morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-18
From: Walnut Mountain Road

To: US 321
Miles today: 22.6

We had a big breakfast and headed back to the trail. A little later than planned but that's usual for us. Fred Bear was there with his dad and Handstand. I'd passed them yesterday slack packing south. They set a breakneck speed. It was all I could do to keep up. I was slack packing and they had their full packs! They are seriously impressive... We knocked out the first 5 miles in an hour and a half. That's practically flying. And they were telling me later that they have an unspoken rile that flat ground means at least a little bit of jogging. Breaks were had to collect more water and eat but they were hours apart and just about 5 minutes on the dot. Handstand just got out of the Army. She's a runner, and does triathlons for fun. Fred Bear has always been a track star, and I believe was in the military also. I could never keep up with them with my pack on. But slack packing? I love it. Saw many trail maintainers. We got to the base of Pond Flats Mountain by 3:15 and took a small break. Laurel Falls was incredible, and I would have loved to go for a swim. I'm sure the water was freezing this early in the season. We saw a big black snake hanging out in the sun. The mountain looked like a beast on the profile map. It was the hardest mountain I've climbed yet. My legs just weren't cooperating. They were more tired than they should have been. Close to the top I started feeling like I was going to pass out. I was just off. Fred Bear had taken off from the beginning and Handstand left me behind eventually. She tried to wait but had to keep up the momentum to get to the top. I'm telling you, I don't know how they do it. They and a few others decided to camp on top. I had to meet mum at the bottom. I ran the 3.6 miles even though I was dead tired to make it on time, and to just get off the mountain I hated. I rolled my ankle pretty good - while walking - but I walked it off and it feels okay. I made it 5 minutes after she said she'd be there. The trail was rerouted along the road because of flooding but I didn't see her anywhere so I called. She was at a completely different trail crossing and as I was telling here where I was she lost service. As I sat there I realized I had given her the wrong GPS coordinates that morning. Dang it. An hour and a half later she showed up and told me about all the different people she'd talked to for directions. I felt really bad but she didn't care because she'd been worried about me. The one upside was that she knew the area fairly well now. We got Subway and headed back to the room. Still playing catch up. I really need a zero day to get a laundry list of things done but I also want to take advantage of slack packing and getting some big miles done. 26 planned for tomorrow. I know I can do it.
Date: 2013-04-19
From: US 321

To: TN 91
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: overcast clouds

OJ is my favorite part of breakfast. And one of the things I miss the most. It's not something I had all the time before I came out here but right now it just hits the spot. Was out on the trail by 8:30 - earlier than I start when I'm camping. I'm not a morning person. I had 3 liters of water and a Gatorade today because I'd run out of water 2 days in a row and the water sources have been crap for those of us without a filter. Saw Push-up early in the morning. He passed me as I hung out and took pictures at the dam. I wasn't able to catch him until the first shelter. The climb up onto the ridge was not fun. Have I mentioned that I hate climbing? Have I mentioned that my legs have been off lately? It's really throwing my mood. We finally got some of that rain they've been talking about for days. I left my coat off for a while because it was just sprinkling. Met Wanderlust at the shelter. Had a short break and left a few minutes behind him. ran into Chinmusic doing his first slack pack and his first 20 mile day going south. Not long after that the rain really started to come down. And it rained. And it poured. Sideways. And the wind was incredible. I had to run to stay warm. It wasn't long before I was soaked through and the trail became a river. I jogged most of the way to the next shelter and surprisingly didn't catch Wanderlust. When I got there he said he'd done quite a bit of "scampering" because of the rain. Pumpkin Head, the Peace Core group, and Foxtrot were there. They were all going to stay due to weather. I was torn between going the rest of the miles or changing our meeting point to make it a 20 mile day. I knew physically I could handle the miles. But I was very very cold and wet. And very miserable. I stood there for about 3 minutes getting colder and colder before I texted mom the new plan.I jogged the 5 miles to the road. I feel like I must have run 10 of today's 20 miles. And honestly? My legs feel good. I think the running helped somehow. I felt better going up the hills. Mom got to the road about 10 seconds after I did. Perfect timing. I was worried I was going to get very cold waiting. She even had hot cocoa for me! Could I have done the last 6 miles? Yes. But I decided I'd rather spend time with mom because she's leaving tomorrow. We came back and I took a long, hot, glorious shower. We went through my bag and got rid of everything we could. Planned out mail drops. We went to dinner at a cute local place. Good food, huge portions. That'll be breakfast tomorrow too. It was getting late but we still had to do laundry and go to Rite Aid. I still feel like I need a zero. If just to sleep. I'm in a funk and I don't know why. I want to go home. I miss clean clothes and hot showers. And beds. And clean water. I'm sick of hiking. I'm just so tired and there's still 1000+ miles to go. I don't feel like I can do it. I know how mad at myself I'll be if I quit. But I feel like crap. Where do I draw the line?
Date: 2013-04-20
From: TN 91

