morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-06-08
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 6.0

6/8 6 miles, 4 hours, $59.82I didn¢t sleep more than a few hours last night. Since I was there by myself, I didn¢t use my Precious. It would be up to me to hear the bears and scare them away. I had forgotten how noisy it is at night! Bugs, owls, airplanes, and all kinds of mysterious creaking and scraping noises played in the woods. After FINALLY getting to sleep around 5am, I was awakened by mosquitoes buzzing in my ear at 6:30am. Have they been doing that every morning, only I haven¢t heard them? I got up because I was about to pee my pants, anyways. I was on the trail just before 7:30, clearing away all the spiderwebs with my face. It was one quick mile uphill, then five down. I went through a mossy-rock, buggy gully which gave me the creeps. I just didn¢t like it there. I wonder if something bad had happened there in the past.I grabbed a Geocache just before the hostel. There was only one other hiker there, and he was taking off. First thing I did was plop my pack on a grimy bunk and open the fridge. I cleared a path to the microwave and ate two bowls of pasta and three glasses of orange juice. Bob brought me my maildrop and bounce box, so that kept me entertained for awhile. I finally showered, although I didn¢t feel too dirty in these surroundings, and got my laundry started. I dozed off a bit as two SB¢ers arrived. The shuttle left around 3pm. I spent over $11 at McDonalds and hit the post office and local grocery store (which didn¢t have any sinus tablets). I am so wiped out, and this place is only $4, so I may stay another night. I can¢t believe I¢m saying that, due to the strange odor I cannot locate. I cleaned out the fridge; it may be the 1970¢s carpet that stinks. There is no Internet and (gasp!) no TV. There are 12 bunks upstairs, but it was awfully hot up there. I took a lower bunk just off the kitchen (a bit noisier) right next to a screen door. Otherwise, this hostel is comfy and relaxing and Bob is very hospitable. I asked him who holds the record for slowest hike from Springer, thinking I may win some award. He said there is a 4'6? 50-something female who goes about three miles per day! Now I don¢t feel so bad!After I packed my face with McDonald¢s food, I looked through a book by Yogi about the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Mexico to Canada) and felt like such a wimp. I haven¢t even made it 500 miles on the AT; these people have logged tens of thousands of long-distance trail miles.Thankful for: rest.
Date: 2007-06-09
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Zero Day at Kincora
Miles today: 0.0

6/9 0 miles, $53.63I slept well except when I believe a mouse was creeping around my pack. I woke up around 8am and cooked a pound of bacon and two eggs (I didn¢t eat the whole pound - EarPiece helped with that). Two hours later I had two bowls of cereal. I found the source of the funky smell. There was an old box of mothballs on the floor next to the kitchen table. Was I the only one who smelled them over the past couple years they had been there??? I threw them out, but someone later brought home a bottle of industrial-strength air freshener. EarPiece and I sat around and talked about the trail, death, movies, religion, etc. Then it was time for a nap. I woke up around noon, when another hurting hiker arrived. I had two ice cream sandwiches. It was very difficult not to eat for the next few hours, until Bob shuttled us at 4pm.There is no scale here, but I took my measurements. Since leaving home, I have lost 4? off both my waist and (yikes!) chest, 3? off my hips, 2? off my butt and each thigh, and 1 1/2? off my biceps. It feels great to shrink! There¢s plenty more where that came from.I got a roasted chicken and some broccoli salad at Ingles and ate it at the indoor cafe. Then I shopped for things I have been hungry for: hummus, pita bread and a chocolate Pepperidge Farm cake. I also got some ham salad to use up the bread I bought yesterday (I used four slices with my eggs this morning), another mousetrap, some Claritin (which was about $18), green grapes and a couple bananas, and a six-pack (of Hershey bars). I couldn¢t find where they hid the Gatorade. I might need another day off to eat all this stuff! When we got back to the hostel at 7pm, there were six more hikers here!Bob is going to shuttle the crowd 10 miles up the trail tomorrow so they can slack back. I didn¢t think I could make it in the three hours alloted, so I said ¢No thanx¢. I¢d have to be running to go over 3mph. The more I thought about it, the less attractive it sounded to have to hike the AT according to someone else¢s schedule. I¢ll stick to doing it the old fashioned way.Thankful for: renewed energy.
Date: 2007-06-10
From: Zero Day at Kincora

