morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-23
From: Stoney Creek Valley, VA 635

To: VA 613
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

My ankle was throbbing like crazy this morning and I almost fell getting out of bed when all the blood ran to it when I stood up. I packed my gear and decided to give it a try knowing there was a road close by. Zig Zag dropped us off with slack packs. I barely made it the 7 miles to the next road, and it was a fairly easy 7 miles. I could not stand up by the time I got there because of the pain, and that is when I knew I had rolled it worse then I thought. The uphill definitely felt better then the flat and small downhill's, but it all hurt. Zig Zag picked us up at the road crossing. I was cranky and in pain. I had him drive me to the hospital in Pearisburg. There was no wait and I got right in after checking in. They did x-rays immediately. I turns out that when I rolled my ankle, I actually pulled a small piece of bone off. That is the reason for most of the pain besides the sprang itself. They gave me a new model brace that has freeze packs built into it. The doctor pretty much told me to see how it feels and judge my hiking activity off that, but usually 2-3 weeks absolutely no activity...that is not going to happen. I have 3 prescriptions to get filled. 1 for the swelling and 2 for the pain. I figure these will help me with being able to hike on it. I will be ready to roll with these medicines! The doctor kind of laughed when he said "you missed it by 5 days!" In 2011, I was in this same hospital on May18th when I cracked the bone in my right leg 4 miles after hiking out of Pearisburg. Obviously, I will never be hiking out of this town again. This makes 2 for 2, and I'm not trying for a 3rd time. My mom will thankfully be here tomorrow, which starts our week long of slack packing. Tomorrow, The Rock, Pond, and I will be slack packing into Newport, VA. My mom will be here late afternoon and will pick us up there. We will all go to Daleville, VA and stay in a hotel there and use it as a "base camp" while we slack pack all week. It will be awesome going back to a hotel every night and gives me ample time to rest my ankle at night. I will be able to elevate, ice, and rest my ankle daily. Hopefully Zig Zag gets us on the trail early tomorrow so we can get to Newport before my mom does. The four of us are in a cheap motel tonight. I guess we will see how the ankle holds up this week..
Date: 2014-05-24
From: VA 613

To: VA 630 Newport, VA
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: broken clouds

It was rough to get moving today, but it worked out. My ankle is still pretty sore. The brace along with some care at night is working though. Before we checked out of our room, we got two more rooms side by side for tonight when my mom arrives. We left everything we did not need today in the room before heading to the trail. There was only one big downhill and one steep uphill today which was great. I wish I could have gone farther today, but that was not going to happen with my ankle. It had enough so I was happy to call it a day. The Rock and Pond are troopers because they have stuck with me since this happened. I am thankful to have friends like them on the trail. They do not have to do low mileage days with me, but do so anyways. Plus, they are getting a week of slack packing so I am sure there are no complaints there. Zig Zag dropped us off at the road crossing and we took it slow and easy today. The terrain is excellent and easy on the ankle which is always nice. My mom picked us up when she arrived around 4pm. We went back to Daleville and already had our rooms which was nice. We are at the Howard Johnson, also called "HoJo." The owner opened the pool two days early for us which was so cool. It is hot outside so being able to relax next to it is a bonus. Willy Wonka is ending her hike. My mom picked her up in Pearisburg, VA on her way up. She is going to hang out with us for a few nights until she goes home on Monday. I am officially in Newport, VA on the trail which is nice. I expected the worse when I rolled my ankle but I am able to keep putting in the miles. Daleville as much more to offer then Newport so we are having our "base camp" here for the week. We all ate dinner at Three Little Pigs BBQ. It was very good! We have Dragons Tooth, McAfee Knob, and the Tinker Cliffs coming up, so that is exciting. The best part is I get to slack pack all of them. My mom is going to meet us at the road crossing before McAfee Knob and hike that with us. I am pumped for that. The weather is very nice right now and in the upper 70s. That is expected to change over the next few days. We need some rain! Many dry streams and springs on the trail right now. Being able to slack pack and rest my ankle during the same time is a blessing. It all worked out just right. More rest and ice for my ankle tonight. Off to the trail again tomorrow morning.
Date: 2014-05-25
From: VA 630 Newport, VA

To: VA 620
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: overcast clouds

