morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-14
From: Elk Garden

To: Elk Garden
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I take a zero day using the time to handle many of my miscellaneous chores. On my to-do list are retrieving my pack and shoes from the gear repair, mailing home my cool weather gear (long johns, fleece hat, warm socks, rain pants-somewhat reluctantly- and extra water bottle), purchasing food supplies, and finally checking out all of the vendors in town for Trail Days. Author and thru-hiker David 'AWOL' Miller is at a booth and I make a point to meet him and let him know how much I enjoyed his book. He's a quiet guy so I assume still waters run deep in this case. I also meet 'Skywalker', aptly named for his 6'11" stature, who has also written an A.T. book though I haven't yet read it.I hear about a movie premiering at the high school called 'Trail Angels' and my schedule aligns so that I'm able to attend. A trail angel is a person who dedicates substantial amounts of their time, energy, and often financial resources to the aid and benefit of hikers. The movie chronicles 3 individuals, Mala, Miss Janet, and Trail Angel Mary, who have been performing such selfless acts for years now and in each case have become something of a legend on the trail. They provide food, rides, bunks, and just about any other kind of support you could imagine a hiker needing on the trail. I was able to experience Miss Janet's hospitality first hand back in Georgia and can attest to her generosity and warm personality. The film is edited very well and at times I'm quite moved and touched watching the extent to which these extraordinary individuals give of themselves.I close the evening back at the pavilion outside of the Baptist church. In my opinion this church has done more to make this a memorable and special weekend than any other planned event or activity. The church provided a free cookout on Wednesday, a full dinner on Thursday, and today offer a free internet cafe, lunch sandwiches, foot washing and body mass index readouts, free showers, and live music and dessert in the evening. They won't take any money, tips, or donations, and really aren't very 'preachy' in providing these services. Just good people who really seem to be genuinely happy to be of service to the hiker community.I decide to take a zero tomorrow as well to take in the rest of Trail Days events including the big finale, the Hiker Parade which culminates in a grand water fight. It's tough to be off the trail for 2 days in a row, making me very aware of how important momentum is I'm to make it to Maine. Sunday morning I'll be looking for the earliest ride available back to the trail, most likely a hitch, re-charged and ready to roll.
Date: 2010-05-16
From: Elk Garden

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: light rain

I am the beneficiary of trail angel assistance this morning getting back to the trail. Chatting with my housemate about my hike, I mention that I'll have my thumb out hitching back to the trail in the morning when, without hesitation, she says that she'll give me a ride back. I'm incredulous at this good fortune and feel obligated to inform her that the drive is about 30-40 minutes. She replies, "No problem, what time do you want leave?" I gratefully accept her offer and at 7:30a am riding back to the trail.The section of trail that I hike today is called the Grayson Highlands, famous for its rocky, treeless mountaintops and the wild ponies that inhabit this area. I've read about the ponies and am excited about seeing them. These are miniature ponies that only come to about waist high and live up here year round to help graze the area and keep vegetation, particularly non-native, at bay. I see a group of 3 ponies early on and hear tales of more ahead but they must have moved on before I get there since, disappointingly, I don't see any others. The forecast is a 60% chance of rain today which turns to 100% by 12:30, continuing throughout the day and into the evening. Outside of The Smokies I've only had one rain day so far but with today's soaker my good luck rain karma has come to an end. No rain, no pain, no Maine -- the saying goes. It thunderstorms for the first hour giving me some trepidation as I march across the highland hilltops with aluminum poles in my hand. At one point the rain begins to hurt and I realize gumball size hail begun to fall. Now I'm torn between standing in the open and getting pelted by hail vs standing under a tree risking a lightning strike. I choose the middle ground hovering under the branches extending furthest from the trunk, aluminum poles on the ground, partially shielded from icy onslaught. After the initial thunderstorm it turns into a steady rain lasting into the night.A good group of guys are in the shelter tonight, One Life, Sugar Ray, and Kudzu. We're all making for the same shelter tomorrow which has the unique characteristic of offering a shower AND the ability to order a pizza, either one an excellent motivator but both together representing unparalleled good fortune.
Date: 2010-05-17
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: light rain

I awake this morning to the plinking of rain drops on the tin roof of the shelter, the morning light revealing the same gray, wet landscape I fell asleep to. It rained all night but I find this steady rain relaxing to sleep to. The gray scene is not inspiring to begin the hike, nor is putting on all of my wet clothes from yesterday. I hung all of my clothes out the night before and nothing is any drier in the morning but I must put all of these items back on. The rain lets up in the morning and my clothes make good progress drying out while I hike. The sky seems to be showing improvement until I jinx this good fortune by removing my rain jacket. Within 15 minutes of this ill advised action I have angered the gods and the rain begins again, coming in a steady shower that lasts for the next 3 hours. The rain can really be a mixed bag in terms of how it affects my hike. At times I enjoy hiking in the rain, finding it relaxing and soothing, and at other times I feel like a wet cat, fingers and toes all pruny, feet squishing in wet shoes down the trail, yearning for a roof and dry clothes.The big motivator of the day is that you can order a pizza for delivery to the shelter. This is good inspiration for slogging through the hours of rain and we waste no time placing our order upon arrival. This shelter also has the unique feature of a shower. This ends up sounding better than it actually is though since the water is lukewarm at best and I don't have a towel to dry off either. I understand why they don't make the water hotter though since hikers would never want to get out! The forecast is a 50% chance of rain tomorrow and 30% after that -- no more pizza deliveries in sight either. I am the recipient of some good trail magic at the shelter as well when some section hikers who brought way to much food offer me their extra. I get 5 dinners that would normally cost about $5 a pop! The downside is the increased pack weight to carry all of this food but this a small price to pay to not have to eat Ramen for the next 3 days.
Date: 2010-05-18
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

After getting soaked the last couple days and rain looking imminent today we make a game time decision to shorten the day, stop in Atkins, VA, and stay at a motel. At the motel we meet up with Bluebird and Dayglo, section hikers from Franklin, NC who are ending their hike today. Their truck is parked at the motel and they kindly offer to take us to the grocery for a resupply run. It rains later in the day, vindicating our decision to make this impromptu stop. Rain is absolutely a part of hiking the trail but at the same time you need to be able to dry out and get clean, especially after a number of consecutive days of wet weather.I hike with Kudzu, Sugar Ray, and One Life, and end up splitting a room with One Life. The trail is a casual place where it's easy to get to know your fellow hikers, especially when you have a similar pace and share the same shelter over a period of days. Hikers often split loads of laundry, share supply runs, or share motel rooms as a matter of convenience and keeping down costs. Such is the case with this current group where interests, needs, and personalities align and it's not so crazy that I'm split a room with a pretty cool guy I only met 3 days ago. Who knows, we all might hike together for another day, week, or maybe longer, but in all of this I try to make certain I hike my own hike, setting my own destinations and pace.I speak with Roxana and we chat about her and the kids next visit. The original plan was for Rox and the kids to drive up and meet me on the trail when school was out but we didn't realize how far along I'd be by that time. Now that I'm making my way across southern and soon into central Virginia the drive has become too cumbersome for the time and distance it would take to travel and how long we'd be able to spend together in a section of Virginia without any obvious family attractions. We decide the best bet is to just meet up at Harper's Ferry where I'll be in about 5 weeks. Harpers Ferry is just outside of DC so we can also take in some of the entertainment provided by our nation's capitol, and maybe tour some of our old stomping grounds around Georgetown. Connor also wants to hike with me on the trail so I might also take the opportunity to do a bit of slack packing with him as well. It's tough to wait those extra weeks to see the family again but during my hike I'll use that as motivation, imagining the finite number of steps needed to get me there and how each step brings me that much closer to our reunion.One interesting sight on the trail today is the Settler's Museum, an old schoolhouse and farmstead settled by the Scoth-Irish in the early 19th century. The schoolhouse is a one room building with desks, blackboard, and stove inside. I enjoy these kind of historical markers and hope to see more along the trail as I continue north.
Date: 2010-05-19
From: Atkins, VA

