morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-13
From: campsite

To: campsite w/barbwire
Miles today: 11.0

I hung out and read my book while sleeper packed up. It takes as long as it takes. i also want to justify the fact that i carry an extra pound for the book i never read! I would read at night if there were people i didn't feel like talking to. Now that it is always just sleeper and i, i don't want to read. Plus we stay up til like 12am! yikes! what is going on here? So the weather was suppose to be raining, but it was hot and sunny, go weather guy.I listen to the weather guy as much as i listen to the map guy. Can i just say how much i hate people with maps! Here is why i hate maps1) looks at my map, it will be flat from here to here.... then you go and hike and every little hill kills you because you thought it would be flat.2) look at my map, Wow there is a huge climb for like 2 miles! ok then i spend 1/2 the time pissed off that i have to hike up a hill for 2 miles, then i get there and it has switch backs and is easy so i worried for nothing and told myself i didn't want to do it, for nothing!Here is my point. I have to hike the freakin trail anyway! It goes up and down all day long everyday! It never changes except some day suck more then others. The days that suck might not have anything to do with how hard or easy the trail is. Sometimes i just feel better and hiking is easy, somedays i don't want to hike at all. Last night and today i learned that if i eat a lot of town food (like pizza last night and a cheese burger in atkins today) and then try to hike, i burp puke, and that is gross. So i am going to try not to do that again. But man was that burger good! A lot of cows, grassy hills, barns, and me checking for ticks! Sleeper said again how much he loves virginia, i told him to tell me what he thinks after he hikes another 400 miles of it. ha haWe stopped early today, we heard there was a dead cow in the water sourse we were going to go to. I was glad because i didn't want to loose anymore of my burger! It started to rain right after we set up camp, and i got trapped in barbwire trying to show sleeper where i hung the bear line. He might be the only person who still hangs his food bag.
Date: 2006-05-14
From: campsite w/barbwire

To: dark maul shelter
Miles today: 12.5

Oh stiles how i love to climb thee. there are many ways to climb over a stile. Depending on how old it is, how many steps it has, how steep it is. At first we thought they were cool. 15 stile later they became a pain in the slick b. throw your poles over, hold them in one hand, keep them on your wrists, go over and turn at the top and go backwards, go over and don't turn. the combinations are endless really. We had a very late start today. It was raining. I don't leave my tent in the rain. It was nice for a change though because sleeper came over my house to hang out until the rain stopped. we started around 3. the weather was nuts all day! we didn't get to camp until 9 and had to walk like a mile for water. In the rain! arrghhhh... Another cooking night in my hubba. I am so happy to be a part of the hubba clubba, although it is now my 3 shelter of the trip and it is broken too! What is up with all my gear sucking? 2 hiking days left. I love reading the shelter logs since i am behind everyone i get to read all the entries. See who is with who, where they are, and laugh at the interesting entries. Able Jack is my favorite! He hiked it before and just complains the whole time. People still think he is serious and get mad at him. I wish i would have copied all his entries down sinc the start! He could write a book. I am getting excited to see everyone at trail days!
Date: 2006-05-15
From: dark maul shelter

To: campsite GEM
Miles today: 16.5

WOW, I put up some other photos from today too. I had such a hard time choosing what should go with today. The straight up stairs we had, the yellow flowers that covered the trail side. So much to take in really. We walked along a ridge with rocks over looking what is called gods thumb print. Sleeper said it should be god middle finger, since the terrain was so bad. We had some great views though! It was a fun day. At the end though the bottoms of my feet started to really hurt, to go along with my 2nd toe that always hurts! It woudl go pins and needles before now it goes to intant pain. I have to say this something always hurting thing will not be missed! We could have gone 3 more miles to the shelter for a 19 mile day. Or 1/2 mile 300 feet down hill to a campsite. My feet hurt so bad i could not go anymore. So we went down. As we walked i said imagine if this had a great view, and the water was a spring! And i got my wish! It was amazing the sun set over the mountains set behind farm land and barns. Virginia! We sat to soak it in with some trail crack. (little debbie oatmeal cream pies) For my last night on the trail i think this is top notch. You never know what can happen, 1/2 mile off the trail is far to go. But we are so glad we did! I almost started to cry today when i realized my time is up. I keep meeting all these incredible people. I want more time! I want more money! Why did i not think i would want to do this whole trail?
Date: 2006-05-16
From: campsite GEM

