morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 4.4

Day 2 of Trail Days. Walked around the vendors one last time. Grabbed one last drink from the friendly folks at the Old Mill Resturant and Inn. Watched a cute father and daughter duo perform a few songs on keyboards. (Ended up tenting up at a shelter with them a few days later and they gave Sarah a sweet henna tattoo)We decided to be spectators instead of participants in the hiker parade. An elderly man had a medical emergency while driving in the parade and ran his car into 60 people - just about two tenths of a mile away from us. Sad day. We skipped the original plan of staying for the talent show, grabbed our packs, and began walking out if town. Near the edge of city limits we are stopped by a ridge runner named John. After a brief conversation he is quick to give us a ride back to where I had previously gotten off the trail (some 16 miles north). John is super knowledgable about this area of the trail and extremely friendly. Some of the local trail is still fresh in my mind as he and I talk back and forth about directions using landmarks like gravel, dirt, hills, climbs, trees, wooden bridges, campsites, privy and tiny ponds. Sarah gets enjoyment out of this and has a giggle from the backseat. She is still used to hearing road names as directions. Late start hiking, but we are out of town and back on the trail finally. The little bit we hiked was clouded in heavy mist and light rain. A nice sight for now... unfortunately the same weather follows us tomorrow and blocks all of the summit views.
Date: 2013-05-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: light rain

PONIES!!!!!!Hiked in fog/mist/rain for all day. Saw a lot of ponies. Hahaha after licking my fingers one pony ran to Sarah and tried to eat the backpack she had on. (Video upload to follow).Cooked a warm lunch at a shelter and got pelted by 12-16 day hikers who were brand new to the AT experience. They had a guide of sorts with them but were so in awe to see their first thru-hiker that they couldn't help but ask a bunch of questions and snap off a few photos. This was a weird new feeling for me. It was sort of like being a live action museum exhibit... or a zoo animal. I had been so used to being "just another thru hiker" that I had forgotten what a really cool thing I'm trying to do. For the first time section and day hikers are out numbering the thru hikers and adjusting to this took me a day or two but its really no big deal. After lunch I'm all pepped up so I decide to climb up a 30 foot rock. Neat view, fun time, but on the way down the rock I ignore a trail sign and end up hiking a little over the mile in the wrong direction down a different trail system. This park in VA is like no other I've seen on the trail so far, you have to actually stop and think about which way to go. Sarah keeps saying we should turn around but I man-ishly decline and push forward with hopes that this is somehow magically going to turn into the right trail. It never does. I finally see proof on a sign, double check my sometimes useless guide book, and we turn around to backtrack uphill the mile of muddy wet trail we just came from. Luckily the fog clears a little and we see a bunch of ponies and even a few baby ponies. (Debate is out on whether these are ponies or mini-horses)Light rain is scattered throughout the day, that is until we start looking for a site to camp at. Some hikers pass us in the opposite way and tell us that a good spot sits 15 mins north of us on the trail, it doesn't really and we get hit with the day's heaviest downpour of rain instead. Enough is enough for one day. We duck under a small section of pines and camp on some damp slanted ground. I fall asleep wondering if my rain tarp will do its job blocking the rain and if I will need to fight a pony to save my gear overnight.
Date: 2013-05-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Less rain. Sarah's trail name is now Smirks. Trail magic gallon of water and a 6-pack of Budweiser sitting on the trail. Pass up the water, grab a beer. Perfect timing for this trail magic. I was feeling a little down beforehand and this was exactly what I needed to bring my spirits back up. We sit down a few yards away and begin snacking and drinking. Moments later we are joined by thru hiker Mercury (who also grabbed a can of beer) and an older couple section hiking named Rick and Jane. The break is a shared pleasure within the 5 of us. Ended the night somewhat early but well deserved at the Trimpi Shelter. Six out of the ten or so people who stop here are from Kentucky. The awesome duo who were playing keyboards at the Old Mill are here. They are such a delight, full of positive energy, friendly, and naturally entertaining. Thunder threatens for an hour or two before finally raining just before dark. Safe and dry in my tent for the night but stinky, sticky, and nasty are the only things I think about. Getting low on snack foods and already out of cooking alcohol I look forward to a town visit tomorrow.
Date: 2013-05-22
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Mt. Rogers Headquarters - Marion, VA
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: few clouds

