morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-23
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: clear sky

The hammock was a bad idea. I got a chill all night from the bottom of it and was afraid to move. We woke up really early though. Somehow Pogo woke up at 7 and woke me up as well. We got one of our earliest starts ever and my shin didn't really hurt! We had easy walking for the first 6 miles to the next shelter and I was really excited because I wasn't in pain. When we got to the shelter someone had left a note in the privy. It was a story about Pogo getting hit with a statue and dying. That turned the mood pretty sour and we kept hiking. We stopped for lunch on a pretty field with Billy Hoot, Nutmeg, I don't remember the other girls name, and their dog, Georgia. After lunch we had to climb White Top. It wasn't that steep it was just long and hot. Pogo went ahead and the hill felt like it would never end. Pogo stopped before the top to wait for me. We both ran out of water and couldn't find a stream until the other side of the mountain. We stopped and pumped some water. My shin started hurting again on the way down the mountain. Finally we made it to the Grayson Highlands! We were both exhausted though. We climbed Mount Rogers which was not nearly as bad as everyone said it was. We thought we got lost because the trail did a weird wrap around and we saw Steam coming from the opposite direction but we finally figured it out and made it to the shelter. We decided to camp because a local told us the wind gets pretty bad in the shelter. Pogo let me share his tent because there was no where for a hammock to be hung and I didn't want to try it again anyways. Steam and Sue camped with us and we had a fire. We cooked some dinner then Pogo attempted to hang a bear bag. All he did was tie our stuff sacks on a little 3 foot rope and throw them over a limb. When he got back to the tent we actually fit in there pretty easily with lots of room.
Date: 2009-04-24
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: The Side of the Trail
Miles today: 17.9

We didn't get up until 11. Everyone else was long gone but we were only planning on doing 11 miles and the Grayson Highlands are so pretty we were just going to take it easy. We didn't go 10 minutes before we ran into our first sightings of wild ponies! We stopped and pet them for a long time, they were so pretty and calm. We went a few more minutes before we found a huge rock and decided to take a break and climb up it. The view was awesome, the skies were clear and the hills were so green. We met a section hiker named Dan and sat with him for awhile before we started hiking again. Pogo and I made a game while hiking. Because there were so many huge rocks we were stepping across we had to step on the same rocks and we weren't allowed to step in the grass or dirt. Kinda silly but it passed the time really quickly. Before too long though it started getting really hot. Pogo was out of water and mine was pinched so we stopped in some shade and he fixed mine. Then we saw like 10 more wild ponies! Finally we got to a creek and we stopped to filter water and eat some lunch. We were short on bread so we decided to cook. Pogo started getting a bad headache and I'm pretty sure he was dehydrated or had heat exhaustion. We stayed at the creek for almost 2 hours and we met another section hiker, who was actually Speilburgs uncle, that was really cool. Finally we started hiking again, we didn't stop until the next shelter. The scenery was gorgeous and we saw some people riding horses. When we got to the shelter and looked in the register someone left another letter about Pogo. This time it was almost 2 pages long and absolutely ridiculous. Other people were getting sick of it too because they wrote over top of it saying it was not worth reading. It upset Pogo enough to want to keep moving and maybe catch the person writing it. So at about 6 we set off. We ran into Ukon Rasputan and 2 pounds hiking southbound so we stopped and sat with them for a good 15 minutes. We got to the next road about dusk and there was a college group from Appalachia there. They were so cool and gave us snickers, potatoes, rice, condiments, peanuts and a whole bunch of awesome stuff! We sat with them for a while and Pogo filtered some more water. At dark we started hiking again. With one headlamp. It was a little difficult mainly for Pogo but we managed. We got to the shelter and there were no flat spots and we didn't want to wake the people in there up because it was almost 11. So we decided to keep hiking. At midnight I was done. I kept trying to pick a spot but Pogo found some reason for us not to. Finally I snapped at him and we stopped. We pitched his tent and were so exhausted that we fell right asleep. Also today we crossed the 500 mile mark!
Date: 2009-04-25
From: The Side of the Trail

