morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-05-07
From: Bailey Gap shelter

To: Niday shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: clear sky

I had my best wildlife experience so far on the AT today. I got to watch three coyote pups for about 15 minutes as they played. They kept sniffing the air but I stayed still and I guess their eyesight isn't that good because I could see them clearly but they looked straight at me and didn't seem to notice me. They were adorable and I got a few pictures. It's too bad my camera doesn't have good zoom. I also saw about six deer throughout the day.Thanks to Super Dave for the great trail magic. The sodas and candy are well appreciated.There was some beautiful ridge walking in the last five miles. I could see a long mountain range on the other side of the valley and a clear rainbow came out. It drizzled a bit throughout the afternoon. The ridge walking was all a rock scrabble. At one point, as I was starting to descend, I stepped on a steep rock surface. It turned out to be wet from the drizzling and I began to fall. In this split second, I remember thinking, "This is it. This is what's going to end my trip. Now I won't get to Katahdin." I am extremely grateful that I didn't break any bones or hurt myself too badly. I cut open my leg in a few places and bruised my knee: battle wounds that won't keep me from going on. I also ripped open the nylon on my hip pouch on my pack, but this is nothing a patch won't cover up. I sat in a heap for several minutes, making certain I wasn't damaged other than my bleeding leg. Then I got up and walked the remaining four miles to the shelter.Waypoint was there and August West showed up soon after me. Thanks to August for the antisceptic spray. This is the first time in my almost four months on the trail that I've had to use my first aid kit. Turns out that my alcohol towelettes are all dried up and I have been carrying them all this time.There's a restaurant in Catawba, 21.8 miles away, that's supposed to be one of the best on the trail. I'd like to go, but it closes at 6:00. This should be doable if I haul ass. We'll see.
Date: 2005-05-08
From: Niday shelter

To: VA 311 crossing (Catawba)
Miles today: 21.8

Yesterday's spill affected me more than I thought it had today. My knee was hurting the whole second half of the day. I kept thinking on the downhill from Dragon's Tooth that this must be something like what the AT is like in Maine...rock scrabble and hand over foot. I am hoping that my knee is just bruised and it will heal soon enough. I'm going to walk tomorrow and if it keeps hurting, maybe hitch a ride down to Trail Days early.Besides my knee pain, the day was picture perfect: blue skies, about 65 degrees. I did see a lot of day hikers coming down from Dragon's Tooth. I guess they come up for the views.Thanks to Southpaw for the super trail magic this afternoon. I was super dehydrated when I hit it after walking 16 miles on just one Platypus and so it was really appreciated. In addition to the great drinks and peanut butter bars, the cooler had a really clever drawing on it. Walking around a bend, "thwack!" my head hit an overhanging limb so hard that I felt dizzy and nauseous immediately and I had to sit down. I had a headache the rest of the day and a bump on the head. For someone who went so long without any injuries, I've sure been accident prone these last two days.I made it to Catawba in time to visit The Homeplace restaurant. It was packed. A pretty good AYCE with country food but rather pricey. Tonight I'm camped behind the general store in Catawba with Train, Just Mike, 1/4th the way, and one more guy. They are pretty funny for 40-something year old guys. I am hoping a good night's sleep helps the knee (and the head).
Date: 2005-05-16
From: Campbell shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

It is looking like it's going to be some short days for me for the next while until my knee gets better. It started to get very painful today, even after a week off. I think I should have taken better care of it this week. I never had an injury like this before and I thought since it wasn't hurting much, it must have healed.I was feeling pretty depressed today about the knee situation. I felt fear even, thinking this could potentially end my trip. But this is good for me in the long run, helps me grow in a new way. I'm not as invincible as I like to think sometimes. A bunch of folks passed me this week as I took off and will be passing me as I do short miles until it hurts less. And hell, there's no way I'm getting off this damn trail for good, even if I have to walk down it in crutches.The guy at the outfitters in Daleville, Mark, is a really good guy and got his BA in sports medicine. He spent a good amount of time talking to me and asking me questions about the injury. It was funny, I walked in and he was the first worker I saw, and I just said, "I have a problem". So go to his store and buy some stuff if you pass through. I'm now going to take 2400 mgs of Ibuprofen a day and I bought several ice packs at the outfitters to ice it once or twice a day for a couple hours.I guess that's all I have to report for today. I saw a black snake today and I am thankful it was fairly easy terrain. Stealth-camped in town. Bojangle's is a great fast food restaurant that we Yankees don't get to enjoy.
Date: 2005-05-17
From: Daleville, VA

To: Wilson Creek shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

It is certainly a different experience hiking 10-15 miles a day. I can see why some people consider thru-hiking a "vacation" because at 11.2 miles in a day, it's nothing other than that. But I'm havin' fun, nursing this injury. It's good to get a diffeent sort of perspective on this hiking stuff.I am eating like a horse, woulda thought that less miles means less food but so far it means more. Maybe the food's going to heal my knee? I didn't leave town until noon, after eating a late breakfast and an early lunch.I met up with Chubster (formerly Chubby Knuckles, formerly Chubby) and we hiked together for some miles. He has had chronic foot pain from the start but keeps pushing on. Chubster doesn't expect to get to Katahdin until 1st October and he has calculated he only needs to average about 10 miles a day.This morning I woke up and, running my fingers through my hair, found what I thought was a matted clump of dirt embedded near my scalp. I tugged at it, and when I finally pulled it out of my matted clump of hair, it squirmed. It was a centipede that had burrowed under my hair, and I threw it to the ground in disgust. Who knows how long this critter had been up there.My knee hurt some today and it surprisingly hurts more on the uphills than the downhills. Everyone I talk to who seems like they know what they're talking about thinks I just have a bruise around my batela and it will go away in time. I am feeling pretty good after a brief depression over having to hike less and probably now spending more than 4 months on the AT. What matters is that I get to Katahdin, even if it takes me 5 months to do it. I move through my feelings more quickly here than before, accepting what is there and letting go of what I cannot control.
Date: 2005-05-18
From: Wilson Creek shelter

To: Bearwallow Gap (Buchanan)
Miles today: 10.5

Another short but good day as I nurse my knee back to health. It was hot all day today, over 80 degrees. It is certainly different hiking these short days and I am enjoying the relaxation. The terrain around here is quite flat by AT standards.I got into town around 3:00 and hit the Burger King on the corner right away. Buchanan is a small town with a classic flavor. I hung out at the Burger King for about three hours, making good use of their ice machine, intermittently applying it to my knee while I read a book I got at the Daleville coffee house. When 6:00 rolled around, I went out to the corner to try my luck at hitchhiking back to the trail. No luck unfortunately after more than a half hour. I had been planning to walk the three miles to the next shelter upon getting back on this evening being that my knee was not hurting too badly, but other plans were in store.Walking through the center of town pondering where I might stealth camp this evening, a car pulled up and the driver asked me if I was hungry. Turns out that there had been a funeral at the Baptist Church and there were less attendees at the service than thought and so the lady driver brought me back to the church and I reaped the benefits of the extra fried chicken and apple pie. They gave me cookies to take along too and called the fire department for a good shed for me to camp in.Another good AT "vacation" day.
Date: 2005-05-19
From: Bearwallow Gap (Buchanan)

To: Cornelius Creek shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

When I crawled out of my shed this morning in Buchanan, it was time for a Burger King breakfast. I walked over there, where I spent three or four hours eating and reading a novel while I iced my knee. The Darth Vader display played back a recording of Darth Vader's breathing every time someone walked into the restaurant. Bizarre.Then I went to the library and exchanged my now finished novel for one called "Murder on the Appalachian Trail." It is a hardcover that weighs at least 4 pounds but I had to take it since I've hiked a bit on this Appalachian Trail AND the murder took place at the Wapiti shelter, quite near here, where I stayed an evening if memory serves. The hike was nice and easy when I started out this morning. A man named Bill gave me a ride up out of town. He just had bypass surgery. I was walking down the trail listening to my iPod when I felt a poking in my side. I scratched at it, thinking I'd scraped a tree branch. Then I saw some odd-looking thing out of the corner of my eye. I turned around, and it was AWOL! I hadn't seen him since Hot Springs. Injuries are good for reuniting with old trail friends.This shelter is packed. One of the people in the shelter is a section hiker woman who claims we met in the Ocala National Forest while hiking the Florida Trail. I have no memory of meeting her but I'm sure it happened. It started to pour just as I got done with my chores and got in the shelter. Hehe! Beat the rain.The knee feels a bit better I think. It's hard to say but it only hurts a little after about 15 miles. Cross your fingers.
Date: 2005-05-20
From: Cornelius Creek shelter

