morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-05-22
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I didn't sleep well last night in spite of my fatigue because my leg muscles cramped painfully all night. I got up several times to use a leg roller on them that I found in the bunkhouse.  But today was a good day. Once I woke up to assess the damages... there were none. Outside of a little tiredness I'm fine! My son Ben came, as was previously planned, and the timing was perfect for a zero. He picked me up at Woods Hole and we went to Pearisburg. Had a nice lunch in a Mexican restaurant, made arrangements for tomorrow (I'll tell you about that) and found a campground on the New River to spend the night. Ben had very thoughtfully planned his trip and made yummy kebabs for supper, with my favorite drinks and snacks, and has a good breakfast planned for in the morning! A beautiful day!Here's tomorrow's plan:. I'm getting back on the trail. After breakfast and taking down camp, we'll leave my backpack at Angel's Rest Hostel here in Pearisburg. Ben will drive me back to where I stumbled off the trail yesterday, and I will walk (slackpack) back to Pearisburg, 11 miles, to my bunk at Angel's Rest.  I am planning on not having a repeat performance of yesterday! More rest stops along the way, more water, more Gatorade. The temperature will be warmer yet, but I'm going to go for it, and I'll be careful. Obviously getting that sick again would mean getting off the trail, and I'm not ready for that. Prayers appreciated!
Date: 2021-05-23
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

Today was a beautiful day, both on and off trail. I slept really well last night in the tent at the campground Ben and I stayed at. This morning Ben cooked breakfast for me on the tailgate of his car. Sausage and eggs, yum! We had a great visit, then we dropped my backpack off at the Angel's Rest Hostel, picked up a daypack, and headed back into the wilderness. Up the mountain on the washboard dirt roads, and back to where I got off the trail in a fog on Friday.  So off I hiked, up the mountain, determined to stay healthy. I drank so much water and Gatorade during the day that I practically sloshed along the trail, but it worked and I felt good all day. The trail was absolutely gorgeous today! I saw several more flame azaleas, delicately beautiful. Some of the rhododendrons are blooming, showy and spectacular. I saw some lily of the valley too. And the views! There were several places that offered sweeping vistas of the valley below and the mountains rolling on and on beyond. There were cozy natural seating areas at a couple of the overlooks, with your choice of seating: big rocks or soft grass. I saw hawks gliding through the sky ..... below me!It was a long day of hiking and today's miles didn't come easy, but they were so worth it. The hardest part came at the very end of the day with a steep downhill into town. Ouch on my toes!I'm at the hostel now, I've had a shower and washed my stinky clothes. Ate some pizza and visited with the other hikers. My body is feeling a little beat up but my heart is happy!
Date: 2021-05-24
From: Angel's Rest Hostel

To: Holy Family Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

The bottom line, dear friends and family, is that I'm coming off trail and going home. And the bottom of the bottom line is the heat. I just can't hike in heat. It was 82 degrees and humid in Pearisburg today, and yes, it will be a little cooler up at elevation, but not enough to offset the strenuous work of hiking. I'm sad and I'm sorry, like I told St. Mike, my heart and head want to keep hiking and my body wants to stop. I gave it a day to see who would win, and it was the body.My overheating episode on Friday was a wake up call for me, a warning, and I don't want to go through that ever again! Plus the next section of trail, the next 40 miles or so, has very few road crossings, no towns, few resources. To continue would be a commitment I'm not ready to make.  So, my battered, bug-bitten sore body wins, and is dragging my heart and mind home, just slightly against their will. In the process I found a wonderful place though! When I got off trail yesterday evening I went to the well-known local hostel, Angel's Rest, and it was just not the place for me. There were easily 50-75 hikers there, the most I've ever seen in one place, and the demographic skewed very young, and it was a definite party place. It was like being at Woodstock. And while at one point in my life I might have enjoyed that atmosphere, those days are long, long, gone. So this morning with a gut-wrenching decision to make, that was not the place (even though the party was over and most of the partiers back on the trail.) Mike's advice was to take a day to think about it before making a decision, but I couldn't think there, so I went to the less well known other hostel in Pearisburg, and I just want to stay here! It's called Holy Family Hostel, and is connected with the local Catholic church. It's rustic, peaceful, and beautiful. And here I prayerfully pondered my choices, and it wasn't hard, I'm going home. Tomorrow. Which means I get to watch the sunset from the hostel, which the caretaker assures me is something to behold.  So, a bittersweet decision is made. I dearly love the AT, and hiking, and hikers, and I will come back, and back, and back, whenever my life circumstances allow, but only in cool weather!
Date: 2022-05-08
From: Harper's Ferry, West Virginia 

