morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-10
From: Cornelius shelter 

To: Matts creek shelter 
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: scattered clouds

D30Matts creek shelter 4-10-09 17.7 milesReally nice day. Woke up to clear skies, cool temps. Good views from atop Apple Orchard Mt. Sweet smells of Mountain Laurel and profusion of wild flowers. Stopped and helped a trail maintainer move a tree from across the trail. He definitely need an extra set of hands to lever it off the trail, as it was a pretty big log. Trail had a fair amount of up and down today, mostly down for us. Slept well last night and cooler and less humid conditions made for a pleasant walk. Though a long one. Got to the shelter just before dark. Quick supper and set up tent. Wx is suppose to be good like today for a few days before it changes to something else.
Date: 2009-05-11
From: Mat's creek shelter 

To: Buena Vista
Miles today: 2.0

D31Buena Vista motel 5-11-09 2 milesWoke up a little after dawn to gray skies and feeling like rain was coming soon. And it did, not long after packing up the tent and stuff. A short 2 mile hike to the bridge over the James river. This is some bridge, one of the, if not the longest foot only bridge on the trail, at least 200 yards long. By the time we got to the bridge, the rain was getting heavy. The plan for today was to go into Glasgow for a quick resupply. Another hiker, had made arrangements for a ride at the road to visit his Alameda VMI. I had not gotten a ride by the time his arrived, so they swung over and picked me up. I commented it was too bad the motel in Glasgow was now closed, and was given the option of going to Buena Vista instead. Not knowing how long this cold rain would last, I decided to go to the motel. Got dropped off about 9 AM at the motel and the sign said "OPEN" but front door was locked. I used the outside house phone to get a hold of someone and was told check in time was 3 PM. But when I told the lady I was a cold, wet hiker, she relented and let me check in early. Of course, the rain started to taper off about 11 and I went in search of a supermarket. Turned out it was about 2 miles west on RT. 60, a fairly Busy road and a very long walk. At least it was no longer raining.Getting back to the trail where I left off today will not be easy, being a good 15 miles away. However, the trail crosses RT60 8 miles east of here, so will try for that. It also skips 20 miles of trail. No big deal, as I've done that part twice before.
Date: 2009-05-12
From: Buena Vista

To: Seely-Woodworth shelter 
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

D32Seely-Woodworth shelter 5-12-09 14 milesFoggy start to the day, despite the forecast for good weather today, but it was just river fog in town. Stood at the side of the road for an hour trying to get a ride out of town. Seemed like I could be there all day, as there was little traffic heading that way. Finally a forest ranger pulled over and asked if I was a hiker and trying to get back to the trail. Yes on both counts. So he says "OK, get in" and drove me the 9 miles up to the trail. No doubt totally against all regulations, but glad he did. He said he thru hiked the CDT a few years ago, so was sympathetic to hikers trying to hitch a ride.Once we climbed out of the valley, the sky cleared and was a nice day. Sunny and cool, great hiking weather. A couple of big climbs out of RT 60, but good views once on top. The last 6 miles got reasonably easy, tacking along the side of the ridges. Didn't see anyone all day on the trail, it's gotten pretty quiet around here lately. One guy came by the shelter after I had did dinner, but he just stopped for water before pushing on to find a camp site. It's going to be a chilly night up here at 3800 feet. It's only 40 some miles to Waynsboro now, but too far to get there before the weekend so will have to take it slow to kill some time so I can head for home on a week day.
Date: 2009-05-13
From: Seely-Woodworth shelter 

To: Dutch Haus
Miles today: 4.0

D33Dutch Haus Montebello, VA5-13-09 4 milesWoke up to fog and water dripping on the tent this morning. Water was fromThe fog collecting on the tree leaves. Still, didn't look good. Packed up and hiked the 2 miles to the Fish hatchery road and down to town and the Dutch Hause B+B. It cleared up and eventually got sunny, but by that time was committed to staying at the B+B. No other thru hikers there, but a few older couples doing day hikes were there. Had a good free lunch, then a dinner and hearty breakfast, all for $45.00. All in all a short hiking day, but restful at a nice place.
Date: 2009-05-14
From: Dutch Haus

