morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-05-26
From: Helveys Mill Shelter, VA

To: VA606, VA
Miles today: 16.3

Happy talked to me today about leaving the trail. He's a really good guy, one of the most genuine I've seen on the trail, and he said he just doesn't want me to regret it down the road. I don't think I'll regret it much if I get off the trail, but that's what makes it such a hard decision to make. I think I'd like to finish the trail in small sections over a number of years if I don't thru-hike it, so it's not like I'd be abandoning it altogether.Puppies!This is a long story, but I'm tellin' it anyway. The best part of today was the puppies. Say what? What are puppies doing in the woods? Exactly. I came down from Brushy Mt. to a gravel road and found 3 little puppies that had been abandoned. A pastor and a couple of other day hikers came out of the woods to return to their car and said the puppies had been there when they arrived. They gave the dogs strawberries and cheerios and we put some water the plastic cup from my JetBoil. The people left and said they'd call animal control when they found a cell phone signal. I stayed with the puppies for a bit and got them to eat...they didn't know what to do with the strawberries. I had to leave them, though, and I figured that animal control would be on its way soon anyway.The puppy that hiked with meI moved on to Jenny Knob Shelter for lunch and the 5 guys I was with last night showed up soon after...with the puppies! They had gotten them to follow them 3 miles on the trail! Now the plan was to take them another 6.5 miles to Trent's Grocery and call someone to help them. Wookie and I took responsibility for 2 of them. One was a little chubby and started breathing heavy and laid down next to the trail as soon as we started going uphill. Poor little guy. Wookie carried him the rest of the way (5 miles), but mine (the shy little runt) followed at my heels the entire way...walking a total of almost 10 miles for the day! I only carried her when we got to VA606, which is a busy road. Within 5 minutes of our arrival at Trent's, seemingly the big hot spot in town, all 3 dogs had new homes. I felt bad that they had been separated, but at least they all had somewhere to go. I had done my good deed for the day and was rewarded with free pizza at Trent's. Sweet.Trent's is a pretty ghetto camping area, but the shower felt good and I have clean laundry now. It's starting to get hotter during the day, so my clothes have some extra funk in them lately. So does the rest of me. I'm camped next to a horse pasture, which is pretty cool. Happy, Rock, Roll, and I bought some of the best beer Trent's had to offer (Budweiser) and had a good campfire before bed.Wildlife sightings: I saw a turtle on the trail today. It was really strange because it was nowhere near any water at all. Cool to see, though. Do puppies count as wildlife?
Date: 2008-05-27
From: VA606, VA

To: Wapiti Shelter, VA
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

I did a pretty short day today for 2 reasons. The first is that I'm trying to let Crabby catch up to me. Crabby's a good friend and we always had a lot of laughs, so I've been missing him. I'm 95% sure I'm getting off the trail, so it would be nice to hike with him out of Pearisburg for a week or so to go visit New Song before heading home. We told New Song we'd come visit her when we get near her home town. She's been missed as well, so it'll be nice to see her.The second reason I'm slowing down is to see if it lifts my spirits at all. I've had no motivation at all lately, so I've been hiking more slowly. I'm just tired and running out of steam and the miles are going by really slowly. Part of the suspension on my pack broke today...maybe it was a sign.Sherpa Dan with his 70 pound packHappy and the other guys I've been keeping pace with were here for a late lunch, but they've moved on to the next shelter. There are some others here ow, including Sherpa Dan, who has a monstrous pack that weighs 70 pounds! He's even using a Coleman propane stove with a one pound propane cylinder! He said his pack weighed 80 pounds when he started!!!I reached the 600 mile mark first thing this morning. Sweet. If I get off the trail in Daleville, where we're meeting New Song, I'll have hiked 725 miles.A couple of miles from the start of today's hike, I went down a side trail to Dismal Falls. It was a nice spot and I was tempted to take a dip, but it was the weather was overcast and not really hot enough for me.I think mosquitoes and ticks should eat each other. You can't possibly disagree.
Date: 2008-05-28
From: Wapiti Shelter, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