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: light rain

I pass the 1/4 mark on the trail today when I go over 545 miles. There's still a long way to go but somehow this feels noteworthy. The rain holds off after raining the previous three days even though some gray begins to gather around noon. It never really gets ominous though and the lack of rain is a welcome relief, especially after getting everything cleaned and dried out last night.As I make my way north into Virginia I notice the terrain taking a decidedly different appearance compared to that of GA, NC, and TN. Virginia is much more rolling hills and less rocky (so far) than the preceding states. Twice today I emerge from the forest onto an expansive grassy hillside with cows grazing in the field. Some of the land is still privately held and the A.T. has received easements to allow the trail to go across this private property. At one point I have to shoo the cows off the trail in order proceed. The grassy areas with the farms and livestock are postcard idyllic, perhaps like a Norman Rockwall painting.Around 1:00p as I'm thinking about lunch I come across an intriguing sign pegged to a tree announcing 'Trail Magic Ahead'. Curiosity piqued, I press on a bit further and sure enough come across a blue cooler filled with pastries, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Dr. Thunder sodas, and a weather forecast. A note on top of the cooler indicates this magic was left courtesy of Lumbermack, a former hiker. I waste no time offing 2 sandwiches and a Dr. Thunder and shortly after the trail magician himself, Lumbermack, shows up to replenish the cooler. We chat for a while and he tells me he wants to open a hiker hostel soon as well. He's a good guy, retired, and obviously likes spending his time in support of the hikers. He says he checks on the trail magic cooler 2 or 3 times a day. The bittersweet irony to this instance of trail magic is that my food bag is stuffed and heavy after reloading in town and I was looking forward to eating my way out of this extra pack weight. By eating the trail magic I end up making no progress on my food bag now until dinner.
Date: 2010-05-20
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Helvey Mill Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: few clouds

Today is my most physically exhausting on the trail so far -- the culmination of pushing big miles 2 days in a row (23 yesterday, 24 today). I've had other challenging days, and certainly harsher, more individually taxing climbs, but on the whole this day has my meter well below 'E' before I reach my intended destination. In addition to the miles I don't think I've taken in enough calories and probably could have used more water as well. As a result I'm running on fumes around the 20 mile mark, and bonking at 22 with 2 miles still to go. At this point there's not much I can do but grip my trekking poles, grit my teeth, and take short, slow, plodding steps onward. Adding insult to injury is a steep, slap-in-the-face, gut check climb over the last 2 miles, the shelter is then an additional 1/4 mile off the trail, and the water source 3 tenths of a mile beyond that down a steep switchback slope. Serenity now!At the shelter I trudge down the hill to the water and back up, focused on priority #1 which is dinner and calories. I decide straight away that I'm eating 2 of my meals tonight to make up for the calorie deficit and so set about this task. I also nibble on cookies and crackers. I'd like to start doing more 20 milers and realize that I'll need to adapt my food strategies. One strategy I'll start at the next resupply is to purchase olive oil. Fat calories are essential to a hiker that burns 4000-6000 calories a day and olive oil contains a lot of those good fat calories in a small package. You can add olive oil to almost any meal or even drink it straight as I've seen other hikers do (not my preference). Avocados are another good source of fat, also providing food variety and the healthy addition of real produce as opposed to packaged fare. Protein is yet another dietary need that hikers must work to consume. Protein deficits are often made up during restaurant visits when stopping at a trail town.The shelter distances tomorrow are 9.8 miles to the first and 24 to the second. The 9.8 distance is too short while the 24 is too long. Most likely I'll have to tent somewhere in between.
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Helvey Mill Shelter