To: Va. 16
Miles today: 3.3

When we woke up, Steam, Sue and Growler were passing our campsite. They stopped and talked and said we could have came into the shelter, they were still awake and heard us. Oh well. We got up and started moving and I think I pushed too hard yesterday because my shin was killer. I hiked so slowly. Finally we made it to a road and decided to go into town since we were running low on everything but dinners. The first car that passed us gave us a ride. She had just dropped her brother off on the trail so she was used to the hiker stuff. We got a little lost trying to find the hostel but eventually we found it. We took showers and went down to the local restraunt to get some food. We went back up to the hostel and talked with Fly and Radar all afternoon and did our laundry by hand! Pogo is OCD about cleanliness. Haha I was washing and then he said I wasn't doing it well enough so he took over. I have to admit the clothes smelled a lot nicer after he was done. I started feeling bad so I went to bed before they did.
Date: 2009-04-26
From: Va. 16

To: Motel
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up with a sore throat, upset stomach, and my shin was still killing me. Pogo showered and walked down to the store before I got out of bed. Finally he made me get up and we packed our stuff up to start hiking again. We walked down to the store to get some snacks and a ride back to the trail. But I felt so miserable that we asked the guy to just give us a ride to Atkins. I was really nauseaous and his driving didn't really help, but I appreciated the ride and stuck my head out the window to enjoy the breeze. He dropped us off in Atkins but we still had to find the Motel with my package. Another guy stopped and gave us a ride, he knew where the trail was so he knew which motel we were trying to get to. We checked in then walked up to a restraunt for a late lunch. The AYCE buffet was supposed to close at 3 and we got there right at 2 but they had already taken it down! So I ordered a roast beef instead, it was so good but it hurt to eat. After we ate we went back to the Motel and rested. We watched House, Law and Order and In Plain Sight all afternoon then went to bed.
Date: 2009-04-27
From: Motel

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

My dad came at 10 to take us back home. I fell asleep off and on throughout the 2 hour ride. I had a doctor appointment at 12:30 so I picked up my mom from work and Pogo came with us. The doctor said it was most likely tendonitous and just to take it easy for a while. He also tested me for strep since my throat was still hurting but thankfully it was negative. He said it was probably just from allergies. I took my mom back to work then Pogo and I went home. I took a shower while Pogo started making dinner. When everyone got home we had chicken wrapped in bacon and rice. I wish I could have enjoyed it but it hurt my throat to even chew it. After dinner we went to Walmart and bought an ankle brace. At bedtime I doubled up on my Zyrtec and switched from Ibuprofen to Naproxin.
Date: 2009-04-28
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 2.1
Weather: broken clouds

We got to sleep in today but at noon we went for a short day hike just to start getting back into hiking. We got subs and then began. My shin did not hurt! I walked really slow, especially on the down hills but it was worth getting rid of the pain. We stoped for lunch on a bridge. My throat still hurt a little bit but not nearly as bad as it was yesterday. We did the section my parents maintain but when we got to the other end of it we didn't have a ride home. So we started hiking back to the car. Pogo went ahead and I waited at another road crossing for him to find how to get there. It didn't take him long at all. Then we went home and showered. Pogo found bamboo and made a cool bead for a necklace to give to his sister for her birthday. We had to go to Michael's so he could get hooks for it. While I was waiting in the car I found a caterpillar crawling on me. I played with it the whole time he was in the store and named it Millicent, because she was only like a millimeter long. Then we had to set her free because we were driving with the windows down. Pogo spent all afternoon on the necklace, it was really cute. My brother made hamburger meat and onions, chicken and rice, and heated up our other left overs for dinner. I doubled on the zyrtec again since it helped so much.
Date: 2009-04-29
From: Va. 624

