morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-12
From: Edward Garvey Shelter

To: Rocky Run Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up at 6am with Ranger and VA Tortoise. Tortoise was kind enough to share water and I cooked my first warm meal -oatmeal! Thankfully, ranger shared some ibuprofen with me and I hit the trail with minimal pain. I started out at 7-7:30am. I hiked through Gathland State Park. It was very pretty. Got to see Cabot and Hobbs probably for the last time (they started at Springer and avg 20 mile days). They were so sweet and a great first couple to meet out here. I got to Rocky Run around 2-3pm, set up my tent for the first time and just relaxed. It was a lovely afternoon. I enjoyed taking it easy outdoors. I had my tent set up between two running creeks. It didn't rain much today and o really love my pack. It holds all that weight so well. I wish I could hike more but my feet kill me. I wonder if it's just because my shoes aren't broken in. It was tough going downhill with the rocks. It's funny how my feet hurt on the first day and I would purposely step on the rocks at the middle of my feet just to ease the pain. Now I find myself wishing for mud or soft ground to walk on. I got a blister on one of my toes today. I made it though, and taking my shoes off and walking in the cold creek is the best feeling. I ate some chicken salad and crackers on a rock and then read my book. I fell asleep in my tent while listening to the wind blowing through the trees and the water running. I woke up and hung up my bear bag and put on some PJs. I took a Tylenol PM and tried to relax. I was really nervous sleeping alone outdoors in a tent for my first time. I decided to be brave, I guess it was really my only option anyways. I didn't have anyone but myself to protect me this time. I dozed off around 8 or 9 and I woke up in the middle of the night feeling incredibly calm and tranquil. There were weird animal screeching noises down the way, they alarmed me but they didn't bother me. I was so peaceful listening to the creeks and the rain falling on my tent. I slept so well. I woke up around 9:30am. I was so proud of myself. I know now that I can truly do this after all. Follow my snapchat blog. It's easier for me to update than this journal. Idk how long I'll be able to keep up with writing this. Add my username: saylind.vettloAs always: "remember who you are"
Date: 2016-05-13
From: Rocky Run Shelter

To: Annapolis Rock
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: mist

So sad that my original entry for this day deleted. So here it goes from memory 5 days later:Today was a good day! The last couple uphill miles were rough. My feet hurt as usual. It was well worth the pain to get to this campsite. I ran into the caretaker who was incredibly nice. I believe his name was Kyle. He gave tons of tips and good info about the trail up ahead. He thruhiked SOBO last year or so ago. I also set up my tent next to a nice lady named Annamaria. She was there with her dog Medusa. Both total sweethearts! I went down to check out the view, and to my surprise, I ran into Ranger and VA Tortiose. I was SO happy!!!! I love catching up with Ranger. He walked me down to the STUNNING view. Absolutely gorgeous. I loved it so much. I was sure to hobble back over to my tent and set everything up and cook dinner quickly so I could make it back over to the rocks to see the sunset in time. It was sooooo nice. I'm so happy I made it to Annapolis Rocks and didn't stop early at Pine Knob Shelter. In addition to getting the best view, tons of tips from Kyle, reuniting with Ranger and Atlas, and meeting a new friend -Annamaria; I also slept so peacefully and had the best sleep last night in my tent. The woods were so quiet. Medusa apparently laid at my tent until I fell asleep (she's a service dog). It was just incredible. I felt great when I woke up! Ranger and VA Tortoise and I decided to take it easy today- the 14th- so we could have pizza delivered to us at the next shelter. (Thank heavens for this decision bc the next day was rough!)I took one more good look at the view, soaked it all in and was on my way. I signed the log book on the way out and chatted with Kyle before hitting the trail. Follow my SNOG for better updates and pics. Snapchat username: saylind.vettloRemember who you are.
Date: 2016-05-14
From: Annapolis Rock