To: Lower Rocky Row Run bridge
Miles today: 20.0

Still feeling pain on most steps. I'm really appreciative of the emails and messages on my guest book that I've received lately, encouraging me on. This knee problem is good in the sense that it reminds me that I'm really not in control. Hiking as much as I could and pushing myself further each day has its place, no doubt, but it also gave me the sense that I was in control of my environment on this trip. At this point, I've got to listen to my body or suffer the consequences.It poured all last night and some of this morning and was misty the rest. I kind of like the mist, reminds me of the jungle in Ecuador. I hiked by myself today but saw both AWOL and Chubster on the trail. At Petits Gap, Chubster and I were stopped by this woman in an SUV looking for her husband, who is section-hiking. Her husband is the president of Emory & Henry College and is doing a benefit walk for the outdoor program at his college. Would you believe that he has raised over $100,000 for a 350-mile section hike? One guy is giving him $1,000 a mile for the first 50 miles he hikes! After we spent a while indication to the lady where her husband might be (I had seen him in the morning), she gave us an orange juice to split. She said she had beer but that "irresponsible" to give it to us. I think she thought we were minors or something, even though Chubster is 33 and I'm 24AWOL, who has tattoos all over his body, is a tattoo artist and said he would give me a tattoo with the AT symbol on it at the end of my hike if I wanted. I said it would be badass if it were a bull with flaming shoes over the symbol.I wanted to get into Glasgow to get some ice for my leg. I didn't think I'd get a ride but these kind local folks Ken & Tracy took me in. Not only did they give me a ride in, they bought me dinner and drove me back too. Plus they had ice in their cooler that they gave me. Really nice country folks. Thanks guys!Today was a good day and I am hoping for another one tomorrow. I'm stealth-camped down here out of the looming rain clouds.
Date: 2005-05-21
From: Lower Rocky Row Run bridge

To: U.S. 60
Miles today: 21.3

stealth-camped last night in the parking lot after the bridge that crosses the James River. As I'm waking up in the morning, this car pulls in and out jump two guys. "Sorry to wake you up, we're just going for a 10-12 mile run." "Damn day hikers," I think to myself :-).I get myself together in a leisurely fashion, and then a car comes in carrying NoWorries and Rabbit. NoWorries' legs made me cringe; he has blisters the size of ping pong balls on them because of poison ivy. Now I'm all worried, having phantom poison ivy itches. Anyway, the driver of the car, Ken, offers to give me a ride to town and back to pick up some ice for my knee. He's been helping out hikers for almost 10 years.Getting back from Glasgow, I ice my knee as I read a few pages of my giant hardcover, "A Murder on the Appalachian Trail". Back come the two runners who woke me up. "Ha!" I say to them, "you guys ran 10-12 miles and I haven't moved an inch." The shorter one comes over and tells me my feet are small and then wants to compare my feet with his. "Damn day hiker" I think to myself again. So I say, "so you guys get on the AT much?" The taller one says with a laugh, "well, this guy here is a legend." The short one was David Horton, the former record holder for the fastest AT hike (52 days in 1991). I almost jumped off my rock, I'd just been reading an article about him at Trail Days. I told him that people give me shit for hiking fast and he said, "Yeah, you think they give YOU shit?" He was a pretty fun guy and they both gave me some candy bars. He looks like a pretty average guy, especially compared to Flyin' Bryan, and when I told him this, he said with mock disdain how he was going to tell Flyin' Bryan this. He is attempting to beat the speed record on the PCT this summer and says he is having nightmares about the pressure of his upcoming hike.The terrain was easy today and my knee seems to be getting much better. I saw several baby birds and a lizard. I may hike a full day tomorrow if my knee is feeling up to it.
Date: 2005-05-23
From: Harpers Creek shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe shelter
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I now realize that this constant pain and redness I've been having in the feet is a bad case of athlete's foot. My feet are literally getting eaten alive. They smell bad, look bad, bleed bad, and worst of all, feel bad with every step.It was cool hanging out with Montana at the shelters and hiking a few miles with him. He's got a wry sense of humor and is very youthful-acting for 35.I carried my snapped pole to Reeds Gap and tossed it in the trash can when I arrived. Duct tape won't even help this one!For all my troubles lately, I am glad to be out here and something else I am glad for is getting to the shelter a few minutes before the torrential rain pour started. I was happy to see Swan & Buck there and Montana had generously saved me some water. These are some of the coolest Republicans I've met. A short short day into Waynesboro tomorrow and then...who knows? We'll see what I can do about these nasty ass feet.
Date: 2005-05-24
From: Paul C. Wolfe shelter

