morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-22
From: Dickey Gap

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

After getting a great night's rest despite the hard rain that hit us last night (probably because of all the food from the picnic!), we woke up early to get into town to resupply and to get an esrly start. SuperFeet went to hitch a ride while I stayed behind to break down the tent. The wind was intense and fighting against it just to fold up a tent and the footprint all by myself is no easy task. I definitely struggled, but I won against the wind! It must've been entertaining for those who stood nearby - a tiny girl almost blown down by the wind struggling to fold a tent. It was a great workout though! It warmed me up from the cold.Half way through the day though, I lost steam and the hike felt longer than expected. But we made it to Partnership Shelter (or should I say pizza shelter!) by 5! Of course once we got there, pizza was the first thing on our mind so we quickly made the order. And we definitely went overboard. SuperFeet had no idea what the party box was from Pizza Hut so he decided two would be best - for just the two of us. When it arrived he was speechless. Surprisingly, we finished one entire box faster than I expected! The second box was going to have to wait, but it'd be great tomorrow for breakfast and lunch!All that extra pizza though was going to stay in the tent with us though because we never bear bag. Our food is always with us cause no bear is ever going to come inside our tent - right? All night though we heard loud rustling right outside. Sticks were snapped and leaves were crushed. There was definitely something out there and it was most likely a bear. That bear wanted our pizza! But no, this was our pizza! Yeah, I actually literally yelled that out. Well, we both stepped outside the tent to use the restroom and shined our headlights through the darkness when suddenly this crazy (and very close), loud noise came out of no where. We don't know where it came from, but we were frozen. We had never heard of such a noise before! Sasquatch possibly?! So yeah, we slept uneasy that night knowing something was out there...something that wanted our pizza.Thwap-Thwap!- Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-23
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

With hot showers, warm beds, and beer in mind, time passed by quickly and we made it into Atkins, VA in no time. We woke up early to get a head start and had leftover pizza for breakfast. As we began our day, a slight drizzle hit us. We figured it'd be for a short time so we held off on putting on our packcovers. After awhile of it not stopping though, we decided we'd better stop and put it on before it got worse. And of course the moment that we did, the rain literally stopped...but at least when it did, the weather turned out to be perfect. The sun was shining and it felt amazing. Later, we stopped by Chatfield Shelter for lunch where we once again had pizza. No more leftovers now!When we got into town, we headed over to The Barn Restaurant where I had the most amazing burger on the trail so far. The Hillbilly 8 oz burger with onions rings. I devoured everything - not even a single crumb left!SuperFeet and I got our awesome packages in today as well - CHAIRS! And a slingshot for him of course. But our camp chairs look awesome and they feel super comfortable. We're totally going to make everyone who sees us jealous now when we whip it out at camp. Absolutely worth the pound!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-24
From: Atkins, VA

To: O'Lystery Pavilion Campsite
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Before leaving town we stopped by The Barn for lunch. Again, I had the Hillbilly burger and again there wasn't a single crumb left. Even SuperFeet couldn't resist this time and got the same burger as well. Hiking out on a full stomach was going to make the hike so much longer.We hiked a couple miles before we stopped to take a snack break. We whipped out our chairs and I can officially say that breaks from now on will be twice as long. It was so relaxing sitting in those chairs that it made it tough to get out! SuperFeet didn't even bother getting out of his chair as he practiced with his new slingshot.Today's hike felt like forever, but eventually we made it to our destination. Luckily there was a little stream because AWOL's book said there were water sources before the campsite, but left out the fact that all the water sources were in farms where cows grazed by. So there was no chance we were going to drink out of that!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-25
From: O'Lystery Pavilion Campsite

To: Walker Gap
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

Today I've come to learn that Virginia isn't as easy as everyone has made it out to be - at least not in the beginning. Hiking into Virginia was what I had been expecting with its nice, gradual trails. However, today's hike was nothing of the sort. Each climb uphill was extremely steep and it was just as steep going downhill instantly after. It's as if switchbacks don't exist! My feet hurt more than my knees tonight, but at least that's more bearable.As SuperFeet and I were eating dinner and watching Adventure Time in our awesome chairs, we heard a rustling to our left. We turned our headlamps on and looked to find a raccoon staring right at us. Not more than just a few feet away, this thing just kept on making its way toward us! SuperFeet yelled at it to scare it and even barked, but the raccoon didn't even budge. He just kept trying to come closer! Eventually SuperFeet just charged at it with sticks while yelling and it made the raccoon run away and up a tree. Problem solved! Not. After we finished dinner and packed up to go to bed, it came right back down the tree and back towards us. SuperFeet started throwing rocks and sticks, but apparently it thought it was food cause it went after everything he threw. At one point, the raccoon actually charged at SuperFeet as if it was going to attack but didn't. After about 10 minutes of fighting with this raccoon, it eventually ran off a good distance. Hopefully he stays away, but even as I write this I can hear him scurrying around outside in the distance. Crazy raccoon.Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Walker Gap

