile, Inside-Out was visibly torn between leaving today with Wipeout and Flying J, or going back to NC with me to deal with a problem at home. It wouldn't be out of our way to drop him off. He decided to go hike with his buddies, but later while Suzanne and I were chatting on the porch, we saw him coming back.While waiting for my husband, Inside-Out and I went to Dot's for cheeseburgers. I then went to Mount Rogers Outfiters to talk to Patrick about my feet. He repeated what Bob Peoples said and explained how Superfeet will help. He even said I will look 5 years younger. Silly man, but I was so grateful to have the answer to my foot problem. I also bought another Nalgene bottle. It is my third for this trip. Sheesh.When Inside-Out and I come back to the trail, he is getting back on in Pearisburg, not Damascus. He'll hike that section later. The question is, should I get back on at Pearisburg too?
Date: 2008-06-07
From: Home

To: Relax Inn, I-81
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

OK, I didn¢t get back on at Damascus. Or Pearisburg. Inside-Out wanted to hook up with his pals Wipeout and Flying J at the Relax Inn. Don¢t worry, I¢ll come back in the fall and hike the 75 miles I skipped over.What a surprise! You Go Girl is here! We are back together again. I was trying to guess where she would be on the trail and here she is. Trail magic. Flying J had to get off the trail to go to a wedding. We¢ll all meet up with him in Bland, VA. Wipeout has been using her time here figuring out big mileage days for them. And in the 90 degree heat they have been having here. Sheesh.OK, Wipeout is now Kamin because Wipeout is a negative name. Kamin is a name from a Star Trek Next Generation episode.Oh yeah, I had caught the head cold Wipeout/Kamin was laid up with in Damascus. Yuck. I slept all day yesterday at home but felt well enough to leave today.And, oh yeah, I changed my sleeping bag to my summer bag which has no loft so I¢m now carrying my inflatable Thermarest. I¢m also carrying 6 days of food I thought I would need to hike out of Pearisburg with, and too many luxury items. Luxury items like the coffee maker cylinder, a 12 oz. bag of coffee grounds, and a 13 oz. jar of Nutella. My pack weighs 40 pounds. Yikes.
Date: 2008-06-08
From: Relax Inn, I-81

To: VA 610
Miles today: 9.4

What was I thinking?!The four of us (Kamin, Inside-Out, Girl, and I) planned to hike 13 miles today. We left at 8:00 am. Before leaving I took a Dayquil dose, the last one the gas station store had. Around noon, it wore off, so I took a single NyquilCap (1/2 dose). That was a mistake because I felt woozy as I was hiking. I wanted to lie down. An hour later Girl and I came to a grassy spot where an orange blazed trail crossed the AT. She guessed that it was a horse trail. She read my mind because she suggested that we lay our ground cloths down to rest. Oh yes, what a great idea. After we got comfortable, along came the slow 4 horsemen from the side trail. They walked around us as they passed by. After an hour nap we continued our hike. Kamin and Inside-Out, of course, were long gone ahead of us.Throughout the rest of the afternoon I was quickly losing my strength. I haven¢t hiked in a week. My feet hurt which just added to my malaise. Then there was a 1000 foot climb for 2 miles up Big Walker Mountain. That did me in. If I was hiking alone, I would have just put up my tent on the first level spot I could find and stayed until I felt better.In the meantime I would stop and take more and more breaks. Hiking right behind Girl gave me encouragement to keep plugging along. Her plan was to get to the first road and catch a ride. We had a stile to climb up and over at the road. But sure enough an SUV comes by and stops for us. Local people, Colin and Stella, out for a drive, just happened to go in our direction by chance, and didn¢t want our money. True trail angels. Girl left some money in the back seat anyway.I let Girl do all the thinking. She had the couple take us to Bland instead of back to the Relax Inn. Now I have more miles to make up ¢ the 35 miles we skipped over to get to Bland. Oh, what a slippery slope it is when one starts with taking just one shortcut¢¦ However, the motel is much nicer here.I poured out so much sweat today that I hardly peed all day ¢ very unusual. I drank more than 2.5 liters of water today.P.S. I spooked a deer 20 feet away from me on the trail.
Date: 2008-06-09
From: Bland