To: Another Zero!
Miles today: 0.0

6/10 0 miles, $4I slept until 9am! I woke up and everyone had gone slacking. I had four scrambled eggs, two ham salad sandwiches, a bowl of cereal, grapes and Hershey bars. I did SuDoKu most of the day. Heads & Tails, a couple from Atlanta I have been annoying, stopped by to pick up a package. I thought about leaving for the shelter two miles from here just to avoid people, but I¢m going to stay here to talk to my son tonight around 9:30.Now for my nefarious plans. I am leaving the trail in a couple weeks. Since I¢m not going to make it to Maine this year, it doesn¢t really matter where I get off. In that case, I would like to have some time with my son before school starts in August. Lord Willing, I will hike to Partnership Shelter, just after Mount Rogers, around 520 miles. There I can take a shower, order a pizza, and hitch into Marion, VA. There is a Greyhound station there, where I can catch a ride to Indiana to see my folks (since I¢ll be half-way there already). From there I will either rent a car to drive home to Florida, or meet my Boyz in Las Vegas for a little buffet-break before flying home.I first discovered how close Marion is to the trail while I was at Overmountain shelter and nobody talked to me. Ever since then, I¢ve felt like a slower-than-slow freak of nature. I¢m not TRYING to bring up the rear, like some other hostelflies, I am a mutant slowpoke hiker. I figure 500 miles is a good chunk of the trail so that when I come back to finish it, I will have enough of a head-start that I won¢t seem like such a freak. Maybe I¢ll be able to finish with the normal people!Thankful for: The Plan.
Date: 2007-06-11
From: Another Zero!

To: Wautauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: overcast clouds

6/11 10.9 miles, 8.5 hoursOne thing about Kincora - I slept well there every night, even with all those naps. This morning the hostel was a madhouse until the eight or so slackers were out of there. I had to just sit and wait for the chaos to end because I couldn¢t move without tripping over someone. I hit the trail around 8:30 and found three Geocaches in the Laurel Falls area.The 1800' climb out of the cove was pretty awful. I burned up most of the calories I worked so hard ingesting over the past few days. There were very few switchbacks. I passed a SB¢er wearing makeup; she said ¢You still smell good!¢ I looked at my watch - 2.5 hours and I didn¢t reek yet! I took a break with five miles to go, and had no water until three miles later, at the Shook Branch beach area. It was mostly downhill, so I did fine dry. My feet were killin¢ me early in the morning, due to the full foodbag. After my break, my left toes went numb. I wondered if I had had a stroke caused by the God-awful climb. My boots were probably just tied too tight. I passed a fence along the road and a goofy Ollie-looking horse came running up to me like I was his best friend. I hobbled my way to the shelter with that limping-hunchback look. Heads & Tails were there slumming, sleeping in a shelter for the first time. As bad as my feet felt today, I am going to try to skip a shelter tomorrow and do a 13.6 in order to talk to my son Friday. We¢ll see how that goes. He can live without hearing from me; it¢s me who suffers when I miss him.I couldn¢t bear to read Thomas Paine¢s ¢Age of Reason¢ - I left it at a shelter a ways back and didn¢t care what became of it. Now I¢m reading a $1 book ¢A Different Drummer¢ about Ronald Reagan.Thankful for: quickly recovering feet.
Date: 2007-06-12
From: Wautauga Lake Shelter

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: few clouds

6/12 7.8 miles, 6 hoursI slept well and was prepared to skip a shelter today. My feet were doing well. I took a few pictures around the dam and headed up the 1600'. I saw one medium trailsnake. I had some trail magic at Iron Mtn. Gap, where a bunch of SUVs were parked. Somebody left five Freeze-dried dinners there, still with the 5.95 and 6.95 price tags on them. I took them all and left behind my Liptons. There were Clif Bars, too, but I didn¢t want to turn into a Yuppie, so I left them. After my five mile break, I discovered that I was whooped. Worn out. Draggin¢ tail. If I was going to skip a shelter on the way to Damascus, it wasn¢t going to be today. I blame it on two huge climbs two days in a row, or my first day using Claritin. Tomorrow¢s plan, should I be able to do it, will be .8 longer, but only two 400' climbs, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.I added a mile onto today¢s ticker because the water source for this shelter is .5 each way - and pretty steep, too. One vote for worse water access. I fell once when a twig rolled underfoot. I had left my pack and one pole up on the trail, so I didn¢t sit down very hard. The blue blaze is also lined with stinging nettles.I met a nice couple from PA - Pippy and Rashy - who made me laugh. Two latecomers had just done 25 miles and were planning to move on. They were tall and their legs were about twice as long as mine. They walked like gazelles. They were seriously considering doing 31 miles to Damascus tomorrow!Thankful for: Yuppies.
Date: 2007-06-13
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: scattered clouds