To: Laurel Creek
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

The first half of the day felt like it would never end. We just had no energy. We got to a gap where a church had left a dozen jugs full of well water for hikers and even toilet paper! Here, we sat for a very long time - a much longer break than expected. But it was very much needed because once we started moving, we were really moving. A burst of energy came out of no where and we cruised to Jenkins Shelter where we stopped for a break. Now the "awesome" privy hikers spoke of here, wasn't as awesome as you would have thought. The view was great though. I mean, a privy with no walls gives you a great view of nature and to anyone who walks up on you!We got hiking again around 5ish and we just cruised through. I was absolutely zoned out and in my own hiking world that I didn't notice anything around me until SuperFeet yelled out. Apparently I had walked right by a 6ft black rat snake with his head just a few inches from my feet! I had no clue it was even there. Of course, SuperFeet started poking around the snake and that's when we discovered that black rat snakes rattle their tails just as a rattlesnake does. Apparently they imitate this action in leaves to make the sound a rattlesnake does to scare off its enemies. Snake lesson of the day!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-27
From: Laurel Creek

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 7.1

We woke up this morning to raindrops hitting our tent. It wasn't very much, but we decided that we'd better pack up fast before the storm hit. And just as soon as we finished packing up, the rain came. It wasn't terrible rain though since the trees covered the majority of it and it felt nice hiking in the cold rain. We definitely got moving though because we got to Bland, VA in just a few hours. We moved through that rain non-stop cause breaks aren't really an option when it's raining! Luckily just as we got to the road, Fly Away was there and hitched a ride that was big enough for all of us so we didn't have to try to hitch a ride in the rain.The sun eventually came out and warmed everything up soon after sitting in the comforts of the Big Walker Motel. The view from there was pretty amazing. It overlooked the highway and mountains. With all the humidity, you could see fog hovering through the valleys. Tuna joined us a few hours later. He had been hiking big miles just to catch back up with us! At least one Turtle was back with us. It was getting lonely without the crew around!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-28
From: Bland, VA

To: Jenny Knob Shelter Campsite
Miles today: 12.9

We hit 600 miles today! And that's just about the only exciting thing that happened today. For miles (about 8 miles), there was absolutely nothing. We just hiked a ridge line with no views and no water sources. Even the water sources at the shelter and the "stream" by the campsite we were headed to were barely there. It was just a tiny dribble. But at least we hit 600 miles! Someone even created an awesome and very big "600" out of rocks. It was large enough where no one should have missed it, but some how both SuperFeet and I did. Tuna called out at us wondering how we would've missed something so large. Makes me wonder just how many other things I've missed along the way. Concentrating on hiking and watching my footing the entire time - yeah, I've probably missed a lot. I need to start paying more attention to nature! Darn my clumsiness...Thwap-Thwap!- Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-29
From: Jenny Knob Shelter Campsite

To: Dismal Falls
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Deciding on a short day to the falls today, we began our hike early. We heard it was going to rain so we wanted to pack up before it hit us. It was pretty gloomy the entire day, but not a single drop even came. We heard the thunder though and saw dark clouds, but it dissipated when it got near us.We stopped by Trent's Grocery just before Dismal Falls to stock up on snacks and drinks. I had a huge double cheeseburger here and I'm still amazed I ate the entire thing. It's crazy what hiker appetites will do!We got to Dismal Falls to fund Smoking Bear already set up with a great spot for the rest of us to camp at. We set up our tents and went to the falls, but after just a few minutes it began to pour. It didn't last too long, but it sure did pour. So for the rest of the day, we sat underneath Tuna's tarp. And somehow Smoking Bear was able to get a nice fire going despite the rain!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-30
From: Dismal Falls

