morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-04
From: VA 635

To: Mountain Lake Road
Miles today: 5.2

Well the plan was to do 19 miles today but I wasn't feeling it. The legs are tired. I was going to meet up with a friend tonight, a girl who was my best friend in elementary school. We reconnected recently on Facebook and she lives near the trail and wanted to meet up. I got to the closest trail crossing to her, and it was only 5 miles for the day but I had no service. No one else did either and I wasn't sure how I was going to get a hold of her. Humen came up the trail with Crazy Frog and Beacon who were slack packing. Crazy Frog's friends from Virginia Tech were going to meet them here to drop off their bags. They were going back to Blacksburg so I was going to ask for a ride with them. They were super nice and took me to the VT campus library. On the way down the mountain we passed the place where Dirty Dancing was filmed which was nifty. I was at the library by 3...you know...because I only did 5 miles today. Erin was at a bridal shower which gave me time to get updated. We went out for food and back to her house. We were up until 1 talking and reminiscing. We need days and not hours.
Date: 2013-05-05
From: Mountain Lake Road

To: VA 42
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: light rain

Erin dropped me off back at the trail. We'll have to visit again when I'm done with this adventure. The trail was decent and the weather chilly. I caught Chinmusic in the afternoon. We planned to camp under Keffer oak for the night, the second largest tree on the trail at 300 years old. Finally met Wet Dog who I've heard so much about. He's as nice as I've heard. I can see why people like him. We ran into Madison Star too who I haven't seen since Franklin, NC. Glad to see she's still on the trail and doing well. She and Wet Dog are doing a big SOBO section. Chin had a brilliant idea. I knew I was keeping him around for something. The weather is supposed to dump rain on us for the next few days which sucks because this is a section of the trail with some really cool stuff. Besides that, I don't really want to crawl out to the edge of McAfee Knob or Dragon's Tooth on wet rocks. He contacted his friend Hikermom and she came and picked us up. We skipped north 50 miles to Daleville where she lives so we can knock out some nondescript miles while there's bad weather. She is absolutely incredible. Her trail name is Angel and it's perfect. Her and her husband's home is beautiful and they're more than hospitable.
Date: 2013-05-06
From: Boblet Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 18.5

Hikermom let us borrow her car and we went into town. Picked up Javaman who we'd seen yesterday and Hikermom had invited to come stay. Went to the outfitters and lots of people were there. Finally met Maineiac who had a mail drop and offered me a Moxie and a whoopie pie! Yay!! After running to the post office we went back to the house and picked Hikermom up. She drove us to the trail. It poured. We didn't get going till 12. I realized I'd forgotten my headlamp. I was rocking the rain skirt (read trash bag) but my jacket is doing nothing to keep me dry. I saw 7 bright orange salamanders, a brown one, a frog, and a turtle today. Hiked with Chin until about 7 and then took off for town to get there before dark. Found Javaman waiting under a bridge. Not long after that we got to town and Pizza Hut which is literally right next to the trail. I changed into my warm dry coat. It was freezing all day and I was still cold but not nearly as bad. Java and I got stuffed crust pizza, my favorite. Chin came in not too long after. On the way home we stopped by Wal-Mart and picked up some food to make dinner tomorrow night. It's the least we could do. The hot shower I took was the best. I miss them so much. Especially on cold days.
Date: 2013-05-07
From: Daleville, VA

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: thunderstorm

When I got up Byron gave me the weather report. Thunderstorms all day. And the radar showed it centered right over the mountains we'd be on. Chinmusic got up late and it was decided. We were zeroing. Java made us some incredible coffee - true to his name. We didn't do much of anything. Java and Hikermom went to a special shoe store because he needs new shoes. When they got back he started working on the apple pie he was making for dessert. The rain had let up so I grilled chicken and asparagus. We got lucky and it started pouring again but only after I was done cooking. The pie turned out great. It's a good thing we zeroed because we found out the road to pick us up was flooded and closed off. We would have been stuck. Hikermom was mailed a box from Teacher and Snack Time, a woman and her grandson from Rhode Island. They made up trail magic baggies for hikers. I especially love the balloons, and the instructions for making balloon hats. My foot still hurts. Hoping the day off helps. I can't find my hiking shirt anywhere. Not sure where it could have gone.
Date: 2013-05-08
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Boblet Gap Shelter
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: moderate rain