To: Bland
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I¢m sick. I mostly slept. Anything I wanted, Girl would go get. Drinks, food from the Dairy Queen, liquid cold medicine, etc.I so understand now why Kamin and her friends stayed in Damascus for 5 days while she was recovering from her cold.Sometime during the afternoon I toddled down to the office to pay for another day. I passed some hikers I didn¢t know. One guy told me that this cold thing I have is going around. Poor people.
Date: 2008-06-10
From: Bland

To: Bland
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I¢m still sick. This sucks. I¢m worried that Girl will get sick next. She¢s trapped in this box room with me and my germs. I¢m a little more alert today than yesterday.Flying J is here at the motel now. Kamin and Inside-Out should arrive tomorrow.Update. Girl told me that they are here at the motel now.Later. After a nap I got dressed and went to Kamin¢s and Inside-Out¢s room where everybody was hanging out. Inside-Out has a major chafing problem all around where his hip belt rides and other places. They are taking a zero tomorrow. I¢m feeling much better and I¢m ready to go hike tomorrow.
Date: 2008-06-11
From: Bland

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: broken clouds

Flying J got us a shuttle to the trailhead. It was just him, Girl, and me. I told them not to wait on me. (I¢m still so slow on the uphills.) And they took me at my word. I didn¢t see them again until I reached the shelter. I missed seeing Girl waiting for me as she would while taking a sit down break. I did not see anybody all day. It was a lovely hike. There were gentle ups and downs. It took me 712 hours to do the 12 miles. The feet were complaining but not too loudly.Flying J and I put up our tents to get away from the bugs. I was asleep before dark. I heard thunder some time later.I felt 90% better today.
Date: 2008-06-12
From: Jenny Knob Shelter

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: haze

After all that thunder last night, there was no rain. I was up and ready to go after 6 am. I even wanted to skip the coffee but the others talked me out of it.Girl and I started off together. When she got a signal on her cell phone, she handed me her phone so I could call my husband on his birthday. After I delivered the annual birthday song a la Marilyn Monroe on voice mail, we continued hiking.Our first destination was Trent¢s Grocery, 7 miles up the trail and less than a half a mile off the trail. Girl and Flying J were ahead of me and I had visions of them enjoying themselves at Trent¢s while I was still hiking and sweating. But when I reached the trail head, I was surprised to see them waiting for me. The hype was better than the real thing. Instead of pizza, we all ended up with the daily special ¢ chicken salad sandwiches. The best thing was to take a break and drink a cold soda. Then back down the road to the trail we go.Two miles later we visited the Falls of Dismal. When I arrived, I found the other two happily sitting on a rock and soaking their feet. I couldn¢t take off my boots and socks fast enough. Dismal Falls was¢¦dismal, compared to what it was four years ago. We could see the drought taking its toll on Virginia too. Many creeks we passed were dried up. I soaked my feet until I felt a brain freeze in my feet. It was lovely.Fifteen minutes after we left the Falls, it started to rain. No biggie, just put the pack cover on and let the rain cool me off. I regretted not having my ball cap handy to keep the rain off my glasses. After awhile I caught up with Girl and Flying J. They were standing in a little hollow to sit out the lightening. So the three of us stood together in the pouring rain until Girl got out her ground cloth for us to hold over our heads. We fastened the corners to the branches above us and Flying J and Girl took turns holding a hiking pole up in the middle to keep the rain from collecting on our roof. Great idea until we had lightening and thunder directly overhead. Gee, maybe we shouldn¢t use a metal pole¢¦ That ground cloth was a great thing. Hiking in the rain keeps you warm. Standing in the rain doesn¢t. It was like standing fully dressed under a full spray shower nozzle. After we could tell that the worst of the storm passed, we dug out our rain jackets, shouldered our wet packs, and hiked on. It was only 5 more miles to the shelter. My boots were full of water and squishy.Girl and I put up two clotheslines under the eaves to hang all our wet things. We were dry and cozy in the shelter. And cooking our dinners by headlamps. We noticed and remarked on how we were all asleep this time yesterday. A father and son section hiking southbound showed up and tented next to the shelter. Other than those two, we saw no hikers all day.I¢m feeling much better except for the wads and wads of mucus I¢ve been blowing out my nose. It¢s gross.
Date: 2008-06-13
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Our clothes were just as wet this morning as when we took them off. I screamed in the privy when I put my wet sports bra back on.I¢m really slow going this morning. And that¢s fine with me. Flying J has somehow hurt his ribs. He plans to go to the emergency room at the hospital when he gets to Pearisburg. So today it is either 8 miles to the next shelter or 17 miles to Pearisburg. I feel like doing 8 miles today. Girl, the worried caregiver, left with Flying J already. He may just do 8 miles today.The one thing I forgot to pack and miss this time was my Avon Bug Guard. It is really great for keeping those biting gnats away.Flying J and Girl are at this shelter. It was a horrible hike today. Hot, sweaty, and buggy with no views. The Superfeet insoles have actually helped my foot problem, but I¢m developing new problems. The insoles are rubbing my arches and my toes feel squeezed.And while I¢m grumbling¢¦getting to a town on a weekend doesn¢t work with having a mail drop at the Post Office. I¢m thinking of staying until Monday to sort out my mail problem. I also want to unload my pack and mail some stuff ahead and some stuff home. Like the drip coffee maker and coffee grounds, it¢s too heavy. (I¢m keeping the Nutella and nobody will get hurt.)I¢m so grumpy¢¦I need a town visit. On the plus side, I think I¢m over my cold.Hey, thru-hikers showed up ¢ David and Becky. Today I saw only 2 southbound section hikers.
Date: 2008-06-14
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: broken clouds