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

Started off at 9am this morning. Today was a rough day on the rocks. It was only 6 mi from Annapolis Rocks but it felt like 10. I had to jump and hop up and down from Boulder to Boulder. I'm glad Ranger and VA Tortoise and I decided to make today an "easy" day because it was brutal! I saw a beaver today and 2 frogs. Chipmunks are all over since I walked past the battlefield a couple days ago. There's tons of millipede things crawling all over. I got to the Cowall shelter at 2pm. All my friends were there. It began to pour down rain immediately after I got to the shelter and some boy scouts flocked to the shelter for cover. The rain stopped about 30 min later and we finally ordered our pizza and cokes! We walked down to the road from the shelter to pick it up. We soon realized that the language barrier caused us to order six 2L cokes! And they told us they were "small" lol. It was a biatch to haul it back up to the shelter, but the 3 of us made it. Of course all the sodas were gone by the morning. So many people ended up coming to the shelter tonight. More than 22 people camped and tented last night. Everyone ordered pizza after we did. We started a fire and we all hung out talking and had a great time. It was a super windy night, scattered rain showers too. It was my coldest night yet. I tossed and turned and didn't get much sleep. I'm having my mom send my sleeping bag liner in my first box!Friends from the shelter today: Polar Bear, Lucky Duck, Jenny & Dreaming Sunflower, Stonecold, Fiber, Brandon, Ranger & VA Tortoise, Annamaria & Medusa, Reese & his dad, and many many more!Follow my SNOG for better updates and pics. Snapchat username: saylind.vettloYou are, remember who.
Date: 2016-05-15
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Deer Lick Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

I slept terribly last night. It was so cold and windy. I got up right at 6:11am and packed my stuff as fast as possible and hit the trail in hopes to warm up. The wind was blowing so hard it was rough! 5 minutes into the trail, I warmed up and took off my jacket. The wind wasn't blowing as hard and it turned out to be another gorgeous day. I got out of the woods and walked into a field with a lovely view. It feels so good to be able to see for miles and miles after being in the woods for a while. The sky and the clouds were spectacular. I was finally feeling great, but definitely tired from the lack of sleep! I hiked a little ways to High Rock to check out the view. It was windy and a little scary up on top, but I took some pictures and talked to a few people. Another awesome view. After I left High Rock I ran into Brandon from the shelter last night. We hiked at about the same pace and it ended up being a great fit. Hiking with a buddy really makes a difference! We hiked to Penn-Mar park together and then we took a break. The wind was seriously hardcore. I took some pics of another lovely view and then went to the ground by the shelter to escape the wind. My hands and toes went numb from the cold! Brandon crashed a 50 year olds birthday party and charged his phone and I ended up following suit later. It was a pretty hilarious scenario at the time. Another hiker that Brandon met before came to the shelter about 10 min after us. He is really cool, has a great personality. He reminds me of Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs. His name is Bob. He's a section hiker so he doesn't have a trail name. He stuck around for a bit and then hiked on.I went to the bathroom and washed my hands, arms and face thoroughly. I felt SO much better after that!Brandon and I decided we make a great team and that we'd push on the extra 4.7 miles to Deer Lick Shelter. I definitely couldn't have done it without him. Idk what I would've done if we hadn't met up together, I would've been stuck at PennMar cold and exhausted and in jeopardy of getting in trouble for camping nearby. We finally made it to the shelter. It was my biggest hike yet- 15.5 miles! We were totally exhausted, but Bob, Brandon and I had the whole shelter to ourselves, which was great. We gathered firewood and started a fire. We set up our tents inside the shelter in hopes of keeping warm. Bob taught us how to hang out bear bags from a tree. Our goal for tomorrow is 10 miles to Rocky Run shelter. Now that we've made it to Pennsylvania, only 8 more states to go!!Follow my SNOG for better updates and pics. Snapchat username: saylind.vettloRemembereth who thou ar-eth.
Date: 2016-05-17
From: Quarry Gap Shelter

