morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-07
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Front Royal/Fairfax
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

The shelter was full of early risers, so we rose early as well! We woke up and saw Chicken Feet was there, and we met Jack London. We left by 8am, headed to Front Royal! Today was yet another fantastically beautiful day. Perfect sunshine and breeze and temperature. Verge and I took our time and took many breaks because we only had 14 miles to go and had to be there by 2:30 for the trolley into town, so we leapfrogged Napster and Chicken Feet all day on our gorgeous, relaxing hike.We were having a snack with Chicken Feet and talking about Front Royal plans (we were planning to go in and hike four miles out), but Chicken Feet told us about how his nephew was coming to pick him up and bring him to their house in Fairfax (about an hour away), and he invited us to join!! Verge and I decided this was amazing trail magic and we had no reason not to! We all arrived at the trolley stop, and we talked to Chicken Feet about his life while we waited for the trolley (had an hour plus to spare). He told us all about his family and their struggles with the Vietnam war and refugee camps and escaping to France, Germany, and the U.S. He talked about how many of his family members are very successful now because they worked so hard. It's one thing to know the things that had happened to people during that time, but it's another thing entirely to hear it firsthand from someone you know! I feel amazed by is experiences and thoroughly inspired as well.We took the trolley to the post office, accompanied by Chicken Feet, and we were walking to find a place to have lunch when a couple pulls over and asks if we want a ride! They took us to a place called "Spelunker's" because they were heading their for lunch anyway! They invited us to join them and we chatted and enjoyed a delicious lunch! (I had a veggie sandwich and fries). The man (a principal at a school) even bought us ice cream! Amazing trail magic! They were so kind and fun to have lunch with. I'm truly taken aback by the kindness and generosity that I continue to find along the way.After lunch, we hung out in the sun outside and waited for Chicken Feet's nephew and wife to arrive. In the meantime, I got to talk to Bridget on the phone! I miss her so much! She's been an amazing friend and cheerleader to me while I'm out here. She might even come hike with us for a while!! (I hope). A couple nice ladies having lunch outside chatted with us and asked us questions about the trail as well. Finally Ming and Chong arrived and took us out to eat for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant in Fairfax! It was amazing! I absolutely love Vietnamese food, so this was quite the treat. They even treated us to dessert too! I can't believe the day we're having!We arrive at their beautiful house and they give us abloom and a bathroom to ourselves! We even got to do laundry! Later, when we were waiting for our laundry to finish they even made us goody bags with chocolate, dates, and ramen and seaweed. I can't believe their generosity. Thank you Chicken Feet!!! Spectacular day!
Date: 2016-06-08
From: Front Royal/Fairfax

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.I walked through tunnels of climbing vines and green, sunlit leaves while breathing in the honeysuckle breeze. Bliss.I ran into Big stick and hamwise in the morning, I thought they were ahead, but they took a zero in Front Royal. I also met a ridgerunner who knew who we were! (Apparently she had met Bombadil and he told her to look for us! Cool) I also ran into Chicken Feathers later in the day; he thru-hiked in 2012. Today I also walked through fields of tall, swaying grass while the sun warmed my skin and made me smile. Bliss.Verge and I took so many breaks today. I would stop and just stare up at the leaves lit up by the sun, casting shadows as the wind made everything ripple and sway. It was the most relaxing day I've had. During our breaks I'd also play some beautiful music from my phone. We only had three miles left and I look behind me and there's Great P! The three of us hiked to the shelter and found spots to stay. At the shelter we had great company; blazer, professor, tree, Firestarter, chicken feet, Dutch guy, and two sectioners Millie and William were all there. We all had dinner together and shared cherries and chocolate and William made a fire. Everyone hung out until dark, then most people went to sleep. Great P and I sat by the fire just a little longer and watched the embers die down.
Date: 2016-06-09
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Creek and Tentsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: few clouds

