morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-20
From: Reed Creek

To: Least Stealth Camp Ever
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Didn't sleep well last night. Thought we heard a bear and scared it off. I went to bed but apparently it came back because there was more yelling from the guys trying to cowboy camp. Whatever it was, it scared them enough that their tents were up in the morning. Did a short day today and took my time with lots of breaks. My new trail runners are working out nicely but I've got to lace them just right. The rhododendrons and mountain laurels are blooming like crazy. Stopped to soak my legs in a creek with Pathfinder. Ran into a few familiar faces today and was happy to see everyone. Saw lots of camera shy critters: chipmunks, tiny snakes, and lots of lizards. Camped with Axis, Mundi, Pathfinder, and someone I can't remember. We were tired and unmotivated and gave up in a grassy field right next to the trail with a nice view.
Date: 2015-05-21
From: Least Stealth Camp Ever

To: Trail Boss Trail
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is my son's birthday. Even though I went home for it last weekend I still feel guilty today. I texted him this morning and called him as soon as I had reception after he got home from school. He claims to still love me so that's good. I'll be spending my own birthday on the trail in August and at the rate I'm going I will probably miss my husband's in September. Today was rough.Got going late this morning around 1am but still put in 19 miles. Hiked in the morning in a little bit of rain and fog. Learned that my new trail runners don't have awesome treads like my previous boots did. Found this out by sliding down a few slick rocks, luckily without injury. They're not that bad though. I just have to watch where I step a little more than I did before. It's raining again now and cold enough to make me zip my sleeping bag up for the first time in a while. I hope it warms up in the morning!
Date: 2015-05-22
From: Trail Boss Trail

To: VA 611
Miles today: 14.2

There was a little bit of a road walk today. Not usually a fan of those. They hurt my feet but there were trail magic water bottles under a tree when I was running a little low so that was nice. I stopped by a shelter to read the register and found Young Gun and Rainbow still there from the night before. She was sick so I stayed to help. I've been getting closer to them for days and I wasn't about to leave after finally catching up. Plus, she stopped for me when I was sick and hiked with me for three days to Erwin. I owed her one and she's my person out here. She finally kept some food down and we set out to see if she could hike. I carried two liters of water for her in addition to my own. She would do the same for me. We made it seven miles I think. We're not normally keen on camping by roads but it was as far as we could go. Ghost hung out with us for a bit and we talked him in to staying. He got up to get his things settled and the fire pit exploded. I covered my face, Young Gun got knocked over, Rainbow got hit by small pieces of something, and Ghost was lucky he got up. The explosion was large enough to completely put out the fire and when we all composed ourselves we realized the fire pit rock in front of where Ghost had been sitting just a moment ago was completely gone. We don't know if the rock itself exploded or if something in the fire blew up and knocked the rock out. We never found the rock... and it was a big rock. We're glad our powers of persuasion are awesome and Ghost wasn't still sitting there. I hope this doesn't scare him away from hanging out with us ag
Date: 2015-05-23
From: VA 611

To: Dismal Falls
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was long and full of hugs. The hiking was easy but I couldn't stop stopping. Stopped at a shelter to read the register and met Shades who hiked 35 miles yesterday. Crazy! Stopped and watched some deer. Stopped for some trail magic soda and bananas while being interviewed by No Pants. Stopped at Trent's Grocery to pick up my new Dirty Girl gaiters, a burger, and more soda. Ran into Jester and heard there were a bunch of people at Dismal Falls. Planned to swim at the falls and hike another four miles. Stopped at the falls to swim but never left. Dismal they are not. The water was pretty cold but amazing after not showering for six days. I got spoiled while I was home! I'm surrounded by water and the faces of people I love. I am a happy hiker. Even Axis and Mundi are here. The only thing that was missing was cell reception so I could text my husband at the end of an awesome day. Tomorrow, we get off our butts and hike!
Date: 2015-05-24
From: Dismal Falls