It was so so hard to get out of bed today. So tired. I was ready first, and fell asleep on the couch waiting for Chin and Java. I looked high and low for my hiking shirt and I still can't find it. I think I must have dropped it at Pizza Hut. We dropped off Javaman first because he's just headed north. Hikermom drove us further north. We were going to end at Boblet Gap Shelter. Got on the trail by 10. Saw the Guillotine first thing. The foggy weather set the mood. It rained for a while but quit by 2. Everyone we met said they got pounded yesterday. It hailed, and the thunderstorms were intense. We saw Java halfway through the day at Bryant Ridge shelter which was a very nice shelter. I tried to keep my feet dry for as long as I could but right after the shelter we had to cross a swollen creek with no rocks to hop across. I had no choice but to roll up my pants and go for it. It was shin deep. The second half of the day was a good but of climbing. I was cranky and tired. It started to get dark and we were rushing. Made it to the shelter by 8:45 but then couldn't figure out how to get back up to the parking lot. Took a while and Chin had to get out his headlamp but we found it right as Hikermom pulled up. I'd ripped the crotch of my pants and Hikermom said she'd sew them. She also went by Pizza Hut today and picked up my shirt. You see why they call her Angel. Byron made spaghetti and it was great. I'm going to sleep like a rock tonight.
Date: 2013-05-09
From: Daleville, VA

To: Catawba Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: light rain

Slept great. We got up fairly early because Chinmusic has been talking about this restaurant "The Homeplace" for weeks so Hikermom and family are going to meet us there tonight for dinner. They're only open limited hours Thurs-Sun and Chin has been planning for a long time how to work that into the schedule. We had more climbs than descent today. I took some of the trail magic from Snack time and got pictures of handing it out. Tinker Cliffs were incredible. The views were some of the best yet and it was awesome to be right on the cliff's edge. Ran into many people we've been with for the past couple weeks and explained our bouncing around. The climb up to McAfee was tough especially at the end of the day. The black flies were out in thick clouds but I was so excited to be there. I got out on the cliff and Chin took pictures. It was terrifying, and exhilarating. Chin got out there next. He was brave to get out there, but I couldn't get him to lean forwards. On the way down the mountain Chin called Hikermom to tell her we were about 4 miles out but she said they were already there! She and her daughter are training for a 5k and they'd come early to go on a run but were already done and waiting. We took off and about halfway down the mountain took a fire road that was 1/2 mile less than the AT. Finally we made it down and went to the restaurant. They were packed and it was an hour and a half wait. We saw other hikers there as this restaurant is trail famous. The food was awesome and I realized why it's so famous - free refills! There's no menu. You choose what kind of meat you want and get lots of side dishes like mashed potatoes, green beans, pinto beans, baked apples and loads more. You get as many free refills on food as you want. It's basically and AYCE buffet.I can't believe how great these past couple of days have been. Hikermom and her family has been absolutely incredible. I hope they come visit me in Maine!
Date: 2013-05-10
From: Thunder Ridge Shelter

To: Marble Spring Campsite
Miles today: 6.9

We slept in. It was glorious. My body still woke me up at hour intervals starting at 6 but I just kept going back to sleep. Eventually I got up and Hikermom made an amazing breakfast of eggs, bacon, and a bagel. Chinmusic come the morels I'd found. He gave me a piece but I only wanted a tiny bite because I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms. He'd soaked them in salt water and forgotten to rinse them off before cooking them so they were super salty and I couldn't really taste anything else. Chin was (mostly) patient while I updated my journal. It's actually in real time now which hasn't happened since the first week out here. We went to the store on the way out to grab some snacks. Naturally Chin needed a diet coke. The drive out to the trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway was awesome. I'd love to take a road trip out here. It was sad to say goodbye to Hikermom but easier because we'll see her again in a week. We were walking by 3 and the weather was absolutely beautiful. Hot. 75. Awesome. Out started to sprinkle on us but Chin convinced me it was fine and it stopped after 10 minutes. My back some reason pack is really heavy. Partly because of all the slack packing, partly because I'm carrying the rest of the trail magic, and also because for my bag is really full. I've only added Frog Toggs but it seems like it's bursting at the seams.We were trying to make it to the first shelter but predicted we wouldn't be there till 9. Found a good campsite and decided to stay. I wanted to go on but it's good we didn't because not long after I got my tent up it started to rain. It goes back and forth between a sprinkle and a downpour. Didn't want the chance to test out my rain great so soon but maybe it'll stop raining by morning. A girl can dream.
Date: 2013-05-11
From: Marble Spring Campsite

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

It was hot today. So hot. This morning it was so humid it was hard to breath. I was warm at 8 am in shorts and a t-shirt just walking around camp. We started with a long descent down to the James River Footbridge, the longest foot traffic only bridge on the AT. Saw John, a section hiker we've been seeing for the past couple days. He and his wife were planning their longest day yet but he fell and hurt his knee. I hope he's doing better. He gave me a Mountain House meal. They're also good. Chin and I stopped at the shelter right before the climb. It started sprinkling but quit. The climb was a beast. Half way up the second mountain we started hearing thunder in the distance. I took off up that mountain as fast as I could. I honestly didn't know I could go that fast uphill. My hiker legs have come a long way. The view at the top was spectacular. On one side the valley was sunny and beautiful. On the other you could see the storm rolling in and where it was already raining. If I wasn't terrified I would have sat there and watched it come. I was tired but the thunder pushed me on and I sped down the other side of the mountain. It was getting darker by the minute and the trail was taking me right into the storm. I made it before the rain. It started right as Chinmusic came in so I helped him set up his tent. Surprisingly it didn't last for very long. I think it'll probably rain on and off all night. I'm sleeping in the shelter because it's supposedly haunted. It's also right next to a pond and the noise from the peepers is nearly deafening. Thank goodness I sleep like a rock.
Date: 2013-05-12
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Hog Camp Gap Campsite
Miles today: 17.6

No strange happenings to report from the haunted shelter. I got sucked into a book last night and stayed up till 3. Typical me. Surprisingly Chinmusic hung around camp until 9. I stayed long talking to a ridge runner. The water was perfect. Not too hot or cold. Later in the day I pulled off tick number 3. Gross!We made it to the road crossing for Buena Vista early. Chinmusic had a friend from Whiteblaze, Deer Hunter, who was going to take us into town for lunch. I didn't even try to argue. Chin loves his towns. Cleveland was there. He's getting off to see a doctor about his ankle. Its been hurting him for a while. I hope he's okay and can make it back. Chin called his friend and ve picked us up early. He took us to lunch and then for ice cream and paid for it all! Wow. The incredible people you meet on the trail.When we got back the temperature had dropped and it was cold. I put on a long sleeve shirt even though we were in the middle of a 2,000 ft climb. Our original plan was to go to the shelter but we scrapped that when we saw that it was .6 off the trail. Then we were going to just camp there between the mountains butt there were no flat spots. We had to climb over the next mountain and down the other side to get to a campsite. It was getting late and dark quickly because of our side trip to town but I finally got service for the first time all day and had to call mom and wish her a happy Mother's Day. We're camped in a grassy field that's too windy for my liking. Chin says 36 degrees for tonight but that was the town prediction. It's always colder in the mountains. I haven't been this cold in a while. Being back the 50 degree nights! The book says there's water here but the spring is .5 away and for that we might as well have gone to the shelter. I'll get water tomorrow I guess. It's awesome that we still did 17 and change with a side trip to town.
Date: 2013-05-13
From: Hog Camp Gap Campsite