To: Four Mile Campsite
Miles today: 4.1

I'm back on the trail! For a week, starting in Harper's Ferry and going south this time. And even better, I have a hiking partner! Mike is hiking with me. We drove up to Harper's Ferry yesterday, breaking the trip up by spending a night in Abingdon, VA, one of our favorite towns. We went to mass at St. Peter's here in HF, a beautiful little church that dates back to 1839, and is right on the AT. The church has an interesting Civil War history. In an effort to safeguard his church during the fighting, the priest hung the Union Jack flag out front, as a sign of neutrality, so that maybe neither side would take offense. It might have been very difficult for the Irish priest to fly the British flag! But he did it, and it worked, the building was spared!  After mass we ate lunch, took the van to long-term parking, put our packs on our backs and off we went. Our modest goal for the day was a campsite four miles away, owing to our late start. The trail was difficult right off the bat because the town of HF is built on a very steep hill. So we got a taste of things surely to come in the first bit of hiking. Then we crossed the Shenandoah River on a very busy highway bridge, but the AT has its own lane so we were safe. Then we started the real climb. There's always a climb when you leave a town! We crossed from West Virginia into Virginia (another state done!). Eventually we arrived at the little clearing that was the campsite, our home for the night. There was another couple there, about our age, named John and Laurie, from Maine. We had a very enjoyable evening around the campfire getting to know each other. They're friendly and very good company.  All in all, a good first day! The weather is perfect, and forecast to stay that way all week, daytime temps in the 60s to 70s, nighttime temps around 40-50. And no rain!  A great start to the hike, and I'm excited to see what happens. It's always an adventure!
Date: 2022-05-10
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Unnamed campsite 
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept fairly well last night. I guess I'm getting acclimated to sleeping outside. We made breakfast and then packed our packs. We didn't have a tent to pack, since we had slept in the cabin. We got on our way and realized that we hadn't had to climb all those infernal stairs the evening before. There was another route-a slightly longer but much more gentle path leading up the mountain and back to the trail!  Our plan for the day was to hike 8 miles, to the Bears Den Hostel, where we could have a shower and sleep in a real bed--ahh, luxury. We climbed up to the trail and started walking. I felt like I was walking through waist-deep water. I was sluggish and slow. No pain, but no energy. Mike felt the same. We plodded on, sure that we'd soon come out of our doldrums and get our second wind. But it didn't happen. We struggled with every step on a trail that was hot, steep, and dry. Eventually we realized that we needed to be flexible with our planned daily mileage and willing to adjust when needed. Well it was needed now. We decided to cut our planned 8 miles day into two 4 mile days, and camp out tonight. I was disappointed at not getting my much-needed shower, but palpably relieved at the knowledge I didn't have to push myself so hard. Shortly before we got to our campsite there was a sign informing us that we were entering the north end of the Roller Coaster, a roughly 13 mile section of trail noted for its constant set of hills. Up down, up, down, unrelenting. Yes, the entire trail is always going either up or down (mostly up) but this is a particularly heinous section because each steep uphill climb is immediately followed by a steep downhill section, over and over. That sealed it for us, that cutting down to 4 miles for the day was a good idea. We still felt sluggish and guzzled water and Gatorade all day.  In spite of our slow pace and the first couple of Roller Coaster climbs, we arrived at our campsite early in the afternoon. We had time to leisurely set up our tent, hang the bear bags, wash up as well as possible, gather firewood, and rest. We ate lunch, and then later, supper. No one else came to camp with us. We had a Sudoku tournament (I lost). We got in bed before dark, about 8:30, ready for sleep! Hoping for a good night's rest, and a little more energy tomorrow!
Date: 2022-05-10
From: Blackburn AT Center