Morning temps are good. Ground is damp but the skies look clear. Just over a mile into our hike we come across some trail magic set up and restocked by a local church group. Their are sodas, chairs, and a large box of seemingly random items for needy hikers. Some of the items in the box are knee high baseball socks, chicken broth in cubed form, duct tape, mini bibles, 3 bottles of hot sauce, and a few remaining items of food. Smirks grabs a baby-sized Moon Pie and I make a Nutella wrap. Rain starts and stops multiple times over the next 9 miles but never gets bad. I waste time putting on and taking off my rain jacket multiple times fearing another crazy downpour that never happens. Smirks made the right decision and never messed with putting her rain jacket on once. It's warm out and the light rain actually felt okay. It surprises me that I've been out here 480 miles longer than her but she is the one making the better trail decisions. Smirks leads the way all day and gets us to the Partnership Shelter / Mt. Rogers Headquarters just in time to catch a $0.50 shuttle to Marion, VA. (The last shuttle being ran for the day)Affordable motel room for the night, shower, laundry, Mexican food, and a dry night safe inside away from the evil ponies. I feel refreshed. (It rained all night while in town and the weather forecast predicts more rain. The words Appalachian Trail have become synonymous with Rain Rain Rain More Rain)
Date: 2013-05-27
To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: few clouds

Pushed miles early to get back to Tin Man's truck by early afternoon. He drives us an extra 13 miles to Pizza Hutt and then back 13 miles to a motel near the trail. We say goodbye. I look forward to our next time of hanging out. Smirks had a rough day of hiking.
Date: 2013-05-28
From: Bland, VA

To: Fort Bastian
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero day. We leave the motel, resupply at Dollar General (way too many DGs in the south), grab lunch at Dairy Queen. True Brit, whom we met the day before, shows up with a truck full of hikers. We get a ride from him back to his campground. A full day and night there. This place is brand new and not fully built yet but is very interesting. I would like to check on its progress 5 years from now. Over 20 hikers stayed here tonight including Brain Damage, Jungle Jim, Yoddi, Skittles, Big Spoon, and Pee Wee German (formerly named John / part of the German Couple I met before day one)
Date: 2013-05-29
From: Fort Bastian

To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.0

Hiked out of Fort Bastian. Hiker named Rambles flirted with Smirks all night and it was annoying (to me). For now on I am going to tell new hikers that Smirks is my wife. We ended up doing 11 miles but took a long break at Dairy Queen. Ha, our 3rd straight day ending up at the same DQ / Gas Station. Got a quick hitch each way, wasn't even trying on the way back.
Date: 2013-05-30
To: Dismal Creek Falls
Miles today: 16.4

Dinner at Trent's Grocery. Camped at a beautiful sight. Large creek with tiny waterfalls. Survivor shows up. Haven't seen him in a month so we exchange a few new stories and catch up on all that is good. I give him one of the beers that I packed from Trent's Grocery. Rambles and his crew show up. He is less annoying this time. Meet one of Survivor's hiking friends named "Zack Galifanakis". Cool guy, looks not like the real Zack G. but he sounds exactly like him. I ask him to do impressions from The Campaign all night.
Date: 2013-05-31
From: Dismal Creek Falls