To: VA 56
Miles today: 19.1

It took me a minute to make sense of the numbers on my watch when I woke up. 8:50 - crap. Chin probably left at 7 and I don't like to be more than an hour behind him. Especially because we're supposed to met his wife at 1 so it's not like I have all day. I did my fastest camp clean up ever and was out by 9:20. Somehow managed to do the first 2 miles in a half hour. Had to stop and change into pants because it's really cold today. Stopped a couple hours later for water. I was so thirsty. Got to the first shelter and almost didn't go down to it bit sometimes we wait for watch other at shelters so I went. Sure enough Chin was there. While we were there it started snowing. SNOWING. In mid May. What a year. Thankfully out didn't last for long. When we got to where we were supposed to meet Chin's wife we realized there was no way she'd make it up the road so we kept going. Chin went ahead while I stopped to talk to people. I hiked for longer than I should have had to to catch up. Saw some day hikers going the other direction and they hadn't seen him. He'd missed the trail turn off and gone up to a scenic overlook. It snowed/sleeted/hailed on the way down the mountain. Again. Come on Old Man Winter! Give it up! There was some confusion as to where Chin's wife was going to meet us because she had no cell service. Eventually they got it worked out. Our legs were tired but eventually we made it down the mountain. Finally got to meet Chin's dog Mugsey who he talks so much about. His wife is very nice - I like her. We got a room and had Chinese for dinner. As much as I love slack packing, I wish we could sleep in tomorrow. Big miles planned.
Date: 2013-05-14
From: Blue Ridge Parkway/Humpback Visitor Center

To: VA 56
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: clear sky

We were up and out fairly early considering. On the trail with Mugsey in tow by 9:15. Despite the miles planned we felt no pressure. Stopped to sit or take pictures when we felt like it. Chin's wife Sa met us at the 12 mile mark to take Mugsey. She had cheeseburgers and cokes. We got there later than planned as it had been super rocky but we still sat and hung out. I saw a large animal on the way up. As I was walking it was right behind a tree on the side of the trail. We surprised each other. It made a weird noise at me because I was close enough to bend down and touch it. Once my brain started working again, I turned around and ran back down the trail. It ran off in the woods. No idea what it was. Shaped like a porcupine but looked more like a beaver. After we left Sa of it was only another half mile and there was trail magic at the next road crossing from a guy named Waldo. I gotta head of Chin and stopped at the shelter to use the bathroom. When I got out I talked to Wysiwyg (pronounced whizzy wig) and Chin hadn't come down. Weird... We usually wait for each other at shelters. Maybe he skipped it because we were already going to be so late tonight? I started our last climb of the day I worried that he'd fallen and gotten hurt. I had no cell service to call so I kept going. I felt better when I saw he'd scratched his name into the dirt. When I caught up he told me he completely missed the shelter. The summit had some great views and we got some cool pictures. We ended up hiking about an hour in the dark. When I first turned on my headlamp I noticed something green reflecting back at me on the trail and when I looked it was a big black spider. Apparently their eyes reflect green. As we walked I noticed more and more. 10 little beady green reflective things on this side of the trail, 12 over there on that side. It was creepy. Eventually we made it back. It's so nice to go back to a shower and bed after hiking.
Date: 2013-05-15
From: Catawba Shelter

To: VA 311
Miles today: 2.0

I woke up feeling like crap. The same way I felt back in Damascus. My stomach/abdomen is killing me. We checked out of the hotel and headed to Hikermom's house. It was great to see her again. I slept the whole way there. They gave us directions to the trail crossing because the book has no GPS coordinates listed and we said our goodbyes. I slept again on the way to the trail. When we got there I wasn't sure I could do it. I felt miserable and was trying really hard not to be sick. But I was the one pushing to get the miles done, especially before Trail Days so off we went. We had to backtrack 2 miles down the fire road we'd taken, and connect with the trail and do 2.6 miles back to the parking area. Chin asked me if I was on a death march and that was a good way to describe it. When we got to the trail and came to the first shelter we stopped for a break. Chin suggest a nap and that was an awesome idea. I think we were there for an hour. When we left I felt better...for about 10 minutes. The hiking didn't help. We were hoping to get another 6 mile section done but it just wasn't going to happen. I was surprised I survived what little we did do. I was glad to get to the hotel and just lay in bed. Chin and Sa went to dinner but I still couldn't stomach anything. I really think I have Giardia, a water born parasite. I looked up the symptoms online and it fits perfectly. Especially the part where it comes and goes in phases. What worries me is that it says if left untreated it can become chronic. I'm going to see a doctor tomorrow.
Date: 2013-05-16
From: Catawba