To: bland VA
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

oh my feet! Why did my last day have to hurt so much? I just wanted to enjoy it, and soak it all in. Instead i had pain worse then ever with every step. The bottoms of my feet burned, and my arches were bleeding. The weirdest thing really. I have no idea what is going on. I was so glad to get to town to get off them! shower! and i wanted pizza but this place doesn't have pizza. We get dairy queen or subway. I don't even care, just as long as i don't have to walk far!
Date: 2006-05-17
From: bland VA

To: bland VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

How great is this! We are walking to go eat and i hear "Rasta! get your butt in here!" it was single malt! And i finally got to meet her byfriend who had but pictures of himself everywhere on her gear. The first week on the trail she was constantly showing me little photos he had left on her filter, tent, sleeping bag, and so on. I finally meet him. How fun! He came to get her to go to trail days. He has wine and cheese and treats of joy! We all hung out it was so nice. He had brought with him the article that single malt wrote for her news paper in NJ. I am in it. She is a breast cancer survivor, with a great story. She is an amazing artist and an inspiration. Pinktrail.org has some info about how to follow her up the trail as well. I was so glad to spend time with her.
Date: 2006-05-18
From: bland VA

To: bland VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

So my feet still hurt. I have no idea what is wrong with my bleeding arches. We got to watch the last episodes of that 70's show, will and grace, and the season ender of ER. Good night! I am thinking i do not want to get off the trail. I am going to go to trail days, missy the girl who started the approach trail with us is coming to pick me up here tomorrow. I know it is going to be hard to watch sleeper walk off on that trail, and not go. Then meet everyone i have not seen in forever back in damascus. What to do? what to do?
Date: 2006-05-19
From: bland VA

To: traildays
Miles today: 0.0

i cried my little eyes out! i can not get off. I am with 42 again! and if sleeper will wait for me in pearrisburg i will be there on tues. I will see what happens when he calls, I might be able to work it out where i get to hike with him and my friends! natty boh, 42, single malt, and cheeto/puffy nipples too. Oh i feel like i am on the right track now. We got geared up for the hiker parade. I am just trying to find people. I got to see cool hand, tec, the ozzy 3, knock knock, bud, carnivor, jukebox, and so many more! this is great!
Date: 2006-05-20
From: traildays

