morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Abington Gap

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

Another day, another deer. Those little white tails pop out everywhere! Well it rained a lot overnight so was sure glad I had stayed inside the shelter instead of tenting. About 6:30 everyone was up and trying to find the motivation to head out into the rain. But of course the fact that we were headed into town got everyone moving THe walk was good and the rain wasn't too bad and boy was I motivated - walked the 10 miles in 3 1/2 hours! A deer was in front of me on the trail and kind of hopped to the side and stared me down as I passed which was pretty funny. I also passed the TN/VA state line which was pretty exciting (3 states down!). Trying not to get too excited though as Virginia is huge and I'll probably be here another 500 miles or something.I have to admit that I was pretty excited to arrive in Damascus (and not only because of the soda and oranges trail magic that awaited us upon arrival!) becuase I feel like its a bit of a trail milestone. Have heard so much about it was happy to finally see it. Took care of town chores and stayed at "the Place" whcih I thought was pretty great despite mixed reviews I've heard in te past. HAd great meal out with Brooklyn, Cheese and Fig over at Quincy's Pizza where we ran into many other hikers about town. Was delighted when I arrived in town to see some familiar faces as well - Sk'Rabbit, Pebbles, Rocky, Playboy, Mary Beth, Nemo and Blue Sky. It's a nice feeling to catch up to a few people after those long days I pulled. Was pretty tired so had a quiet night in chatting with Cheese and Fig which was fun.P.S. Not sure if I mentioned the trail magic yesterday from Catherine Tater - a lovely woman from Tennessee who had a whole picnic spread for us. She also gave us a shot of her special energy concoction - 1 pt. honey, 1 pt. vinegar and mixed with water. I don't knw if it's mind over matter or what but it got me through a nearly 23 mile day so something worked!
Date: 2010-05-04
From: Damascus, VA

To: Campsite by a pond
Miles today: 11.8

Had a good night slep at the Place aside from a few snoring outbursts from someone in the bunkroom (for anyone planning a thru-hike - earplugs are key!). Took my time around town this morning, getting ready and had a nice long breakfast over at Cowboys with Fig, Brooklyn and Whippersnapper (sp? who by the way has already published 2 books at the ripe old age of 26!). Eventually I had to leave the comforts of town and head back out to the trail (I did pack out a Subway sub with me which was delicious!) so I probably headed out about 1:30.Highlights of today: I saw a snake AND a bear! Both babies but it was still pretty cool. The snake I must have nearly stepped on and it jumped to the side of the trail and rustled the leaves. Thought at first it was a chipmunk or bird like usual but then saw it slithering around. Not a clue what kind of snake it was. Baby bear I saw right after I was heading out of the shelter at the end of the day. It was probably just 50-100 ft. away. Not sure what it was doing but it didn't scamper up a tree or anything, just looked at me. Snapped a quick photo but it just came out as a blurry dot and didn't want to hang around too long in case momma came back (knew she wouldn't be too far). But was pretty pumped up for my first bear sighting ont he trail! Am camped out tonight about 2 miles away with Cheese and Brooklyn. Has a nice fire and enjoyed chillin with them. We have a nice loud soundtrack of frogs to fall asleep to this eve. Oh how I love sleeping in my tent! Sweet dreams all!
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Campsite by a pond

To: Thomas Knob Trail
Miles today: 16.2

Kabloom! Yup, heard that a few times today. First this morning and was checking around for thunder but only saw blue skies. Then a couple more times it got closer and closer - with the last time shaking the ground and scaring the crap out of me. It all made sense when I came out of the woods and a Forest Service Ranger was there holding up hikers because they were blasting to lower a horse trail next to the A.T. - don't see that every day!Well today was another delightful day of hiking - living the dream. Went by the Virginia Creeper trail, crossed over a massive bridge, had a nice long lunch at Buzzard Roack (with Cheese, Brooklyn, Smitty & Scout), crossed some beautiful meadows, and entered the Grayson Highlands (well after the blasting of course). Was another long day and was quite tired at the end but forced myself to take the side trail up to summit Mt. Rogers (so I actually went 17.2 today). It is Virginia's highest peak and in the chance that someday I might want to summit all the highest peaks in the U.S. (which is probably one of the crazy things I would likely do), then I would have kicked myself for not summiting when it was only 1/2 mile away. Anyways - done and done.Learned a couple of new things today. There is a plant called Ramp which is like a wild onion and has two large leaves coming out of the ground. Brooklyn and Cheese found some along the trail today, dug it up and had somelove of onios with my dinner - quite tasty! (Anyone who knows me know my love of onions so I appreciated the extra taste sensation with my dinner!). And the animal sighting of the day - wild ponies! Yup, there are wild ponies here in the Grayson Highlands and a couple were chillin behind the shelter a while ago. Hope to see some more over the next few days. Look forward to seeing what adventures tomorrow brings!P.S. Military planes seem to do some training runs or something just over where we are pretty low to the ground so it's quite exciting (and loud!) each time they fly by. Let's hope they've got some well-trained pilots!
Date: 2010-05-06
From: Thomas Knob Trail

To: Random campsite
Miles today: 17.0

Today was great hiking - we got to go through the Grayson Highlands! It was a rocky beginning but wide open walking over balds with a strong breeze and great views of the surrounding area. The breeze was so strong it almost took me with it a few times, but it was a great walk. And then there were the ponies which were pretty cool. They didn't pay too much attention to me but apparently a couple guys behind me had their packs chewed on like a snack by one of the ponies. There was also a full skeleton of a pony by the side of a road which was slightly creepy.Animal sightings of the day! - An orange salamander at the shelter, the wild ponies, a deer I nearly stepped on and scared the crap out of (and vice versa!), and a bunny. I never actually mention that I always see loads of different kinds of birds throughout the day. If only I knew more about them...Camped here in a stealth site tonight by a river with Brooklyn and Cheese. Didn't sleep well at all in the shelter last night (snoring was bad even with my earplugs in!) so psyched to be in my cozy tent tonight. I've really come to enjoy tenting a lot more than shelter stays. The ground is way more comfortable than those hard wood floors and it's more peaceful. The shelters are fab, however, during rain or snow storms! And they are great to take breaks at and read the registers to catch up on trail gossip! Almost forgot - passed the 500 mile mark today - yippee! Sweet dreams.
Date: 2010-05-07
From: Random campsite

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

Another long mileage day. Everything felt pretty great aside from my feet which are all cut up from the plastic of my boots around the ankle. Must find a way to fix this as it is quite painful!Day was great though. Walked about a mile in the morning and came to a sign that said there was trail magic at a campground 1/2 mile down a side trail. Would I add an extra mile to my day for some trail magic? I sure would! It was So Far and his father (John) putting on a nice breakfast for hikers. Had some eggs, hash browns, ham, banana, apple pie, Sprite (don't judge!) and a coupe cookies. It was fantastic. Then as I was heading back to the trail a woman asked me if I was a hiker. I said yes and she beckoned me over and gave me a bottle of orange juice to drink. So I was quite the full hiker heading bak to the trail but it sure gave me a lot of energy for the big miles!Had a great hike today and met up with a bunch of people I hadn't seen in a few days - Catfish, Gator, Grizz, Turtle and all good. Also met a former thru-hiker (Shepard '01) hiking Southbound to Trail Days who actually works with my Uncle Mike in my hometown! Small world! It was a scorcher as well (91 heard) so I was happy that the trees were blooming and there was a bit of shade. Noticed at one point as I was walking that it was like walking through mexican jumping beans with grasshoppers jumping all over the trail with every step I took!Had a treat when I got to the shelter with more trail magic from thru-hikers from last year (Freeze and Co.), hot dogs, soda and chips! Went for a swim in the pond nearby with Cheese - was so nice to rinse off the 4 days of sweat! Caught back up with the Chief, Sweet Cheeks, South PAw, Scapegoat, Grizz and Catfish and we all camped out by the pond at a sweet spot. Chief made a great fire as always and it was a fun night!
Date: 2010-05-08
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Happy Hiker Hollow Hostel
Miles today: 11.6