To: Campsite
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

It was not a good morning. I was tired. Bone deep tired. Ready to go home. Ready to go back to Maine with mom. We hung out in the room for a while. Eventually I had to get ready. There were tears. I didn't want to go back to the trail. If I'm feeling this way before 500 miles, no way can I make it to Katahdin. It was a quiet drive. I pondered my choice the whole way. Finally we got to the parking area. The Peace Core group was there with some people doing trail magic. Chinmusic showed up. Awesome. An audience. But we could leave right now and I would never see these people again. Never have to explain why I went home. I got out of the car. Cue tearful goodbye. The trail led up through a field and through a cow pasture. The baby cows were cute. I wished I was seeing them from the car window. Mum texted me a while later that she had bought and left a few things for me in Damascus. I walked as slowly as I wanted. Eventually Chinmusic came by and I hiked with him. He took the lead and pulled me up the mountains. The conversation distracted me. We hiked with Hawk Eye at the end of the day and picked a spot to camp. Chinmusic made a fire. Right before we went to bed McJetpack (Detour) came in with his head lamp. It's supposed to be a cold night. Today was cold, which sucks but seemed rather fitting. I don't know how or why I'm still on the trail, but here I am. State number 4 tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Campsite

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was freezing. I miss my Wal-Mart bag. By the time I got up, McJetpack had left and Hawk Eye was not far behind. I got my butt in gear and Chinmusic was nice enough to wait for me. We took pictures at the VA state line. 3 states down. Virginia has more miles than we've already walked in all 3 states combined...hard to wrap your brain around. We rolled into Damascus by 11:15 and met up with Hawk Eye again. Had lunch at the Blue Blaze Cage. Chinmusic checked in at Crazy Larry's. I went to Sundog Outfitter to pick up the stuff mum bought for me. Finally met Buttons who I've heard so much about. She's a nice girl. We're the same age from the same state, and our moms are both teachers who were here slack packing us at the same time because they were on school break. Decided to stay at the Mt. Roger's Outfitter hostel. The room has two twin beds so Sooty is going to stay with me. Went back to the outfitters and bought some Darn Tough socks. They are so comfortable. When I got back the people told me someone had come by looking for me. It was Tennessee Jones! Went over to the Blue Blaze Cafe to sit and talk with him for a while. He's here doing a bike trip with a friend. He plans to section hike with me in Virginia and I think I have him convinced to come to trail days. Who else should be there but King and Slip. I'd been introduced to them online through a friend of a friend because we're both hiking the trail this year. They started two weeks later than me and it took them about a month to catch me. I feel like such a slacker. Tennessee Jones had to go so I went to Subway for dinner. Chinmusic set up a 20 mile slack pack for tomorrow I realized I'll be gone before the outfitters opens in the morning so I'll have to leave a note for them that I'm coming back and be back before they close. This place doesn't have a heater and it's better than being outside - but still very chilly.
Date: 2013-04-22
From: Whitetop Mountain Road