To: gear fixing!
Miles today: 0.0

i will just put up the entry i wrote from damascis on this acutal day, it might repeat some some since it was a summary post. I did get my feet looked at with no help at all! But what really helped was jeff at Mountain Rogers, who told me neels crap gave me the wrong everything! And my superfeet have been making my arches bleed and my toe hurt! I had no idea if it would work. But i crossed my fingers.Also i got a new backpack from granite gear, since my vapor trail was unsewing at every seam! Now i have a vapor Ku' My favorite color, purple. I went contra dancing for 3 hours this night and had a blast!I also got to see Lone wolf again too! I love love love getting to see all these faces that were with me when i started the trail! It seems like forever ago!so now it is the 20th, i hiked another 90 somthing miles with sleeper and then had a couple days with him in balnd VA. it was a tearful goodbye for me as he hiked north and i came back for trail days and the end of my journey on the trail. When i got here and saw everyone i have met since on the trail, all the memories of good times came back. The smiling faces the laughs and how happy everyone gets to be reunited even only being a month since i have seem some people. Slick B, mo, ponch, 42, tsnake, i am still adam, cool hand, tec, grinds, bud, carnivor, natty boh! the list goes on and on... and i wanted to be able to talk to or email everyone to let them know, but i am limited to 30 minutes on the computer and do not have time to. so ima hoping people will read this. I can not get off the trail. I am out of money and my feet are sorta a mess, but i am going now for a free medical exam and foot clinic to see what they say. If they have some answers for me, and think i can stay on the trail, then i am going to live off my credit card for a while. I saw a week, but maybe it will be more. i just don't know. All i do know is that i am not ready to get off this trail! I can't leave the people, the walking, the life i am now used to out here. I said i would come out for a month, it has been 2 weeks. The exsperience has far exceeded all my expectations, i had no idea it would be like this. It might only be for another week, might be 3, at any rate i will be back in Seattle by july for sure. i will really not have enough money to go any longer then that (even if it is debt i have a hard time living off my credit card.. i don't know how long i can do it really) But this is life! this is living! and i am doing what makes me happy, this is it. I can be with a lot of the people i started with and since sleeper did not come to trail days, he should hike up to where all my friends are too. So i will be able to be with him and all the people i knew before i got behind. SO i am going to do trail work with bob peoples, and a great crew of hiker pals, and then to pearrisburg, on tues, to hike some more.Crazy update i know! and i will try to fill in all my entries soon. Sorry again that i could not call or email all of you in person about my delay. but it all just happened yesterday.much love!RASTA LEGS!
Date: 2006-05-21
From: gear fixing!

To: hardcore!
Miles today: 0.0

figured since i was staying on the trail i should buy a thermarest! I have to i am sick of sleeping on this peice of cardboard, ahhh i mean zlite. The volunteer trail work crew called hard core, run by bob peoples every year is amazing! They are really organized. They picked us up this morning and went to the work site. We had to carry the supplies 1 1/2 miles up the trail for a shelter they are building. It was pretty hard to carry the wood and roofing but i guess we did it really fast. Amazing when you have over 100 people to do it. So then we sat around and watched people build the shelter. After that dinner at a park, hacky sacking with Merlin, puffy nipples and natty boh. Fred hooked me up and got me a bunk at bobs! We had a birthday party for lush! Baltimore jack is here, good to see him again. I feel really lucky to have had him at the start of my trip. Since this is his 8th time he knows everyone up and down the trail, nice camping spots, the best places to stay, and well he is just all around a really nice guy!
Date: 2006-05-22
From: hardcore!

To: bob peoples again!
Miles today: 0.0

So we got up today and a bunch of us went to build trail. I now have a different understanding of what went into these and other trails! Wow what hard work it is! There was 100 of us working for about 5 hours, and we built 1,500 ft of trail. I was on the stairs crew with 42, fred,james, bob peoples of course and gear. Gear is a 12 year old hiking the trail with his dad and older sister. The highlight of the day was getting to paint a white blaze on this new section of trail! We went back to bobs after and baltimore jack had helped with many other volunteers to cook us an amazing meal! I helped with the bread and served some hikers too. This was such a great experience! I wish i lived on the east coast just so i could come here for this every year! Anyone who is doing the trail should sign up at trail days at the ATC booth for hradcore! It is so worth it!Also sleeper called. He said he would wait for me in perrisburg. This choice to stay on the trail feels so right!
Date: 2006-05-23
From: bob peoples again!

