morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-11
From: stealth site 0.5 mi before Symms Gap Meadow

To: Wind Rock
Miles today: 15.7

I enjoyed hiking with Goggle for the few minutes that I did, but as I stopped to take pictures, he zoomed ahead. My backpack was just as heavy as it was yesterday and I struggled greatly. It must have been over 45 pounds! I had to keep stopping to take it all the way off and rest every 20-30 minutes. Therefore, I did not progress well! It was a drizzly, wet day, and I did not reach Pine Swamp Branch Shelter until late in the afternoon! Chance was there, reading, and though that I got in so late due to taking a lot of pictures. I explained that my backpack was too heavy and he sympathized. I enjoyed a lunch, collected water, and moved on. The streams that I had to cross were overflowing, and the rocks we were supposed to step over were under the water! Who knew we would have such crossings in Virginia? I didn't expect that kind until Maine!   My goal for the day was to camp at Wind Rock, as I had read an entry in the Wapiti Shelter that touted the area. The writer had camped there in a storm and remained dry. My curiosity was piqued. I reached Bailey Gap Shelter after 6 to find it already full of guys stopping for the night. I had to make as brief a stop as possible in order to get to Wind Rock. I cooked up some dinner, read the registry, packed up, and once again, said goodbye to everyone. Before I left, Bahama Dave wanted to make a toast! He gave us all a sip of some of his Bahama liquor, and said it would help me get through the next 4 miles! I think it did! It was definitely tasty and different- a special treat! I finally reached Wind Rock at 8:30, as it was getting dark. For only having traveled over 15 miles, it was a very long and difficult day! I ran up to the ledge and looked out on a cloudy view. It was quite cold and windy up there, so although I wanted to stay up there to see the sunrise, I decided to set up my hammock in the trees below to stay warmer. I find it taxing to continually set up camp at night, trying to beat the darkness. My plan of relaxing and enjoying the sights in this section was not yet working out. Unfortunately, because I needed to get to Daleville by Friday morning at the latest, and preferably Thursday evening, the miles were stacking up, and the time to complete them growing shorter.    I heard human footsteps walk by my hammock in the middle of the night, which caused me some anxiety. I was relieved when the sounds disappeared. I guess someone was night hiking past Wind Rock and continuing on the AT.
Date: 2009-05-17
From: Damascus

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It rained hard during the night, and I was so exhausted, that I finally slept. Yesterday, I discovered that my entire left upper thigh/ groin area is numb from the pinched nerve that finally died. Both Hellbender and I have had problems with our Catalyst packs slipping down as we walk. I also discovered that several entire toes are now numb. It must have been the last rocky stretch into Daleville, with the high mileage and heavy pack that did them in. Sigh. Numb body parts don't feel good...   I had had enough of Mojoe's and was going to snack out of my pack for breakfast. Suzanne offered me a nice cup of coffee and some delicious toast with jam, that I really appreciated. I chatted with Braid for a few minutes before he was whisked away for his ride back to Daleville.   After packing up, I headed over to the '08 area, where I found Bones and Circumstance playing music. (I forgot to say that after jumping on the trampoline on Friday night, Low and Bones brought our their respective instruments and played and sang. It was really nice!). Geronimo sang along. After a stop for pizza, it was time to head back to Daleville. This time, Geronimo had more room, so it was a bit more comfortable, but it was another quiet ride, as everyone was so tired from the weekend activities.   Bound's mom was preparing a burrito dinner for us, which was really nice. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling well. My stomach was really hurting. We hung around for awhile before being summoned by Bound to play 2 games-Apple something and a kid's game with a pink phone- not the most engaging or stimulating. We went to bed, and another sleepless night for me ensued. It was very apparent that I had gotten sick with a bad cold! My throat was really hurting, and my nose was already becoming congested. I guess with the lack of sleep and over-exertion, my immunity was lowered and I caught Bound's cold. I felt awful about bringing my sickness over to a family's home that I had practically invited myself to!   I went upstairs to say goodbye to the boys and told them it was now likely that I wasn't leaving town until Wednesday...I was so sick!
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Daleville, VA

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

I felt awful all day. I was exhausted, had a sore throat, a headache, and I had become a yellow mucous producing factory. Luckily, I was given my own room, and I slept most of the day. Unfortunately, I was not able to work on the writing that I had planned.
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Daleville, VA