It was up and off early this morning - or that was the intention anyways. Cheese and I were packed up and ready to go but hung around the breakfast table for a while eating treats and chatting with everyone but then we were off to head to the hostel. Walk was great today - lots of variety in the terrain and I really enjoyed walking through the fields with the wind rippling through the grass. At one point the trail spit us out at the Settlers Museum which was an old schoolhouse a la Little House on the Prairie... was pretty cool. We got to talk about the contests they had on that show (aka - who could chop wood the fastest) and thought of some similar contests they should have for hikers at Trail Days like who has the best bear bragging technique, who can filter a liter of water the fastest, who can cook a perfect pot of ramen noodles, Iron Chef from the hiker camps, etc. etc. Haha! Oh and at one point during our walk an old bird house fell from the sky about 5 ft. in front of us. So random and slightly scary! We figured it must have been one of the kid's birdhouses from that schoolhouse in 1850 and it had seen its day.We arrived in Atkins about 2 - straight to Texaco for an ice cream of course and then over to the Barn for lunch. There was a sign there that said "Life is too short, have dessert first" and I was proud that we had followed that philosophy! Rambunny picked us up and brought us to the hostel herself and Aqua run and it was just fantastic. They are hikers themselves and really thought of everything a hiker might need on their stay and the way they opened up and shared their home with us was truly incredible. Not to mention the spectacular dinner and breakfast! Also a highlight of my night was wearing the 'laundry' clothes for us - cotton velour sweatpants, a tee shirt and little sweatshirt... it was exactly the comfy clothes I'd wear around the house at home so they were great. Me, Cheese, and Six Toes watched 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' and chilled out for the eve.P.S. Completely forgot to mention that yesterday passed by an abandoned old bus in a field a la 'Into the Wild.' Stranger was that the interior was eerily similar to the one in the movies!
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Happy Hiker Hollow Hostel

To: Campsite
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: broken clouds

Passed the 1/4 mark today and still loving the trail! Was great to chat with Rambunny and Aqua as well - the are so encouraging. The weather cooled down a lot today which I think is a welcome change and I just had a great day of walking. Took it nice and slow and just had a pleasant day of hiking.Can I mention how much I like Virginia so far?! The trail is well maintained, privies have returned to shelters (not sure what Tennessee had against them!), the terrain has been getting more gently rolling, the scenery picturesque and for the most part the trails have been quite graded. For a lot of the hike today we literally were walking through people's backyards and farms which was quite cool! We also crossed over a ton of stiles )double-ladder type things that you use to climb over barbed wire fences) - some o which were pretty high and tough to climb over hauling your pack and trekking poles. Really enjoyed the day and at a campsite by a stream tonight with Cheese, Six Toes, Brooklyn, Seeker and Stitch
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Campsite

To: Davis Farm Campsite
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Am currently camped at a sight overlooking a farm so will drift of to sleep with the sound of cows mooing. Hanging out here tonight with Cheese and Stitch. We just had some dinner and have crawled into bed early as everyone is feeling pretty tired so I won't write much tonight.Highlights of today - more animal sightings! The first one was pretty exciting. I had just crossed a road and was getting out my map to see how many miles until lunch (as a side note have been embarrassingly ravenous lately... seriously, I literally had a dream where I was eating a steak dinner the other night) when I heard a rustle in the woods to my right. So looked up to see what kind of animal/hikers/bird and was surprised to see a grey coyote/wolf (it was big!) running towards me. So I kind of shouted at it to alert it of my presence and it took off in another direction of course, but I thought it was a pretty exciting encounter! The second was another deer running towards me. I just kept walking cos I figured it was just gonna do it's frozen in the headlights thing (which it did). But when it turned to run away it did a massive leap into the air! I had no idea that deer could jump that high. Yeah for Virginia with wildlife sightings! Also had a great lunch on top of Chestnut Knob Shelter with Cheese, Six toes, Brooklyn, Marty McFly and Seeker. Well off to bed now - sweet dreams!
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Davis Farm Campsite