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 21.6

Long day. It was cold on Whitetop. We saw lots of people going north. Stopped at Lost Mountain Shelter and saw the privy with "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss written on the wall. By 2 we reached the second shelter but it was 1/4 mile off the trail so Chinmusic and I just laid in the grass right there. 40 minutes later (oops) we woke up from our cat nap in the sun and kept going. Not long after that we saw a 6 ft snake on the trail. Saw Sooty and Pearl. Hoops had stayed in town another night. I asked Sooty if he'd let the outfitters know I'd be another night and he said yes but that he'd given them the keys. We thought I might be able to make it back by 6 so I left Chinmusic and took off. About a mile later something went crashing through the woods - something big. It was either a deer or a bear though I didn't get a look at it. I'm thinking bear. Darn. Still haven't seen one.Reached where the AT joins the Virginia Creeper Trail and goes into town. As I crossed the road I saw a sign on my right that said "Appalachian Trail" with an arrow, so, being a southbounder for the day, I turned left. I figured northbounders had to be coming from this direction to see the sign. As I followed the Creeper Trail everything looked familiar from this morning's drive. The trail just kept going and going. I didn't see any white blazes but I figured that's because the two trails were together. I walked for much longer than I should have. The book said the trails were only together for .4 miles and based on time I estimate I went about 3 miles. Finally I found some campers and asked them where Damascus was...they pointed in the opposite direction I was walking. I jogged most of the way back. I was so mad that I'd made a 20+ miles day that much longer. My legs were so tired. When I got back to the "Appalachian Trail" sign, I realized it was double sided. I could see Chinmusic up ahead, and white blazes. I caught up to him and we rolled into town around 7:15. I suppose everyone goes the wrong way at least once. I'm hoping this is my only time. He went to Crazy Larry's to drop off his stuff and we met back up and Dairy King. My appetite has been weird all day. I've been having sharp pains in my abdomen and only ate a handful of trail mix all day. The thought of ice cream was alluring even though I wasn't hungry. I ate a sunday. I kind of had to force it down though it tasted very good. I felt no better or worse for eating it. I walked to the hostel and sure enough my door was locked. Walked over to the bar because Sooty had texted Great Legs and asked him to pick up the keys for me. He had them and that was a big weight off my shoulders. Couldn't find a roommate for tonight. I'm soooo tired. That sleeping bag is calling my name.
Date: 2013-04-25
From: Troutdale, VA

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Chinmusic and I slept in. It's always hard to get out of bed when you're inside. By the time we did get up Pete, Sunshine, and Carpenter headed out. For some reason it took me longer than usual to get ready. We weren't optimistic about our hitching chances after yesterday, however, the very first car picked us up. It was a very nice couple that were driving out for a day hike. They had a large dog in the back with us and a small one up front. I love dogs. As we drove we were surprised to see the other three on the side of the road still walking! No luck hitching I guess... They gave us hell for it when they caught us on the mountain. Chinmusic said something great today: "Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee tested our bodies, Mother Nature tested our resolve, and Virginia is rewarding us." The terrain has been great (comparatively - it's certainly not flat). The weather has been good though they are calling for a few days of rain in the near future. Partnership Shelter is the nicest I've ever seen. Much nicer than the "Fontana Hilton". The last shuttle into town is 2:30 so Chin and I missed it but we hitched into town. We were on car 7 or 8 when a guy going the opposite direction pulled over and said he'd take us to town. Now THAT'S hitching skill. What an incredibly nice man he was too. He said he was having a good day and he figured he'd try to pass that on to some other people. I think we could all learn a thing or two from him. He dropped us off at Pizza Hut. Chin stayed, and though pizza was calling my name I went to McD because it's cheaper and they have wifi so I could work on my journal. It's a lot more work than I thought keeping up with it. Especially because it takes so darn long because I'm so long winded. Why couldn't I ever write this much in school?We resupplied at Wal-Mart. It's weird but nothing looked good to me so it was hard to pick out food. Chin bought a whole 2 liter of diet coke. He loves the stuff. Prefers it over regular coke. We all have our vices I guess... By the time it was all said and done it was 9 pm and dark. No one would pick us up so we got a cab for only $17. The full moon was breath taking coming up over the mountains. It looked orange and huge sitting low in the sky. I was surprised to see Catch 22 (previously Feed Bag) here when we got back. He's doing like 100 mile section SOBO back to Damascus and he's going to spend a couple weeks working for the Blue Blaze Caf© until after trail days.
Date: 2013-04-26
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 17.9