To: Powerlines
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: clear sky

I pitched my tent with the awning up last night so when I opened my eyes this morning the first thing I saw was the waterfall. Moments like that are worth everything we go through out here. Couldn't go back to sleep so I packed up and left before everyone else. It was a good day. It was long and hard but I took lots of breaks. The rocky terrain wasn't helpful either. I'd planned a 22 mile day to Angels Nest but didn't quite make it there. I thought I would be disappointed in myself but I wasn't. I ended the day by watching a beautiful sunset with my friends. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that!
Date: 2015-05-25
From: Powerlines

To: Narrows, VA
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: overcast clouds

My favorite thing about Ghost is that you don't have to convince him to take a break. We took as long as possible to do a measly five miles into Pearisburg. We stopped at every view and bench-shaped rock and just sat for a while trying to come up with a plan for the day. The view before Angels Nest was amazing. Also a little scary. There's almost always lots of vegetation obscuring the landing spot of your untimely demise should you slip and fall off the cliff. Not here. There's something unsettling about being able to see the actual spot you would hit at the bottom. Bleh! When we eventually dragged our butts to town we grabbed sodas from the vending machine and decided to hitch to pizza. There was a truck coming as we were talking about it so we stuck out our thumbs and he pulled over. Easiest hitch ever! We ate lots of food and decided to go to the Dollar General and then try to hitch to MacArthur Inn for the night. I texted Rainbow to see if her and Young Gun wanted to join us but she didn't answer. As we walked over to the store, a truck drove by with Rainbow and Young Gun in it ... driven by Allen, the owner of MacArthur Inn. It was pretty funny because they thought they were going to have to convince us to stay and we thought we were going to have to convince them to stay but we'd all already convinced ourselves. I love it when things work out like that. We did laundry, showered, watched a Memorial Day parade (free candy!), and ate a deliciously southern dinner. Today would have been THE perfect day if I'd remembered that I'm lactose intolerant. My stomach is rebelling but I still had a great day anyway.
Date: 2015-05-26
From: Narrows, VA

To: Narrows, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We all slept in a little and decided we weren't going anywhere. Unplanned zero! All my other zeros so far have been on beautiful days by coincidence. By the end of the day I always wish I'd taken a half day and hiked out at least a little. I get antsy. Not today. It was rainy and I didn't care because I knew I had dry clothes and a warm bed inside my hotel room. We grilled hamburgers in the rain. Ghost and I sat in the river under the railroad tracks and soaked our sore muscles. I ate Easy Cheese and Chicken in a Biscuit crackers in bed. In fact, I'm pretty sure I spent more time in bed than anywhere else. It would've been another perfect day except that we got a bit of bad news during dinner. Our friend, Brother Ty, is in the hospital with a spinal injury. Rainbow got a hold of him and he's in a lot of pain but probably doesn't need surgery so that part is good. We made a silly video wishing him well and sent it to him. It was the only thing we could think to do and we felt like we needed to do something.
Date: 2015-05-27
From: Narrows, VA

To: The Captain's
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We got a late start this morning but I was still sort of proud that it didn't turn into a second zero. Ghost decided to hitch to his grandparents' for a few nights so we said goodbye to him and got back on the trail. A few miles in, I decided I needed to be alone for a bit so I hiked by myself most of the day and planned to meet Rainbow and Young Gun at The Captain's for the night. I've only known Ghost for a week but we immediately threw him in the deep end of our crazy trail family and the kid didn't drown. That's saying a lot. I hope he finds his way back to us soon. Between Ghost leaving and the news of Ty in the hospital, I just wanted to think in private. Plus, it was humid and that always makes me grumpy. I used to think it was scary how things can change in the blink of an eye. I still do but 600+ miles on the trail and I can also appreciate that change isn't always bad. I'm not sure what I'm saying really but I feel like I'm changing too. The fluidity of life isn't as terrifying as it used to be. Anyway, hiking! Even though it was humid and I had heavy thoughts, today was a really good day. I saw a mole butt (I think), lots of chipmunks, a tortoise, an inch long baby salamander, and a little red bird with black wings that I've never seen before. I did 20 miles even though I didn't start until about 11 this morning. The profile for today was easy on the eyes but the rocks were definitely not easy on the feet. Relaxing and eating dinner at The Captain's now. You can camp in the yard and there are sodas! The zipline to cross the river to get here was pretty awesome, too. I'm going to sleep good tonight.
Date: 2015-05-28
From: The Captain's