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

Today was a bit of an odd day. Was raining when I got up so just sucked it up and walked the 3.5 miles to the first shelter to cook my breakfast there. The rain doesn't seem so bad when you are moving. Saw 2 deer in those first few miles too.The afternoon was a nice gradual path which was pleasant to walk on but I didn't really see anyone aside from a SOBO named Tenderfoot. There were also many trail re-routs along the way it seemed and spent about a mile of the morning walking along a road.In the afternoon was rounding a bend and happened to see Cheese. Unfortunately for her the minute I spotted her the log she was sitting on decided to break so she had an audience for that embarrassing moment. Was pretty hilarious though. Glad we met up together cos the afternoon took us to some odd places - intersections where the trail seemed to disappear, passed numerous animal carcasses/skeletons (Seriously - counted 4 in different places today. Some looked to be deer... one was definitely a small horse), walking for long stretches along roads and across the highway (crossing roads are scary!) and passed a lot of trash that people just dumped which really pisses me off! Anyways, it was no bother to us and we made it to the shelter no problem cos we are bad ass hiker chicks!Shelter was good tonight - entertaining trying to hang bear bags... even managed to break my rope.I'll be hanging out at this shelter for a while tomorrow as well as I am getting picked up by the Gooch Crew later in the afternoon to head down to Trail Days (a big hiker festival that takes place each year in Damascus, VA). Very excited to reunite with the Gooch Crew! But sad at the same time to say bye to Cheese and hope to meet her up the trail! As Anne of Green Gables would say - she's definitely a kindred spirit and we've had a lot of laughs. Looking forward to the weekend in Damascus with my Goochies and slightly afraid as Tatoo says he's going to introduce me to corndogs. Or as he puts it 'a hotdog in a delicious sweater.' I'm frightened...
Date: 2010-05-12
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Wytheville, VA (VA 611)
Miles today: 6.7

Well today was a great day. Said my goodbyes to everyone just leaving the shelter and then just hung around in the shelter for a few hours. Brooklyn helped me to get a fire going before he left so I just tended the fire, took my sweet time having breakfast, packing up and getting ready. Supermax stopped in for lunch so chatted with her for while and then put out the fire and headed off down the trail. Hike today was pretty non-descript - terrain was easy-ish, didn't really see anyone aside from Supermax and the sky was threatening thundershowers all day but it never really came to be. BeforeI knew it I had arrived at the road crossing where I was going to be picked up (and yet again saw another roadside carcus... only this one with flies all over it - gross! Seriously, what is the story with all the big, dead animals Virginia?!!). I was only about an hour early and still looked like thunder, so just set up my rainfly and read a book. (Loitering is never a problem - it's what we do!)Shortly after a car pulled up and shouting voices yelling 'Red' started up - it was Fly Catcher, Tatoo, Klarity, Sweet Tea and the Crusher - who picked me up and we drove down to Wytheville and got a cheap motel room to stay in before heading into Damascus tomorrow. Fly Catcher was so good to collect us and even brought sodas, cookies, bananas, etc. with her (girl knows the way to a hikers heart!). So all is right with the world - I am reunited (temporarily) with my Gooch Crew, had some beers, ordered some pizza and watched Lord of the Rings on tv. Well until about 10:00 that is when we headed to bed (way past hiker midnight!). Onwards to trail Days tomorrow!
Date: 2010-05-19
From: Dismal Falls

