morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-05-09
From: Asheville, NC

To: Feathercamp Branch Campsite
Miles today: 6.1

Pyro, Moose, and I left my house around 9am and we arrived in Damascus, VA around 11am. When I got picked up there I didn't get a chance to check out the town so I decided to give myself until 2pm to do so. After we ran into Honeybee and Chickadee, Pyro and Moose decided they were not going to set up camp in Damascus until Trail Days started. I then told them about the campsite we are at tonight and showed them in the guide that 58 was .2 miles from the campsite. They dropped me off at the trail leading out of Damascus and I hiked the 6 miles to the campsite and they drove the truck there. I hiked the 6 miles very fast without stopping as it was already after 3pm when they dropped me off and I could hear thunder in the background. They were already set up when I arrived and the campsite happened ti be within site of the trail which was nice. It was far enough away from the road so we didn't hear that many cars. I had to figure out how to call Laura as I lost service before Damascus and haven't had any since. I tried to use a messed up pay phone before I left town which ended up somehow working. The stars are out tonight and all the clouds have cleared out. It's in the low 50's so it should be great sleeping weather. It's definitely a great night to be camping on the AT!
Date: 2011-05-10
From: Feathercamp Branch Campsite

To: Campsite near Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: light rain

I slept in till about 8:30am which is usually later than I get up when I know I have to hike a pretty long day. I went to bed early last night so it was nice to get a good nights sleep. It's very easy for me to sleep in the woods now compared to when I first started my hike and didn't sleep good for a few weeks. I was on the trail by 9am and had my pack set up for a nice low weight slack pack. Pyro and Moose drove to the parking lot at Massie Gap and had a good amount of my gear with them. It was still a very long hike but a beautiful day. It's nice to be hiking in Virginia because spring is in full swing. They were here before me again and had camp already set up. The terrain wasn't that bad at all today but it was hot so I took my time remember what happened last time I tried to hike faster than normal on a hot day. Around 4pm it started to sprinkle which was nice because it dropped the temp. It's now raining pretty hard as I lay in my tent. I'm pretty excited to hike over the Grayson Highlands tomorrow and hopefully have some nice weather to see the views and the wild horses. I'm trying to make it to Marion before Trail Days. I told a few friends to come down for Trail Days if they could make it so we'll see if they come. If they do come, they'll bring Laura with them. She said she'd like to come and I'd love to have her company at Trail Days so hopefully it works out. Moose and Cheech are done with the trail. They'll both be going home after Trail Days which is weird to think about. Long Beard is also going home after Trail Days so that leaves Honeybee, Chickadee, Max, Junzi, and I still hiking. Pyro is going to bring his truck back to Kentucky and meet me in a trail town in a week or so and hike the rest of Virginia with me. He said he enjoyed Virginia on this thru hike last year. I hope to put some miles under my belt before I take Memorial Day weekend off when I go to the lake.
Date: 2011-05-11
From: Campsite near Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Campsite near Troutdale, VA
Miles today: 22.3

I started out early than I had yet this weekend knowing I had some pretty good uphill climbs today. I've been eating very good on the trail at night when I eat a mountain house meal. I can tell the difference when I eat them as I have a lot more energy first thing in the morning after a good breakfast. I bought aboutt 20 mountain house meals with my dividend from REI so I have a lot of good meals ahead when I cook dinner in the evening. The Grayson Highlands were beautiful! They were pretty much just what I expected and were as seen in all the pictures I've look at. The wild ponies were a little weird to me at first but I didn't really get to close to them. I saw some hikers that seemed to be inspecting one of them for hours. One of the things motivating me to do the long days is knowing tomorrow or Friday morning I'll be picked up for Trail Days. I've felt a little sick the last few evenings so I hope that's completely gone by this weekend. I hope to be in Marion tomorrow and maybe Atkins if I can push the extra 10 miles beyond Marion. I had phone service in one place today so I talked to my mom and Laura while taking a quick break. Laura won't be coming to Trail Days this weekend so that sucked to hear. Moose and Pyro have already set up camp at Trail Days and I hear via text they have a pretty nice spot. It was pretty humid today and never rained. I kind of wanted it to rain and cool things off a bit as it felt very hot. It seems a lot of people have already gotten off the trail and are in Damascus as I haven't seen too many people today. The terrain has been great and I feel awesome with my new trail runners. Definitely looking forward to this weekend.
Date: 2011-05-12
From: Campsite near Troutdale, VA

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 24.5
Weather: broken clouds