To: Trent's Grocery & Campground
Miles today: 16.3

This morning I awake exhausted, still recovering from the 47 miles I hiked over the last 2 days. Recalling that I passed an interstate 2 or 3 miles back I turn on my cell phone to check for a signal and am surprised to get 2 bars. I don't think I've called home in the morning yet but I'd like to hear some friendly, familiar voices so I ring. The time is 7:30a so they will be in the midst of pre-school and pre-work routines. Roxana answers and we chat briefly before she puts Connor on to 'share some news'. Connor then gets on the phone and says, "Guess what Daddy? I lost a tooth yesterday." I'm excited and congratulate him asking if the tooth fairy came last night but inside my heart aches to miss these moments. I want to stay in touch while I'm on the trail but at the same time it's difficult to hear these stories and think of all the little pieces of life I'm missing. I also talk to Iowa after she first tells Roxana to hold on as she finishes her busy little activities. She has plans to make a 'Pet House' with her friend, Iris, at school and has all of her animals packed and ready to go. After the call I have a case of the 'What am I doing out heres' as severe as I've had yet since starting out. I mentally search for any source of strength or reason for continuing, my body sluggishly moving down the trail. I'm able to regain some sense of focus and hike for most of the day deep in my thoughts, my eyes focused in a 'thousand yard stare' down at the trail, iPod providing some additional music motivation. I call a truce with my body and the trail around the 16 mile mark. It's only 2:30 and I'd like to go further but all signs are saying this enough for today. I need an easy, early afternoon with a good nights rest to hit the reset switch. Rain is also in the forecast through the weekend so this will also give me a chance to gather my reserves for the probable slog ahead. As much as I don't like to admit it I am absolutely solar powered and while hiking in the rain does have its enjoyable moments, at the end of a rainy day the fact is that you're pruned, chilly, your clothes and shoes are soaked, and most likely in the morning they'll still be cold and soaked when it's time to put them back on. I've absolutely had great rain karma on the whole, considering everything I've read about the amount of rain that traditionally falls on the trail, but it still doesn't make me yearn any less for this continued sunny good fortune.
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Trent's Grocery & Campground

To: Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

I wake in the morning around 6:00a and feel good after a night in my tent. The benefit of a night in the tent is that you're in your own space, sleeping and waking to your own rhythm as opposed to a shelter where you share space, usually shoulder to shoulder, among the myriad sounds of people shifting in their sleeping bags, getting up to go to the bathroom, and of course snoring. I find ear plugs of little use against the low decibel sounds of snoring.I gear up, break down camp and head to the grocery nearby that also has a grill and breakfast. Some other hikers ahead of me get their order in first but I think nothing of it at the time, looking forward to a hot breakfast before setting out. My dismay sets in when I realize there is no multi-tasking in this small grocery and watch as each order comes out one at a time, knowing now that the next order in line won't even be started before the previous is done and served. I would have skipped this stop had I known but am now captive at 5th in line. Almost 3 hours after I woke up I finally get moving on the trail.My destination today is noteworthy, a hostel called Wood's Hole that's been open since the 1980's and is one of those 'legendary' stops on the trail. The hostel was run by Roy and Tillie Wood until last year when Tillie passed away (Roy had passed a few years prior) and her grand-daughter, Neville, took over. The hostel is nestled in the hills of Virginia, surrounded by woods with a babbling brook nearby. The property features a bunkhouse and shower and a beautiful main house with an interior that might have been lifted from the pages of Architectural Digest, not at all what you expect you think hostel. On the property they grow their own vegetables, maintain several beehives, and often engage the hikers to help with the myriad chores that come with maintaining a working farm and hostel. I offer to help early in the day and am engaged later to assist with dinner preparation where I'm promoted to sous chef, cutting a mountain of carrots and preparing the ranch dressing from scratch. Our hosts are preparing dinner for a large group of hikers, a couple of their friends, and themselves, 18 in total. I sit on the porch after sous chefing and watch as Michael, Neville's husband, harvests several different varieties of lettuce and cabbage from the garden that will make up the salad. Chicken is on the menu that came fresh from a nearby farm, and for dessert butter pecan ice cream made fresh by a local Amish family. Before eating Neville asks that everyone join hands and give their (trail) name, where they're from, and something they're grateful for. We eat outside at 3 long tables set end to end in the open air of a mild Virginia evening with the sun fading behind the mountains. In short it's a wonderful dinner and a wonderful experience. Afterward people wander back to their bunks, appetites sated, to settle in for a good nights rest.
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