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: moderate rain

NOTE: If you like photos, most of my journal entries up through 4/26 now have one and there are some more in the photo gallery...some of them didn't come out too badly if I do say so myself :-).Five fairly flat miles in the rain, it could be worse. I'm hobblin' along on one pole with stinky bloody feet. The trail magic is amazing in Waynesboro. At Rockfish Gap Visitors Center, they call a volunteer shuttle for the hikers. The lady had been shuttling hikers for five years. I bought a new pair of hiking shorts and two pairs of socks at the outfitters. My new trekking poles are great.I went over to the YMCA to take a shower and I weighed myself on the scale. Then it was time to stuff my face at the excellent chinese buffet. I consider this the best AYCE so far on the trail, much better than The Home Place in Catawba, and at $5.25, less than half the price. I took care of some errands, bought three different kinds of athlete's foot medications, and when I got back to the Y, I weighed almost 5 pounds more!There is a new free hostel in Waynesboro and it's great. Grace Lutheran Church opened it and tonight is its second night of existence. Free snacks, nice people, TV room, showers, etc. I think what was going to be a short day tomorrow may now be a zero :-). My feets can use it.
Date: 2005-05-26
From: Rockfish Gap (Waynesboro)

To: Blackrock Hut shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

I decided today that enough was enough and I needed to get some medical help for the athlete's foot and other bacterial problems I've been having. I scheduled a midday appointment with the dermatologist. When I got there, I waited for over an hour and when he finally saw me, he didn't even do a thorough examination. He just looked at the infected area for literally 2 seconds and made the same diagnosis that I had made. The other 2 minutes 58 seconds consisted of my asking him questions about the condition to which he gave curt answers. He prescribed some medicine and when I told him I didn't have any health insurance, he said "We give breaks to uninsured patients." His 3 minutes cost me $50, some break. I won't be too upset if the problems finally do go away for once and for all with the medicine he prescribed (another $75) but I sure won't be happy if it persists. He told me nothing at all without my squeezing the answers out of him. I hate some doctors! Alright, enough gripes, cuz other than the dermatologist issue, I had a great day. I went to the Chinese buffet for a sad final visit. The waitresses know me there now and give a little giggle when I come in, kind of to say "you eat a lot buddy boy". Blue Eye rolled into town and sat with me as I stuffed my face.Back at Rockfish Gap Visitors Center, I saw Wanderer, now Uncle Ed! My spiritual counterpart on the AT. I was overjoyed to see him. It is too bad we did not get more of a chance to talk. I am feeling really well of late and wanted to share this with him. He is jamming out the miles pretty nicely for a 70 year old man. I am impressed.I finally hit the trail around 3:00 PM on a gorgeous day. The Shenandoahs are nice and rolling, quite flat by AT standards. The deer are like pets...I walked by several just around 10 feet away. Each of them gave me a quizzical look, strolled a few feet farther, and kept munching. With one of them, I pointed my pole in its direction and made a loud "bang!" sound like a gunshot. It looked at me as if to say, "you really are a moron" and kept doing its business.I got to the shelter just as dark hit. I was going to end this entry by saying that if I don't see a bear in the Shenandoahs, I'll surely never see one on the AT...but as I sat typing this journal, a bear made its way around the shelter. I shined my headlamp into its yellow eyes and saw its brown snout.
Date: 2005-05-27
From: Blackrock Hut shelter