To: Birch Run Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a slooooww day. Probably because we overdid it yesterday. It was so cold and rainy. It's the first time I've actually felt miserable on the trail. I knew I wasn't going to make it far with the slump that I was in! I had to listen to music and to an audio book (The Nightingale) just to get through it today! So glad I was able to charge my phone at the bar the other day, idk how I would've made it without my music and book today. Luckily, Brandon was feeling slow today too and we decided to definitely call it quits early and stop at the next shelter. It turned out to be a great day after a much needed nap! We relaxed and hung out with Dirty Jobs. We got a fire started and I caught up on getting my journal entries logged on my notes in my phone. Tomorrow I'll have wifi and can finally post them! :DStonecold, a hiker called LP (Lost Pony.. Which I wrote incorrectly on my SNOG the other day), and England joined us at the shelter. We all hung out (minus England who was exhausted from hiking 60 mi in THREE DAYS!!) around the fire and shared stories. We dove into stories about creepers some of us have come across on the trail and about murders that occurred in a VA shelter.. The stories and the day nap didn't help me get back to sleep too well when I woke up in the middle of the night lol but I put my Nightingale story back on and passed out quickly. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL BRO!! Love you!!Follow my SNOG for better updates and pics. Snapchat username: saylind.vettloRemember who you are babez!
Date: 2016-05-18
From: Birch Run Shelter

To: Ironmasters Mansion
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we hiked into Pine Grove. The trail log from Birch Run left a little scavenger hunt. We found everything on the list except 3 bowls. We found tons of American flags, a broken wooden gate, and 1 blue bowl. Apparently it was a science project -not to be touched. We got into town around 2pm and a bunch of hikers were hanging out outside the general store. We all ordered the hiker burger and it was SO incredibly amazing!! So so good. Everyone needs to eat this burger! Haha It had cheese inside the burger oozing out, avocado, bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato! It was so delish. I wish I knew how to work the picture uploader app so I could show you guys! (My last batch of pics I uploaded disappeared.. No clue where I uploaded them to!) We all hung out outside the place and charged or phones, eagerly waiting in the cold for our hot showers and beds at the Ironmaster's Mansion. Brandon (who's trail name is now Baloo) and I went and checked out the AT museum down the street. It was super cute and informational. I loved all the memorabilia they had from all the famous hikers. The Katahdin mountain sign was pretty cool too.Wee Gillis showed up at the store around 2:30 and I got to watch him work on the half gallon ice cream challenge for 2.5 hours! It was too funny. I wish I could've tried it, but it was way too dang cold out! 5 o'clock finally struck and I dashed to the hostel to check in and get my much needed hot shower!! It was SO amazing to shower for the first time in 8 days. Let me tellll you! I seriously felt and looked like a new woman! Or at least my old, usual pre-trail self. I rushed back down to the general store to order a buffalo chicken wrap before she closed for the night. It was also very good. I took it back up to eat at the hostel bc my laundry was first in and I needed to be there to put it in the dryer right as it finished so all the other hikers could wash their gear too. After dinner, everyone hung around talking. I played card games with 2 other men staying at the hostel that night. Additionally, everyone gave me advice about what to do with my feet, so I can't wait to try it out tomorrow.Before bed, I was able to organize my pack. Throw away all my trash and condense my food bags. I finally got my pack down to prob 30-35 lbs and holy cow, what a difference it makes!!! I stayed up talking to Fiber and Baloo about x's and dreams lol then we all went to bed. Follow my SNOG for better updates and pics. Snapchat username: saylind.vettloRemember who you are.
Date: 2016-05-19
From: Ironmasters Mansion