Beautiful day part three. If Virginia wasn't already my favorite state so far, these past three days would make it so. I also discovered my new and very intense love of honeysuckles. Nine miles in and we had a snack break with Blazer, Professor, and Tree (Tree lit the table on fire because he's new to alcohol stoves...haha--pictured above).I hiked by myself the rest of the day. I was in a solitary mood, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hiked with sunshine, breeze, honeysuckles, and my thoughts. Started a part of the trail called " The Rollercoaster," and I (so far) don't mind it at all. Passed the 1,000 mile mark! I missed the sign again...oops. I can't believe I've hiked one thousand miles. That's so much hiking! I feel a greater sense of accomplishment than before, but I'm not even close to done! Harper's Ferry by Saturday! Mom visiting on Monday! Birthday next Friday! Happy happy.
Date: 2016-06-10
From: Creek and Tentsite

To: Harper's Ferry Near-o Tentsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Finished the roller coaster and enjoyed more tame terrain.Another gorgeous day; I ran into Pantry, Cicero, and Odysseus for lunch at the amazing Blackburn Trail Center where I got a free soda and a baked treat from Trailboss and Sandi. If only I'd done more miles for the day and could have stayed there--it was so relaxing and beautiful! Time to move on though.I kept leapfrogging Strider and Wildflower all day, and I saw them at the Sweet Springs gas station off trail as well. I enjoyed their company while wolfing down some Fritos.Ended the day at a tentsite just a few miles out of Harper's Ferry so that I could near-o in the next morning! Lots of people had the same idea, so by the end of the night there were 8 tents set up! Big stick, Great P, Training Wheels, Tree Beard, Waterfall, Strider, Wildflower, and a man and a young girl who I didn't meet were all there. It was a lovely evening spent chatting by the fire.
Date: 2016-06-11
From: Harper's Ferry Near-o Tentsite

To: The Knight's Inn
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

What a day!Cold oatmeal and go! Crossed the Shenandoah River, decided to skip the ATC for now and come back later, hiked with Verge and Great P through historic Harper's Ferry and over another bridge by the Potomac. Great P got to go with some family, and Verge and I continued on through the gorgeous flat walk through the shade to our hotel--mental halfway SPLURGE!! We try to save money in every little way we can, but come on, unofficial halfway is totally worth it! We even each get our own bed and that never happens! Oh and while we were walking the extra off-trail mile to our hotel, a lady pulled over and gave us Popsicles!! It was exactly what we needed on the hot hot pavement in the sun! People are so nice!!My mom connected me with trail angel Vicki or "The Real Deal" who has been following our blogs, so right after we did an early check in at the Knights Inn, Vicki picked us up and drove us to the ATC where we had a little picnic! She brought Verge and me salad and tuna and egg salad and clementines and yogurt and brownies and soda! We even recruited hiker buddies as they passed to come join and share the magic (Big stick, hamwise, Napster, husker). It was amazing. Good conversation, good food, and good weather. Perfect! We then ventured into the ATC to get our official picture taken (I'm hiker 608!) We also picked up our resupply box and were happily surprised by a box from our friend back home Max and my amazing best friend Kate!! They had so many goodies we packed a bunch out and were able to share as well! Thank you!! After a quick stop at the outfitters (where we met Brave), Vicki drove us back to the hotel and we said our goodbyes. I can't believe she dedicated her whole afternoon to helping us out. She really is the real deal. Angels like her truly make the difference. I am SO grateful.Verge and I finally got to do showers and laundry and tv! Leisurely bliss. That was one of the longest showers I think I've ever taken. Take out, goodies, tv, separate beds--so worth it. I am one happy camper (who is happy to not be currently camping).
Date: 2016-06-12
From: The Knight's Inn

To: Dahlgren Backpacker Campground
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