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was nice. I was in a good mood all day. Through a steep uphill. Through rain. Through rocks. Through more steep uphill. Today smelled like a shampoo commercial. Ended the day with a beautiful view from Kelly Knob. I found a nice balance of hiking by myself and hiking with Rainbow and Young Gun. Considering hitching back to The Captain's for a party tomorrow. We'll see.
Date: 2015-05-29
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: VA 42
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: clear sky

We hiked out to the road through a pasture to get a hitch back to The Captain's for a hiker feed. We only did a couple miles but I sweated the entire time. Young Gun played his ukulele and Waldo played his trumbone. When that didn't work, we stuck our thumbs out and got a ride. I got a blister on my thumb from all the ziplining. We soaked in the creek and ate fried trout that the neighbors caught. It rained and I loved it. I got hugs from 612 and Spider, both of whom I haven't seen in forever. We got word that Miss Janet's van was having problems so all the people we came to see weren't even going to be here. I got frustrated with the arguing going on in my group about whether to hike on tomorrow or stick around another day so I went for a walk. Walking in the dark, in the mud, with Crocs on is a terrible idea. Also I had to pee super bad so I turned around and started running back. Mostly just because I love running without a pack on. I decided it was headlamp time and I looked down to grab it. As soon as I did, I saw my foot was about to step on what I'm fairly certain was a copperhead. Thanks to some girly squealing and ninja fast reflexes I didn't step on it. I did however pee just a tiny bit. You would've too. I think I surprised it just as much because it pulled back as if to strike but didn't ... maybe because by the time it realized what just happened I was already 20 ft away peeing myself. According to the ATC, "Almost no deaths have ever been attributed to the copperhead¢s bite." Almost?! Hmm. Anyway, from there to The Captain's I was sure every root was a snake and it was the most nervous .5 miles of the trail I have walked. When I got back I heard that Hemp and Sandpiper are close by and I'd love to see them tomorrow. Stayed up until the fireworks went off and then sent myself to bed. I am exhausted and think I got too much sun today. Goodnight!
Date: 2015-05-30
From: The Captain's

To: The Captain's
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm glad I stayed for the party. I didn't get to go to Trail Days so this was a mini reunion for me. Lots of familiar faces. Young Gun and Rainbow hiked on this morning but I couldn't follow. I needed to be here. I needed to see Brother Ty before he flies home on Monday. I needed to eat all of the foods. I tormented Ghost with pictures of people eating biscuits without him. We played Hiker Olympics and people sang all night. I'm glad I stayed but I'm anxious to hike again.
Date: 2015-05-31
From: VA 42

To: Campsite
Miles today: 12.9

Got a ride from Pooh Bear back to the trail. We took a detour to drop Crackers off first and stopped to take pictures at the resort where Dirty Dancing was filmed. I'll admit to being a little excited. When I finally hit the trail it was late and hot but wonderful. I passed the Keffer Oak and had to rig my phone to my trekking pole with ponytail holders to get a picture by myself. I had a few slips on some rocks which were kind of scary but didn't get hurt too bad. I sat on a ledge and was mesmerized by the rain starting to roll in. Then I realized I was on exposed ridgeline watching rain coming towards me and started booking it across to get down. I caught up with Ghost and we got a nice fire going despite everything being wet. It was a short but good day.
Date: 2015-06-01
From: Campsite