To: Alec Kennedy Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning I woke up at the usual 6:30am. Despite being comfortably asleep in a nice bed! Never thought I'd live to see the day that I didn't need 15 alarms to drag myself out of bed in the morning! Guess that's what happens when you start living a life you actually want to live - everyday is exciting!I got all my stuff together that morning and headed downstairs. I wrote my mom and grandma some cards and drank some coffee. I hung out with Baloo until it was our time to eat breakfast at 8am. We had bagels and waffles! After breakfast, Fiber, Baloo and I hit the trail. We hiked together for the first few miles playing the name game by trying to guess each others names. It was pretty entertaining and passed the time. Fiber eventually hiked ahead but we all met up for stretching and snack breaks throughout the day. I took everyone's advice about my feet and today was the best day on them so far!! Frequent breaks throughout the day that include: stretching, elevating my feet, walking in the creeks, wearing less thick socks, loosening my laces, and just giving them downtime truly made a difference! My pack was lighter today too, so I know that really helped them as well. Thank you thank you so much everyone who helped me out! I'm looking forward to going farther distances now on these babies. Later in the evening, we all met up at "Alec Baldwin" shelter. When we got there, we had a fire and ate our dinners and just stayed up talking till the sun went down. It was a really beautiful day for hiking and camping was a must when we knew there'd be no rain! Stonecold stayed in his hammock by the shelter, while Wee Gillis, Fiber, Baloo and I camped down the hill. Dark water came through and stayed in the shelter that night too. This night was hard to sleep. It was kind of cold and the train kept coming through the town 4 mi away numerous times that night. I was scared to fall asleep for some reason. Stonecold's murder stories got to me I guess lol no more scary stories at shelters for me! Also the moon was insanely bright and planes kept flying overhead. Not to mention, i set up my tent on moss thinking it'd be soft and cushy. NOPE. lol it was very rocky and uncomfortable. So I didn't sleep well but that was ok bc we were heading to town the next day to sleep in a hotel and hang out at the bar! Yay! Oh yeah and hit my first 100 miles today baby!!! Yessirrr!!Follow my SNOG for better updates and pics. Snapchat username: saylind.vettlo"Recuerdas quien estar." Lol nope that's not right.
Date: 2016-05-20
From: Alec Kennedy Shelter

To: Boiling Springs
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning I woke up a bit tired. We all decided to pull a near0 today and head into town only 4 miles away, so we told each other we'd sleep in. Well normal me would've loved this, but camping-hiker chick me is incapable of such monstrosities. I watched an episode of American Dad on Netflix before rolling out of my tent at 7:30 am. I got dressed and made breakfast - oatmeal that Fiber gave me and it was so good! He makes the best meals! I know I tend to say that all the food I eat out here is fantabulous.. But it really really is! Even if I wasn't deprived of home cooked meals on the reg. It was cold again this morning and I was craving some fire warmth. I gathered some sticks and had Baloo light a mini one that we enjoyed for about an hour before hitting the trail. The day warmed up and got pretty hot. I think it was just below 80 which is exactly what I needed!! I miss FL weather so much. We hiked through big corn fields and got to see wide open spaces today. It was really nice. Not a cloud in the sky. The spring water at Boiling Springs reminded me of FL. It was so beautifully blue and clear. Tons of ducks and swans out on the water. It went through a lovely park. It was just too cute. We all went and picked up our first resupply boxes at the PO. It was a fun experience. So exciting getting goodies sent from home and you never know what you'll get! We immediately went to the tavern and got some food and alcohol in our system. The food again.. You guessed it, was AMAZING. I got a French onion soup and a Louisiana Caesar Salad. After that I went to the gas station for a red bull and some candy while the boys went to the outfitters across the street. After that we hiked the half mile to the hotel. We relaxed and took hot showers then we met for dinner at the hotel bar. My stomach was hurting all afternoon, so it put a damper on things. I didn't eat much and had a 7up to try and make me feel better. Stonecold was also feeling a bit under the weather. But we stuck it out, played some pool and all had a great time. Fiber and Baloo were hilarious intoxicated entertainment. We all had a great time. Eventually my stomach hurt less after I had a few beers, which was a relief!In my box today I got my sleeping bag liner and I cannot wait to use it! I really hope it keeps me nice and toasty instead of cold and frozee like I have been. Thank you mom SO much! You are the best!It was really nice to sleep in a double bed with my arms and legs stretched out! I have missed sleeping Ina real bed tremendously, but I'm hoping as time goes by, I'll adjust to my mummy style sleeping bag and my paper thin sleeping pad. PS: thank you to everyone who has left messages in my guest book! You guys are so kind! I love the tips and advice. You've been my trail angels so far!!Also, Tom and Nanci: I love you guys! <3 Follow my SNOG for better updates and pics. Snapchat username: saylind.vettlo"Remember who you are"
Date: 2016-05-21
From: Boiling Springs