We loved the Knight's Inn. The manager of the hotel went above and beyond; he was so hospitable, helpful, and friendly. We discovered that the Wyndam chain isn't even supposed to serve breakfast, but he negotiated with upper management to get them to allow a small continental breakfast because of all the hikers who come through. After breakfast (where we met Murph and Mudpuppy), we had a lengthy conversation with him about hospitality, nutrition in the U.S., and societal trends in the working world. It was so interesting! We then took our time packing up and checking out (while watching the end of Horton hears a Who), and we tried our hand at hitching! (We had zero interest in walking that mile back to the trail on the pavement in sunny 90 degree heat). The second I stuck out my thumb and looked over my shoulder at the first car passing us by, he pulled over and backed up to us! Heck yeah.Back on the trail! Hot hot day, but at least it was windy. I was texting my best friend Bridget today because I love her and I miss her, and she filled me in about the Orlando shooting. I'm...shocked? Horrified. Appalled. Heartbroken. I can't believe that while I'm out here seeing all the beauty that life has to offer and all the love and generosity of the people around me something like that is happening somewhere else. It's surreal. Sending positivity and love to all. Hiked 7 miles to a nice park with historical tid-bits and ruins and enjoyed late lunch there (met Maverick and his two hiking buddies who started in Harper's Ferry today going North finishing their "thru-in-2" as in half last year and the second half this year!), then continued the last 7 miles to the campground. Had a lovely Knorr Parmesan pasta sides dinner and some tea and peanut butter for dessert.My mom, Goldberry, is officially done her Appalachian Adventure tomorrow because she has to go back to work (ug--work!). I'm so proud of her and I think she's super awesome for having hiked 1,200ish miles! Thankfully, that means she's going to come down and visit with us for a couple days! Excited to see her.
Date: 2016-06-13
From: Dahlgren Backpacker Campground

To: Ensign Cowall Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

Verge and I had a relaxing morning and chatted with Cheddar (found out she knows Goldberry and Bombadil!) and met a man named Slider who was on a weekend hike celebrating his 20th anniversary of thru-hiking the AT. He was really funny (referred to non-thru-hikers as muggles--love it!)Verge and I then took our time hiking through the beautiful day and relaxing terrain. We ran into Chicken Feet and got to marvel at the original Washington Monument! So neat that we get to come across such a cool piece of history so accidentally! 14 miles later we got picked up by Goldberry (my mom) who is officially done her hike! 1,200 miles later! Awesome. She gave some trail magic strawberries to the people at the shelter and we gave Whitecap and Braids a ride to the Food Lion. We then made our way to Waynesboro, PA to find food and a place to stay. We are at an awesome little place called the Waynesburger (I had my first ever falafel salad--amazing) and we also had milkshakes. Goldberry is treating us to a hotel tonight and slack packing tomorrow! Woo! So nice to see her looking so happy and beautiful!
Date: 2016-06-14
From: Ensign Cowall Shelter

To: Old Forge Road
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

After a delightful continental breakfast, Goldberry dropped us off back at the shelter for slack pack day one on birthday week! We immediately ran into Jingle and Sweets! Yay! We haven't seen them in so long! We found out they've been trying to catch us so that we can all celebrate my birthday together this weekend! Melt my heart why don't ya! LOVE them.All day Verge and I handed out snickers and peppermint patties that we were carrying around and told people our mom was doing trail magic at PenMar Park so to hurry up and get there before it was gone! Today had a lot of rocks, but I have a feeling it's just a sneak peak of the rocks to come... Sweets, Jingle, Verge, and I all arrive at the park and partake in the delightful strawberries and chips and soda and Vicki (The Real Deal) even joined with some pie and fudge and soda too!! Great P, Mountaingoat, Princess Peach, Scoober, Survivor, Steel, Alaska, Tumbleweed, Murph, Mudpuppy, Tim, Yardsale, Sundog, and many others all hung out and had trail magic too. It was a lot of fun! Verge and I stayed for a couple hours, but we still had 8 miles left! We quickly finished our hike, crossing the Mason Dixon line into Pennsylvania!! I am so unbelievably happy to be in PA. It means a new state, new terrain, new challenges, and it also means I'm closer to seeing my wonderful bestie, Kate, and it also means I'm getting closer to home!! So exciting. I have a feeling that even though there's only 230 or so miles of Pennsylvania that it might feel just about as long as Virginia...we'll see. Official halfway coming up in a couple days! We ran into Chicken Feet, Whitehat, and Braids then Goldberry picked Verge and me up, and we went to Waynesburger again because the falafel salad was so darn good! What a lovely day. Showers are magnificent.
Date: 2016-06-15
From: Old Forge Road