To: pearrisburg
Miles today: 0.0

SO bob had to drive 10 of us back to the trail 3 hours away! He is a saint. It was great to be in the truck with him and listen to all the stories he has about his years of running a hostel there. It was great. I am with 42, lush, natty boh, james, and a few more people that i don't know. (one of them got off the trail 3 days later) merlin, ptity and cheeto went in another car.It was great to get to town and see sleeper again. He was with wolfpaw. I have known him for a long time, i met him right after neels gap, he was there on my birthday in franklin, in hot springs, erwin, damascus and more. It is great to run into the same people all the time. tomorrow we get back on the trail i am really looking forward to it!
Date: 2006-05-25
From: campsite

To: some shelter
Miles today: 15.0

It was so great to hike with single malt for most of the day! Sleeper caught us at lunch and we all sat on top of a huge rock to eat. Single malt and i saw a 5ft black snake it was nuts. At the next shelter we learned 42 was waiting for us at the next one. I hiked the rest of the day with sleeper. That night lush's brother tried to make a phone call and could not find his way back to the shelter! Pretty scary. you forget sometimes how long you have been out here, and how comfortable you feel. Sleeper seems grumpy. We played mafia but it was not as fun as when we played at bob's. I want to get up and leave early tomorrow. I don't have any data pages with me since i didn't know i was going this far. I hate having to depend on others to tell me where things are. And i can not really remember when they tell me where water is. I am having a hard time keeping up on my water. the water sources are farther apart then before. I think i am going to give sleeper some space and hike to the first shelter alone tomorrow.
Date: 2006-05-26
From: some shelter

To: another shelter
Miles today: 14.7

ok so these past few photos don't match the days. this one goes with tomorrow, but oh well! I hiked alone to the first shelter, pretty fast, waited for 3 hours. Sleeper didn't show up but everyone else did. So i left with single malt. 30 minutes later it started to pour! I didn't even have time to get my rain gear on i just threw my poncho over me and hugged my pack on the ground as it pasted. It kept raining, but not as bad sometimes for the rest of our hike up hill the whole time! We saw a deer, chatted, and it was fine. My feet still feel great so i can not complain. After we go to the next shelter and had dinner, some more people showed up. They told me sleeper was at the last shelter when they left and looked like he was staying. Oh well guess thats that. I went into my tent and realized i left my journal bag at the last shelter, it had my memory stick in it too! And the one i had was full. So then i was laying there in my tent at 9pm. That is early for me now since usually sleeper and i hang out til 12. I thought he was mad at me for something, upset i lost my journal and card, and realized there was nothing i could do about any of it. So i went to sleep. At 10pm i heard a pssttt. Sleeper did come! he was trying to wait out the rain, but it didn't stop so he just left. He hiked in the rain and night to catch me! Yahoo. I didn't think he would. I cooked him dinner while he set up his tent, then he came into my tent to eat and stay dry. He said sorry for being grumpy, told me i was a nicer person then he is. I don't think so, but what ever. I am just glad everything is ok. To make it even better he found my journal and card! It is really nice to have someone that knows what your gear looks like, and looks out for you a little bit more then everyone else. 42, lush and bro stayed at the last shelter. Taking slow days for lush's brother "cold turkey" Wolf paw and natty boh showed up at 12am. I love how everyone hikes different hours to spice it up.it is also amazing how you can feel sad and alone one minute and then happy and content the next.
Date: 2006-05-27
From: another shelter

To: savor shelter
Miles today: 6.7

So we slept super late. then me wolf paw, natty, and sleeper all hung out. It was around noon when 42 and crew made it to us from the last shelter. It might be the first time that has ever happened. Someone catching up to me before i even leave. It was really great though, felt like one of those days. I left with 42. She was going into town to get food. Sleeper and i hung out with lush for a little while and then kept hiking (the hay stack photo, and scary house photos are from today) It was really really hot outside! And there was a huge climb! I ran out of water. Sleeper gave me some of his, but the only place to get more was at this shelter way off the trail. Downhill, steep! Even though we had only done like 7 miles, there was no way i wanted to go back up that hill and keep going. We talked about it, and figured we had enough food to stay there. Plus it was already 630pm, we had such a late start. It was great to see 42's face when she came in from her town stop to find us sitting there. She called us slackers, it feels great to be one! We started a fire. James and natty boh came. And Merlin pulled a huge day and caught us too!! very exciting!Oh happy day!This is the reason why i couldn't get off the trail!
Date: 2006-05-28
From: savor shelter