6/13 6.8 miles, 4 hoursI slept well and hit the trail around 8am. The terrain was very reasonable, however it sprinkled off & on and my feet got wet. My gaiters don¢t cover the toes of my boots (I need either galoshes or new boots) and with the long grass on the sides of the trail, my sox soaked up the water like a sponge. As soon as my feet got wet, apparently all three of my insoles crapped out and my feet started to hurt. I got to a water source four miles from Vandeventer shelter; I sat down, ate a few snacks, and finished off my water. Then I went down to refill and found that it was dry! What is it with the water in TN? I saw a grouse on the way - I wouldn¢t have known what it was except Bob at Kincora stopped the car for one crossing the road while taking us to town. I got to the shelter I wanted to skip around noon and set my footwear out to dry. I had a Yuppie lasagne for lunch - I enjoyed both servings very much.A weird guy came SB with a school backpack, jeans, road atlas and beer. He claims someone stole his gear in Tyro, VA. He has no food, sleeping gear or warm clothes. He¢s headed to GA, then he¢s going to turn around and start over. He¢s a bum. Another hiker asked me if I¢m staying tonight; I said it depends how dry my boots get. It really depends on how drunk or weird the TrailBum gets. I do have everything set up for bedtime, though. I¢m glad another hiker is here tonight. When TrailBum was playing with fire, he saw a toad nearby and said ¢Ya¢ll wanna see a frog?¢ I said ¢Cook ¢im up¢ and the real hiker seemed to get a kick out of that.After today, I am thinking about getting off the trail at Damascus. I sleep so much, and rest, and get up and I am still worn out. I feel like a ¢before¢ picture for Ron Popeil¢s juicer. I think I need fresh fruit, vegetables, and Geritol. I just layed around for four hours; I sat up and my back feels tired!?! I¢ll see how much a shuttle to Marion would cost. It cost $50 for one hiker to go from Dennis Cove to Damascus.Thankful for: normal people.
Date: 2007-06-14
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

6/14 15.9 miles, 9 hoursI slept with one eye open last night. I was afraid TrailBum would sneak off with my pack. When I went behind the shelter to pee, I noticed a big garbage bag with a used space blanket and some clothes in it. I figured it was TrailBum¢s. Later, he used the clothes as kindling. I¢ll bet those were clothes that other hikers had given to him. As soon as the other real hiker left, I got the creeps and ran out of there without brushing my teeth. At the next shelter, there was a beer can; I said ¢Hmmm¢ and checked behind this shelter - a bag with crushed beer cans and some clothes. I warned a SB couple that there was a TrailBum working the next two shelters. It¢s kinda funny, now that I¢m safely away from him and I won¢t have to kill him with my super-human legs, mace, and 2? Swiss Army knife. He had no food or blanket to sleep on, but he had a nice insulated bag for his beer.The trail went through an idyllic meadow today. I want to move to Tennessee! It was very gentle terrain and I carried my poles a good part of the day across flat, grassy areas. I¢m very proud of myself for doing big miles today - it wasn¢t pain-free. The thunder made me anxious all afternoon. I even ran (yes, all two tons of me) twice on flat sections when the thunder sounded closer. It poured beginning about five minutes (Thank You God!) after I got to the shelter - I was still taking my boots off. Heads & Tails are here, as well as The Screwdriver Family - a couple with four kids and a big-mouthed nanny or uncle of some sort. They have tents set up, but until dark, they are going to be in the shelter plaguing me. I have my earplugs in, but I can hear them LOUD AND CLEAR.I saw my first bear butt running down the hill this afternoon! Ironic, I see my first bear on my last night in the woods. I¢ve decided it¢s more practical to end in Damascus, as opposed to some backwoods highway six miles from town (assuming I won¢t get ripped off by a shuttle). Mount Rogers will be there for me when I come back.Thankful for: God¢s perfect timing.
Date: 2007-06-15
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: The Place, Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

6/15 10+ miles, $5.23I was awake at 7am, not by choice. Since I hadn¢t had a warm meal in the circus tent while it rained last evening, I heated water for some breakfast spaghetti and meatballs. The Screwdriver Family left while I was fetching water 800' down a blue-blaze. I saw two young deer on the way back up; one little guy with stubs for antlers followed me up the trail about 40'. I got within earshot of the Screwdrivers a few times, but it should come as no surprise that even the youngest kid of about seven years old hikes faster than me. Plus, I stopped to Geocache at the TN/VA border. There was one of those orange salamanders just inside VA; I thought I had seen the last of them.I saw two hikers I knew in town on the way to the hostel; one has shin splints and one has some female medical issues so she got a ride to Marion to catch a bus. She looked like hell, although I didn¢t mention it. Maybe she had just been on a three-day drunk?The first thing I noticed about the hostel was that it had no stove or oven, because I have been craving pumpkin pie. I also daydreamed about stuffing a big turkey and cooking it up. I took a towel-less shower (I later found towels upstairs when I went snooping around) and was frightened to hear the Screwdriver voices as I was drying off with my stanky shirt. I thought I would have to find somewhere else for the night, but one of the young girls said they weren¢t going to stay (whew). I bungled around with my stuff deciding what to ship home until I got organized enough to go outside and search for a phone. I tried calling home but got no answer numerous times. They have the Embarq payphones here that don¢t let me dial 1-800-PocketMail. I hobbled over to the post office for my boxes after picking up a couple drinks (non-alcoholic) at Dollar General. I drank one of them while standing in line, I was so thirsty. Heads & Tails kept bumping into me all afternoon. I nearly warned them about the anti-stalking laws. I had my laundry all bundled to go, and the detergent from my maildrop, then decided I was toodamntired to do anything else today. It started thundering, clouded up, and poured on cue as soon as I lay down on my sleeping bag.Thankful for: de-stinking.
Date: 2007-06-16
From: The Place, Damascus, VA

To: somewhere on a redeye Greyhound bus
Miles today: 0.0

I suppose this should be my last TrailJournals entry, since I am officially off the trail. Please sign my guestbook if you wish to keep in touch (especially you, Jim!). I will continue PocketMail journaling in order to avoid talking on the phone with people - I hate the phone.The Screwdriver Family pulled a punch last night and showed up at The Place after 8pm. This is an old house with wooden floors, like Elmers, where I was shushed by the cook. The Screwdrivers clanged, banged, yelled, and shook The Place for over an hour as I contemplated suicide. I slept well until yet another bunch of inconsiderate people woke everyone up at 5:15am. Gotta be first somewhere, I suppose. Maybe I'll get some sleep on the bus.I took advantage of the soon-to-be daylight and took my aromatic bundle to the laundromat. There was a sign posted there for free use of the phone a few houses down, so I was able to zap some journal entries. I bought a pillow and some pajamas at Dollar General yesterday, as well as bus snacks and some makeup. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not hiking any more, so I can't eat like a hiker. I had Tostitos for dinner. I was hoping to buy a duffel bag and some eyebrow wax, but they don't carry it.After laundry the Screwdrivers were leaving the hostel just as I turned the corner (YAY!). I'm glad I missed that party. I had more Tostitos and went to the sleepy outfitter to ship my pack & boots home and arrange a 12 noon $40 shuttle for a 7pm bus in Marion. Then it was off to the Library to update my journals. So here I am in hiker clothing, saying goodbye to the serenity of the trail, the body odor, the never-light pack, the sound of the wind in the leaves, the cool mountain springs, the body aches and sore feet. Goodbye.
Date: 2007-06-30
To: more boring photos...
Miles today: 0.0

Here is a link to about 100 of the 400+ photos I took (about 1 per mile): http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z177/MidgetMom/ . I am back home in Florida with Dolly and the Boyz. Dolly missed me the most - it took her about 10 minutes to settle down and stop mauling and kissing me! C is spoiling me and G is his usual happy self! I think he may have gotten an inch or two taller. Its good to be home. Oh, yes, and George, TrailJournals says your e-mail address is invalid, so I cannot write you back! Hike on... MidgetMom :0)
Date: 2007-12-23
To: Update and Good News!
Miles today: 0.0

Since Damascus, I have only worked six weeks (for a menopausal woman with Short Man's Syndrome). When I walked off the disgraceful job in October, we celebrated by booking a cruise to Belize, Roatan and Cozumel. I thought "Why ruin the holidays with a work schedule? My student loan is already in default, so what's there to worry about?" I was able to go to a Halloween party with my son and cook a heeuge Thanksgiving meal, with another in the works for Christmas. My Dad snowbirded down from Indiana to help out with dogsitting and housesitting. I took an awesome vacation to Hawaii (Big Island) with my sister and did some gorgeous hikes. My favorite was to Pololu's black sand beach. My second favorite was through a lava field to chief Keoua's army's ancient footprints (http://www.leslielanghawaii.com/KauDesert.htm). I am looking forward to New Year's Eve (we call it "First Night" in Pinellas County). In January, Cornelius and I are taking the Roadtrek out west on a Geocaching trip - destination Las Vegas. I have put on nearly all of the weight I lost hiking the A.T. - I can feel my chubby thighs rubbing together when I go trekking and Geocaching. I ate a pound of See's candy over the past week, then had to shimmy myfatass up a tree to get to a devious Geocache. The diet and stairmaster starts after New Year's Day, BECAUSE... I will be hiking again in May! I will start where I left off, in Damascus, and go for at least a couple months. That should get me through Virginia to Harper's Ferry. I will need to get off the trail for week or so for a wedding in Ontario. With the remaining states only taking a week or two each (for normal hikers), I may be motivated enough to knock them all off and get to Katahdin about the same time the Springer Mountain crowd arrives! Yay! I haven't finished reading the 2007 TrailJournals I have bookmarked, but I'd better start the 2008 wannabe's so I can shmooz with them as they pass me by... Oh yeah, and HI JIM!
Date: 2008-03-12
From: Update and Change of Plans...

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

C and I went on a roadtrip out west Feb. 3rd - Feb. 26th. It was awesome, but when I got back I discovered I had missed G and Dolly sooo much, and it was sooo good to be home, I can't bring myself to leave them again already! At this point I have done ZERO hike planning or preparation, so I guess that seals the deal. I'm not hiking this year. I'll be taking G up to Indiana for a few weeks in July, then it's back to work for me :0( I'll be watching those of you who are blessed to have the opportunity to hike this year!~MidgetMom :0)
Date: 2009-04-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I have procrastinated as much as possible. A couple weeks ago I put together a few (8) maildrops. This week I finally started putting together my backpack. I discovered when you wait until the last minute, you can't order what you need over the Internet. You have to try the crappy local outfitter; if they don't have what you need, you have to pray Mt. Rogers Outfitter in Damascus does. I discovered I have 3 narrow-mouth Playtpus and 0 wide-mouth, and I lost the lid to my fuel flask :-(. I'd also like a lighter (cloth) waterbag than the stiff rubber bucket I have. I'm wondering if a 0-degree sleeping bag is overkill, but I can always have my lighter bag sent. I think when it is absolutely summer I will call for a quilt. I crunched some numbers and determined if I go 10 miles a day, I can make it to K by mid-September. That means with zero-days I will need to go 12-13 a day, Lord Willing. C is driving me up Friday afternoon or Saturday via I-95 then I-77 in South Carolina. Next entry will be via PocketMail on the trail. Hike on!
Date: 2009-04-24
From: Home

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Oopsie. I had so much last-minute stuff to do, I had to postpone my start-date by a week. The night before we planned to leave, my GXing Pocket Queries were stuck in digital purgatory. That morning I tried on my skirt and found out it was a skort. I had to cut the shorts/crotch part out. I had sooo many little things to take care of. I went to Wally's three times yesterday, and I broke the zipper on my old fanny pack. It was bizarre. Anyways, we are leaving within a few hours, Lord Willing. Next entry really will be from the trail!