To: Va. 620
Miles today: 7.9

We had to wake up at 8 so my dad could shuttle us to do another day hike. He rudely woke me up even though I did not ask for a wake up call. I packed a lunch for Pogo and I then we dropped my car off at 620 and dad drove us to the other end. We started off uphill so I kept up with Pogo for the most part. I have never liked uphills until this tendonitous started. We stopped on top of dragon's tooth for lunch. Pogo spilt the bag of fritos so we were eating them off the rock, it was kinda fun. I climbed to the top and got freaked out because it was so high and the wind was blowing. I climbed down and we began hiking. I hiked extremely slow. So slow that I had to concentrate on how slow I was going. I got kinda bored with myself and started taking a lot of pictures. Pogo left a water bottle in the middle of the trail for me. I ran into Smiley and Fortune right as I was about to get to the road. I talked to them for a while then finished up. Pogo had been waiting for like 40 minutes and I could hear the music from on top of the ridge. I still finished by like 2 then we went to Walmart to fill a prescription for Pogo. While we were waiting we went to the mall and I got some cookies and a salad and he ate chinese. When we went home Stunned Mullet and Honey Dew were there. I got cleaned up and we went to Walmart. We waited for 2 hours for them to grocery shop and watched 3 people get arrested for shop lifting. We ordered pizza when we got home. My dad said he was going to pay for it and I assumed he was going to pick it up as well so I forgot about it. When they got home almost an hour later they reminded me. I felt so bad for forgetting but noone else remembered either. Finally at 9 we got to eat then Stunned Mullet, Pogo and I watched tv until we went to bed.
Date: 2009-04-30
From: Va. 624

To: Va. 311
Miles today: 13.5

We drove to Va. 624 this morning for another slack pack but before we got started Smiley and Zen Master came out of the woods. So we gave them a ride to the grocery store and then helped Zen Master slack pack with us. Pogo drove around to the top of the mountain and Smiley, Zen Master and I started climbing up. Southside caught up too and Pogo passed us going southbound. I got to the top of the mountain and my dad was waiting for me. We gave Smiley, Zen Master, and Southside a ride down to the store then picked up Pogo where I had started. Then we dropped off my car and my dad drove us to Va. 621. We started climbing up Brush Mountain, it was very hot but a lot easier to go uphill then downhill. We ran out of water at the top but went and saw the Audie Murphy Memorial. Pogo went ahead on the downhill and I went very slowly so I wouldn't aggrivate the tendonitous. I saw 2 lizards. The first one kind of spooked me at first but it was actually really cool to watch. I made it to the car about an hour after Pogo but he wasn't in any hurry. We went home and my mom made dinner for us. Stunned Mullet and Honey Dew got back from a slackpack about an hour or so after us. We showered and watched tv then went to sleep.
Date: 2009-05-01
From: Va. 311

To: U.S. 220
Miles today: 15.8

We drove up to 311 and started hiking around 9:30 or 10. I was feeling so great climbing up to McAfee Knob that I left Pogo behind. I made it to the top and we ate some lunch on the rocks. It was such a gorgeous view. We hiked on together to Tinker Cliffs and took another break to eat another snack. We got down to the shelter and caught up to Bojangles, Smiley, Zen Master, GDLJ, and Fortune. We told them to give us a call when they got to the road and they could all stay with us. We hiked ahead to Hay Rock and took another snack break on top of there. We made everyone else climb it too when they got there since it was such a pretty view. Pogo and I went down a ditch trail because we were starting to hurt. Everyone else hiked out the 4 miles to the road. I felt bad about skipping it but I've done it so many times and I'll probably do it again before the end of the year. We got back to the house and I took a shower then Pogo and I drove back to 311 to get my car. We came back home and my mom had pot roast waiting for us and the other 5. They all showered and got cleaned up then we stayed up and talked for a while before going to bed.
Date: 2009-05-02
From: Bearwallow Gap