To: VA 624
Miles today: 13.9

Today was awesome. There were lots of benches. We learned a lot about Audie Murphey from a hiker we met. We ate lunch at a footbridge and I fell in the water. I was bummed about having wet feet but then it started raining again so it didn't really matter. I came across Ghost's pack under a shelter sign so I booked it to the shelter .3 down the hill to find out that he wasn't there. When I made it back up his pack was gone. He stopped to poop but didn't want to go all the way to the shelter. When I caught up at Dragon's Tooth I may have half jokingly thrown my poles at him for making me do an unnecessary .6 miles because of him. We were lucky to hit Dragon's Tooth in between lightning storms so we climbed it but didn't get any pictures of us on it because we were rushed. It was a lot of fun though. We passed 700 miles! We made it down to Four Pines Hostel for pizza and a shower. There were lots of drunk people so we slept in the barn instead. Someone peeked in on Ghost through a cat door while he was pooping. That's the kind of drinking that was going on. We retreated to the barn where the only noises were all the animals around us. We aren't making the miles we should to catch up to Rainbow and Young Gun but we've got a plan for tomorrow.
Date: 2015-06-02
From: VA 624

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 25.7
Weather: overcast clouds

What a day! Ghost and I got Eddie at Four Pines to drop our packs off in Daleville and slackpacked 25.7 miles to make up for being bums the last couple days. It was my first slack and it was awesome. We made it to McAfee just before the rain and got our obligatory photos. I've waited for that moment for what seems like forever and then all of a sudden I was in the moment and it was unbelievable. I brushed tears from my cheeks and headed off in the rain again. It got dark and really rocky so I took the lead because my headlamp is better than Ghost's. The last part of the day was pretty miserable because it wasn't just rainy it was really cold. As we got closer to town we came into a clearing out of nowhere to find ourselves surrounded by fireflies. It was the most I've ever seen in one place before. It made everything we'd been through completely worth it. If we hadn't hiked out late. If we hadn't slackpacked. If we hadn't been in the pouring rain and fog at night. Right place right time.
Date: 2015-06-03
From: Daleville, VA

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

Checked out of the hotel and tried to do laundry before hitting the trail. The clothes were still muddy after getting out of the wash and then were still wet when they came out of the dryer. So now not only were my wet clothes still wet but now my dry clothes were wet too. By then it was already 4 or 5 and we gave up and checked back in to the hotel. Sometimes you just have to accept your losses. I'm a little worried about making it to the James River footbridge to meet Rainbow's family and friends by Saturday but I know we can do it.
Date: 2015-06-04
From: Daleville, VA

To: Campsite
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: light rain

Woke up in time for the continental breakfast, took my clothes off our makeshift clothesline in the hotel room, and left to make up the miles we missed yesterday. I left before Ghost and got to hike by myself most of the day. I love hiking by myself but it's nice to have company at the end of the day. Ghost is a good hiking partner. He caught up in the evening just in time to join in on the miserable rain that started up. Instead of complaining, we took silly photos at every view sign that didn't have a view because of the weather. One more big day tomorrow and we'll see Rainbow and Young Gun on Saturday. I've missed them so much!
Date: 2015-06-05
From: Campsite

To: Apple Orchard Trail
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It was hard to bring myself to put on cold wet clothes this morning. I got a late start but the weather warmed up and stopped raining long enough for swimming at Jennings Creek. Ghost and I made plans to night hike a little to make tomorrow's half day to the James River Bridge not suck too bad. We passed through some beautiful pine forests where we can only assume fairies live. We ate dinner at a shelter before it got dark and set out for our night hike. Turned out Ghost wasn't really feeling the night hike so we took a side trail to Sunset Field. We were both grumpy and tired and it was around midnight so we gave up. We simply gave up. I'm not proud of it but it's what happened. We'd been seeing lightning in the distance and were headed up a mountain so it seemed like a smart idea to stop even though I didn't want to. With no shelter near and a thunderstorm headed our way we set up Ghost's tent in the fog in the safest place we could find and quickly got inside to escape the storm. His tent needs trekking poles to be set up and he doesn't have any and there was absolutely no time to look for sticks. So I let him use my poles and we shared a tent. This also seemed like a smart idea. It started pouring down rain and just as I started to relax that we were warm, dry, and safe, we were struck by lightning. It hit somewhere close by and traveled along the ground and through both of us because we were sitting up in the tent next to each other. We are shaken up but not injured. We're lucky it wasn't a direct hit. I can't even believe I'm writing this! I got zapped on the thumb once by a faulty dust buster. It was sort of like that except I felt it in MY ENTIRE BODY. Even my teeth. Not cool. I will take bears over lightning any day of the week! Also I'm pretty sure when I tell my husband he'll say this is what I get for sharing a tent with another dude.
Date: 2015-06-06
From: Apple Orchard Trail