To: Ridge Road
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Birthday week slack pack day two! So everyone was grumpy this morning, and it was really rainy. However, we ran into Jingle right off the bat (Sweets wanted to sleep in--I felt the same way!) and that cheered us up. Verge hasn't felt well the past couple mornings...achey body, headache, possible fever. We're hoping it's not Lyme disease. Yesterday she felt better after she started hiking, so we thought maybe today would be the same. Verge and I hiked very quickly and got to Caledonia State Park where Goldberry was doing more trail magic! She outdid herself this time--a bright pink sign leading hikers to burgers, hot dogs, chips, condiments, soda, even veggie burgers for me (and other vegetarians/pescatarians/certain people allergic to beef/people who just like veggie burgers/etc.) it was fantastic! I got to see chicken feet (who was thoroughly enjoying his burgers and hot dogs) and whitecap and braids; then the next wave of hikers came through--Mountain goat, princess peach and Scoober, and tumbleweed, jingle, moonshine, Yardsale, one feather (Tim) and hot toddy. Mountaingoat and peach taught verge and me how to play Coup. It was fun! I'm all about the games. I love games. We stayed for a while, long enough to say hi to Great P who came later as well (not long enough to see sleepyhead Sweets though), and we were planning on doing another 11 miles; however, after we started hiking post-trail magic Verge took a turn for the worse. Her neck is so stiff that she can barely turn it, her back hurts, her head hurts, and she was so tired she could barely hike her normal speed. I'm so worried about her! I've had to dig two tiny ticks out of my body in the past couple weeks so it's definitely a danger out here. We decided to cut the hike short by three miles and have Goldberry come do a rescue mission. Tonight's destination: Waynesboro hospital.Currently here, and they're pumping her with fluids and medicine and running a bunch of tests. All in good spirits and hoping for the best! Don't worry too much! (Mostly telling myself that but...really, she's most likely not dying...ah!)
Date: 2016-06-16
From: Ridge Road

To: Pine Grove Furnace
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: moderate rain

Last night, as you may have read, Verge went to the hospital. The doctor decided it was most likely Lyme disease, so she will start a cycle of doxycycline and get the actual test results in the next day or two (about Lyme). It seems the tests for Lyme are pretty unreliable though, so hopefully the antibiotics will help. Unfortunately, the antibiotics have side effects (stomach problems and fatigue), so even the process of feeling better won't feel very good. Verge has such a positive attitude and, of course, there's no such thing as a day off for her! "But can I still hike tomorrow?" She asked.We got dropped off at the same road crossing (Ridge road), and we hiked along on some terrifically flat and pine-needley terrain. There were even some parts today that reminded us of our childhood home! We reached the official halfway point! We almost passed it! I sang Bon Jovi as loudly as I could, "WOOOOAH WE'RE HALFWAY THERE WOOOOOAH LIVIN' ON A PRAYER!!!" Then, all of a sudden, the sky got ominously dark. The sky opened up and poured on us. Sadly, another side effect of the antibiotics is skin sensitivity, so the raindrops actually were hurting Verge's skin! Crazy! I felt so bad. There was nothing I could do to help! Again, she made it seem like it was no big deal and continued on. I enjoyed the rain, and I enjoyed even more when the rain cleared up and the sun came out. 2 miles from the Pine Grove Furnace, Verge told me to run ahead if I wanted so that I could catch up with our buddies and start the half gallon challenge!I sprinted down the trail (super fun with the flatter terrain!!) and got there to see Sweets, Great P, and the male Tumbleweed just starting! Mountain Goat, Princess Peach, Husker, and Jingle had all already successfully finished it! I wasn't planning on doing it (I didn't think I'd be able to) but Sweets told me I haaaaad to, so I went for it! Guess what...I did it! Holy ice cream! Half a gallon! (That's FOUR pints!! Imagine eating FOUR pints of Ben and jerrys!!) Well, I'll never do that again...but I'm glad I did it. Sweets finished SO quickly--they don't call her Sweets for nothin! Great P struggled a little bit at the end, but he powered through and finished! Woo! Goldberry took a picture of all the victors (left to right: Husker, Mountain Goat, Princess Peach, Sweets, Me, Jingle, Great P) Ended the day with dinner (I'm not sure how I fit more into my stomach) and laundry. It's definitely going to be an early bedtime tonight.Thank you for all the sweet words and encouragement! Goodnight.
Date: 2016-06-17
From: Pine Grove Furnace

To: Boiling Springs Campground
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