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

I felt no better all day today... Still constantly producing mucous. I took an afternoon nap and tried to do some writing. Unfortunately, I did not have any healthy food available to me to help me heal. I knew I would have to get back out on the trail the next day- especially as Erik and his friend were coming out to hike with me for a stretch. I had to make a plan on where they could meet me and where they could leave the second car. Thom wanted to hike a 50 mile section.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: US 220 Daleville, VA

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

Even though I wasn't feeling any better, I decided it would be better for me to get moving and get some fresh air. The trail heals, right? I got dropped off at the plaza and hung out in the coffee shop all morning. I had another latte and blueberry scone, wrote a little, then had a cup of soup, some tea, and just before I was ready to leave, a banana, chocolate, and peanut butter smoothie with soy milk. I chatted with Stonebrown outside for a bit, and then took off sometime after 1 pm. I was unsure of how the hiking was going to go, still having to constantly blow my nose. Luckily, the terrain was gentle for the first couple of miles. Not having hiked in five days and feeling fatigued, my body was having a hard time adjusting to hiking. My Achilles and calves were so tight that I thought they might actually snap on the downhills. I met Scout, a very polite thru-hiker who took the time to introduce himself. And then, I had my first real experience with false summits-lots of them. I would see a clearing above me and think I was just about there, but the trail was simply changing direction. This would happen again and again.   I arrived at Fullhardt Knob Shelter around 3 to find a group of guys hanging out, including Scout and Highlander. Another guy named Stats soon walked in. I had passed him a little while ago but did not recognize him until they said his name! I had not seen him since my fifth night on the trail before I went into Hiawassee! He didn't recognize me at first either. I guess it was because we met when it was dark out. The entire group at the shelter was planning to spend the night there. I was as surprised at their plan as they were when I said I was moving on. I've never in my life stopped at 3pm for the day!   It turns out that Scout got restless and decided to move on after all. I arrived at Wilson Creek Shelter by 7, where I planned on cooking dinner and then moving on for another mile to camp. Erik and Thom were planning to meet me at Jennings Creek at 3 pm the following day and I wanted to make sure that I would be there in time.      There were several section and thru-hikers already eating and setting up camp at the shelter when I arrived. I wasn't feeling great due to my cold and didn't want anyone to think I was going to get them sick, so I mostly kept to myself. Scout couldn't believe I was planning on moving on. After eating and pondering my move, I finally decided to stay and just get up earlier the next day. It was a good decision.
Date: 2009-05-24
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: US 60
Miles today: 20.7

We got up, cooked breakfast and made tea, collected and filtered lots of water for Thom and Erik (we had a big climb first thing in the morning and no water for many miles), and headed out at 7am. None of us knew where we would spend the night, as Thom's car was within reach- 20 miles away. There was a shelter 18 miles away, and I thought Thom would want to camp one more night, but he seemed fine with finishing that evening. After the long morning climb, we finally saw some views, and I was happy Thom and Erik could enjoy them for all of their hard work. As we continued on to Bluff Mtn, the bugs became nightmarish- thicker and worse than they have been to date. (I did get bites all over my legs from no-see-ums the day I hiked into Jennings Creek). They kept flying into my eyes and it was really uncomfortable. Two southbounders told us it was no better at Punchbowl shelter, where we planned to eat lunch. When we got there, Erik started a fire to keep the bugs at bay. After a good rest, we continued on with 11 miles to go. It went slower than I expected- maybe because it was hot, and I found myself trying to be encouraging. It is never easy hiking a 20 mile day, and I felt guilty about being in charge of two people who might not be liking to hike so far in such a short period of time. To tell you the truth, these couple of days were getting increasingly difficult for me because of the dynamics. It wasn't fun like I thought it would be. I think that backpacking strips people to their core due to the inherent difficulty of it, and with its array of challenges. I have experienced a great deal of negativity and unnecessary hardship during my life, and my tolerance of constant negativity and put-downs has grown even thinner while I have been out here (as well as extremely selfish behavior). There is simply no need or place for it. It only puts up barriers between people when what we really need is to support and help one another. It has become very clear to me during the course of this hike that when someone criticizes another person, they are merely dissatisfied with themselves and their own lives. I won't go into more details of the rest of this day, but I was extremely happy to reach US 60, and I raised my arms in victory at the conclusion of this section and congratulated Erik on a great job! 50 miles in 3 days! I hoped this would not cause them much damage to their bodies. We drove into the town of Lexington, 16 miles away, for a nice dinner (including my first taste of morels, commonly found on the AT! I had a big burger, which was very satisfying). Then, we made our way back to Jennings Creek, where Erik's car was parked. Thom drove home, and Erik and I stayed at a nearby motel. I was wiped out and slept hard.
Date: 2009-05-26
From: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter

To: Spy Rock Road (Dutch Haus)
Miles today: 2.3

Thunder and lightening followed the rain , and it did not stop pouring all night! The last time I was at a shelter in a thunderstorm, Single Speed was there as well! Poor Single Speed regretted sleeping in his tent. He had wanted to get an early start for a high mileage day, but cleaning up the mud and water on his tent delayed his departure. He was frustrated about a number of things, which I found surprising, as normally he is so cheerful. I tried to assure him that everything would be okay.   I only had a couple of miles to get to Spy Rock Rd, which lead in the direction of the Dutch Haus. I was hoping to run into Hellbender, who had stayed there the night before. We were supposed to call the owners when we got to the road and then walk a mile downhill to meet them at a parking lot. I had no reception, however, so I just started walking down the steep hill. I saw several people hiking back up the hill to the trail and they said this mile-long hill was the only negative thing about going to the Dutch Haus. I knew the owners had a daily pickup at 11am, so I was prepared to hang out and wait a couple of hours, but I only had to wait about 20 minutes for a ride. It turns out that they had had their biggest night ever the previous night with 23 people staying over! It took several trips to the trailhead to get everyone back out. Six hikers were slackpacking and returning to the hostel that night.   When I arrived at the house, I was not exactly welcomed... Apparently I was "too early" and Lois wasn't ready for me. She strongly objected to me taking off my muddy hiking shoes before entering the house, which I didn't quite understand... "It's your socks that mess up my carpet!" she exclaimed.   She got out a seat protector and said I could sit down. I quietely labeled my pictures... The Dutch Haus offered a free lunch to backpackers from 11-1, but it was well after 11 when she asked if I was here for lunch or for the "duration."   Once I said for the duration, I was allowed to take a shower, and was given a room with a double bed, which I would have to share with a fellow female hiker if one came in. Two section hikers came in and we were each given a piece of vegetable lasagna and a "hamburger" with two thin sausage patties instead of beef, with American cheese.   I was so tired after not sleeping the night before, that I was unable to write. I had to take a nap first. When I got up, I started writing a journal entry. The slackpackers returned before dinner and we waited for them to shower before eating. Mr. Ed and Lightweight were two of them. When he saw me sitting in the room, he just laughed and laughed some more. (The last time I saw them was in Hot Springs!)   We had pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, mac and cheese, cole slaw, and corn on the cob for dinner and a piece of lemon poppyseed cake with icing and sprinkles for dessert! And I got the room all to myself!
Date: 2009-05-27
From: Spy Rock Road (Dutch Haus)

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Breakfast was served at 7am, and since I didn't go to bed until 1 am, I did not get much sleep. We had a scrambled egg/quiche concoction with ground beef on top, two little pieces of French toast (I forget if there was something else...). I wish I could have gone back to bed, but I had to leave the room! I tried writing some more, packed up, took another shower, ate lunch with Stonebrown and three very unclean hikers who had come out of the rain, and got in the wet-seated truck for the ride back to the parking lot to prepare for the climb back up the gravel hill. I think that mile down and back up negated the calories from the free lunch for the hikers who went only for that meal!   I was back on the AT at 1:30 pm. The first sight I came to was Spy Rock, which was massive and looked really cool, but I did not climb it because I would have only seen fog. There were no views to be seen at all that day- just more rain. I stopped in at the Priest Shelter, where hikers confess their sins in the registry. At a clearing, I made a phone call to a friend that was feeling down. By the time I got to Tye River, where it would have been nice to take a break, it was getting late, and I had to press on to get to the shelter. After deciphering some cryptic signs, I finally found the path to the shelter, and set up my hammock in the camping area before the shelter. It was about to get dark, so I stayed there for dinner and was joined by Simple Man and Icy Fingers, who had also set up in the area. Then, it was time to sleep!
Date: 2009-05-30
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Jones Run Trail Parking Lot
Miles today: 14.8