To: VA 130
Miles today: 17.3

After surviving the rest of the night without getting struck by lightning again, we set out to get our trail magic before it was over. We spent some time at Apple Orchard Mountain enjoying the view and talking to some day hikers. Then we goofed around at the Guillotine and got some great shots of Ghost after he climbed on top. The hiking was easy but I was tired at the end of the day and had a pretty epic fall. I bruised and cut up my leg but didn't really get hurt too bad. We made it to the James River footbridge, trail magic, and our friends that we were missing all week. Jumping from the bridge into the river was really fun. If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you? The answer is apparently yes. Climbing over the railing was fine. Jumping was fine. Waiting to hit the water was not fine! It felt like I was in the air for entirely too long but at that point there's not really anything you can do about it. Just before I started to panic, I hit the water and everything was fine again. It was more than fine. It was downright soothing. All the sweat, dirt, blood, and anxiety of the day were washed away in an instant. I feel like the woman I was when I started this trail would never have jumped, but I'm not the same as I was. She isn't gone. I'm still her... just braver, stronger, and hairier. After my fill of hot dogs and Dr. Pepper, we got taken back to Rainbow's house for hot showers and dry gear. Thank you to her and her parents for their incredible hospitality and the perfect end to another amazing day on the A.T.
Date: 2015-06-07
From: VA 130

To: VA 130
Miles today: 0.0

After a week of trying to catch up to our friends, Ghost and I decided we didn't want to be anywhere at any specific time. Rainbow's dad dropped us off at Glasgow and we wasted the day away by the river. I also needed to deal with some things going on at home. My son has been lying about finishing school work and came pretty close to failing. I feel guilty for not being home but I don't know how different things would be even if I was. I talked to both my husband and son and it was good to hear their voices. Tomorrow, I hike!
Date: 2015-06-08
From: VA 130

To: Little Rocky Row
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I know a few hikers who seem to have the Virginia blues. I have whatever the opposite of that is. I love Virginia. I never want to leave. It's a real problem. I love the people, the mountains, and that it's warm enough to jump in almost every water we come across. I did the numbers for my weekly blog on WordPress and I did a sad 72.2 miles last week! I took three zeros in one week. Of all the problems I thought I would have on the A.T., having too much fun was not one of them. I never thought I'd be riding playground dinosaurs instead of hiking.Ghost and I did more town chores this morning and were on our way back to the main road to get a hitch when we stopped to let a truck pass through an intersection. Instead of driving through, the guy rolled down his window and asked if we needed a ride back to the trailhead. I love getting a hitch without even asking! He dropped us off at the James River footbridge and instead of hiking we decided to jump from the bridge some more. The second time was way scarier because I knew from the other day that the fall would be the worst part. Ghost one upped me by climbing to the very top and jumping from there instead of just the lower ledge. We got a pretty good slow motion video of it too.
Date: 2015-06-09
From: Little Rocky Row

To: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: few clouds

Today I stopped to see everything there was to see and still did okay miles. I like days like today. The hiking was easy but I need to fix/replace a lot of gear. I'm not ready for another zero but I'm going to decide in the morning if I need to go into town real fast and back out. I need to fix a hole in my rain fly, one of my Crocs straps, and a hole in my underwear. My water bladder is busted, my trekking pole tips are worn down, and my trail runners already have multiple holes and the soles are floppy. I may try to hold out for Waynesboro but we'll see.I passed by some nice views, the Ottie Cline Powell monument, a suspension bridge (bleh!), a cool dude named Mantis, and the 800 mile mark. No rain today! I started reading a book out loud to Ghost in the evening and it is helping to pass the time. We're camped by a creek where earlier we saw a copperhead, soaked our feet, and let little fish nibble the dead skin from our toes. Other than an unforeseen poopmergency, today was my kind of day.