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: light rain

Everyone woke up on different pages today. Some were going to zero today at the falls, some were going to hike to the hostel 13 miles from here, and some were going to nero. After relaxing by the falls for a bit, everyone concluded that today we would stay here and relax all day, but we would night hike to the next shelter. Night hiking? That'll be interesting!So for hours and hours, we sat around in the heat getting tan with our feet in the cold water to cool us off. It was a really relaxing day! Meticulous and Knaffles even caught up with us today and joined us by the water. A hiker named Turtle brought a watermelon from Trent's Grocery and shared it with all of us. It was so refreshing! SuperFeet literally made "nom-nom" noises whole devouring it. It was that amazing! As everyone sat around the falls, we discovered it was filled with all kinds of snakes - even copperheads. A black rat snake was slithering around when it led us to a copperhead basking in the sunlight just behind the rocks we were sitting on! Then another black rat snake appear across the river and a garden snake slithered out of the water and right by us. Yeah, I started feeling uneasy after all that.When it hit around 8pm, we decided it was finally time to get hiking. It was cool night hiking for the first time, but not seeing anything was pretty boring. And we saw no animals! Not even eyes shining back at us from our headlamps. I was really hoping to see a bear again - but this time, much closer!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-31
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 17.6

It always feels amazing when you beat your biggest daily miles. Each time we inch closer and closer to really big mile days and it's pretty exciting. Sure, everyone else has done big miles already and what we do now is nothing to them, but it feels amazing to do the miles that we do - when we do it. Hike your own hike, right?Our biggest motivation to hiking big miles today was not because of a bed and shower, but because of food. That's right, all you can eat Chinese food! I had been craving Chinese food for the longest since we've been on the trail and these trail towns don't really provide that. So when we learned that Pearisburg had Chinese food AND it was all you can eat, it was a no-brainer. So we moved fast. Along the way, we even had Mountain Dew trail magic provided by fellow thru-hikers Taka and Lon - Japanese thru-hikers who were writing for a Japanese magazine. Taka had hiked the PCT a few years ago and was now on the AT to write about this. It must be pretty amazing to travel and go on such epic adventures to write for a magazine.Even though we were rushing to get into town, it didn't stop Tuna and SuperFeet from being adventurous and climbing rock walls. This time I even decided to join them! There was this tunnel or cave of some sort that we walked through and climbed up to the top. Apparently this was a secret passagen to a hidden campsite ontop of the rock cave! This was an beautiful campsite - it was completely covered with rhododendrons in full bloom. But then we realized there was a hidden trail that lead back down to the trail. We didn't take that down though. We chose the tough way down and climbed back down the cave through the tunnel cause we're just a bunch of dare-devils of course.When we got to town, all the hotels were filled - not with hikers, but with construction workers. So hikers were out of luck with getting a room. The only availability they had for the night was a bunk room for hikers. Not knowing what to expect, we opted for that and walked into the bunk room. This bunk room looked like a medical room from WWII or something the way the beds were set up. Then we learned that a week or so ago, a hiker with the Noro Virus was just here. This place just gets better and better...But the Chinese food was good! It was absolutely worth the big hike. Especially the warm Chinese donuts mixed with vanilla ice cream - delicious! We're all in food comas now. Sleep sounds amazing every minute! Thwap-Thwap!- Barnacles
Date: 2014-06-01
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

We were able to book a room so we were able to move out of the bunkroom. Once we moved in, we went to Food Lion to grab food for lunch and then we literally didn't leave the room again until 9pm for dinner. Our knees and feet were sore probably from running all the way down to town so none of us wanted to move. Meticulous finally made it into town so she joined us in the room. She wasn't in as much pain as us so she was able to walk around and be productive.Yeah, its been a pretty unproductive and very relaxing day!Thwap-Thwap!- Barnacles
Date: 2014-06-02
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter Campsite
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Everyone woke up today feeling absolutely unmotivated to leave town - especially me. Originally we had planned on hiking 20 miles to the Captain's, but that quickly changed to 8 miles and then down to just 4 miles. So we sat around the motel for hours just watching tv and being lazy. When it reached around 4pm, Meticulous decided we had better get started. We were only going 4 miles so that was only going to take an hour and a half maybe. So what was the rush to get moving, right?Well, our 4 mile hike turned into 9 or 10. Apparently there was a reroute in the works and it took us a completely different route than what we had expected - the reroute that AWOL said wasn't going to happen until AFTER the shelter. So the campsite with water we were supposed to hit? We never went by it. All the water sources we should have passed? There was absolutely none.After hours of being confused and annoyed, we finally came upon the shelter with a one walled privy. That one wall was pretty pointless though because it blocked the person from being seen by people from the shelter, but anyone who was walking up the trail? They could be seen clearly. The privys have been so amusing lately. But the view from this shelter was amazing. You walked up this open, grassy hill that sat on this cliff overlooking a city. It was breathtaking. We pushed on another 1.6 to a campsite just after the shelter since the water source for the shelter was unreliable. After unexpected miles, it was great to finally be at camp! What's pretty exciting about the reroute though is that it just recently opened - yesterday! We read through the log book and no one had complained or even mentioned the new trail until June 1st. So that meant we were one of the first class to ever hike that section of the trail - probably even the first 50 hikers!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-06-03
From: Rice Field Shelter Campsite

