morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-16
From: Pine Branch Swamp Shelter

To: Near Laural Creek Shelter (approaching Daleville)
Miles today: 18.5

Ugly? Cute? Perhaps both. But delicious? Keep reading.I spent a good part of the day hiking with Iron Lady. She had been a navy helicopter pilot and then later commanded a ship with 1,100 sailors. She retired last year and had also been in my ATI class last Fall. Yesterday she saw a baby bear scratching in the hillside about 30 yards away. When it saw her, it scampered up the hill and out of sight. She also came across a big black rat snake with a live frog (not our friend, pictured) in its mouth. I, too, came across a big black rat snake on the path today. She was maybe 4-5 feet long and about 3" thick. I tried nudging her tail with my trekking pole, but she just got angry and struck a coiled striking pose towards me. She even shook the end of her tail like she thought she was a rattlesnake. I took both trekking poles and quickly drummed them on the trail near her head and that persuaded her to head into the thick brush and off the trail. The trail was challenging today with miles of quite rocky terrain. Thank goodness it was dry and not slippery. I'm in my tent near a shelter and can barely keep my eyes open as I lie on my back and type this. I'm beat. Looking forward to a nice sleep listening to the light drizzle. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-05-17
From: Near Laural Creek Shelter (approaching Daleville)

To: VA 622
Miles today: 13.8

Here I am with a giant woody oak tree - the Keffer Oak, the largest individual oak tree on the southern AT. I was just headed off to sleep last night when a certain bird made its presence well-known, something that has occurred out here before. It has a distinctive loud call that, to me, sounds like it is saying potpourri, potpourri. It flies around and changes position but doesn't stop it's energetic exclamation, even when the rain picks up. I conked out, but I have heard this same kind of bird call before all night long.Today Iron Lady and I faced a particularly challenging section of maybe 300 yards of sedimentary rock set at a 45 degree angle. I had to stand facing downwards high on a ridge and walk sideways on this smooth angled rock. One misstep and I could have been tumbling over hard rock for 50 yards. Man, I sure was glad it wasn't raining.Due to anticipated tent sites and water sources, Iron Lady and I planned on a relatively easy 15 mile day today. She and I were coming down to cross a road with about one mile left to our targeted camping site. Lo and behold, who was parked there but Rita, Iceman's wife and trail support. As you may recall, she picks up 78 year old Iceman every evening and they go back to a hotel room. Their plan was to come back to that very same spot early tomorrow morning for him to resume his hiking. I asked if they would give me a lift back to their hotel so that I, too, could stay there for the night and get a good dinner, sleep, and breakfast. They said sure. When I told Iron Lady, she gave me some serious stink eye since we had planned to camp on the trail. Now here I was suddenly leaving for the luxury of a Comfort Inn. She turned down the invitation to come along, and I assured her I would be back on the trail early tomorrow morning to catch up with her. I thought her initial reaction was pretty hilarious.I am now back in my room after having dinner with Rita and Iceman and ready to rejoin Iron Lady tomorrow morning and regain my rugged hiker's credibility. They say take what the Trail gives you. Tonight, the Trail gave me steak.
Date: 2015-05-18
From: VA 622

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 15.4

This is an example of part of the trail today. That wall with the embedded handholds was about 8 feet tall. I expected a fairly easy hiking day today with only about 15 miles to my destination. It turned out that there were 2 or 3 hours of scrambling over and between boulders which I found kind of fun like a puzzle, although exhausting. Then, to come down off the ridge were these long drops of maybe two stories tall of fairly sheer rock walls but with sufficient hand and foot holds. There were only two walls with those embedded hand holds like in the picture. So it turned out to be quite a challenging day of "hiking." Towards the end when the big rocks were giving way to more dirt paths, it started raining and unfortunately I slipped on a boulder and banged my elbow on the way down. My first thought as I moved my arm was, "please don't be broken." It wasn't but I do have a pretty big swollen knot and skin tear in that area. But it'll be fine. The gnats are starting to become bothersome as it gets warmer. I'll share a trick that my dad taught me. Gnats go to the highest point on the body. When I can, I hold one of my trekking poles over my head and those little brainless gnats go to the top of the pole and not my head. It's a cool little trick. Thanks Dad.I'm staying at a hostel tonight with about 15 or 20 hikers. It's a farm with chickens everywhere and a real laid back party atmosphere. Someone is playing a guitar, there's a constant game of cornhole going on, and lots of laughter and socializing. They shuttled us over to a grocery store where we could get hamburgers and pizza and food supplies. I'm on a pallet in a barn tonight with some other hikers and a dog. It's a nice little set up and another AT experience.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-05-19
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Tenting 9 miles from Daleville
Miles today: 16.6

Here I am at McAfee Knob on an overhang. You know, someday that thing's gonna fall. Glad it wasn't today. I had a beautiful day of hiking relatively flat dirt trails. Around McAfee Knob were giant boulders the size of houses that the trail snaked around. I actually stopped to feel the power of one by trying to lift it. Uh, 3D, seriously? Still, I liked experiencing their immensity. At one point on the trail, I came to an 18" rock and I planted my pole up on it to pull myself over. As I pulled up I was at a tipping point and almost fell back when a butterfly briefly landed on the pole's handle. *Ping* At that precise moment I was finally able to pull myself up and over. It was as if I got just the nudge I needed. I told the butterfly "thank you."I'm camped by a stream with the last fading sounds of the birds for the night. Perfect temperature. Perfect night.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-05-20
From: Tenting 9 miles from Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 9.1

I've seen quite a few deer on this trip. This one didn't seem to mind me being about 20 yards away. That's about the same distance another one was first thing this morning when I popped my head out of my tent.This evening I was responding to someone who is planning a thru-hike next year and who signed my guestbook. I found myself recommending that he read one particular book. It's called Appalachian Trials by Zack Davis. That's right, "Trials" and not "Trails." It discusses the mental aspect of a long distance hike and this one in particular. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to undertake this experience, although having only gone one third of the way I'm not sure I'm exactly an expert on the subject. The book includes exercises to write down various aspects and expectations of this hike. Some of the questions are - why are you doing it, how will you feel if you complete it, how will you feel if you don't complete it, and other similar mental exercises. I was talking with Iron Lady yesterday and she had read and completed the exercises from the same book. In fact, she and I both have our answers with us but neither of us have had to refer to them for inspiration or consolation. Yet. I already know of many hikers who have gone home. It seems most of them left due to mental reasons, not physical reasons. One is alone with one's thoughts up here. Plus, the repetition of step, step, step all day long and day after day can affect folks differently. As planned, I arrived in Daleville, VA today and am enjoying the creature comforts of a town. It's also interesting to me...I've always enjoyed watching a good bit of TV but I've not been interested in turning it on in these hotel rooms.
Date: 2015-05-21
From: Daleville

To: Tenting at Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2

That's the bloom of the Mountain Laural and they're everywhere, as are the purple blossoms of the Rhododendron. Down nearer the streams the place is just lit up with them. I said goodbye to Iron Lady today as she is leaving the trail for several days to go to a wedding. I met her last fall at my AT Institute class and learned she was retired career navy. We hiked some together at that time, and she told me all about the various rugby teams she's been on. On this thru-hike I've learned a good deal more about her including her stint as a captain on a large ship. A tough gal for sure. But there's always more to everyone you meet than first impression or stereotype. The day we climbed down those cliff-like rocks, she and I met this fellow and his dog climbing up. He was helping the dog up the steep rocks and it was obvious they were a loving well-bonded pair. The next day I came upon Iron Lady who was calling to someone (or something) in the woods. It was that same dog whose backpack satchel of food had become snagged on a fence and he had wriggled free. She was super concerned about helping this dog who had somehow become separated from his owner. She called and called but the dog was too skiddish to come. She was reluctant to leave but eventually resumed her hike. A few miles later we came to a highway with an information board. Taped to the board was a note from the owner asking for any information about his dog. She immediately called him and he was elated to get the specific location of his dog (who had become separated by bounding down the mountain chasing a deer). Iron Lady was so happy and so moved to have helped reunite the pair, I saw goosebumps on her arms. So this tough rugby playing navy captain truly has a heart of gold. Getting to know her I was impressed with many more examples of what a non-judgmental generous spirit she is. Another really nice experience for me on the AT. I went to a hikers outfitters and a grocery store this morning and didn't leave until late morning. The trail was fairly easy and I'm now in my tent on a ridge with about six other hikers in their tents nearby. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-05-22
From: Tenting at Wilson Creek Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: few clouds

Check out the bird condos. A few things made me laugh out loud today. When I awakened this morning, little Miss Mousie had chewed up one of my wool socks that I keep outside of my tent. She helped herself to a couple of nickel sized holes for some nice nesting material. She was considerate, though, and took them from the ankle area where it doesn't matter. In fact, hey, it's almost summer and I can enjoy the ankle breezes. Kinda made me chuckle. Another was when I was hiking in the sun on a dry part of the trail. I noticed peripherally that running down the middle of the trail towards me was a lizard about 6 inches long. I automatically jerked up one foot hollering "whoa!" He ran right under me and kept on running around a turn in the trail and out of sight like he was really late for an appointment. I stood there for a moment, one knee still up, and burst out laughing at almost being run down by a little lizard. Later in the day I noticed a big black ant and a bigger black beetle walking towards each other on the trail. They walked directly into each other with the beetle going over top of the ant. They both went crazy to get away like each was crying out "ewww, a bug!" Cracked me up. Like I said, I was walking in the sun all day. I'd like to share something I do when packing my backpack every morning. I've read that it's ergonomically ideal to position the heaviest items at the bottom of the pack, stacked where they'd be up against my pelvis and spine. My heaviest items are my two food bags, so they go in first to be at the bottom. The problem I found is that at lunchtime, I had to pull everything out of my top-loading pack to get to my food. My solution is that now at breakfast I select my lunch and snacks for the day and pack them right on the top for easy access. This was a great day for hiking with clear dry weather and in the low 70s. I walked near the Blue Ridge Parkway, sometimes crossing it, enjoying all those terrific views. Tonight I'm on the upper floor of a shelter (no flat spots in the woods to pitch a tent) with plenty of space and Just Mike on the other side. There are two guys down below who are jawboning around a fire right now. A good day of hiking. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-05-23
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Off trail near Big Island, VA
Miles today: 16.6

Here's a suspended boulder I hiked under today. It was probably about 5 feet in diameter.It was another beautiful day here on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. I passed through a section with overlooks where there was public parking not too far away. There were three guys trying to set a timer on a camera to take a picture of themselves in front of a fantastic panoramic view. As I always do in these situations, I offered to take a picture of them. They asked me how far I was going. When they learned that I'm a thru-hiker, they had a lot of questions for me. This is really the first time this has happened to me outside of trail towns where it's no big deal. Although I feel like I'm still at the beginning of my trek, to these guys I'm a grizzled veteran. It is unusual, I suppose, to meet someone who has been hiking continuously for almost two full months. I have to admit I got quite a kick out of answering their wide-eyed enthusiastic questions. They all wanted to shake my hand as I resumed my hike.This was a double trail magic day for me. The first was a box of fruit and various cookies someone left "for thru-hikers only." I helped myself but not too much. More hikers coming, you know. I later ate my own lunch I had brought with me and soon after came across three women setting up a big hikers' food spread. They were cooking lasagna and had tons of food. I was already pretty full but still scarfed down some brownies, carrots, and a coke. I thanked them profusely and we all agreed there's a great community spirit that this thru-hiker phenomenon brings out. Very cool. I found a nice secluded flat spot well off the trail to tent tonight, not on any guides or apps. Lying down, I felt a couple of bumps, but from inside my tent I can reach underneath anywhere to remove sticks or rocks. My favorite tenting is out here all alone. I heard a large animal a while ago and saw it was a deer picking her way through the forest. She never saw me. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-05-24
From: Off trail near Big Island, VA

To: Near Punchbowl Shelter near Buena Vista, Va
Miles today: 18.6

Here I am at the halfway point of the James River footbridge. The James River is really wide so this pedestrian-only bridge is quite long. Last night I may have just had my first bear encounter! I was all alone in my tent off the trail and at dusk I heard delicate stepping and saw a deer. I went to sleep and just after 1:00 a.m. I heard heavy, not so delicate footsteps coming towards my tent. I did what a sign out here said to do in case of a bear encounter, and talked in a firm deep monotone. I said "go away and go away now" a few times. There were more heavy steps, but not really towards the tent nor going away from the tent. Then I recalled that thru-hiker Hansel from the Black Forest in Germany had recommended clapping. So I did some big loud cupped hand clapping. The heavy steps immediately receded away. I went right back to sleep - Two. Hours. Later. It was a nice, almost hot day, and I don't mind working up a sweat. As I frequently do, I passed a stream with deeper areas that could be swimming holes. Well, I just took off my pants and dunked my whole body, still wearing undershorts and a T-shirt. Hoo-wee that was cold but hugely refreshing. I immediately resumed hiking and drip dried. Up on a ridge, another surprise. I stooped to take a closer look at an orchid-looking blossom. Then not ten feet from me a wild turkey burst from the undergrowth and labored to fly, disappearing over the edge of the ridge. I just love it out here. Tonight I'm in my tent near a shelter that's next to a pond. The frogs are croaking up a storm and probably will be serenading the five or six of us tenting here all night long. It should be nice background ambiance. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-05-25
From: Near Punchbowl Shelter near Buena Vista, Va

To: Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Want to know what anonymous trail magic looks like? Well there you go. The other cooler had bottles of water and ice. The bananas are especially appreciated because they contain potassium which helps diminish the dreaded leg cramps at night. So 3D, what is this trail guide you sometimes mention? And is that what everyone uses? Well, I'm glad you asked. I would say that most thru-hikers use a trail guide called AWOLs trail guide (prepared by David Miller and that was his trail name). It's a paper guide that has all sorts of trail information including water sources, a profile of the trail elevations, and names and numbers of pertinent places in the trail towns. Second to that is Guthooks AT Guide used by maybe a third of the hikers. This is an app that you load on your phone. It will show you exactly where you are on the trail even if you don't have a cell phone connection. (It reverts to GPS, at least on all the phones I have seen out here.) It also shows you exactly where you are on a profile map and all of the upcoming water sources, shelters, and other milestones, just like AWOLs guide. But if you click on one of those upcoming locations, it will tell you exactly how far the spot is from where you are, which is really helpful. What are the pros and cons? AWOLs guide is easier to pull out quickly and I use that more often. AWOLs guide also has maps and phone numbers of trail towns, which is extremely helpful in planning and in calling ahead for reservations. Guthooks guide is better for pinpointing where you are on the trail or if you are even on the trail at all. It also shows you a good number of tent sites that AWOLs does not. But it does use precious battery resources, takes longer to use while you power up the location finding service on your phone, and doesn't give you any trail town information. If I had to choose one, I would choose AWOLs guide. But I'm glad I have Guthooks app as a supplement. I do find myself using Guthooks more and more as I'm out here, especially locating all of those tent sites between the shelters. If I recall, AWOLs guide was about $20 and the full trail Guthooks app was $60. Not a scary bear story but I hope someone finds this useful. I used AWOLs guide to find the number of a guy that provides shuttle services in this area. He drove me the 10 miles from where the AT crossed a road to a small town called Buena Vista. I think that means good beer; at least that's what it means to me. I'm in a budget hotel and will take a zero tomorrow to resupply, do laundry, and just rest my bones for a day.
Date: 2015-05-26
From: Buena Vista, VA

To: Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 0.0

The only jelly they had at the store was in a glass jar, so here I am with wet hands scooping and pushing jelly down into the plastic jelly container I had already been carrying. Now that is one interesting sensation.I spoke this evening with an old college friend, one of my best friends, and he asked me an interesting question. He asked - are you going to feel let down when you finish this and go back to your regular life? Actually, I think he asked something about how I will feel when I can't match this level of exercise and I start to pudge up again. This is a question probably better answered when I'm near the end and not at the 1/3 mark. But I have thought a bit about this and read about it.One of the first things I read about is exactly what my friend was referencing. Most thru-hikers do experience sudden weight gain when their ravenous appetites continue for a while without the constant exercise. So my eating habits will be my first focus area. I will want to continue some kind of regular exercise and I'm thinking swimming. I just can't see myself going to a gym and walking on a treadmill after all this. Who knows, maybe I will need to have at least one day a week hiking in the woods from now on. Another big hike? I really can't even contemplate that right now. I have just retired and my wife and I have some nice travel plans. I also have a long bucket list. (Actually, I prefer to call it a "dream list" which seems more positive.) I will review that list when I return and see what appeals or if I want to add or delete items. I'm sure I will want to stay active and involved in activities, probably ones I've never done before. I do know that one of my initial first stops will be to see my new grandson who is changing so quickly while I'm out here. But when I allow myself, what I really imagine for one of my first weeks is to sit on a beach under an umbrella and tip back some margaritas. That is the deep transformation I have learned from this long walk through the woods. Inspiring, eh? Yes perhaps this is, in fact, too early in my journey for this question.
Date: 2015-05-27
From: Buena Vista, VA

To: Rock Spring
Miles today: 15.1

This tree seemed to have a cute face that reminded me of a one-eyed animated character from, I think, the movie Monsters, Inc.Here's something odd that happened a few nights ago at a shelter. A big strapping young man was the last to arrive. He was probably 6'3" with broad shoulders and was very polite, full of yes sirs and no sirs. He was a section hiker (just doing a part of the trail). Another section hiker who was there offered him a cigarette that he smoked. (I don't believe I have seen any other thru-hikers smoking cigarettes.) A few minutes later, this big fellow stood up, tall and straight, then he suddenly tilted backwards stiff as a board like someone had lifted his toes. He made no attempt to catch himself. Whomp! His back hit the ground and there was about a 5 inch rock sticking up that hit right between his shoulder blades. His head hit the ground too, and his arms went up for just a moment and then dropped limp because he was out cold. It scared the peediddle out of us because it looked like the way that rock hit, he could've been paralyzed. He came to and a couple of the guys helped him up, but boy was he woozy for a while. We got him water and something to eat. This guy is from South Georgia, so my guess is that he passed out due to not being acclimated yet to less oxygen at this higher altitude combined with that cigarette. Later on, I was relieved to see that he seemed to be fine but that really gave us a scare. There are lots of crows (or ravens?) up here on the ridges. When I'm walking along I'm near the tops of trees growing from the steep sides so its like I'm walking in their world in the tree tops. The crows can be fairly close by and when they get together they can make quite a racket. I got an earful today and it reminded me of a Deep Thought from Saturday Night Live from way back:"Why do the crows keep calling my name, wondered Caw."This was a good day for hiking with lots of pleasant non rocky trail and intermittent sunshine. Its night now and I'm lying down in my tent alone a ways off the trail looking up through the mesh netting at the moon behind the trees. Very peaceful and a good cool sleeping temperature. Nowhere I'd rather be.