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Last few miles were dragging on. Late start and a slow pace. We had a long lunch where ....... BOOM!! I see my first bear!!! What?!?!??! So awesome. Couldn't snap a picture because I thought I was only walking up on a deer and also the bear ran off when he heard me sneaking over a hill to peep at him. Speaking of animals, been seeing a lot of huge black snakes the past few days. We get to Woods Hole Hostel just as dinner salads are being served. Hostel owner Neville rushes us in to the table and goes off to cut us a bowl full of fresh leafy greens from her organic garden. Wow! This place.....amazing. Next course is a lasagna with light meats and a vegetarian/pumpkin lasagna. Delicious! I rarely ever get to eat a meal this fresh and organic at home in normal life. Delorean, Pee Wee German, Slackpack, and Legolis are here as is about 10 other hikers that we've seen but not really talked much to yet. Smirks finally meets Steps who we previously found out was from Frankfort, KY. The two chat for a minute and quickly realize that Step's younger sister was in the same graduating class as Smirks. Baby goat licked my sweaty dirty legs for about 10 minutes. I move away, he follows. I move away, he follows. Chickens run free range all over the place. Baby pigs are pinned up. Cats, dogs, baby ducks and other animals roam around. Outhouse-style shower in the dark. No drain, only cute pebbles and an over-saturated Mother Earth which equals me in a large puddle 2 minutes into the shower. Doesn't matter, still enjoy this hostel more than any other so far. Slept in the balcony bunk house. Was that a mouse by my bed - ill never know.Breakfast of fresh scrambled eggs, fruit, and the most amazing creme brule French toast.
Date: 2013-06-01
From: Woods Hole Hostile

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hiked out of Woods Hole Hostel. It was tough to leave the peaceful place. I spent my morning on a bench petting a friendly dog. Smirks spends her morning relaxing in a hammock on the porch. Halfway into our hike thunder claps and heavy rain quickly strikes. We throw the pack covers on but not our rain jackets. Slight mistake since the rain was very cold and consistent for many miles. Stopped to see a couple good views. We get passed up by Delorean and Pee Wee German who are going to catch a shuttle in Pearisburg to a well talked about hiker cookout 20 miles further north past town. Before the rain hit I was considering joining them. Once we were caught in the storm though my spirits changed and I decided a warm room, clean clothes, and a shower were more important. There will be plenty of other cookouts to rush too later. Original original original plan was to only stop into Pearisburg for a good resupply but my wet shoes tell me to get a room also. Highest resupply coat so far. Figures so, Food Lion has been my least favorite grocery store out of the few I've experienced on the trail. Food City is the cheapest. Don't get the two confused. 70 something miles before the next short term resupply (gas station?) and then an additional 20 something miles later until our next real grocery store.
Date: 2013-06-02
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: light rain

Met a thru hiker named Ring Master the night before. He showed me a magic trick involving a gold chain and bronze ring. Pretty friendly older gentleman from Paducah, KY. Smirks was not impressed with him. Kicked out of the motel at 11:30am. Lunch at Hardee's for 2+ hours waiting for the rain to stop. Tough climb out of town with probably my heaviest pack weight yet. I usually carry 3 days worth of food but the next true grocery store is 90 miles away so I'm forced to carry 7 full days worth of food. We see Legolis and Slackpack heading southbound. They had hitched north 20 miles and slack packed down to Pearisburg. A quick conversation about upcoming campsites and water then we proceed with a 1,400' climb. Pop Tart snack break with a section hiker named Cracker Jack. Finally reach the top of the mountain just before 7pm. Water source is a wet brushy decline 0.3 miles away. I ended up getting more wet from this than from the scattered sprinkles during our half day of hiking. Squid is here at the shelter and has a fire and some dry wood piled up. He tells us that he only hiked 2 miles today and has been at the shelter for 10 hours. String Bean shows up while we are cooking dinner. The four of us share the shelter space instead of setting up tents. This will be my 3rd time sleeping in a shelter and Smirks 1st time. Rain hits the tin roof all night. I am not a fan of sleeping in shelters instead of tents but I don't feel like breaking down wet gear in the morning. As I lay down I go over my list of shelter sleeping fears: mice chewing through my gear, bears using my hanging food bag as a pi±ata, and the one main concern that ruined my only experiences in shelters... being cold.
Date: 2013-06-03
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Pine Swamp Shelter
Miles today: 12.5