It felt like a very long day, but I had planned to go even farther than we did. I really, really wanted to go over Dragons Tooth today, but that is going to have to be saved for tomorrow. My ankle really hurts tonight after hiking all day. It feels great in the mornings, but as I walk, the pain increases throughout the day. We started early today, around 6am. We wanted to hike as far as possible before the heat kicked in, but we called it at the VA 620 road crossing. The terrain and landscape of the trail has not changed much since Pearisburg, but I expect it to soon. The rocks hurt a lot when I kick them with my toe my accident. I have been wearing my trail runners that my mom brought from the house. I am only wearing them because my brace fits down inside them and I can wear it while I hike. It will not fit into my boots. The brace takes up so much space that it slams my toe inside the toe box of the shoe causing pain when I kick rocks. They do feel really good on the rest of my feet though and are extremely light which I love. If I had been wearing them when I rolled my ankle, I most certainly would have done a lot more damage since they do not have near the support my boots do. I am going to continue hiking in my boots when my mom heads back home, so we will see how that works out. I still has not rained yet, but hopefully some storms will move in tonight. We need it! Water is becoming scarce in parts, and it means I have to carry a lot more water compared to a few weeks ago. The slack packing is keeping us all in high spirits. Willy Wonka heads home tomorrow and it is never fun watching someone you have been hiking with go home. Each to their own though. I am trying to stay as positive as possible. We finished fairly early today and hung out by the pool this evening. After a few pizzas and a couple beers, we called it an early night. We will be bringing Willy Wonka to the air port at 6am since she flies out at 8am, then heading to the trail. She is definitely ready to go home, although it is tough watching someone quit the trail; especially someone you have grown to know so well. Different crowds of hikers are at the hotel each night, so we have a blast with all of them. It was a good day on the trail and a great night at the Howard Johnson.
Date: 2014-05-26
From: VA 620

To: VA 311 Catawba, VA
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: light rain

It was HOT today. We got Willy Wonka to the airport at 6am. We said goodbye and then my mom drove us to the trail right after. It was a shorter day, but was a good one. We were done pretty early too, which worked out very well. My ankle loved it! Dragons Tooth was cool, but I am really looking forward to McAfee Knob tomorrow. A lot of little ups and downs today. Trail runners are still feeling great all around. I wish they had the support my boots do so I could keep hiking in them, but I am not risking anything. It is sooooo nice to be hiking with a 6-9lb pack. Mostly all of my weight is water since we only passed one spring today and it was not a great one. The Rock and Pond fly ahead of me but usually end up waiting every 3-4 miles to make sure I am alright. Rolling my ankle worried a lot of people (most thinking my hike was over), but this week has proved to myself as well as many others that it is still good to go and working just fine, although pretty painful. We found an awesome place called the "Tap House" on the way back to Daleville. So many different beers on tap, we felt like we were in heaven. Not to mention the great food we had too. There were also two pool tables right next to the bar and the walls were lined with big screen TVs. We spent at least two hours there. We were back to the hotel by 7pm. Flinch, her husband Carl, Just Paul, and Tortoise came by for a beer around the pool. The poolside was packed with hikers which was cool. All of us called it an early night since everyone is worn out. Flinch and all of the have been slack packing for a few days as well. We are heading back to the trail early tomorrow morning to hit McAfee Knob. I cannot wait. Bring it on!
Date: 2014-05-27
From: VA 311 Catawba, VA

To: US 11 Troutville, VA
Miles today: 21.3

I had a great time on the trail today, and I was one of the longest days since I killed my ankle. We got to the parking lot where we got picked up yesterday fairly early. The parking lot was already packed full of day and section hikers. Ponds and The Rock few to the first shelter where my mom and I showed up shortly after. My mom is hiking up to McAfee Knob with us. She kicked ass today! It was very hot and rather steep terrain, especially for someone who has not hiked in a while. We took a lot of breaks on the way up and it took us a few hours to reach McAfee Knob. The Rock and Ponds had been waiting there for a while. We took a bunch of pictures and just hung out for a bit. It is such a cool spot! We could see storms brewing in the distance so we decided to take off. My mom cruised back down to the parking lot and followed the fire road for most of it which made it go by faster. She drove back to the hotel in Daleville. The trail comes out right across from our hotel which made it a very easy day for slack packing. My ankle was sore and worn out by the 15th mile, but it still did it. This is our last day of slack packing so I enjoyed it even more I think. It was soooo awesome to have my mom hike with me today. I cherished the 4 miles up to the knob. It means a lot to me that my family supports me during this hike and stands behind me 100% of the way. My mom heads home tomorrow morning when we check out of the hotel so we will continue on in the morning. The slack packing has helped us this week more then she will ever know. It means a lot to all of us that she does this for us. She does not only help me on my hike, but many, many others along the way. It has been such a good week with great hiking and three very cool places. We had lots of great times, fun around the pool, and a good experience at the Howard Johnson hotel. We have the Shenandoah Nation Park on the horizon. Also, soon we will be passing not only the 800 mile marker, but also the 815 mile marker; the exact place I got off the trail in 2011. That is very exciting. The three of us will be going to Virginia Beach for a few days when we get to Waynesboro. I-64 takes us right there and we are pumped for that! We still have some miles to cover before then, but we can do it! This will be the last update for a while as I will not have access to a computer, but I'll be sure to update when I can!Thank you all for following me while I take on this trail!
Date: 2014-05-28
From: US 11 Troutville, VA