To: Harpers Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

D34Harpers creek shelter 5-14-09 12 milesThe morning looked good, but by the time I had climbed to the top of "The Priest", I was in the fog again. The north side of the priest was much steeper and rockier than the south side and a very long 3.5 mile decent.At the Tye river bridge crossing, found real trail magic. A thru hiker couple taking some time off were cooking up burgers and had other assorted goodies to eat. So, had a couple of burgers, soda, pastries, root beer float. Then it was a 3 mile hike up to the Harpers creek shelter. The shelter filled up by dark, 6 of us there. Shortly after dark the thunder storm finally arrived. Found I had hung my pack under the only leak in the shelter roof!Thankfully, the storm was not an all night event and tapered off after a few hours.
Date: 2009-05-15
From: Harpers Creek Shelter 

To: Maupin Field Shelter 
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: overcast clouds

D35Maupin Field shelter 5-15-09 7 miles Rain stopped over night, but still foggy in the morning. Most of the views from the overlooks obscured by clouds. Slid off a wet rock crossing rock slide and scraped some skin off my left calf. Took a few minutes to walk off the pain. Long slow up hill to top of three ridges, than easy down to shelter. Trail maintainers at shelter putting in bear pole. It was only 12:30 when I arrived at the shelter, but good chance of rain and 16 miles to next shelter caused me to stay for the night. Spent the day with "I'm not crazy", a hiker from the UK, collecting fire wood and then burning it. Today being a Friday, lots of early weekend hikers started to show up near and after dark. Two ended up 9n the shelter wit us, but most tented. Then well after dark, Andy, L-Train and another 20 something showed up, cooked dinner and pushed on, intending to get to Rockfish gap by dawn. Got to give the kids credit for pulling this kind of stuff.
Date: 2009-05-16
From: Maupin Field Shelter 

To: Paul Wolfe shelter 
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

D36Paul Wolfe shelter 4-15-09 16.1 miles Woke up to clear weather for a change. An occasional low cloud would skin the higher peaks on the ridge, but had views from nearly all the vista points today. Started to meet weekend hikers and day hikers early on. They were out in force, as much of this section is a short way from the parkway. A lot of down hill today mixed with some short climbs and flat stretches. One set of switchbacks which must of gone on for 2 miles. Today being Saturday, not surprised to find the shelter full of Scouts. Elected to tent to get away from the confusion. Found a good spot 100 yards away from the center of activities. Good day for last full day on this section hike. Only 5 more miles and try to hitch into Charlottesville by 4PM to get bus back home. Just as well to get out now, with summer crowds starting to show up and this is the busy section of VA coming up. It figures that shortly after getting into the tent, a thunder strom rolled in. Truly a fitting last night on the trail. It rained every time I set up the tent, so why should have this night have been any different ?
Date: 2009-05-17
From: Paul Wolfe shelter 

To: Charlottesville, VA
Miles today: 5.0

D37Charlottesville, VA4-17-09Woke up only slightly wet this morning. Much cooler and overcast. Packed up, bid the boy scouts and other hikers who arrived after dark good-by and headed out for the last 5 miles of trail. Saw two, then three deer on the way out. Meet a day hiker (actually a trail jogger) and mentioned I needed a ride to Charlottesville and he said he might be able to help. Sure enough, shortly after I got to Rockfish gap, he came back and drove me into town. That was very fortunate, as otherwise it could have taken all day to get here.The bus terminal was closed until 1 PM, so I started to wander around. Came across the Amtrak station and checked what it would cost to take the train to Boston instead of the bus. $185, a bit more than the bus, but much quicker and more pleasant ride, I'm sure. So what the heck? Still had time to kill, so wandered down to down town, which is a pedestrian mall, kind of nice. Paid top dollar for a burger and rootbeer float at one of the restaurants there.
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Charlottesville, VA

To: home again
Miles today: 0.0

The train ride to Boston was different. Found out they don't turn all the lights off in the carrages, so was difficult to get any sleep. Might have been better off on the bus after all. Usually, I can at least get a little sleep on the bus, despite the 3 AM stops and transfers. Arrived in Boston early in the morning and had to kill the day wandering around the town. Was pretty much a zommbie by the time I got to Berlin at 10:30 pm. Re-adjusting to life back home takes a few days, I still feel like I should be getting up at dawn and hiking in the rain!
Date: 2009-01-13
To: To a happy new year!
Miles today: 0.0

Happy New Year! It's off to a good start for me, with one more birthday under the belt (21st birthday, that is!) and a safe drive back to Atlanta. It's frightening that this is my last semester at Emory, but I'm taking it in stride. I've tried to make it an easier semester to give me time to look for a job and plan our trip, but then again, easy is always relative. I've also just applied for insurance that will cover me in the metro Atlanta area only after I graduate, so I guess I HAVE to come back here now after the hike. The pressure is on to find a job in Atlanta that will A) pay the bills and B) be somewhat, somehow, even slightly in my field, and C) be enjoyable. In any case, I have my work cut out for me in the next few months. Minus the mysterious allergies that still plague my very existence-- and no, I'm not being dramatic, I'm totally serious-- I'm good to go! With some luck and many varieties of antihistamines, I'll have them under control by takeoff. Even so, Josh and I are both still happy and (otherwise) healthy, and that's what counts...especially when you have a 2,000 mile walk coming up in a few months.-Anya
Date: 2009-03-17
To: Fifteen weeks to go!
Miles today: 0.0

Time for an update! We are 15 weeks away from takeoff. I¢ll be honest; we still have a lot of planning to do. Since the New Year we¢ve pretty much slowed down on the planning front while I concentrated on solving my allergy problem. I feel like I need to address this on here since I¢ve been asked a million and a half times whether I¢m still going hiking or not. For a few months I was terrified that I wouldn¢t be able to go at all, since even a few hours of hiking (among many other things) left me covered in hives and swellings, looking like some kind of CDC experiment gone wrong. I subsequently spent my 21st birthday with two hugely swollen ears and ankles. And antihistamines didn¢t help at all, plus the more serious ones left me with really nasty side effects I won¢t even go in to. Thus I couldn¢t just take some Claritin and head into the wilderness. However, I¢ve been blessed with a scientist mom who has access to every medical journal out there, a great family physician, and now an AMAZING allergist/immunologist, who was recommended to me through a family friend. I drove up to Charlottesville, Virginia¢a lovely town almost right on the AT¢to let him have a go at my ridiculous, seemingly unsolvable problem. Two hours and 12 blood tests later, looks like I¢m not swelling up in response to an allergen¢¦ but likely a rare genetic autoimmune disease. It¢s called Hereditary Angioedema, Type III and though we're still waiting for the blood tests to come back for complete confirmation, that's what it appears to be. I won¢t go into it here but it's easy to look up if you¢re interested. The bad news is that it¢s chronic and incurable. The good news is that I¢ve finally gotten to treating it with drugs that work! I haven¢t had a serious swelling episode in almost two months and haven¢t had a hive for (gasp!) about two weeks. Two weeks may not sound like a long time but considering I¢ve spent almost every day for the last four months scratching at a hive somewhere on my body, it¢s pretty impressive. So it looks like the show will go on. There is no way to tell if I¢ll swell up again on the trail other than take a test-hike. We¢re planning on a three-day rendezvous in the Georgia woods two weeks from now¢only then will I truly know if I can tackle the AT this summer.In the mean time, we¢ve bought two different guidebooks, ordered a Henry Shire tarptent (an awesome little thing that weighs significantly less than our current tent), and started planning our food drops. I¢ve also bought myself some great boots and even gotten custom orthotics made to fit them to prevent knee problems. We¢re trying to be really optimistic over on this end!-Anya
Date: 2009-04-26
To: Eight weeks left!
Miles today: 0.0