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I went to bed early but it was still nice to sleep in. I'm feeling better but not 100%. Went to breakfast and got some food down. I asked Chin how far we were hiking today and he said zero. I hate it, but I guess between going to Pearisburg so he can hike some trail he missed when he got lost, and me going to the doctor we've got a lot to do. Chin only missed half a mile but it was bugging him so we got that out of the way. Then we went to the hospital in Abingdon but I guess they only have an ER so they directed us to the urgent care facility. They saw me pretty quickly. I'm down 25 pounds which is great and all, but most of it has come off fairly recently I think as a side effect of being sick. The doctor agreed that I probably have Giardia but didn't test me because apparently the results take a while and you have to test multiple times to get a positive result. He gave me the meds to take care of it. We headed to Damascus and got here around 6. Found Trail Talk and set up. I feel a little awkward because I don't know anybody but they are all very nice. We hung out for a while and I went to wander around and find some people I know. I'm excited for the next couple of days.
Date: 2013-05-17
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Hung out in Riff Raff's area last night. It's kind of where everyone congregated. They have a large area set up with tarps and fire pits including one large one that's dug into the ground. I dropped off my pack early this morning at the Osprey tent so it could get fixed. This morning Chin, Sa, and I rode the Virginia Creeper Trail. Someone from Trail Talk (Billy?) Had a bike I could borrow which I was thankful for because it saved me $20. I rode the bike and Chin and Sa drove the car into town because the bike rental place is on the main street. Tent city is maybe a mile from the central part of town. I'll have to remember to bring a bike next year. It makes it a lot easier to get around. It was $15 for the shuttle up the mountain. Chin and Sa rented bikes and a kid's carriage for Mugsey. The Creeper Trail was awesome. Especially because they drop you off on top of the mountain so you do almost no pedaling for 14 miles. We stopped at a restaurant on the way down and ate lunch. I'm on the mend but Sa still isn't feeling well and now Chin isn't either. It started to sprinkle on the way back so I sped up and stopped at Mojoe's to wait for them. It came down hard for a while but let up quickly. After a while I realized I must have missed them so I went down to the park where all the vendors are and found Sa who said Chin was getting a haircut. It started pouring again so I took cover and waited for 15 minutes but it wasnt letting up. Resolve made to get wet, I headed back to tent city. Hung out for the rest of the day, wandering from place to place with people I know. I wish all the thru hikers had come. It's so great to have everyone in one place. I'm meeting so many new people that at this point I have to meet someone on 3 or 4 different occasions and be repeatedly reminded of their name to remember. JB cooked an awesome dinner. I'll have to bring some food next year. And maybe name tags. I hope the weather clears for the parade tomorrow.
Date: 2013-05-19
From: VA 311

To: VA 624
Miles today: 5.9

Got up fairly early considering how late I was up. Still, by the time I had packed everything inside my tent and came out everyone but JB and another nice man whose name I of course can't remember were left. Chin had gone into town to put some laundry in the dryer. I wish I'd have known they were going to be up and out so early. I could have gotten up and heped clean up. JB says I'm officially adopted and can come back next year. I laid out my tent because it was still a bit damp. Wasn't sure how I was going to meet up with Chin but eventually he came back. We're still trying to make up those missed miles which has turned out to be a huge pain so we went to Catawba. Did 6 miles and made it to The Homeplace restaurant just before they closed. We've scrutinized the maps but can't find how to get to some of these back road crossings and there's no GPS coordinates listed for this section. It looks like we're going to have to do the last section in 2 day and camp. No complaints. Our backpacks will still be light.