To: Unnamed campsite 
Miles today: 4.5

I slept fairly well last night. I guess I'm getting acclimated to sleeping outside. We made breakfast and then packed our packs. We didn't have a tent to pack, since we had slept in the cabin. We got on our way and realized that we hadn't had to climb all those infernal stairs the evening before. There was another route-a slightly longer but much more gentle path leading up the mountain and back to the trail!  Our plan for the day was to hike 8 miles, to the Bears Den Hostel, where we could have a shower and sleep in a real bed--ahh, luxury. We climbed up to the trail and started walking. I felt like I was walking through waist-deep water. I was sluggish and slow. No pain, but no energy. Mike felt the same. We plodded on, sure that we'd soon come out of our doldrums and get our second wind. But it didn't happen. We struggled with every step on a trail that was hot, steep, and dry. Eventually we realized that we needed to be flexible with our planned daily mileage and willing to adjust when needed. Well it was needed now. We decided to cut our planned 8 miles day into two 4 mile days, and camp out tonight. I was disappointed at not getting my much-needed shower, but palpably relieved at the knowledge I didn't have to push myself so hard. Shortly before we got to our campsite there was a sign informing us that we were entering the north end of the Roller Coaster, a roughly 13 mile section of trail notes for its constant set of hills. Up down, up, down, unrelenting. Yes, the entire trail is always going either up or down (mostly up) but this is a particularly heinous section because each steep uphill climb is immediately followed by a steep downhill section, over and over. That sealed it for us, that cutting down to 4 miles for the day was a good idea. We still felt sluggish and guzzled water and Gatorade all day.  In spite of our slow pace and the first couple of Roller Coaster climbs, we arrived at our campsite early in the afternoon. We had time to leisurely set up our tent, hang the bear bags, wash up as well as possible, gather firewood, and rest. We ate lunch, and then later, supper. No one else came to camp with us. We had a Sudoku tournament (I lost). We got in bed before dark, about 8:30, ready for sleep! Hoping for a good night's rest, and a little more energy tomorrow!
Date: 2022-05-11
From: Unnamed campsite 

To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 3.5

We slept really well in our little tent last night. No one else came to camp with us so we were alone. It was quiet and beautifully cool. We were up early, and after breakfast and packing up our gear we were back on the trail by 8:00. The sluggishness of the day before was gone and we felt pretty good. We were on the Roller Coaster in earnest now and the trail was steep and rocky. It was a good move to break our 8 mile day in half.  Something we have noticed is that this section of the trail is not really all that pretty. Yes, in many ways it's beautiful just because the woods are green and the sky is blue. But it's very repetitive and there are no real defining features. Further south, in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, there are lots of charming little brooks with waterfalls and foot bridges. The views from the overlooks down there are vast, with layers upon layers of blue and purple mountains entirely covered by forest. The views here are pretty, but they are generally smaller hills, with roads, houses, farms, and small towns in the valleys. Even in southern Virginia, there was a lot of variety. I walked through meadows and pastures, I climbed over stiles, and there were many landmarks along the way such as Lindamood school. There doesn't seem to be many of those things here. Just forrest, up and down, up and down. The thruhikers we have seen are hiking machines, barreling up and down effortlessly, doing 20+ mile days and not minding the lack of variety or scenery. Many are planning for the upcoming Four State Challenge, when they try to be in 4 states (Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania) in 24 hours. The trail in West Virginia and Maryland is fairly short, making the total distance about 40 miles! Hard to imagine that, from my 4 mile a day view! But their legs are like pistons and it's incredible to watch them flying down the steep rocky trail.We made it to the Bear's Den Hostel in a very reasonable time. Each hostel is unique, and unlike any other. This one is a stone building that looks like a small castle, with a beautiful green lawn. Our friends John and Laurie from the first night at 4 Mile Campsite are here. We've been texting back and forth with them and it's fun to see them again. We went out for lunch with them to a local brewery. Supper was frozen pizza at the hostel that's included with the bunk.  Amazingly, my back doesn't hurt! Other things do, such as my feet, but my back is good!In other news, I've had a shower and I smell good. Also my arms are getting tanned.
Date: 2022-05-13
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: Harper's Ferry 
Miles today: 0.0