I hadn't planned on doing a long day today, but I was feeling pretty good and I just kept hiking (over 16 miles) until I reached Pearisburg. And on my way down Pearis Mt. I got a voice mail from Crabby saying he was spending the night in Pearisburg! He skipped the 24 miles from Trent's Grocery to here, but he plans to hike south from here to finish them. Don't make me explain it...it hurts my head. He's been hiking with a few other people that he's trying to stay with. I made it into town and wolfed down two double cheeseburgers from Hardee's before reuniting with Crabby at the Holiday Lodge Motel. Crabby bought me dinner at Pizza Hut and we're sharing a motel room tonight. The motel's kind of dumpy, but there are a lot of other hikers here and there's a pool! I'm zeroing tomorrow and maybe Friday, too, to let Crabby do the 24 miles before we continue north from here. I haven't decided yet.I also still haven't decided whether I'm leaving the trail or not. We'll see how things go. I actually felt a little better today...because it was raining. Yeah, you read that right. It was strange, but I think the rain was something different that broke the monotony a little bit. I think my body's also getting back into the swing of things now after being off the trail. It was nice hiking in the rain without it being cold, too. I didn't wear any rain gear and it was kind of invigorating to just let myself get rained on...much better than sweating in a rain jacket. I left my Packa at home and brought my rain jacket and pack cover back with me instead, so I just put my cover on my pack today and everything stayed dry.I've got a bunch of errands to run tomorrow, including going to the post office to get my bounce box and hopefully the journal I left behind at the Kincora Hostel.
Date: 2008-05-29
From: none (zero day)

To: none (zero day)
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a pretty good zero day. I mostly spent it relaxing...trying to boost my morale a bit. I took a swim in the pool, which was completely refreshing. I went to the post office and picked up my bounce box, an extra battery I ordered for my cell phone, and (finally) the new piece for my trekking pole. Bob and Pat Peoples mailed me the journal I had left at Kincora Hostel, so I picked that up at the post office, too. It looks like a deaf person picked up the notebook and used the blank pages to communicate with people at the hostel. Kind of funny to read through it...feels like eavesdropping. Anyway, I've updated my journal with the entries from 4/28 through 5/5, so take a look if you feel like you need more random information in your brain.Crabby and I went to the laundromat and washed our sleeping bags...it'll be nice to get into a sleeping bag that isn't filled with bacteria.This motel's kind of funny and sad at the same time. It's the kind of place where people live permanently and have their own furniture in their rooms.I saw a commercial for a local church on TV. Seriously? A commercial for a church? That's funny stuff, man.I called Osprey today about the suspension piece that broke on my pack. They're gonna send me a replacement part in Daleville. It's not a crucial piece, so waiting a week for it isn't a problem.Crabby and the people he's been hiking with have decided to forget about doing the 24 miles they skipped...at least for now. Crabby says he'll go back and do it later. They still want to zero tomorrow, though. I don't get it, but I'm goin' with the flow to hike with Crabby and get to New Song's next week.
Date: 2008-05-30
From: none (zero day)

To: none (zero day)
Miles today: 0.0

Zeroing again. I don't really wanna talk about it. I'll say that I'm feeling slightly better, though. I'm not quite 95% sure I'm leaving the trail like I was, but I'm still sort of leaning that way. I'm back on the trail tomorrow, so we'll see.
Date: 2008-05-31
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter, VA/WV
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: broken clouds

Crabby and I got back on the trail today after a Hardee's breakfast that seemed to sit motionless in my stomach for hours. We ended up doing a short day because Crabby's knee was hurting a lot. He's been thinking about leaving the trail for some of the same reasons as me and now his knee is giving him another big reason to stop hiking. I hope it gets better for him. We called New Song yesterday and we've planned to meet her in Daleville on Friday. We can always change that if Crabby needs to slow down a little, though.It looks like we may have crossed into West Virginia today! The trail follows the VA/WV border, so I'm sure we zig-zagged back and forth a bit.Today was REALLY humid and we hiked the typical long uphill out of town with our packs full of supplies. It wasn't too tough, though. The uphills aren't daunting like they used to be. They're just there and we hike up them...no big deal, except for the heat. The short distance today was nice. The first day out of town is always a bit of a drag, especially after a zero day, so I didn't mind stopping early. A quick but heavy downpour came through just before I reached the shelter. It only lasted about 5 minutes and it was actually refreshing.When we all first arrived here the bugs were horrendous, so we got a good smoky fire going to get rid of them. I'm sleeping in my tent tonight and I think I'll be doing so more often now that the bugs are out in force.Pegasus and Unicorn found Ginny on the trailDutch is here with us tonight. Crabby's been hiking with her, Bojangles, and Rodeo since Chestnut Knob Shelter. Pegasus and Unicorn are also here with the dog they adopted after finding her near Chestnut Knob Shelter. They named her Ginny (short for Virginia...get it) and she's very sweet. They took her to a vet in Pearisburg and she got a clean bill of health and clearance to hike with them.I watched the sun set from a clearing in front of the shelter tonight. There's a great view from here and the sunset was beautiful. You can see mountains and towns below us for miles.I'm pretty sure I'll be getting off the trail when we meet New Song. I heard a guy tonight talking about how much he's enjoying himself and it made me realize that I've truly lost all my motivation to keep going.
Date: 2008-06-01
From: Rice Field Shelter, VA/WV

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, VA
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's my anniversary! I've been with Tara three years now! She's my best friend and the most amazing woman I've ever known and I really miss her. And even though I know she'd love for me to come home now that I'm thinking about getting off the trail, she's being surprisingly impartial when I talk to her about it. I'm sure that's not easy. Okay, enough of that.Crabby's knee didn't get any better today and he really needs to get off the trail as soon as possible to let it heal, so we looked at the map and found a place for New Song to pick us up on Tuesday instead of Friday. I've firmed up my decision to leave the trail, so I won't be coming back after New Song picks us up. I still have it in me to keep hiking at least through Friday, but with Crabby's knee in such bad shape it doesn't make sense to wait. We called New Song tonight and she said it won't be a problem for her to pick us up on Tuesday. We're excited to see her. Dutch might come with us to New Song's. She's been planning to leave the trail soon because of boredom and a knee problem, so a ride from New Song makes it convenient for her.Red-spotted newt salamander (click on photo)There's no roof on this shelter (I think a tree fell on it a while ago), so we're all in tents tonight. It started thundering and raining shortly after we ate dinner, so we all huddled up under the bunks in the shelter to stay dry for a while. I've never heard thunder like I heard tonight. I think it was echoing in the valley or something because the rumbling just seemed to go on forever.I think all the caterpillars decided to descend upon the forest today. They were dangling from trees and dropping and pooping all over us. One landed in Crabby's pot while he was cooking dinner and I pulled one off my neck. Listen, one caterpillar is fine. Thousands of them is just disgusting.Tadpoles in a water sourceWe've got 21 miles to get to VA42 to meet New Song on Tuesday. We'll do 13 miles tomorrow and 8 on Tuesday before saying good bye to the trail. I'll miss it a little, I'm sure, but my decision has been well thought out and I don't have any doubts that it's time for me to go.Wildlife sightings: A red-spotted newt salamander, hundreds of tadpoles in a tiny pond that was a water source near where we ate lunch, and TONS and TONS of caterpillars!
Date: 2008-06-02
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, VA

To: War Spur Shelter, VA
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: few clouds

Crabby and I talked to New Song today. She'll be picking us up tomorrow morning on a road crossing in the middle of nowhere, just .6 miles from the shelter we're at tonight. Now that I know I'm going home, I'm excited and anxious to get there. Can't wait!Today was our last day as thru-hikers, so I figured I'd stay in the shelter one last time instead of sleeping in my tent.Camera? or something on the trailA section of trail we came to this morning was rerouted to go around a bridge that had been washed out. The trail followed a flat paved road for 1.5 miles instead of going up and down hills on the other side of the river. Sweet.We stopped at a shelter after a steep climb and had lunch with a bunch of other thru-hikers. There was a thick swarm of big black flies (like houseflies, but huge) there, so we were happy to keep moving after lunch. We came across a weird camera-looking thing 6 feet from the trail that made me think I might be on an episode of Lost and The Others are watching us.Dutch, Kelly, John, and CrabbyDutch, John, and Kelly are at the shelter with us tonight. They've been hiking with Dutch since they started the trail at Springer Mt., so they're sad to see her go. They said they're pretty bored with the trail, too. I've been surprised at how many people share my feelings.Well, it's my last night as a thru-hiker and so far I don't regret my decision to leave at all. I'll be back to section hike the rest and I'm sure I'll enjoy that more.
Date: 2008-06-03
From: War Spur Shelter, VA

To: VA632
Miles today: 0.6

We're officially section hikers now, and it feels good! We said good bye to Kelly and John this morning, which was pretty tearful for Kelly and Dutch. They've been hiking together since the beginning.New Song was running late picking us up and we started to wonder if her signature lack of direction would leave us stranded. She had called to tell me she was running late, but I didn't have a cell signal where we were waiting.Dinner at New Song's houseShe showed up, though, and whisked us out of the woods with no seemingly regard for the speed limit. Within a couple of hours we were at her beautiful home in the country and enjoying showers and all the comforts of home. We ate dinner with New Song's daughters, Erica and Jessica, and Jessica's husband Bradley...all very nice people. We felt really welcome. She cooked a goat roast that she had gotten from a friend who raised the goat on her farm. I had never had goat before, but it was delicious! She made a fresh apple pie for dessert and carved the AT symbol in the crust.The AT apple pie New Song madeCrabby and I will be staying tomorrow to continue visiting with new Song and her family. I've bought a bus ticket for Thursday. I'm not excited about a 22-hour ride home, but I need to try to save money after spending a bunch to fly home a couple weeks ago. Crabby will be leaving Thursday as well, but he's renting a car to drive 5-6 hours home to North Carolina.I said good bye to Dutch before heading off to bed. She'll be leaving early in the morning to catch a flight home to Colorado. New Song's giving her a ride to the airport. Thank god for New Song.I'll be home in 3 days! Can't wait
Date: 2007-11-25
To: Springer or Bust
Miles today: 0.0

SO I am starting new journal to document my prep for my Thruhike in March 09. I have been messing with my gear and looking at some lighter stuff. I have it set in my head that I will be hiking in 09. Its set. Luckily I have such wonderful parents that are going to help me as well as great friends. i have watched a few SOBO hikers finish up on trailjournals. Congrats Class of 07. I followed many jouranls since day one 6 months ago. I have been inspired by these people. So the plan now is that I plan on going to Springer for NYE 08. I can think of nothing better than ringing in the New Year at the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail. i guess I think of it as good trail karma for me. I hope to meet a few Whiteblazers there too and other hikers that may make the trek. I have a new stove coming, the starlyte alcohol stove built by Zelph. He has some great stuff. It weighs 10 oz. Im also building a cool esbit stove but need bigger tabs. So now I just wait til Christmas to go out on the trail and start this planning. I plan on planning the Southern section of my thruhike while Im out there. That way I will know how the start will go. Im really pumped. Also, check out the new guidebook called Appalachian Pages brought to you from those awesome crators of Whiteblaze.net. So that's all for my 09 Thruhike journal. I plan on leaving this alone and reporting in periodically. I am going to stay on my 07 account til I get closer. Colonel Chaco- signing out!
Date: 2008-03-03
To: Why am i doing this??
Miles today: 0.0

Hey everyone,So I am just about ready to do this. The next 3 weeks will be hectic. I do not know where I will upload my pictures from while I am out so I may just have journals til I get somewhere to upload. I thought long and hard the other day about if doing this now is the best thing. I wasnt having doubts, I just want to make sure that this is what I really want to do. I know without any doubts that this is what I want to do. I have nothing holding me back to where i live. I work a dead end job that I do not like and make very little money. I could really use this time to reflect on my life and figure out where I am going to go in life. I have been in a rut for over 10 years and thought at some points that I was coming out of it but always manage to end up back in that rut. It is time to go live life for a change. Each day should be treated as a blessing. My only feeling of peace in life comes when step foot on the AT. I do not get to do it as often as I want so now I am going to get my fill. I have no idea what will become of me after I finish this hike but i know that I am going to start living one day at a time and appreciate each day that is given to me. Its time for the Colonel to simplify. Peace love a greatness to you all. I will check in before the departure with updates, but as we stand, I leave in 23 days and I have never been happier.
Date: 2008-03-13
To: Time to live it up
Miles today: 0.0