To: Powell Gap (Wintergreen)
Miles today: 18.6

Today the word of the day was "trail magic". A lot of it! This morning I was wandering around the outskirts of the Loft Mountain Campground, looking for the camp store to buy some Gatorade. I kept asking people where it was...rather impatient, I asked this one couple through the bushes. They said that they thought there was a closer path off the AT that would take me and then they said, "Would you like a pancake?" Of course I couldn't refuse that one and then they offered me another.More big docile forest rats (deer) all over the place. There's no hunting allowed in Shenandoah; I bet the hunters wait at the outskirts of the park and wait for the little bastards to come out, and then "boom!" they're dead. Deer with little fear of humans is a strange thing.In the mid-afternoon, Mark, a friend of my support friend Bill, came and picked me up. I thought we were just going to hang out for a bit but he invited me back to brother-in-law's mansion. I slept in the best bed I've ever slept in. His kids are the coolest, they had lots of questions for me that made me reflect on my experience. It was good to talk with Mark too, he is an authentic man.
Date: 2005-05-28
From: Powell Gap (Wintergreen)

To: Rock Spring Hut shelter
Miles today: 26.7
Weather: broken clouds

Man, if the whole trail were like the Shenandoahs, this trail would be such a breeze. This is about as good as it gets on the AT in terms of the terrain I think.Mark dropped me off around 10:00. We had a good talk in the car; it's cool to get to talk authentically with someone. It threatened to rain early today but cleared up nicely. I thought of buying a leash at the camp store to catch one of the pet deer and make it carry my pack like an alpaca. I saw Blue Eye in the afternoon and we walked together for a good 8 miles or so. He is really easygoing. We were going to get off and have dinner at one of the restaurants in the park but we were so busy talking that we missed the turnoff.That's all ah haf to say for today, a short entry. G'nite.
Date: 2005-05-29
From: Rock Spring Hut shelter

To: Tom Floyd Wayside Shelter
Miles today: 38.9
Weather: broken clouds

In honor of passing the 2000-mile mark since I started hiking in January, I decided to do my longest day so far. And what good terrain to do it on. It was a nice sunny day too.I stopped at one of the restaurants along the trail in the morning and had a decent-sized breakfast with two cinnamon rolls. I was hungry 15 minutes after eating it. I've been so famished lately, it's ridiculous. I still have a bit of body fat to burn off too although I've lost about 25 lbs since I started the AT and 55-60 since I started hiking. I passed over 100 day hikers in the park. There are almost more tourists than forest rats, but not quite. I was descending some mountain at my normal speed, passing a family of day hikers. "Oh, a power hiker" says the father, referring to me. "See if you can beat him down the mountain, Cal." he says to his 10-year-old son. The litle boy goes running to catch up to me, jumping over rocks. I say firmly, "This is not a race." Just as I'm thinking what a jackass the guy is for telling his little boy to race me, he yells "Don't trip! Don't trip!" So not only does Cal have a lot of pressure on him to beat a thru-hiker down the mountain, he can't fall. Cal ran most of the way down trailing me and he managed to stay close the whole way. I tried to make Cal feel good and told him how fast he was (I was pretty impressed). I also told him to tell his Dad it wasn't a race.So anyhow I made it into the shelter at about 10:30. A section hiker was still awake and the only thru-hiker there was Tomcat, so I didn't wake up any grumpy old men :-). The 2000-mile challenge complete, and good prep for the four-state challenge comin' up.