This was to be the last hiking day of this leg of my trek, and my plan was to go about seven miles. As you can see, we did a little less than that. It was raining when we got up, the payoff of yesterday's mugginess. When we considered the difference between toiling the last bit of the Roller Coaster with our packs in the rain vs strolling through Harper's Ferry, ice cream cone in hand, well, Mike said "I'm done" and I agreed. So Glenn shuttled us to HF instead of back to Morgan Mill Rd. Mike rode his bike and I wandered through the historic sites and little shops, and it was a great day.  I had a bad night last night. I woke up multiple times with a bone-dry mouth and cramping calves. I know what it was--dehydration. Yesterday was tough!Final thoughts:Having a hiking partner is great! I don't mind hiking alone, and no partner is probably better than the wrong partner, but I had a great partner.  Elevation is not the sole factor in determining difficulty. These hills are not as high as the mountains I'm used to climbing, but they're harder. They're steeper, and rockier, and less scenic.  My back didn't hurt at all while I was hiking. I don't know what to make of this, and will talk to my osteopath on Monday. All I can think of is that the constant movement kept it from stiffening up? At home I do a lot of stretching just to keep it from killing me every day.  The difficulty I had this section didn't deter me, at all. I'm still committed to finishing this trail that I love. I'll be back on trail--and on trailjournals--this fall!
Date: 2023-03-31
From: Front Royal US 522

To: Compton Gap Skyline Dr mile 10.4
Miles today: 5.6

I've gotta say, today's hike felt longer than 5.6 miles. I know I'm not in hiking shape, but come on. It took me almost 5 hours and now I'm watching the women's final four basketball tournament in a motel room and whimpering like a kitten over my pizza because of sore muscles. I downed a few ibuprofen and had a bath so hot that my skin is bright red. If I'm still sore in the morning I'll shorten tomorrow's planned distance. It might also rain tomorrow.  I had a big milestone today! Did you see it above? 700 miles hiked! Woo hoo! Go me!Today's hike was really good, I'm just slow. I got on trail at around noon, a late start because we had to complete the drive here, having spent the night near Roanoke. I was a nobo today but that's going to vary day by day depending on logistics. Mike will be riding around on his bicycle while I'm hiking, and we'll plan each day's drop off and pickup points depending on terrain, weather, Mike's plans, and how I'm feeling, among other factors. I'll be going straight through the park without missing any sections! But with such frequent road crossings I've got a lot of flexibility as to distance each day.  Today's 5.6 miles was a good call. The trail started off beautifully, wide, smooth, level, and a gentle downhill grade. It didn't stay like that for long of course. Soon it was back to roots and rocks, the way I remember it. There was one really steep rocky area where I actually had to sit on my butt and slide! Fortunately that section was very short. In the middle of the day I came to the Tom Floyd shelter where I stopped for some Gatorade and cheese and crackers. The second half was uneventful, except there was a fairly wide creek to cross on rocks. I managed to keep my new trail runners mostly dry. By the time I got to the parking lot where Mike was waiting for me I was very glad to see him!The weather was cool but humid all afternoon and I was sweating heavily. I only saw two sets of people on trail, one group of four young men with full packs, and two women walking big dogs near the parking lot.  Our campground doesn't open for the season until tomorrow so we're in a motel tonight. We'll set up camp tomorrow. At least this means I can watch basketball tonight. I'll probably have to miss the final game though, no tv at the campground!
Date: 2023-04-01
From: Compton Gap Skyline Dr mile 10.4