I had made arrangements to meet Certain at the Blackrock Hut parking lot at 2 pm. I got going at 7:30 in the morning, leaving Hellbender, Leon, and their dogs behind, in order to make sure I had time to get the 14 miles in. I noticed that the same miles that I covered with Erik (north of Calf Mountain Shelter) went a lot faster on my thru-hike than they did back then (probably because we didn't have a real destination then- we just went out to a point and turned back). The morning was cooler than it had been in awhile, so I added an extra layer. I ended up taking off this layer in the same location that we stripped in December. I took a look at the Sawmill Run overlook where we had posed for pictures before, and continued on- up the hill, where we had lunch and decided to turn back. This time, I blew right past the area. The mountain laurel was pretty, but it was becoming quite hot. Most of the hikers that I was encountering were not friendly at all, which I was unaccustomed to. They would look at me with the shifty-eye, suspicious look, and not say hello! I worried that I was now getting close to the north, where this is common behavior! Oh, no!   The miles were not hard, but the temperature was rising, and my body started slowing. I took a lunch break at Blackrock Hut, which was located far down a hill (when I was climbing up Blackrock Mtn). I saw a sign for Trail Magic being offered 20 miles north that day. So far, I have missed all of the hiker feeds! After the climb back up to the trail, I still had quite a climb to the summit of BlackRock. The bugs were constantly in my face and the sun was beating down on me. It was actually not too pleasant. But when I saw the rocky landscape at the top, I thought it was cool. I called Certain to let her know I was almost there. She informed me that she was just entering the park, so I asked if there was time for me to do another 0.7 miles (there were 2 parking lots named Blackrock anyway, so I thought this would be more clear). There was! I saw some nice views as I rounded the summit corner, and continued on to Jones Run parking lot. Seven minutes later, Certain arrived! She drove me to the Waynesboro Outfitter, where I looked for replacement shoes. My first pair had held up remarkably well, but the material in the heels was starting to wear out, which was rubbing the skin off my heals. Unfortunately, they did not sell the same pair of shoes. I tried on some trail runners from the same brand, which had a plastic support piece that my first pair did not. However, the fit was not right. I was getting so tired, that I ended up buying the size that most closely fit and hoped they would work.   We returned home and I showered and did my laundry, and then we went into town to meet Erik for dinner. He was held up talking to people at the conference, and Certain and I were both getting really hungry and tired. Eventually, we all met up and enjoyed dinner and dessert, went home and talked some more, and then I talked to Erik until 2 or 2:30 in the morning, telling him all of my recent stories!
Date: 2009-05-31
From: Charlottesvile, VA

To: Charlottesville, VA
Miles today: 0.0

I had intended to get back on the trail in the afternoon, after hopefully writing a couple more entries, but it was apparent that was not going to happen. I got up around 7 to get a snack and then went back to sleep for a good hour. Certain cooked us a delicious breakfast burrito, and we sat around and talked for awhile. I was feeling very lethargic and still had a lot of sorting to do- mostly regarding my food, which I didn't feel like doing. Certain, Erik, and I went to the grocery store to buy a couple of last minute things, and I felt so out of it! I really couldn't think or function normally! I took a nap in the afternoon, after deciding that I would stay at Certain's another day, which made me feel better. We had spaghetti and a salad for dinner, and then I started writing!
Date: 2009-06-04
From: Skyland Lodge

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

I woke up briefly at 5, and could not go back to sleep for awhile because I could not clear my throat. However, when I did fall asleep again, I did not want to wake up! I was exhausted! (and the bed was so comfortable!) Finally, I made myself get up at 8 and walked up the hill (a hill with white blazes!) up to the dining hall. I made a couple of phone calls and then sat down at a table by myself. The menu was impressive and I had a hard time deciding on what to order, as I wanted it all! I finally decided on the poached egg on a biscuit with    I soon reached some high rocks which probably afforded some nice views on clear days, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. I could tell this was a pretty part of the Shenandoahs- different from the earlier sections. I noticed how beautiful the drops of water were on the plant leaves and flowers as I passed them.   As I descended from the Pinnacle towards Byrds Nest #3 Hut, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. It was cold! I found two people in their sleeping bags as I quietly entered the shelter. One was a section hiker who was at the shelter where I tried to nap. The other was Stats. They thought I should stay, but I wanted to move on and position myself for a chance to get breakfast at Elkwallow wayside. The section hiker offered me $5 to build them a fire...   I moved on in the rain. After several miles, I saw a mother and baby deer on the trail, who went into the woods after sensing me, but remained standing where I could see them. The baby looked just like Rudolph! How cute!   I finally reached the shelter at 8 pm. No one greeted me. I don't like arriving at shelters in the rain as they are crowded and there is nowhere to put your wet clothes or bag. No one even moved from their position at the picnic table. There was a space for me on the top berth, so I decided to sleep there rather than set up my hammock in the rain. Because there was no room for me to cook, I snacked in my shelter space, while a mouse peeked his head out at me! I shooed him away and he ran down the wall to investigate someone's pack down below. The rain did not let up all night.