Chinmusic left before I was done packing today. It's a good system because he's always ready first but I hike faster. We had the steepest climbs VA has given us yet. Stopped in at the first shelter to sign the log. I was so comfortable laid out in the sun I told Chin to go ahead. I was almost asleep when Hawk Eye came by. I'm glad he did because if I had fallen asleep I could have been there for hours. Hawk Eye and I saw another big black snake not too far down the trail and then I took off to catch Chinmusic. Despite the climbs we walked through some really nice fields of grass today. When we got to Atkins we went to The Barn for lunch. Saw Doc and Boon. They were waiting on a package. They said Brooke and Danielle had been there and headed out this morning. Brooke texted me and said they were at a campsite 3 miles out of Atkins.The food at The Barn sucked. We headed out by 4. Met some very nice people out for a walk. They gave us candy bars (score!) and told us about their son who is hiking the trail. When we got to the campsite Brooke and Danielle tried to convince us to stay but we had 3 more miles to another campsite planned. We saw Push-up on the way there and a creepy dead cow carcass. Doc and Boone came through but they like night hiking so they're pushing on. The girls decided to come with us so they packed up. The last 3 miles were not easy. We'd climb a steep 100-200 ft just to lose it again. Rinse and repeat. Wanderlust, Pumpkinhead, and Foxtrot are camping here as well. Rain tomorrow night and all day Sunday. Damn it. And tomorrow's profile sucks.
Date: 2013-04-27
From: Campsite

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I surprised myself by being out of camp just before 8. It rained a bit in the night but not much. Caught up to Chinmusic around 9:30. Today's climbs were tough. We did over a mile of vertical feet. Met a cool woman who gave us some Mt. Dew. Her friend is doing a section but she's running like 50 miles a day. Crazy. We talked to her a while about gear because she wants to thru hike. As we hiked out there were coolers with sandwiches and coke. The last climb to the shelter was over 2,000 ft. Hard on the legs at the end of the day. There's no water at the shelter and the spring listed closest to it is awful. The shelter is up at 4,400 ft and it's so cold but this is a four walled shelter with a door. A rare treat. It's finally started raining. Not looking forward to hiking in the rain all day tomorrow. Hoping to be warm tonight!
Date: 2013-04-28
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

It was raining cats and dogs when we woke up. So we decided to zero. It was cold and I stayed in my bag almost all day. Lots of people came and went. Because there's no close water we set out all the containers we had to collect rain water coming off the roof. King and Slip went to check on an unreliable spring .2 away and it was good because of all the rain so we dumped the water we'd collected. Went to get some water and the rain had stopped. It actually wasn't too cold. We should have hiked. Hindsight. I made two cups of tea, two pots of soup, and a cup of cocoa. It kept me warm but mostly I was just thirsty. Almost a liter of Gatorade later I realized I must have been dehydrated. So bored all day. The clouds cleared for a few minutes so we got to see God's Thumbprint, an interesting geological formation. Scientists speculate it was formed by limestone caves collapsing. It's completely surrounded by mountains. Using my last set of hand warmers tonight. Come on summer!
Date: 2013-04-29
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Laurel Creek
Miles today: 14.8

There was a total of 13 people in the shelter last night. All but 4 of us were out before 7:30. People were really bad about slamming the door which had a strong spring. It was very rocky and the rocks were surprisingly slippery considering it wasn't raining. I fell once. I wasn't feeling it today so it took me a while to catch Chinmusic. He fell quite a few times today but luckily didn't get hurt. Chin wasn't feeling it today either. When we stopped at a shelter he took a caffeine pill to get rid of a headache and did a complete mood turn around. That shelter had the worst privy yet. No walls, roof, or toilet lid. When we left it was like someone had strapped a jet pack to Chin's back. He was in go mode. We made it to Laurel Creek quickly and Nigel "TruBrit" picked us up. He's building a wilderness shelter and does whatever he can for hikers. One of the nicest people I've met. We went for Chinese. He has some mats we can sleep on and I think we'll sleep well tonight.
Date: 2013-04-30
From: VA 606