To: Skyline Dr. Mile 15.9
Miles today: 6.0

I've written a lovely, long, humorous account of this day, twice!, and both times it failed to post. I was kicked out. After 45 minutes of typing a scintillating account of the day's adventures and hitting "add entry" I got invited to log in! Which I had of course already done. And the entry was just poof! gone. So I did it again, with the same result. So I'm not typing it a third time. Suffice to say I hiked 6 miles. It was good. I've got some hiker shuffle but I'm fine. More (hopefully) tomorrow.
Date: 2023-04-02
From: Skyline Dr. Mile 15.9

To: Gravel Spring Gap, Skyline Dr mile 17.7
Miles today: 1.6

Another short entry, fearing the dreaded deleted entry. A short hiking day today. It's Palm Sunday, we went to mass this morning, then took a lovely short 1.6 mile stroll on the AT. Now we're back at the motel watching basketball (national championship, women's NCAA). Will do laundry after the game, then resume hiking in the morning. If I can resume some trust in trailjournals I'll give more details going forward.
Date: 2023-04-05
From: Panorama

To: Pinnacles Picnic Area
Miles today: 5.1

I was really worried about today's hike. A hiker whose videos we're following showed a huge boulder field he was going to have to cross and somehow I thought that was the mountain called The Pinnacle, which was on today's walk. I mean, I was really worried about it. It looked monstrous, and I was scared. I guess I wasn't watching closely though, because the Pinnacle was nothing like that. The bad news is that means the boulder field is yet to come! The hike up the Pinnacle was difficult but pleasant, and the views were spectacular!  While sitting on a rock at the top I dislodged three tiny little red ticks from my left calf. Given what I said yesterday about the dangers of ticks I'll have to keep a close eye on the bites. They were very small, like seed ticks. I also have sunburn on my neck, face, and the tops of my ears. Aah, life on the trail.   I hiked this section from south to north, which turned out to be a poor choice because I ended the day after a very, very long downhill stretch, and you know how I feel about downhills! I was so stressed and my nerves were frayed by the end. Additionally, a fair amount of the hike was on narrow ledges, which I've now decided I hate more than downhill slopes. I find it very nerve-wracking to inch along on a narrow, rocky ledge which drops off sharply and falls way, way down. I've never liked heights and I never look over the side, and that very uneasy feeling just seems to be much worse than it used to be.  I did of course get down safely, and Mike was waiting for me. I'd made relatively good time, so to soothe my nerves we left the park and went to town (Luray) for dinner. A couple of chimichangas, rice and beans later I felt much better!
Date: 2023-04-06
From: Pinnacles Picnic Area

To: Skyland Stables
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: clear sky

I'm so blessed by the weather! The days are warm and clear, only in the mid-seventies, but that feels really hot to me and I sweat an insane amount while hiking. The nights are cool, but we have a little propane heater which keeps our tent comfortable. Mike made adjustments to the tent so it's not so loud on windy nights, doesn't sound like a tornado bearing down on us. I love our campground. There are plenty of people camping but the campground is big and spacious and uncrowded. Most of the sites have tents, nearly all of them do, instead of the big RVs. I love that! Bear in mind, these are not AT thruhikers, these are vacationers. I love old-school camping, with people sitting by their campfires and the kids running and playing. No one is isolated in their campers, watching tv. Now, to clarify: I really don't have anything against RVs, I know people love them and for many it's a great way to travel with children on a budget, or a fun, mobile lifestyle. But there's something so simple and lovely about all these tents and the sound of laughter drifting around the campground.  Today's hike included summitting Stony Man Mountain, the highest point on the AT in the park. I know I keep saying the views ars spectacular, but the views from the top were, well, spectacular! There aren't enough superlatives but believe me, it was just beautiful. There were quite a few dayhikers on their way up to see it as I was coming down even though it's not an easy hike, I guess it's a popular spot. I was glad I'd gotten an early start, it would have been embarrassing if anyone had lapped me, passing me both ways! I should probably change my trail name from Blue Tortoise to Blue Snail.There was of course a long downhill, ledges and all. Yet I just keep advancing at my own (snail's) pace.