Neville (propietor of Wood's Hole) mentions the night before that breakfast is usually served around 7:00a so I'm up at 6:30 getting packed for a prompt post-breakfast departure. Breakfast is served inside the house where we once again repeat the pre-meal ritual of the night before mentioning something for which we are grateful before sitting to eat. On the menu this morning are scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscuits, juice, coffee, and fresh marmalade and the food is of course delicious. As the meal is winding down Neville asks the group if we'd like to hear a story and then relates the tale of how Wood's Hole came to be, how her grandfather and grandmother purchased the land and built the cabin, and how Neville first came to visit this rustic setting as their young grandchild. She continues, bringing the history, land, and buildings to life up to the point where she and her husband took over the house and hostel just a couple years ago after her grandmother passed away. With the telling this quaint little hostel becomes something much more personal, interesting, and a considerably more memorable stop on the trail.After breakfast I say goodbye to Kudzu who I've hiked with for the past week. Back on the trail, today is a town and resupply day after the 10 short miles from Wood's Hole to Pearisburg. One Life and I split a room at a motel and I set about doing my usual town chores; laundry, food resupply, eating at least 1 real meal if not 2 (or 3)!I eat dinner with One Life, Tour Guide, Chicken Feathers, and Pilgrim at a less than stellar Mexican restaurant. The talk is of course 'trail talk', what's happening on the trail, highlights and lowlights, and talk of other hikers. I begin to notice a trend with the discussion of other hikers that many hikers are just now getting injuries (lots of shin splints and foot problems) and several have gotten off the trail altogether. I find all this talk of injuries, abandonments and the accompanying negative vibe a bit disconcerting and suddenly have a strong desire to get back on the trail as soon as possible, regain my rhythm after the 3 previous relatively short hiking mileage days and continue pressing toward my goal.
Date: 2010-05-24
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pine Swamp Shelter
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: light rain

I bid farewell to One Life this morning who makes a last effort to get me take a zero with him in Pearisburg. He has packages at the Post Office that he can't pick up until today (yesterday was Sunday, P.O. closed) so he must take a zero to go through his packages and then resupply the gaps. One Life is a good guy to hang around with and I'll miss his humor and easy manner. I hope we meet up again on the trail. It occurs to me that hikers are like satellites with their own gravity and orbits hurtling through space (or down the trail). At some point trajectories intersect and 2 or more of these satellites begin to orbit each other for some period of time -- a day, week, month, or in some cases the length of the trail -- sharing time on the trail and in shelters before spinning off on different trajectories only to soon orbit other satellites. Last Monday I shared shelter and trail for with Sugar Ray, Kudzu, and One Life. On Wednesday Sugar Ray pulled a short day due to shin splints. Kudzu took a zero day on Saturday at Wood's Hole and One Life takes a zero today. All three are behind me now on the trail. Tonight I share a shelter with 3 new 'satellites'; Krispy Kritter, Timber, and Hollywood. I don't know how long we'll share space in the shelter and on the trail but that's the nature of the trail, everyone constantly moving at different paces, with different agendas of what they want to get out of their hike and so those I orbit today may or may not be the same as tomorrow.