June 3rd. 12.5 milesEnd at Pine Swamp Branch ShelterSlept well inside the shelter. Smirks and String Bean took turns snoring on either side of me but not enough to disturb my sleep. Squid is the first to leave the shelter. String Bean leaves about an hour later. An hour or two more passes as Smirks and myself enjoy our extended slumber. Off in the distance I can hear two hikers chatting but I know they are at view 75 yards away so I pay them no mind. Moments later I hear a noise 10 feet away and roll over to see Danger Dave, one of my favorite people on the trail. We chat for a little bit and he tells me I should go check out the view while the fog is gone. He leaves and it is probably close to an hour before Smirks and I finally start hiking. The time is almost 1pm. The fog has already rolled back in and we are only able to see an obstructed view. The weather eventually clears up half way through our hike. We sit down to have a nice tuna lunch in a tiny meadow. We didn't hike through any rain but my socks and shoes are soaked from the wet grass and from yesterday's rainfall. I air out my socks and slip into some flip flops. Twenty-two and Push Up pass us. Lunch ends and my wet socks and shoes go back on. Miles and hours go by and eventually we stop and sit on a tiny rocky ridge for a snack and water. We later find out a bear was spotted from this spot just an hour before we arrived. Last night's shelter sleep was a success so we decide to sleep in the Pine Swamp Branch Shelter tonight. Machine Gun Jim is the only person there. We had met him previously at the Woods Hole Hostel and I had felt bad for him because Smirks got to the shower before him and took her typical long shower. He probably didn't mind though, he seems to be a very laid back and friendly person. Jim hangs his food bag from a tall tree. I ask if he is okay with me lazily hanging my food from a mouse line at the edge of our shelter entrance. He doesn't suggest I do it but is okay with it. There have been numerous bear sightings recently so I go to sleep fully expecting to see a bear eating all my junk food.
Date: 2013-06-04
From: Pine Swamp Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 1.4
Weather: broken clouds

June 4th1.4 milesEnd at the Captain's place. Machine Gun Jim woke up early and left with barely making a sound. Our food bags are still hanging as is our backpacks. No signs of mice or bears messing with our stuff tonight. Lucky break in my opinion. Before falling a sleep last night Smirks whispered to me that she was done hiking. I told her okay. It was late and I didn't want to wake Jim up so I didn't probe for further details about when, where, or why. In the morning she mimics that she is still ready to go home. An hour into our day we hike to the recently well publicized and talked about "Captain's" place. There was a big cookout here that we missed by 3 days. The Captain's place is a house near the trail that is separated by a 2 ft deep , 25 ft wide creek. To get to the house you have to sit on a wooden swing and then pull a homemade cord of rope that is set up as a pulley system almost like a manual horizontal zip line. Rip Tide and Blockade Runner are crossing when we arrive. The Captain is not home but his two dogs are. There is a sign posted telling hikers that cold sodas are in the fridge on the back porch. These sodas are of the generic kind and come in all different flavors. Smirks and I play it safe with our first sodas but decide to experiment with our 2nd drinks. She regretfully picks an artificially flavored Orange Pineapple and I grab a Black Cherry. Both taste less than desired and are eventually poured out. Rip Tide and Blockade Runner leave. I play with the dogs a little, review some videos from our cameras, and start charging my phone. I ask Smirks if she is ready to continue hiking and she says this is where she is stopping. I am not sure if she is serious or if she means she is just sorta done for the day. We both hop into a hiking hammock that was already hanging nearby. We share a few laughs at the awkwardness of two people jammed into a tiny hammock and at the dogs nosing us from underneath. A little effort and time later we find a comfortable arrangement just as voices begin crossing the zip line. After exiting the hammock I ask Smirks how she feels and she reiterates that she is done. I have her confirm that she is not hiking another mile and then I go to my phone to look up directions back to Damascus. Neither of us feel 100% comfortable with Smirks hitch hiking alone from this far away so we come to an agreement that if I hitch back to Damascus with her then she will give me a ride back to the Captain's later so I can continue my hike. We are approximately 2 hours away from her car. The hitch involves 1 small back road at the start and 1 more at the end, a couple okay sized state roads, and 1 decent stretch of major interstate. We have a lot of good fortune hitching on the smaller roads but end up having struggles on the interstate section. It gets late and night falls. After a few hours of being rejected by travelers at gas stations I decide enough is enough for one night. I come up with a plan to walk to the cheap motel a mile away, get some sleep, and pay to rent a car tomorrow morning.
Date: 2013-06-06
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Huffington House property
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