To: Sugar Run Gap - Wood's Hole Hostel
Miles today: 12.0

Well the sickness came back with a vengance today! Woke up feeling very weak and feverish but knew if I could just push through the 12 miles I had a hostel stay ahead of me. The first 6 miles to the next shelter weren't bad and I ran into South Paw and had a bit of lunch. After lunch though, things went downhill. All of a sudden got crippling stomach pain and got sick on the trail. Sat down with my pack off for about 15 minutes and the pain subsided. I debated whether to walk the mile back to the shelter and just crawl in my sleeping bag or if I should carry on the next 5 or so miles to the hostel. In the end, I went on.Let me tell you - it is no fun hauling around a pack on your back when your body is feeling weak! And feeling feverish and walking up hills sweating while at the same time shivering was no picnic either! I think it was one of the toughest days I've had on the trail even though the terrain was pretty easy. The 5 miles seemed to continue on forever and I was nearly at my wit's end (and slightly emotional) when I rounded the corner and came upon a couple. They were very excited to see me as I was the first thru-hiker they had seen and took some pics with them (in all my puffy-eyed glory I'm sure!) and then told me I was right at the road to the hostel - and that they were staying too!Well everything went up from there! Met Neville and Michael, who are a lovely couple and ended up staying with them two nights to recover. (Confession time - I am actually way behind in my journal since trail days and trying to quickly catch up!). I think that it is one of the best decisions I've made on the trail to take a zero here because I was still pretty sick that first night and my body just needed (and deserved!) a proper break. the bunk house was the best I'd slept in so far on the trail, they cooked delicious, organic meals coming mostly from their own garden and meat from neighboring farms, we did mid-morning yoga each day which was fab and I really enjoyed hanging out with their friends (Susan, Bob, Jimmy and Andy) who were also staying there. they really made me eel at home and there was such positive energy that came from the place - a definite must-stay for anyone passing through!
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Sugar Run Gap - Wood's Hole Hostel

To: Spring Campsite
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: light rain

Although I would have loved to stay at Woods Hole another day, the trail was calling me name and I had to get back to it! I wasn't in any rush to get out the door however and hung out for some morning yoga! Just before I left, Jimmy (one of Neville and Michael's friends) called me over and she gave me a rock that she found in the shape of a heart. I thought it was a great little token and I plan to carry it with me to Katahdin (I was a little bummed that I hadn't thought os some token to bring with me on the hike so that solves the that!). So with that I was back to the trail just before lunch. Was a nice hike today - slightly bizarre though as I didn't really see any other hikers. Decided to make it a shortish day since I started so late and didn't want to stay in a town again so stopped a few miles short of Pearisburg. And it actually turned out to be the first night camping by myself on the trail! It wasn't nearly as creepy as I thought it would be an I slept great in my little campsite!
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Spring Campsite

To: Symms Gap Meadow Campsite
Miles today: 14.9

Survived my night alone in the woods! Another trail milestone down. Was very foggy when I woke up this morning. Went to Angel's Rest which is supposed to be a great lookout but was unfortunately covered in fog. Didn't take long for the rain to start coming down in buckets. And it was a strange walk through Pearisburg - over bridges, next to busy roads, past industrial sites, dumps, random creepy houses and trash (like old washers and dryers) strewn next to the trail. I was real happy to get back to the mountains despite the pouring rain. Passed South Paw heading south on my way up - think he is getting off the trail which is quite sad! Starting to see more and more people dropping out which is tough to watch.Anyway, made it to the shelter about 10 miles in and had lunch out of the rain. Met Easy there having lunch an a few section hikers so was great to finally be around other people! The weather cleared up so I decided to go a few more miles to a campsite. Met Hiker Bill who was headed south by accident (poor guy - how frustrating!) so got him pointed in the right directions again. Got to the campsite and Easy decided to have dinner there too. He had packed in a bunch of bacon from town and I had bread, mustard (thanks Betsy!) and cheese so we kind of had BLT's (minus the L...). Made a fire and hung out and Easy decided to camp there too so it was great to have company again! Weather held out and ended up being a really nice evening (despite the bugs who were feasting on my legs that is!).