I was on the trail right when I woke up as I didn't waste any time packing my gear. I woke up around 5am and took off right after that. I had a gradual slow uphill for the start of the day and then it was mostly flat or downhill to Atkins. It seemed like today went by as slow as possible. Pyro and Moose picked me up around 8pm and we drove to Damascus. I didn't feel well today so I wasn't sure that I wanted to stay at Trail Days and drink all weekend. When we arrived we instantly got questions by a few police officers because I was drinking a Dr. Pepper with my dinner. He said "it's a little early for the hard stuff isn't it?" That set me off as I had yet to have an alcoholic beverage today. Less than a half hour later, I was questioned again as I was sitting in our campsite as the sun went down talking to Moose. We walked around for a bit, checked out camp Riff Raff, and then returned to our campsite as I still didn't feel to well. Moose and I were then approached by police officers again around 11:30pm and that's when I said I had enough. I had yet to even open a beer and already had problems so I figured it wasn't worth it to stay and I'll try it again next year. Moose and Pyro felt the same way and we headed to my house. We arrived around 3am and decided Asheville Days will be this weekend before Moose heads back to Maine and Pyro heads back to Kentucky. I hope to be back on the trail early Sunday.
Date: 2011-05-13
From: Atkins, VA

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

I rested around the house all day today. My body is definitely feelings that long mileage days I put in this week. I got everything I needed to do before getting back on the trail done today so I don't have to worry about it. I still have a bunch of mountain house meals at my house so I stocked up on a few of those which will last me until Memorial Day weekend when I go to South Carolina to the lake for the weekend. Pyro, Moose, and I went to see Fast Five which is the new Fast and Furious movie which was pretty good. I have to admit I actually thought memorial day weekend was this weekend coming up so sorry for confusing some if my journals say "Memorial Day Weekend" and "next weekend" referring to the same weekend. I guess I just loose track of time on the trail! Tomorrow I'll be spending the day with Laura and we'll be at my friend Ricky's house for his daughters birthday party. I'll get to see a lot of people there that I haven't seen since before I left. The first response I get from people is how much my face has changed with the weight I've lost.
Date: 2011-05-14
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a blast! I slept in till 10am and then went to Ricky's once Laura was ready. Pyro and Moose hung out around the house which I think they enjoyed as they've been like a mobile hiker hostel for the past week or so. I haven't ridden a dirt bike in a while so I got to ride one of Ricky's around for a bit which was awesome. Laura and I left there around 6pm and went to eat Sushi which I have been craving for weeks and reminded her every time I spoke with her. We spent the evening watching some movies at the house as it rained. I'm glad I'm on the trail tonight as it feels cold with the wet rain around. Tomorrow Pyro will drive Moose back to Damascus where Moose will hitch a ride with HoBo (homeward bound thru '10) back to Maine. Pyro will drive to Kentucky and hopefully be back out on the trail soon. He said he was going to hike the rest of VA with me so I hope it works out that way. I plan to get back on tomorrow as well but will get getting a ride to Atkins from my mom. I plan to hopefully put in some miles before Memorial Day weekend. I hate to try and push it hard because my body doesn't like it too much, but it isn't killing me to do so and it's the only way I can factor in taking so much time off the trail.
Date: 2011-05-15
From: Asheville, NC

To: Campsite near VA 42
Miles today: 12.1

I'm posting this from my cell phone. I got dropped off today around 1pm and hike the 12 miles to this campsite. Moose is on his way to Maine and hopefully Pyro will be back out here soon. I'm not sure where Max, Honeybee, Chickadee, and Junzi are. Maybe I'll meet up with them soon. Today was harder than I thought with a pretty good sized uphill. I'm here by my self tonight but there are a few tents not far away. I had a lot more water than I thought I would today. Tomorrow I hope to do 18 miles to a place called David Farm Campsite (or close to it). It is .5 off the trail so I doubt I'll hike to the actual campsite but will find one around there. I should be hiking through Bland/Bastian on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Date: 2011-05-16
From: Campsite near VA 42

To: Laurel Creek, VA 615
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: light rain

It's been cloudy all day. Sorry for the spelling errors as I'm posting from my phone. So far I have had a lot of service in VA which is nice. Getting to talk to people daily which is also nice. When I'm by myself I like to camp near gravel roads for some reason. It seems to be the place I plan to stop. It's now starting to rain at 9:30pm. It was a very long day and felt like I was hiking all day; probably because I was. I left when the sun came up and didn't make it to where I decided to camp for the night until after the sun went down. I talked to Pyro and he plans to get back out on the trail soon. I'm hoping to make it to Daleville, VA by Memorial Day weekend if not farther. So far I love Virginia. It's going to be a long state that is for sure. I'll be eating Mountain House meals every night until Memorial Day weekend as I have so many of them. They are easy to clean up and taste very good compared to other trail food. I tried to get Laura to come out and hike with me for a wek or so until we go to the lake but that didn't happen. Something about the idea of not shower for 8 days didn't sound appealing to her. I'm very much so looking forward to going tothe lake. Max, Junzi, Honeybee, and Chickadee shouldn't be too far behind me. I plan to do a couple more 20 plus days and then take it easy for a few days with some short hikes. I know most hikers don't have the ability to be able to go home so many weekends while thru hiking the AT but I feel very lucky to be able to do so. I'm starting to think about New England already. I don't think I'll psych my self out with the thought of hiking in New England; I think it's more of a motivater to make it there.
Date: 2011-05-17
From: Laurel Creek, VA 615