To: creekside camping
Miles today: 15.0

HOT HOT HOT!!! I decided before i left that i will not hike between the hours of 2-4pm It is too freaking hot! We had to climb over some rock cliffs and then at a road crossing at exactly 2pm TRAIL MAGIC! And the best kind a cook out! Southpaw and Walrus with thier wives, do it every year 7th year running. And usually leave a cooler there on week days throughout hiker season. Soutpaw hiked the trail in 95. It reminded me again of this family you have when you become a thru hiker. They had everything for us. Salads, fruit, hot dogs, veggie dogs for the 4 vegatarians in our group too!!soda, sports drinks, donuts, and the best cream cream pie thing i have ever had in my life! She said she would email me the recipe i hope she remembers! My 2 hour planned break turned into 4 hours. we all hung out and chatted and told stories. And it was pretty much just our group. It is been so long since we have had such good trail magic like that. I thought about skipping the next section of the trail. It is going to suck, and it is so hot. I have a offer for a ride to town. I debated taking it, then hiking in to the 1st shelter with beer and food for everyone. Do a little trail magic of my own. Then i remembered i have no money. And i should not skip sections of the trail just because i know they are going to be hard! I wanted to sit long enough to make sure i didn't throw up the food after we left. It worked. Merlin, sleeper and I made it to the top of the next big climb and a local told us about a path to watch the sunset from. (photos of that will be my next few journal entries) We then had to night hike for a bit to get to camp. But we made it. I was so tired! I don't think i like hiking late into the night. I am going to try to leave camp early again, i do better in the morning. I still feel no pain! it was a tough day, but it is so worth it!
Date: 2006-05-30
From: after cawtaba road shelter

To: daleville!
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: clear sky

Thank goodness he agreed! I wanted to hit up to mcafee (sp?) knob before we left, but sleeper said we could do it thursday. A day hiker was walking by and i started to talk to him. I told him about our bad day yesterday and that we were thinking about going into town. He said he would give us a ride. So that made it final! We were going to hike south and go back to the road we crossed last night. Get out of this stinkin heat for a day or two and have a moral boost! I really want sleeper to stay on the trail, so i am glad i came up with this idea. This trail angel who gave us a ride was great! He took us on the old country back roads so we could see the mountains, then to the post office, and to our hotel. I believe his name was hank. he saved us! It was so great to be clean, in a real bed, and in A/C!!! We ordered pizza, went to the market around midnight it was still 75 out! This was a great night.
Date: 2006-06-01
From: er

To: upstairs hospital bed
Miles today: 0.0

Are they trying to break me???? They tell me i can go home, they take out my IV. 2 hours later they call me on my room phone, tell me i can not leave. The infection has spread to my blood stream and i am septic. That is bad right? Yup. All i could think about was them having to put in another IV. This would be number 4. He puts it in my forearm it hurts really bad, the whole time it is in. I start to feel sick again, the pain comes back. All i can do is lay in my bed and cry. I want to be at the hotel with sleeper, merlin, 42, wolf paw and natty boh. This is so not fair! Sleeper had to pack up all my stuff and move to another room. I feel bad that he has to do so much for me. They take me down to get an ultrasound of my kidneys and bladder. Sleeper and merlin and 42 come to visit me. It was so nice to have them there, only i started to feel sick again! I realize that this comes in waves. 42 had to leave quick, merlin had to go do something in town. Sleeper hung out with me for a couple hours. Even though i was in pain and cried a little it was nice to have someone there with me. They left around 11 and i finally got some sleep!my sister had updated my journal with this noteHi Everyone...this is Missy(Steph's sister)...I'm making the entry for her today because she is in the hospital. She was admitted to the hospital on 5/31/06 for a kidney and blood infection. She is not sure how much longer she will be in for or if she will be returning to the trail. She is doing ok and is feeling alot better since she got to the hospital. I will be updating her progress as I get more information