To: Va. 652
Miles today: 19.6

My mom dropped Smiley and Fortune off at US 220 and Pogo and I took Bojangles, Grandaddy Longjohns and Zen Master to Kroger. Then we went to The North Star for a cheap but really good breakfast. We went to Bearwallow Gap and began hiking Southbound back toward home. I got angry with Pogo. I don't really remember why just something stupid I guess. So he went ahead of me. I got sick after like a mile. Bacon, heat and stress don't go well together. I saw 2 deer that stood still and let me take like 20 pictures of them. I kept having mood swings and then 9 miles later everyone finally stopped at the shelter. I was still upset at the time I passed so I kept hiking about half a mile to a stream. I called my friend Dawn and talked to her for 20 minutes before Pogo and Zen Master showed up. Pogo and I snapped at each other and I refused to give him food or water. I hiked ahead of him but not even a mile before I stopped and waited. He was being stubborn and wouldn't take anything from my pack so we hiked on together in silence. At the next creek crossing though he gave in and we ate lunch. We talked it out and weren't mad anymore. We hiked on together to Full Hardt Knob then 3 more miles to my mom's car. We drove home and showered and waited for everyone else to get back but they took forever so we went ahead and started eating pizza and tacos. My dad found Hardcore at Pizza Hut and brought him home as well. After everyone ate we had a trampoline party then went to bed.
Date: 2009-05-03
From: Bearwallow Gap

To: Parkers Gap Road
Miles today: 17.8

Pogo and I took a little longer than everyone else to get ready this morning so we were going to meet them at Bojangles after they went to Kroger. By the time we got there they were already ready so we just told my mom we would meet her at the Gap. I got some breakfast from my old job and talked to some former co-workers. I miss them so much! I don't really miss the job though. Pogo and I ate in the car then on our way up to the gap we saw Southside walking down the side of the road. We stopped and gave him a ride back up to the trail. He was going home to visit family so after my mom dropped us off at Parkers Gap she dropped him off so he could try to hitch home. (I have heard from him since and he said he got a ride within like a minute so he is back home safely.) Pogo and I started our slack pack in the fog. We met 2 ladies section hiking while we were passing the first shelter. We stopped at the second shelter for some lunch and they caught up and ate with us. The shelter was so nice it had 2 stories and windows and a picnic table under the roof so you didn't get wet while eating. Bojangles, Fortune, Smiley and Grandaddy Longjohns also came to the shelter before we left from lunch. They are hiking northbound with thier packs and we are hiking southbound today. Not long after we left we saw Zen Master. Pogo and I were both in a pretty good mood all day long until about the last 2 miles. We passed a sign that I thought was 2 miles from being done for the day. Then about 2 miles later we passed the real sign and still had 2 more miles. I got pretty upset and it also started raining. We didn't stop to put our jackets on though because it wasn't cold just wet. Finally we got to my car and I had spare clothes in my trunk. We drove home and showered and had to fend for ourselves for dinner because my parents went out to eat. I made some ravioli and later Pogo ate some leftover pot roast. We rented 300 but never got around to watching it because we both had to pack all of our stuff to leave the next day. We went to bed around midnight.P.S. The tacos were excelent and none of it was left over. Then we had about 6 people on the trampoline and we just sat around goofing off and talking. Really fun though jumping hurts after walking all day for a long time.
Date: 2009-05-04
From: Parkers Gap Road

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

Pogo woke me up at like 6am. I did not move out of bed until like 7:30 but he woke me up like 5 times in between that. Finally I got up and we decided to slack pack again but then take our packs at the end of the day so we wouldn't come back home. We started around 9:30 and wondered if the crew of 5 were ahead or behind us. It was a little wet but it cleared off around midday. We met 5 guys that had just finished college and were out section hiking for the week. We stopped on top of a mountain and ate lunch with them until they started heading south. We went downhill for about 12 miles. I felt so sorry for the southbounders that had to climb that all day long. It kindof hurt though so I tried to go slowly. At the next shelter we met up with Red Hat and O.M. River and 2 southbounders. We stopped and took a break with them for a while before doing the last 2 miles to get our packs at the road. Apparently the crew of 5 was behind us so we left them a message to come 4 more miles to the next shelter. The 2 miles were really flat right next to the James River. We crossed what I think was the longest footbridge on the AT and then met my dad. He decided to hike with us to the shelter to help us carry drinks and hot dogs. Having a pack on was fairly difficult after not having one for a week. I put on the ankle brace because the 12 miles of downhill really bothered my shin. Pogo and my dad hiked faster than I did and made it to the shelter before me. My brother had a track meet and my mom called and told us he got 3rd place in the mile and 2 mile! Which I think is extremely awesome especially for a freshman. Then my dad had to go back home so Pogo and I started collecting firewood to roast hotdogs on. The General and his friend Kevin were the first to get there. Then Zen Master. Smiley bathed in the river then also joined us for some hotdogs and soda. Fortune was next followed by Bojangles then GDLJ(Grandaddy Longjohns). We sat by the fire for a long time and Fortune started finding shapes in the embers like you would in clouds. They were really entertaining to hear. Finally the fire died down and we went to bed.
Date: 2009-05-05
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

The General, Kevin and Smiley all left basically before I had even crawled out of my sleeping bag. I was the next to leave. I told Pogo he could catch my because my shin hurt from yesterday so I planned on going really slow. It was all uphill though! I actually liked it because it did not hurt my shin. It was a little slow moving but it wasn't painful. I climbed for 8 miles and at the top there was a site for a 5 year old that had wondered 7 miles from school and died on top of the mountain in the 1800's. It was really sad and a little spooky. I started going down the mountain and not long after I hear something behind me. Here comes Pogo running down the side of the mountain. We weren't far from the shelter so he kept on going. When I got there him and Smiley were there and we ate lunch. Everyone else showed up except GDLJ. All just in time before a huge downpour. The General and Kevin were stopping there for the night and Pogo tried to convince me to stay there but I was determined to go somewhere this week. So onward we went. The skies cleared and it became a beautiful afternoon that felt like morning. We had 5 miles left to the shelter and I was starting to get tired. Pogo went ahead and waited for me every couple minutes. Finally we made it to the shelter and were the first ones there. We got water and one by one the crew of 5 came minus GDLJ. The boys made a huge fire. I made mine and Pogos dinner and we all sat around the fire for a while. Then we all crawled into the shelter and went to bed.
Date: 2009-05-06
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

To: Spy Rock Road
Miles today: 16.3

Smiley, Bojangles and Fortune all left but Tekla got to the shelter before Pogo, Zen and I had even finished getting ready. He had already gone over 9 miles before 9:30. That's insane! I left before Pogo again and Tekla caught up and passed me really fast. It was a pretty morning but as soon as I started climbing Bald Knob I climbed right into a cloud. Pogo caught up to me and we hiked together to the next shelter but we didn't go down to it because it was over half a mile off the trail. I put my fleece on and we sat down on the side of the trail and ate lunch. We climbed Bald Knob together and couldn't see but like 10 feet in front of us because of the clouds. Pogo hiked ahead of me but only went a mile or 2 before he waited and I asked him to stay with me becaue the fog started creeping me out. He did and it started misting. I was too lazy to get my rain jacket out though. Then it was like a torential downpour. My fleece was soaked and it was too late to do anything about it. Thats when I decided I was going to the Dutch Haus for the night. The weather cleared up by the time we got to the shelter and Bojangles caught us. But I was still going into town. So Pogo, Bojangles and I hiked another 2 miles then another mile down a dirt road then Earl from the Dutch Haus B&B picked us up. We got cleaned up and Lois made a spectacular dinner! I couldn't finish it all and had to get the boys to help me because she does not allow leftovers. They had bathrobes that I wore around just because I wanted to and these really cool socks made of like wool or yarn that were so comfortable. I waited for the computer and Pogo went to bed. By the time I went upstairs he was already passed out. I laid down and turned the lights out when I remembered I was supposed to turn the wood stove off. So I walked back downstairs, turned it off, and went back up to bed.
Date: 2009-05-22
From: Front Royal

To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Finally made it out of VA! We had to skip a little bit again because Aqua, Pogos sister is new out here so we had to slow down and we couldn't wait for everything to be closed for memorial day weekend. She's doing really good I think! She did a 14 miler on her second day. Thats impressive. So we saw the biggest black snake ever yesterday. It was like 4 feet long and very thick. Then when we got to the shelter there was a giant spider up in the rafters. It was so huge! Don't have much time though I'll get back on when I can and give some more details. Thank you everyone for the reassuring comments it eases the mind and heart to know my followers still support me no matter what I do!