TRAIL BIRTHDAY!! I love birthdays. My birthdays, family birthdays, friends' birthdays, even strangers birthdays! I think it's a great thing to celebrate life, in general. My fantastic mother took us out to birthday breakfast at a nice local greasy spoon type place, and I had delicious eggs and toast. She then dropped us off at Pine Grove Furnace to start "real" hiking again. No more of this slack packing business! (I'll miss my little robot backpack from the dollar general). Verge wasn't feeling stellar, and we decided I would do the 19 miles to boiling springs and have my little 21st birthday party with all my buddies who were planning to meet me there, and she would stay at the shelter right before town (a 15 mile day) and rest up as much as she could. It was sad to leave her, but I ended up having a lovely day of hiking by myself on my birthday. I went my own pace and listened to music and sang and had a wonderful day! Near the end I caught up with Sweets and hiked the last few miles into town with her (she hadn't been feeling very well either). We finally got to the campground and set up, and what did I find--but more trail magic from my angel of a mother!!! Thanks Goldberry!! She set up a big pink card for people to sign happy birthday, and she had tons of chips and cupcakes and cherries and water and even bubbles. It was amazing, and everyone was so sweet; they signed the card but didn't touch the trail magic until I got there (around 5pm). Sweets and I then hauled it all down the trail to the campground then went to go meet Jingle at the pool for $5 Friday (pool, water slide, and shower access for only $5!) I have missed swimming SO much. It was a BLAST!! After showering and attempting to dry off, Sweets and I went to meet up with Jingle, Mountain Goat, Princess Peach, and Great P at the tavern (a fancy restaurant/bar down the street). I ordered my first drink (a Guinness), and a gentleman at the bar heard it was my birthday and he bought my first drink! All my friends were so sweet to me all night, and I had such an amazing time. We ran into Odie (the hiker yearbook guy) and he took a picture of all of us and hung out with us later at the campground! I also got to know Splinter better. After we left the bar, we walked back and the moon was so fantastically bright. Then the stars started to come out, and the fireflies lit up the woods. It was a marvelous night for a moondance.What a magical birthday. Thank you to all who helped to make it a special day.
Date: 2016-06-18
From: Boiling Springs Campground

To: Scott Farm ATC HQ
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Cafe 101 with Sweets, Jingle, and Training Wheels (Sweets was not feeling well at all again--possibly from the ice cream challenge). (Pictured above: Sweets and me at the tavern the previous night for my birthday) Verge joined us in the morning and was feeling much better! We got our box from the post office and went through it at the ATC HQ. I had left my stuff at the campground, so I went with Sweets to go get it (she'd left her stuff too). On our way back, we ran into trail magic! (Let the birthday celebrations continue!!) I chatted with the angels and found out they'd not only both hiked the AT before, but the girl (sadly, I forget her name) has hiked the AT, PCT, and is currently doing the CDT and was just taking a break! Going for the Triple Crown! Awesome!I finally got back to Verge and the ATC, and we dilly-dallied our way out around 2:30 with our new buddy Waterfall. Jingle and Wheels had already left, and Sweets decided to wait out her hurting stomach at the new town hostel. It was a ridiculously hot day, and we left at the hottest possible time! The terrain was nice and flat, but I got scorched through farmers' fields. (Definitely wore sunscreen though.) Waterfall was good company, but at Scott's Farm ATC HQ we parted ways and I decided I'd wait for Verge. She didn't show up for quite a while; she got there past 7 and we still had four more miles until the next shelter (with no stealth camping in between). She said she'd hit a wall, so I called up the lady at the hostel in boiling springs (I had her number because Sweets had left her phone at the ATC and I knew she'd gone to the hostel so I called to let her know where to pick it up) and she said she had room for us, but she didn't know where our location was. I saw a local with his wife and daughter hiking up from the river nearby and I went to ask them for a landmark and they said they'd drive us to meet her somewhere halfway! I couldn't believe our perfect timing and luck. The family was so incredibly nice and asked lots of questions, and I really enjoyed their company and friendliness. We met up with Lisa from the hostel and she was great too! (So funny!!) We got back to boiling springs and got to see Sweets (I made her some grilled cheese to make her feel better.) We also saw Husker, Lassie, One Feather, and Sequoia and I met Alan. We could hear the country music concert going on nearby. Bedtime! I'm so thankful things worked out.