To: Fork Mountain
Miles today: 28.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I was full of emotions tody. All kinds of different feelings. Everything from happy, to sad, and so on. I had such a good time with my mom in town it absolutely flew by and was over before I knew it. She will be coming out towards the end of July so that will be great. It was hard to say goodbye today since she helped myself along with so many other hikers out while she was around. The heat played a huge factor in how I felt today. It was insanely hot! I consumed over ten liters of water while hiking and about four or so liters after we got to camp. It is only The Rock, Ponds, and I here tonight. Camps is the quietest it has been since I have been on the trail. The herd is definitely thinning out. We were all worn out and went to bed before 10pm. My ankle was extremely sore and hurt a lot by the time we called it a day. I immediately soaked it in cold water I had picked up at the creek before the campsite. I also put on a soothing patch my mom had brought me to help heal it. There are so many bugs present tonight. I was being eaten alive it felt like. We had a small fire and just hung out for a bit. The three of us are pretty pumped for Waynesboro, VA. We are going to hitch a ride to the beach (hopefully) where the trail crosses I-64. It will be awesome to spend a few days at the ocean. We will also start the SNP the day we get back so that is exciting. We do not plan to stop again until Waynesboro. Overall, today was a great but long and exhausting day.
Date: 2014-05-29
From: Fork Mountain

To: Stream Campsite
Miles today: 28.5

It was again another long day without a doubt. We are putting on bigger miles then we have in a long time, especially day after day. A massive thunder storm moved in around 2am. Lightning was everyone along with loud cracks of thunder. The rain was so loud I could barely hear some of the thunder. I fell asleep again after the storm moved out. We were all up a few hours later by 6am. We quickly started our day soon after. The Rock hikes the fastest out of all of us, but both he and Ponds hike faster then I do. So, I try to leave camp a little early so I can get a head start. I ate a small breakfast and knew I would be taking a good sized break for lunch since it was so early compared to when we usually hike out a hour or two later. I have found that my ankle starts to throb after the 6th or 7th mile into the day. The down hills hurt the worst. Towards the end of the day, it was all I could do to not think about the throbbing and pain. Coming down into Glasgow and going over the James River Footbridge pretty much killed me. This makes the 3rd time I have hiked this section coming up. The first time was in 2010 when I hiked from the James River Footbridge to Beuna Vista, VA. Then again in 2011 on my 1st thru hike attempt. Now, this is the 3rd (and hopefully last for a while). It was raining all day today with minor thunder storms. The river was flowing and the trail was slippery. We made it to a stream where there was just a big enough campsite for the three of us. We are not far from a shelter but prefer to camp away from the shelters. We are again the only ones here tonight which not only makes a rare occurance, but happened two nights in a row. We did not go into Glasgow and we do not plan on going into Buena Vista. We all hvae enough food to make it to Waynesboro, VA without stopping. I would explain the terrain as "Virginia." It seems to never change with many ups and downs over the course of the day. It all looks the same. Also, whomever said Virginia was flat, please call and explain that to me. It was not flat last time, and is not flat this time, so I must be hiking the wrong part. We may night hike tonight if we feel up to it. Who knows? A lot of adventures are to come.
Date: 2014-05-30
From: Stream Campsite

To: Cow Camp Gap Shelter
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: light rain

As the temps start to increase, so do the chances that we hiker shorter days and toss in some night hiking since it is so much nicer to hike in. We all feel asleep very early last night due to the rain all day and night along with the fact we were dead. The terrain did not look so pleasing today, and it was not. I can pretty much remember every place I have camped, stayed, and what I have seen through this section. It is like a replay in my head as I hike by everything. I heard The ROck start to stir around 2:30am. Pond was up too as I heard him adjusting in his hammock. A half hour later, before I knew what was going on, we were in a line night hiking. The climb up to Big Rocky Row kicked all of our butts. We stopped to eat every two or so hours to maintain energy. We turned our lights off around 5:30-6am since it was light enough to hike by the sun. We all expected to see a bear tonight, but still, no bears. I had cell service all day so that was cool to check my phone on the breaks. We thought about going into Buena Vista and getting Hardees but we decided against that as we really want to get to Waynesboro. Today I crossed the 800 mile marker which is insance to me. Tomorrow I will be crossing the exact point where I left the trail in 2011. It seems unreal to already be here. I got off the trail at the Dutch Haus on June, 2nd, 2011 so I am almost on the exact same schedule as I was then. It feels wierd comparing this time to last. I am in a whole different mind set and it is a great thing! The last climb of today after US 60 was the hardest climb I have had in weeks it felt like. I was tired, low on energy, and it was all I could do to take a few steps, rest, and take a few more. I was also dehydrated and had a headache so that did not help anything. It took me just over 2 hours to do 4.5 miles to the shelter. Not to mention the shelter was another .6 off the trail. My ankle is still throbbing and hurts pretty bad. We found a campsite about .1 or .2 before the shelter. The shelter itself is very nice with a cool privy because it hardly gets used due to being .6 off the trail and right out of a town. I'm worn out and off to bed early again tonight. Maybe another night hike starting early in the morning? Maybe not. I am hopng for a big day tomorrow as well. They will all be worth it by the time we get to Waynesboro, VA!
Date: 2014-05-31
From: Cow Camp Gap Shelter

To: Mau-Har Trail
Miles today: 23.3

It was one of our shorter days today, but still felt like a 30 milers. We planned on possibly checking out the Carbtree Falls Campground, but went just a little further passed it to a nice campsite at the junction of the AT and the Mau-Har Trail. The last few day/night hikes have been some of my longest hikes yet. We all were passed out by 7pm or so and up at 5am or a little before. My body just dies when I lay down at night due to being so tired. I am alseep before I even think about falling asleep, and that is rare for those of you who know me. We had no major inclines today which was nice, but the decline down to where the Tye River suspension bridge is killed my ankle. Porbably the worst it has hurt yet. Today we ran into a lot of people we have not seen in a while. It was cool to see all of them again. Our hours between night hiking and day hiking are either putting us with people we have been hiking with for a while or we are running into people we have not seen in weeks. It is a pretty cool mix. It is a long shot, but we are going to try and make it into Waynesboro, VA tomomorrow night. I do not know if that will even come close to happening, but that would be awesome! A few weeks ago we were with a massiive sized group, but between the slack packing and our desire to get to the beach, the are now a little bit behind us. They will most likely catch up or even pass us while we are at the beach. That is fine with me though. My ankle has been yelling at be since I started hiking on it the next day after rolling it, and is still yelling at me. The salt water and rest will be a great thing. There is only one thing stopping us from going to Virginia Beach, and that is a ride. Good thing we have three thumbs and The Rock has a water color set because we plan to make a cool sign. Looking in the guide, we have a huge incline out of here tomorrow. Something close to 7 miles straight up with no breaks. I am not looking forward to that at all. That may end up being done early in the morning to late tonight instead of in the heat tomorrow. By 7am on some morning, it is already very hot. The beach is going to be a blast and is in sight. The three of us definitely have the Virginia Blues after this long week and just want to be done with Virginia. 28 or so miles to Waynesboro, then its a nice break! I cannot wait!
Date: 2014-06-02
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Virginia Beach
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The beach was an absolute blast! We walked up and down the board walk many times. We got a bunch of free stuff from all the vendors since it was "Patriot Week." We also got to see Jake Owen and Little Big Town live on the beach from stage. That was my highlight for the trip, but I do not beleive it was The Rock's as he hates country. We hit many of the little beach bars around the area. One day we were on the beach from 10am until 6pm. That was awesome! I soaked my body and ankle in the salt water for hours. It was amazing how fast my feet went from looking like death to having a little life in them. This was the perfect break from the woods and we could not have gotten luckier. All of us look like we live in Florida from getting so dark. We might as well be beach bums. We checked out of our motel on Tuesday morning. The hitch back to Waynesboro was not so easy. It took us five hours to get a hitch 20 miles up the interstate. Then, out of no where, two lovely ladies named Ginger and Brandie picked us up and gave us a ride all the way to Richmond, VA on their way to DC. This was a little further then halfway back. They video interviewed us and were a blast to ride with. We got a motel for the night in Richmond to wait for a ride from Tamborine's husband Chris. He is coming by tomorrow morning on his way to pick her up in Waynesboro, so it works out great. He picked us up later than we expected around 4pm and took us right to the YMCA in Waynesboro where hikers can camp for free in their field. They also have free showers and the library is right next door. We set up camp and walked the .3 miles to the Kroger to resupply. We got a LOT of food. There are many other hikers here tonight. Thunderstorms rolled in with heavy rain showers this evening. We plant to be packed up and hitching pack to the trail by 8am. It is awesome to be starting the SNP! Anna is meeting The Rock in Harpers Ferry on the 17th so we plan to be there by then. 160 or so miles to Harpers Ferry. I'm ready to see it!