To: Dismal Creek campsite
Miles today: 31.2

I couldn't sleep at all last night and kept checking the time on my phone. I saw 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am, and 5am. That's when I decided to get up and start hiking. The terrain didn't look too bad on my guide (knowing that doesn't mean much) and decided I would try and go as far as possible today. Leaving early is definitely a nice thing. I get to eat at least two large meals during the day and I snack a lot!I can't say the terrain was "flat" because it never is and highly doubt it ever will be but it wasn't that bad. I planned on a 25 mile days because I left so early and ended up doing at 31 mile day. I got closer to Pearisburg, VA than I thought I would today so tomorrow I'll hike into town and hopefully hike out to the next shelter. I'm trying not to stay in any towns until I hit Daleville or close to there for Memorial Day weekend. It rained all day today so I believe that had a big part in my body going the extra few miles. I was cool and that helped me keep a good pace along with a clear mind. I hardly saw anyone on the trail today which seemed weird because Trail Days is over and I figured everyone would be back out here on the trail.
Date: 2011-05-18
From: Dismal Creek campsite

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: broken clouds

Today was not much fun at all. I slept in till around 9am thinking I would take a slow hike to right before Pearisburg or maybe hike beyond the town if I felt like it. That all changed about 4 miles from town when I placed my left foot on a slick rock (from all the rain) and it slid forward while my right leg slid backwards into a hole about two feet deep between the two rocks. I slowly felt all my weight on the front of my right leg as I had nothing to hold my upper body weight off my leg. I then picked it up out of the rock and sat down very aggravated! It was a stupid mistake that could have been avoided. I believe I'm not used to the tread on my trail runners and that had something to do with it. A group of three people walked by who all told me to head to town and get it checked out. I waited another few minutes, smoked a few of the cigarettes I carry with me (for those long rainy nights), and decided I needed to get it looked at. California hiked by right before I started to limp to town. This happened around 2pm in the afternoon and I didn't arrive in town till around 5pm so it took me a while to hike those 4 or so miles. Thank God it was all downhill! When I got to town I hitched a ride to the Hospital and checked in at the ER. What felt like seven hours later (it was really only an hour) they took xrays and determined nothing was broken but it was very swollen and turning black and blue. They addressed the long cuts down my leg and told me to give it at the least a few days before hiking again. Instead of staying in the wonderful town of Pearisburg, VA I had my mom come pick me up. It would have been rather expensive to stay in town for three or four nights plus pay for food so I figured it was the better decision. I didn't get home till around midnight. I planned to stay off it completely until it was better. I really want to make it to Daleville before Memorial Day weekend as it is right off I-81 and an easy pick up/drop off location. So instead of staying in my tent/shelter tonight, I'm staying in my bed. I'm thankful it's not broken as I would have not been happy. It's definitely a reminder I need to watch my step and get used to my new trail runners!
Date: 2011-05-19
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

I haven't moved from my bed since I arrived last night. I've been icing and elevating my leg as much as possible. I want to keep the bruising down as well. I was bored by around noon today as I'm not used to just sitting in my bed and definitely not used to sitting still for hours upon hours. This is NOT something I like to do right now. I can't drive my car as it hurts pretty bad to shift gears. My buddy Maverick asked to borrow it so he could save fuel while driving to the beach for the weekend so I let him take it. I was left with an automatic to drive yes, but it sits taller than me into the air with a 40 - inch tire on it. Therefore I don't plan on going anywhere this weekend and just going to let my leg rest as much as I hate to sit still. The weather looks very nice so that is not going to help. Today pretty much sucks. I'm not hiking, I got invited to go to the beach since I'm home but obviously can't do that, got invited to go to a water park and obviously cant do that either. Instead I sat in my bed and surfed the internet. I do like reading everyone's trail journals though, that was a nice part of the day!
Date: 2011-05-20
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

I'm starting to realize how many zero days I've taken compared to other people, and it doesn't feel good! I know at least a week or a little more of them were absolutely needed because of health issues, but I wish I hadn't taken so many off besides those. I'm going to have to make up serious miles later, but I'm pretty positive I can do so. I can do a week of 20 or so mile days but then definitely need a few short days. Around 2pm today I couldn't sit still any longer. I got up, took a bath (which wasn't easy to not get my leg wet since it's wrapped), and went to the shop where my buddy Ricky gave me BBQ for lunch which tasted great! I then came back home and rested my leg the rest of the day and evening. Laura's been coming over and hanging out with me which is nice but she's like me and can't sit still for hours and hours when it's so nice outside. My leg is feeling better than it did yesterday and I want to get back on the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2011-05-21
From: Asheville, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Well today wasn't the day to get back on the trail. My leg is still black/blue and it was the first day I left it unwrapped to let the cuts heal up. It's still very sore after trying to walk around on it all morning so I figured I would rest it all day today and get dropped of tomorrow night. I may start hiking late tomorrow evening or Monday morning. I'm still going to push for Daleville, VA by Friday night before I head to the lake for Memorial Day weekend.
Date: 2011-05-22
From: Asheville, NC

To: Campsite outside Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: few clouds

My leg felt great today. I didn't plan on coming back to the trail but I decided to later in the afternoon after telling most people I wouldn't be back out here until tomorrow. I decided to stealth camp about 2 miles in from Pearisburg near the powerlines instead of getting a hotel room which cost money. This gets me on the trail earlier tomorrow morning so I can put some miles in. It looks like it's going to storm like crazy but haven't had any rain yet. It's been nice all weekend so I figured storms were coming soon. I'll be hauling a$$ to Daveville (or as close to it as possible) this week as I took two days of my schedule because of my leg. I most likely won't be posting again until next weekend (unless of course something like my leg comes up again). I'm glad I'm back out here this soon as I thought it would be a lot longer when I got off the trail and went to the ER not knowing if it was broken or not.
Date: 2011-05-23
From: Campsite outside Pearisburg, VA

To: VA 613 campsite
Miles today: 24.3

I was going to try and sleep in today and take a slower day but that didn't happen as it was already hot in my tent early in the morning. I haven't been sleeping in my sleeping bag but instead on top of it as it's still hot when I go to sleep. I didn't plan on a 24 mile day but the terrain wasn't that bad and decided to hike until I wanted to stop. The weather was alright with a few showers but nothing severe. They are calling for some thunder storms tomorrow so that should be interesting. It's nice having cell phone service to update my journals, check the weather, and of course keep in touch with people. My leg is still a little sore and the scabs are starting to itch pretty bad which is a pain when trying to fall asleep. I had minor poison oak on my right ankle which went away after applying some ointment I purchased at a gas station in town. Today is the first day I've had any soreness out of my feet since buying my trail runners but it's not near as bad as my felt felt while hiking in my boots. These journal entries seem short but they take for ever typing them on my phone. This hot weather is making me very ready to swim in the lake all weekend! Laura and I started dating before heading back on the trail so that is an awesome feeling while being out there! We've been friends for years and I'm glad the way it has turned out. It's weird to think I won't be in New England until fall but I try not to think about it and just live for the moment. Max is two days behind Honeybee and Chickadee. The girls are staying in Pearisburg for Memorial Day weekend they said. They haven't heard from Junzi and neither have I. I hope to see him soon as he hikes about the same pace I do. It weird to think about I could pass them in a few minutes if they are off the trail getting water or if I was off the trail eating lunch. Overall today was a great day!
Date: 2011-05-24
From: VA 613 campsite

To: Campsite just before Niday Shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: moderate rain

The humid weather is getting old. I feel sticky in my tent by 6am and it seems like noon by 7am because of how bright the sun is. It just makes me get up earlier and hit the trail sooner to hike in the cooler temps. I like hiking early morning and late afternoon. Hiking in the middle of the day just sucks and I don't like it. I feel like I'm constantly in a hot shower as I'm soaked all day. Around 3pm or so today some storms rolled in and I hung out under a huge tree and kept rather dry while I took the time to eat a LOT of my food. I have more than I need to make it until Friday evening so I've been eating more than normal. I'm going to weigh myself again over the weekend and see where I stand. I started at 212lbs and I was 178 last weekend and it feels AWESOME! I'm already planning my section hike for next summer! Today went by pretty fast. The terrain was definitely harder than yesterday. My cell phone battery is lasting a lot longer than I expected which is nice. Today was the first time I've used my ipod in a while and I made a new playlist with boston, journals, tool, pantera, lynyrd skynyrd, and some other great bands that make for a pretty good hiking mix. That helped me knock out the miles. Some people don't like hiking with music; I love it! It makes it feel like a workout especially when it's this hot outside. I would say it's definitely in the upper 80's today. I don't have any desire to stay in the shelters with the mice out now that it's summer time so I always look for a nice campsite before or after shelters. The storms were not that bad today, just some heavy periods of rain which actually felt great! I thought I saw my first bear today but I didn't get a chance to see what it really was as it was gone by the time I got closer. It was probably a squirrel for all I know. I'm looking forward to seeing a bear from afar but would rather not spoke one or hike within a few feet from one. It's cooler tonight than last that is for sure. Good sleeping weather as far as I'm concerned.