To: Fort Bastian
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: clear sky

Slept like a rock. It was awesome. Nigel made us breakfast - because he's awesome - and drove us up the trail so we could slack pack back. Have I said the word awesome yet? 25.5 miles. Our biggest day yet. We saw loads of people because we were going south - as is per usual. They gave us crap for slacking, but I know they were just jealous. We got trail magic of sodas. Brooke and Danielle were there when we got back. Nigel made hotdogs for dinner. I'm tired but not as sore as I thought I'd be. Chinmusic is planning 15 tomorrow to Wood's Hole Hostel and the 10 to Pearisburg the day after. That was my plan too but I'm having a lot of fun here so I just might zero tomorrow and then catch up.
Date: 2013-05-01
From: Fort Bastian

To: Fort Bastian
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Happy Birthday to Chinmusic! Brooke, Danielle, and I got a ride into town when Nigel went to drop off Chinmusic at the trail. The girls mailed lots of stuff home because we'd given them a pack shakedown. Went to the library and worked on my journal but got almost nothing done. Wasn't there for very long before Nigel came back. He dropped us off and went off to pick up more hikers. We went to get water and the jugs were SO heavy to carry back. When Nigel came back, who should get out of the car but Heartburns, Sugar Gnome, and Cinnamon. Nigel took us around the property and showed us edible plants that grow in the area. Then he took us for ice cream. When we came back he cut down a few dead trees for firewood and we helped him drag them out of the woods and get them cut up. He even let us use the chainsaw to cut down some trees! So much fun. We were up late talking and laughing. It's going to be a long day tomorrow.
Date: 2013-05-02
From: VA 606

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 25.3

I woke up at 6 but was perfectly content to doze in my sleeping bag. Didn't see Nigel up and about till 8:30 so I got up and packed. We ate breakfast and no one else was getting up so he said we could go. He let me drive the Land Rover. Didn't get on the trail until 10:30. Oh man. Said goodbye and took off like a rocket. I was flying all day. I had to if I was going to make it to town. I only stopped for a few minutes in the afternoon because I saw a whole patch of tea berries growing along the trail so I picked and ate some. They're really good. Some people think they taste like root beer but I think they have their own flavor.The last 5 miles my right foot and ankle were really bothering me. Especially because I ran a good bit of the way down the mountain into town. Made it by 8:20. I'm rather impressed with myself. And oh so tired. It was uphill into town and no one would pick me up. Chin had texted me that he was at the Holiday Motor Lodge so I went there but had no service to call him. The guy at the desk told me which room but Chin was out eating Chinese. The room smelled like smoke but it was a bed and a shower. He set up a slack for tomorrow. Surprise surprise. He briefly tried to convince me to do 12 miles. No way. Not slacking. So we're doing 22. My ankle really hurts so I'm hoping it's better tomorrow.
Date: 2013-05-03
From: VA 635

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 21.7

I would have liked to sleep in but there's miles to do. 2 miles in we got to Captain's. He's got a zip line set up because you have to cross a creek to get to his house. So fun. The trail can be awesome. He lets people camp in his yard and has a fridge full of more sodas than I knew existed. We hung out for a bit.The next few miles were short but steep PUDs. I took off to try and get back to Pearisburg to have time to work on my journal. My ankle is mostly better but my foot is a little worse. As the trail neared town it crossed many roads and Chin says he got lost and walked along the road, missing a section in the woods. I have him crap for it until I realized it's really less than 1/2 mile of trail. We're purists though and I think when we go back to Damascus for trail days he's going to stop by to do that little piece.Went to Food Lion for tortillas, lunch meat, and cheese, one of my favorite trail foods. Started laundry and took a long hot shower. When Chin got back we went for Mexican food. It's so nice to be clean and have clean laundry. It's been a lot of miles since Damascus...