We¢re inching closer and closer to beginning our journey. And we still have so much to do! Soon we will have our food drops planned, our tent tested, and our road trip plans finalized. After graduation I will go back to Greensboro to spend some quality time with my family, read every book I¢ve been meaning to read in the last four years (well, almost), pack our food boxes, and generally enjoy not having any schoolwork. We¢re 95% sure we¢re leaving for Maine on June 19th. Once we get to Baxter State Park, we¢ll climb Katahdin, pick up any last things we may need, and depart into the 100 Miles Wilderness soon after.        Above is a picture from our latest hike. What was supposed to be an overnight to test our tent, my hives, and our boots turned out to be a day hike. Our tent didn¢t come in time do to an irritating UPS mess-up, I still got hives, and while driving up to the mountains we got caught in the most terrifying storm I¢ve ever experienced. Instead of testing our current tent against golf-ball sized hail and the tornado that passed 2 miles to the north of us, we turned around and fled with our tails between our legs. Getting back wasn¢t so easy though¢¦ try driving on the highway with about one foot of visibility, wind that feels like it¢s going to pick your car up, and huge hail. We barely made it to the next exit, pulled off, and took cover in the sturdiest-looking building available: a Chili¢s. There we shared a pair of Bloody Mary¢s and chatted up the bar tender while the storm passed over in waves. I¢ve never seen rain and wind like that and hope I never will again!        The following morning we went back for a day hike. Midway through I broke out in hives but it honestly didn¢t surprise me since it was cold, I was wearing shorts, and still had remnants of a super-nasty cold from the week before. Having any kind of infection and/or being out in the cold is just asking for hives. Even though my legs were covered from thigh to knee, once we got out of the woods and into the sun they started going away by themselves¢look Ma, no Benadryl! I didn¢t test my luck by going on a second day hike but instead donned a warm pair of tights and watched them slowly disappear. Well, at least I didn¢t have to self-medicate.        A week later our Henry Shire Tarptent arrived. The fabric is SO thin, like tinted saran wrap. This makes me incredibly nervous because I¢m used to our luxurious three-person Sierra Designs double-walled freestanding tent that I know for a fact can stand up to super rain and wind (lived through it to tell the tale!). However, the Double Rainbow we ordered has gotten such stellar reviews from all sorts of critics that I won¢t judge until we try it. This weekend we¢re taking it car-camping. Hey, if it rains and the tent is a disaster, we can always cower in the car!Anya
Date: 2009-05-18
To: Taking care of business
Miles today: 0.0

I¢ve graduated! It feels weird, this is this first time I haven¢t been enrolled in school since I was what, three years old? The first few days after I had the urge to ask everyone around me ¢what do I do NOW!?!¢On the hiking side of life, our reservations to and in Maine are made. Our food is planned. What am I going to do with myself now? Enjoy summer and relax while I can! The only big things left are to buy our boxes and go to Costco for lots of food. Actually, the plan is to buy only enough food for a few boxes (about 15 days worth of nourishment), pack it up, and show my mom how to do it as well. I¢ll show them how much oatmeal is one breakfast, how much tuna is one lunch, how many walnuts and granola bars are one day¢s worth of snacks, etc. Then they¢ll be able to pack the other boxes with say, three days of food, while we¢re away. I first thought it was a good idea to buy ALL the food now and pack it myself (to save my family the trouble later) but several past thru-hikers have told me that we¢ll get tired of whatever we initially buy. So I¢m trying to avoid having four months worth of oatmeal packets and M&M trail mix to come home to after the trip.Other pre-hike errands:        -Figure out how many pairs of contacts my mom needs to send and when        -Figure out how many vitamins we need, buy and repackage these¢ we¢ll take a multivitamin everyday, and want to have vitamin C on hand in case we feel a cold coming on        -Buy a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement¢ I was recently told by a veterinarian that it¢s definitely a good investment for joint health¢¦ for dogs AND people of course. (Thanks, Dr. Millen!) I know that joint maintenance in any long-distance sport, whether marathons or backpacking, is absolutely imperative. You either take care of yourself or you drop out. And let me confess, I¢m terrified of my knees acting up. They¢ve been fine on five-day hikes and never hurt from long-distance walking, but let¢s face it¢ a five-day jaunt is NOT a six month endeavor in any way, shape, of form. Therefore, I¢m willing to try whatever to keep them in good shape. If I need to make a bonfire and dance around it beating a drum, you bet I¢ll do that too¢¦ though no one of real credibility has suggested it yet.Anya
Date: 2009-06-14
To: Ready, Set....Hike? No, play chess.
Miles today: 0.0

The countdown has started. With a week to go we're both excited to begin and nervous over unforseen difficulties. Josh is here for the weekend to celebrate my graduation and iron out the last few details of our food drops and bounce box. Next week, we'll be in Maine, Georgia bound. Stay tuned!Anya
Date: 2009-06-21
To: From Maine with Love
Miles today: 0.0