No bear attacks last night, only some crazy bird sounds. Heavy rain pounded my tent all morning. Chatted with Zack and Survivor for an hour then started hiking at 11am. I hiked the first 10 miles today still miserable from losing my hiking/camping partner. Mist and scattered rain showers don't help my mood either. I stare at the ground for almost the entire day. Stopped for a snack at one shelter where Nibs and Gator where hanging out at. We catch up on some stuff and then I head out into more rain.I arrive at a Bed & Breakfast that is supposed to have my 1st mail drop but nobody is on the premises. I knock on all the doors, careful to avoid the scary huge turkeys that roam free on this farm, but nobody is inside the house. I wait 30 minutes, charge my phone on an outside power outlet, grab some water from a garden hose, and then start cooking my dinner on their gravel driveway. A cat comes around the corner to beg for affection and I can't help but give it. I offer some mashed potatoes but the cat is not impressed and tries to dig through my food bag instead. Nobody ever shows up. This place is .5 miles from the actual trail and is 9 miles away from the next listed campsite in my book. It's going to be dark soon so I have no better choice but to pitch my tent on the property between two buildings and hope that all goes well. I don't think the animals will mess with me, the seem to stay in one small area behind the house. I am curious if the owners will give me much grief in the morning when/if they drive by. Tomorrow's forecast is rain. Thunder , lightning , and more rain.
Date: 2013-06-08
From: Niday Shelter 

To: 4 Pines Hostel
Miles today: 16.5

Hiked most of the day alone, which was fine. I didn't push the pace as much as I had the previous few days because my feet were hurting. I think all the recent rain and quick miles are to blame. No blisters at the end of the night but plenty of sore burning sensations. In normal life I hate flip-flops but on the trail I can't wait to get to camp and slip on a pair. Danger Pants, Survivor, and Zach G all leave before me. Future and Belch leave after me. Rambles hikes to the first road crossing and heads to the nearest town. He is having some serious nasty stuff going on with his feet and wants to get them looked at by a doctor. 2 large climbs today. I sweat a ridiculous amount on each. Luckily there is no rain and my feet get to stay dry. First climb is 1,500' to the Audie Murphy monument. Future & Belch catch me at the summit, they stay to eat and I push on. Last time I will see them for today. At the beginning of the next 1,500' climb, Dragon's Tooth, I pass up Danger Pants. My will beaks near the top and I stop for some gummy lifesavers. At the top I see Vita cooking a meal. He has his clothes hanging out to dry and his tarp tent positioned in some sand. We sit and talk about his trail philosophy. Thru-hikers are pretty pure in their journey and refuse to take shortcuts on the trail, but Vita has a different aspiration. He wants to yellow-blaze through the hiking and hitch a ride from landmark to landmark. I could care less but I amuse him and listen for 30 minutes. The climb down Dragon's Tooth is dangerous and involves sliding and jumping down 5' tall bounders. I bend my knee the wrong way a few times and have to stop to stretch it out. The pain is scary at first but after a mile it is over with and my pain resides. I see Danger Pants in front of me, she must have passed when I stopped to talk to Vita near a side trail. I pass her and make a quick conversation. Shortly after I make a wrong turn on the street below, go around a curve and then on my way back the correct way I see none other than Danger Pants once more. Damn, I have to pass her a 3rd time all creepy and from out of nowhere. We arrive at 4 Pines Hostel at the same time.Uke is here, the German couple, Tennessee, Blockade Runner, Rip Tide. Lost & Found, Survivor, Papa Smurf, Zach G. are all eating at The Homeplace grille and show up later. I haven't seen Uke since the last day in the Smokies. He has lost some weight, looks healthy and happy but has two giant swelling spider bites on one leg. One bite is a lump the size of a golf ball and the other bite is not as bumpy but takes up almost his entire hamstring. He accidentally sat down on a Brown Recluse spider nest. Night ends with Survivor building a great fire and Zach singing while playing the guitar. Some sleep on makeshift beds in a garage but I tent up under the stars.