We all were up and out early today. I skipped and then later regretted not having any coffee this morning. I left around 7:30 am. It was a hard hot painful hike with only hazy views. We agreed to rendezvous at the Rendezvous Motel. Flying J manage to get us the last available room. Too bad he didn¢t get to talk to Inside-Out beforehand. Inside-Out had a very unpleasant incident with the manager. Inside-Out and Kamin arrived in town the day before.I got into town around 1:00, found Girl and Flying J, showered, and walked into town with them. We had lunch at Hardee¢s and then went over to see Inside-Out and Kamin at the Holiday, their motel. We all decided to stay until Monday, except for You Go Girl. She is leaving first thing in the morning. I admire her for her determination. She has been feeling Katahdin anxiety.Flying J and I reserved a room for tomorrow night also at the Holiday so we can all be together. His ribs aren¢t bothering him anymore so he talked himself out of going to the hospital.I saw nobody while I was hiking and counted 14 big black beetles scurrying out of my way. Oh yes, I was talking to Flying J and Girl about perhaps taking ibuprophen during the day while hiking to deal with the foot pain. They were surprised that I wasn¢t doing that already. Apparently most hikers take ibuprophen in the morning to deal with the pain that they are going to have. Vitamin I.
Date: 2008-06-15
From: Pearisburg

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I couldn¢t sleep last night. While I just laid there awake, I began remembering my brother at different ages, especially when he was a little kid. Don¢t know why, just did. I was 11 years older than him and his second mommy before I left home.You Go Girl stayed true to her word and left this morning. She promised to leave messages in the registers and I promised to catch up.Flying J and I walked to Hardee¢s for breakfast. We got our first and only ride in Pearisburg this morning from a man who has his own website about the local people. He gave us slips of paper with his web address.Flying J got the woman at the Rendezvous to drive us to Food Lion so we could just walk across the street to check in at the Holiday. After checking in, he decided to go to the hospital after all because he had nothing else to do today. He came back later with the news that his 8th rib is broken. It has been broken for 4 weeks. He is going to keep hiking. The doctor wants to know if he makes it to Katahdin.Me¢¦I was physically ill this morning outdoors in front of Flying J. He didn¢t get grossed out. He just asked if I wanted a cigarette. (Is that something smokers do afterwards?) I don¢t know why I was sick or what made me sick. I didn¢t feel ill after, so I did my shopping.I got free medical advice by talking to the pharmacist at the drug store. I asked her about this mucus thing. She said that it had to run its course and suggested taking Claritin.The grocery store didn¢t have the 2 oz. jar of coffee crystals. But I found these skinny tubes of Taster¢s Choice instant coffee. They would take up less room than the coffee tea bags.I bought Kamin a pack of playing cards. She just learned how to play Texas Hold ¢Em by watching TV and wanted something to do. We didn¢t play poker because Inside-Out wanted us to put in $20.00. Kamin and I just wanted to play for M&M¢s.We all went to the pizza place for an early dinner with the plan to take naps and then watch the Celtics play on TV. Kamin is a big Celtics fan. The idea was to watch the U.S. Open during naptime. Everyone agreed that watching golf on TV is a great way to go to sleep. Not this time. I don¢t get excited by golf but that was the most exciting game I ever saw.I didn¢t get much sleep because the TV keeps me awake. I can¢t make myself turn it off.
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Pearisburg