We are safe and sound in Millinocket, Maine. My mother and I flew in and met Josh at the Bangor airport. We grabbed our bags, bought a few last minute things at Dick's Sporting Goods and Target, and drove an hour north way out into the middle of nowhere. I mean literally. Driving here is different than driving in North Carolina. There, you have to pee? No problem, pull over at the next exit. Gas light going off? No problem, pull off at the next gas station. Here the rest stops and gas stations come at intervals of one hour. They punctuate the thick, rich pine forests-- odd reminders that humans actually live somewhere round these parts.Millinocket is a tiny little town. The cabin we booked a month ago had unexpected sewage problems because "the pipes in this village are old and when they burst, they really burst." Our booked cabin is apparently flooded with poo so instead we have settled in to the Econolodge down the street. The room is old but clean, the furniture reminiscent of times long, long past. It is just our first lesson in flexibility; a thing Josh reminds me we will need a lot of on the trail. Generally, we are happy, having dined on parmesan cheese, olives, pita, and merlot from the nearby grocery store. Josh, my mother, and I are trying to drain a 5 liter box of wine (I highly doubt we'll finish it!) so that Josh and I can remove the plastic liner to use as a water bladder for camp water-- an ingenious trick we learned from another Southbounding couple. That way, if we happen to camp away from a stream, we can still bring in a large amount of water in a container with a spigot from the nearest source for washing dishes, armpits, and socks.Tomorrow we explore Millinocket. We will be sure to visit the famous Appalachian Trail Cafe, as well as the few coffee shops that populate the single main street of town. We will hatch plans to summit the Big K and carry them out on Wednesday... if only we don't drink too much wine.Much love to all. And a big thanks to everyone who believes in us and supports us on this journey. Pictures will follow as soon as I get my hands on the camera cord, currently being shipped in a box to Monson, Maine (the first town we hit out of the 100 Miles Wilderness).Anya
Date: 2009-06-24
To: AT Lodge, Millinocket, Maine
Miles today: 0.0

Appalachian Trail: "A Footpath for those seeking fellowship with the wilderness"Fellowship with the wilderness, is that what I seek?The wilderness is wild. It's friendliness is temporary, its message is love me but be prepared for my mood swings.I am the vehicle through the wilderness.Am I not more seeking fellowship with myself? My legs carry me, my eyes and ears and mind guide me, my spirit must uplift me.My limbs bring me over rocks.My self¢s messages are many, I seek them out as I start my journey.Fellowship with my girlfriend, for we are each others hiking companions.Committed to being partners, lovers and to taking care of each other on the trail.We both made this notion of thru-hiking go from a dream to a reality. Here we are in reality on the adventure.Our message is "I love you" and "I'm happy I can share this with you." and in the hard times, "You can do it!" Fellowship in that aspect is what we will have to have as we trek into the wilderness together.-JoshuaDay 2- Millinocket. We're beat from the Big K. I can barely walk this morning. My legs ache, my knees have huge bruises on them from crawling up rocks. We sidled down the tallest mountain in Maine on our butts yesterday, so it¢s understandable. We spent today at Paul¢s lovely AT Lodge napping, eating the last of our perishable foods, and loving the great indoors. Yogi the smelly-laundry-loving cat winds around our legs and sleeps in the windowsill downstairs. Mud- none. Rain- some, saw a huge double rainbow and hope that¢s a favorable omen for the hike. Bug bits- 3, on the neck in a row, Josh calls it my bug hickie. -Anya
Date: 2009-06-26
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: East Rainbow Lake
Miles today: 7.8

Our first day in the 100 Mile Wilderness was an acclimation. We hiked over roots, mud, and water and came to tent next to a guy who was walking a northbound section hike of the Maine A.T. Thunderstorms went through the night and through much of the afternoon hike, we slept in a leaky tent. -JoshuaDay 4- Abol Bridge to Rainbow Lake East- Started the 100 Miles Wilderness today. Some guys warned us in ominous voices about the blood-sucking blackflies ahead but we haven¢t seen many. The mosquitoes are another story. They follow you in a cloud as you walk over the bog bridges. Here in the ¢lowlands¢ of the mountains, there a bog bridge (a slippery log laid over the swampland) every half-mile. It was a nice day till the downpour hit. We would hear about this storm for days to come. About 100 ft south of our campsite hikers got hit with golf-ball sized hail. A father and son team showed us the pictures the next day. We made camp in the rain beside a muddle non-rainbow Rainbow Lake. Moral is still good though. Rain-yes, lots. Mud- a little. Bugs- around 20 bites per leg, lots on back, shoulders, neck. Tent- leaky, woke up in the middle of the night with water pouring in.-Anya