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up feeling so refreshed this morning. I took a hot shower to rinse off just because I could! And also bc I know I'll miss it. Got to drink some fresh brewed coffee, which is great.. But boy do I miss creamer! I packed up my bags and we all hit the trail around 10 am. Today's hike was pretty through green forests, open fields, the middle of farmlands, past cow pastures, and by a pretty river where hundreds of purple and white flowers were all in bloom. Even with the cold rain pouring down, I loved every minute of it. The one setback about the rain is that it's harder to take breaks. You just get cold when you stop and your bag gets wet when you set it down. There were no other shelters between darlington and town so I had to push through and push my feet to the limit. When I finally got here at 3:30pm, they hurt, but not nearly as bad as they used to. I really hope my trail legs are coming in soon! Sadly, my pack is incredibly heavy. It's almost unbearable. With my new food supply, it feels like 50lbs. It hurts my neck and shoulders, and all day today I couldn't really feel my left arm. It was achy at the times that I could feel it. Other than my feet, my most unpleasant feelings are not being able to get relief through stretching. I'm constantly flexing my toes and my hands (esp at night) and trying to stretch out my legs and arms but they still give me that unstretched feeling no matter how many times I do it. I'll be glad when these feelings go away and hiking becomes pure pleasure and bliss. I'm sure they'd go away now if I hiked a little less or had a lighter pack, but sometimes you have no other options but to keep going to the first shelter you can get to. In addition to that, I really like our cuatro trailmigo group we have and it'd be great to stay together. It makes the whole experience much more fun having the companionship every night. I still tend to hike at my own pace during the day, but I do push myself a little more just to keep up with the Georgia boys -fiber and stonecold. At the shelter tonight, I finally met a girl!! Yay! Her name is Wonka. She is pretty cool. She will most likely be way ahead soon since she started in GA too, but it's really nice having another girl around. Funny enough, there's actually at least 4 other girls here tonight but they're camping down the hill. I guess as time passes, the GA folk keep catching up to us and more girls will appEar! Maybe once I get my trail legs I can actually make friends with some of them. I know I'm a dork, but I look forward to that! Now it's super early, but not much to do with no fire to be made. Everyone is just resting in the shelter and passing out early. We're not exactly in a conversational setting lolGuess I'm going to hit the hay. Wish me luck tonight: Fiber's fart butt is right above my head! Lol he is somethin else. Follow my SNOG for better updates and pics. Snapchat username: saylind.vettloThanks for reading! And remember who you are!
Date: 2016-01-14
To: Slow Ride's Accomplishment.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

I met AT thru-hiker Slow Ride at Trail Days this year. We drank beer behind Hyperlite Mountain Gear's vendor tent. After the festival was over I gave him a ride back to the trail near Marion, VA. He was kind enough to send me a pic of him at the top of Katahdin!
Date: 2016-02-24
To: Flight to Atlanta Georgia
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Bumpy fight from Reagan national airport to Atlanta Georgia. Direct flight on schedule. Had to take light rail system to North Spings station to meet hostel shuttle. Another hikers plane was about 30 minutes late so had to wait awhile. I was approach by an elderly gentleman in questionable health loaded down with luggage, he was a minister living in Mexico and had returned to the states to visit his wife. He was scheduled to arrive at 11:30 a.m. but his plane was late. It was around 2:30 p.m. and he had no way to contact his wife. After much digging through luggage he found an email address and finally a cell phone number. We managed to contact his wife and the happy couple were reunited. Soon after , late plane 19 years old Patrick from new jersey (trail name sausage roll) showed up and the hostel shuttle arrived shortly after. The shuttle driver was a hiker as well and we all swapped stories on hiking adventures and such. Sausage roll and I stayed in the same bunk room with two other hikers, enjoying each other's good cheer. Everyone almost to excited to sleep. The hostel had approximately 24 guests and I had many other pleasant encounters with fellow thru hikers. We all ate breakfast together at the hostel the next morning, everyone settled their bill and we were all hurried to the shuttles heading to the trail, very fun ride about an hour away, up a crooked mountain road, which eventually turned into a bumpy gravel road. We eventually came to the Springer mountain parking lot, packs unloaded and left to fend for ourselves. Go to the next posting where the adventure continues!