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We got up early and went to breakfast at Hardee¢s. Flying J, Inside-Out, and Kamin left afterwards. I stayed and waited for the Post Office to open. After picking up my package, taking it back to the motel room, sorting through what to keep and what to send ahead, I went back to the Post Office to mail some things home and a bunch of stuff ahead to Daleville. I got out of town around 11:00 am.I was disgusted with whoever maintains the trail in Pearisburg. I found the trail only because the mowers had cut the grass along the road this morning. Before, the grass was so tall that it was hiding the white blaze. I think everybody else just walks on the highway.As I was crossing the New River while leaving town, I ran into the Canuck Girls doing a southbound section with their husband and father. When I stepped on the trail across from the Celonese plant, I scared a groundhog who went running fast up the trail.A little while later I heard a voice calling from the middle of a wooded area. It was Starman who hiked in 1988 and was preaching on the wonders of the AT. He would have kept on talking if I didn¢t walk away.The trail was up, up, up. It wasn¢t as bad as I remembered. The last 3 miles were smooth sailing and went quickly. I saw tall new little purple flowers on a thick stalk. The rhododendron and mountain laurel are passed their prime. Their blossoms litter the ground as if a flower girl preceded me on the trail.When I got to the shelter, Kamin, Inside-Out, and Flying J have been here for several hours. After I got here several more (9) hikers arrived. One, I remembered, named Cooking Beans, played a small guitar he is carrying.The expected thunderstorm arrived one hour after I did. The next few days should have excellent weather with lower temperatures.
Date: 2008-06-17
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: scattered clouds

8:00 am. Everyone had left. It is chilly this morning. Breezy, foggy, and in the 60¢s. I was hoping to get up early and get moving but I¢m not motivated this morning. I wanted my coffee. Kamin and Inside-Out are hiking to a road to catch a ride back to Pearisburg to watch the next Celtics game. Flying J doesn¢t think they¢ll get back on the trail. He is going for 20 miles today. The crowd here seems to be doing even bigger miles.I can hear the train blowing its horn from Pearisburg in the shelter.A mile away from Rice Field Shelter was a campsite. I was so surprised to see Punchline and Tag there. They were just as excited to see me too. I¢m so glad to see them still on the trail. Somehow I missed seeing them at Trail Days. Punchline told me that he won the hiker talent contest. They were headed southbound to Pearisburg to get off the trail to get their cars inspected. They are coming back. Yea.Today was a great day for hiking. The sun came out and it was windy enough to keep the bugs away. And it was cool enough for no sweating. Sometimes I even had goosebumps. My feet were even feeling OK today.I noticed cut up leaves all along on the trail. At first I thought the trail maintainer had been down the trail with a weed-whacker. Then I realized that it was caterpillars who were eating the leaves off the trees. Later in the day I came to a place that had bare naked trees and lots of caterpillars on the trail. Gypsy Moths.Other wildlife sighted: deer, bear, and 19 big black beetles. I mostly look down to watch where to place my feet especially because of the rocks on the trail. Occasionally I look up to see. One time I looked up and saw a deer standing nest to the trail, watching me. I stopped and we stared at each other for a moment and then the deer went bounding away.About three miles before I reached Pine Swamp Shelter, I heard a loud crash to my right. I looked up and saw bears running about 100 feet away. I¢m pretty sure there were more than one. I saw one clearly. I stood still and he stopped and looked in my direction. I know bears don¢t have very good eyesight. I tried to take his picture but I don¢t think it came out good. He turned away and started grazing. I turned away and started hiking. I didn¢t feel fear but now I¢m suspicious of every tree stump.The shelter was a shock. No roof. Last summer a tree fell and smashed the roof. There are building supplies staged next to the shelter for a new roof. The only other person here is Richard, a section hiker. He was at Rice Field Shelter last night too.I set up my tent on one of the shelter platforms. Somehow three Gypsy Moth caterpillars managed to get inside my tent. I carefully removed them. This whole area is lousy with them.