I opened up my eyes to seeA land of sunny rocks and funny treesI guess (Yes,) I'm on the moon againA heavy earth exchange a lighter breezeGot no coat and got no moneyA pair of tennis shoes to last through MayA crater for an outdoor poolA few good cats to help me pass the dayHavin' a good time, here todayWatching the sun shine, matineeNever the wrong time, time we stayLiving the moontime, time we playFrom here I watch the world go byWorking in the moon-time bar and grillThe word from Earth - my time is upBut here upon the moon time stands stillGot no telecommunicationsCables haven't gotten out this wayThe man in the moon is a musicianThat's the way we pass the lunar dayHavin' a good time, here todayWatching the sun shine, matineeNever the wrong time, time we stayLiving the moontime, time we playLiving the moontime, time to live it up!WIDESPREAD PANIC
Date: 2008-03-17
To: EXPLOSION
Miles today: 0.0

I am sitting in my room packing my maildrops. Little Bear and his wife Honeysuckle came alll the way up from the other side of Raleigh to pick up my Smokies drop for my first time through. Im really happy they did this for me, trail magic starting early. It hit me today at work when he showed up. I have so many emotions running through me. I have met some great people over the past few weeks that make it harder and harder to leave, but i have to do this. It has been my dream for sooooo long. Its here and its time to get my stuff together and hit the road. Only about 4 days left. I have Springer Fever in a bad way. Its on!!!!Maildrop Schedule- when doing one to a post office PLease put my name, c/o General Delivery, City, State, zip. On the box or envelope put "Hold for AT Hiker"1. Haven's Budget Inn433 East Palmer StreetFranklin, NC 287342. 50 Fontana RDFontana Dam, NC 28733-6105 (POST OFFICE)3. 211 N Reynolds STDamascus, VA 24236-9998 (POOST OFFICE)4. 206 N Main STPearisburg, VA 24134-9998 (POST OFFICE)5. 203 N Market STDuncannon, PA 17020-9998 6.56 Spring STWilliamstown, MA 01267-9998So There will be six. Just send anything along as you follow me on this journal. I will be updating pretty often. So this is it folks.
Date: 2008-03-21
From: Hillsborough Road Co-op Carrboro, NC

To: Greensboro, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Here I am. This is it! I leave this afternoon at 5 bound for my hometown of Greensboro, NC. I have met so many new people here over the past few months. I love my house. I live in a wonderful co-op house with some of the greatest people in the world. Also met a pretty amazing person here a couple of days ago, Tracy, which I named Haiku. She can explain that one. Thanks for everything these past couple of days. There is a lot of love here. I know Ill be missed. I have another thruhiker here, Hobojoe. I will hopefully cross paths with him soon. I have spent some good time with the parentals and have enjoyed that. I sit here on a beautiful morning, the rooster is crowing, the sun is shining, there is a packed backpack sitting next to me. It is time for me to go on a little walk. Im bound for Asheville in the morning to meet Wakapak, YAY! I have been taking some very deep breaths lately trying to take it all in, but simply put, no words can describe what I am feeling right now. Im Springer Bound!!!!
Date: 2008-03-22
From: Greensboro, NC

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Had an awesome night with my best friend, Josh last nite. Saw some people I havent seen in awhile. Good nite but Im ready to be in the woods. Off to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast then off o the bus station bound for Asheville. Meeting Wakapak there and going to hanging out. Will be in the woods tommorow. Bye
Date: 2008-03-23
From: Asheville, NC

To: Sylva, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings from Sylva, NC. I had an interesting past couple of days. I went to Asheville and met Wakapak. Amazing! We had a great day together. She showed me Asheville and we ended up at Mellow Mushroom, hippie heaven. Today we went to breakfast where I fueled up. I met d'shadow in Asheville and headed west into the Smokies. I got to The Road to Nowhere around 4. Little did I know, I was not far enough in. I was still 7 miles from the Lakeshore Trail. I walked into Franklin Grove, big mistake!! I encountered some "locals" and ended up walking back into Bryson City and calling d'shadow to rescue me. Im safe and sound in Sylva, d'shadow was nice enough to take me in this evening. Im a little shook up but will march right back out in the am to start this thang!!! It was an interesting day to say the least but Im still pumped about going out in the woods.