To: The Captain's
Miles today: 12.1

The rain didn't come by during the night as we had expected so we were able to pack up a dry tent. Surprisingly, Tuna and Meticulous were still sleeping while we had packed up which is a change since they're always awake really early and definitely always before us. So we had an earlier start than them for once. And as we started, the rain started as well. The tree covered the rain for the most part, but we still got wet. We walked through the fog the entire time. Our shoes were soaked from walking through the grass along the poorly maintained trail. Guess they were so concentrated on the reroute this section was forgotten.When we got to the shelter just before the Captain's, the rain subsided and the sun made its way out. Perfect timing before we had to zip line across the creek to get to the Captain's! It's a pretty cool concept for the Captain to put up his own zip line and offer his backyard for hikers to stay at. Plus, he even had a bunch of sodas waiting in the fridge for us with so much variety! So we relaxed on his yard drying up our gear and drinking cold sodas while SuperFeet and Tuna played football. It was a challenge though trying to walk to the fridge with the Captain's big dog, Buddy, bitting your ankles as you walked and almost knocking you over! Such a sweetheart, but he sure did love going after ankles.Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-06-04
From: The Captain's

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I was woken up last night to a punch in my back. Hearing an, "oh shit",I assumed SuperFeet knew what he had just done and was going to apologize. Instead, I hear him say once again, "oh shit!" but this time much louder. He quickly sat up looking in my direction and yelled out, "What is that?! Get out of here! Get!" And then he suddenly started barking like he would to a bear - loudly. His crazy sleeping habit was kicking in! Which was ironic because we had literally just discussed his crazy dreams habit with Tuna hours before. I quickly sat up and grabbed him to calm him down and assure him that there was absolutely nothing there - and that he probably scared everyone awake from his barking. He claims there was something and it was probably a cat. There was no such thing out there.Dizzy from sitting up so fast, I couldn't get back to sleep for the longest time. And as I was trying to sleep, there was this bright light that kept flashing outside. It might've just been a firefly or something, but it's light was as intense as a camera's flash. It made me think I was going crazy! Boy, what an eventful night.Today's hike felt like it would never end. We began with a steep uphill and it was incredibly humid so it made it much tougher than expected. Once we got to the first shelter we ended up sitting around for at least an hour or so - much longer than we should have because the rest of the day dragged. We could hear the thunder get closer and closer to us as we hiked and all we could do was pray it'd either stay away or hold off until we got to camp. And it really did hold off until we got to camp! The downhill at the end of the day was terrible. So steep and so many rocks...our feet were dying if they weren't already dead at that point. As soon as we rolled into camp, we instantly had to sit down and put our feet in the stream. It began sprinkling so we quickly set up the tent and began dinner. Bedtime came early for us because it began pouring hard. Probably the hardest its rained on us yet on the trail. Hopefully it'll be gone by the morning.Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-06-05
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: broken clouds

I'm more than certain my feet are bruised - especially my toes. Each step I take hurts more than ever. It makes the hike so much more difficult. And now I'm more than certain my feet are dead along with my knees after today. It was an excruciatingly long and felt like it would never end, but at least we've accomplished our biggest mileage today - 18.2 miles! And we got to see the Keffer Oak which is the largest oak tree in the south on the AT. Crazy how old that tree is and for it to still be standing. I also got to see my first black widow spider as I used the restroom in the middle of the night. Yeah, I sat right next to one. Now that was not very fun. Terrifying actually...So I still don't understand how people do this all the time though - the really big miles. It feels terrible at the end of the day! And in the morning I don't even wanna get out of bed cause my legs ache and don't wanna move. Tomorrow won't be all that much better either since we'll be doing a 16, but it's all for Homeplace! SuperFeet has talked it up so much I can't wait to devour everything there!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles