morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-06-25
From: War Spur shelter

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

1:25 pm -I'm knackered! After trying to stay ahead of the stupid Boy Scouts all day, I just decided to give in. I'm exhausted. Today had another murderous ascent over rocks. One long overgrown stretch was covered in stinging nettle. Because of course it is.But today was also the first day I found ripe blackberries and blueberries! It was after a beautiful-but-deadly stretch of cow pastures and fields. It was so hot and I could feel my arms getting sunburned. Just when I thought I'd had it, nature gave me her own trail magic.Hiker hunger hasn't kicked in yet but I suspect it's around the corner. Hiker legs aren't here yet either, although as you can see, I'm doing the miles.It's hard to be patient.9:15 pm -The weird whirr-whirr-eep! sound is happening again. Straw said it might be a whippoorwill?Today I was hiking behind Atlas and he casually turned around and said, "Do you wanna see a bear?"And there in front of him, a bear loped off.I also startled two deer today. One made a noise that was between an elephant trumpet and a yelp. So what do I say about today's decision to do extra miles? This was NOT the stretch to do it. Jeepers. The AWOL guide made it look like there were nice plateaus....but they turned out to be rock scrambling. SO MUCH ROCK. It was endless. Sideways rock, boulders, you name it.I was so tired and moving so fast downhill over boulders that I was practically using my arms more than my legs. It was like some effed up game of rock parkour.At one point Straw, Atlas, and I passed these large rock burial cairns....and I thought, how nice, they made cairns for all the hikers who blow their knees out trying to get up here.My feet are sore. And everything smells foul - even my sleeping pad and sleeping bag. This will be my longest stretch without a shower or laundry. I don't remember everything being this gross last year. Or did I just forget? Also, when I took a break at the Keffler Oak, I ate a package of plain raw ramen. I think we know what that means...I had the UCLA Fight Song stuck in my head on and off all day. This is the fault of three graduations before I left for the trail.
Date: 2016-06-26
From: Niday Shelter

To: Dragon's Tooth
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: few clouds

I don't know entirely how to explain how I got here, but I'm camping at the base of a stone monolith on a cliff facing the sunset and it's freaking gorgeous. I can hear the wind rushing up the mountainside and the sun on the tent netting looks like glitter. I can't tell you how awesome it feels to lie here.Where do I begin?On the day Tanya hiked in with me, we crossed over a log and she paused, saying that snakes in New Orleans often are under such logs. I didn't give it much thought - you pass over logs on the AT every day. Plus last year I only saw one snake - a little garter snake on a bypass trail.Snakes came up again the other night, when AP and I were out on the back porch at Captain's, chatting during the storm. I was admiring how calm she is about confronting bears - they really don't scare her. But know what does? Snakes.It's funny because I am the opposite - bears at night freak me out (less so during the day, as I see more of them) and I'm not scared of snakes.My stepbrother had snakes growing up. My uncle had snakes (Chloe the boey and Victor the constrictor). They're amazing creatures and mostly they move AWAY from people.Anyway, around 4:00 today I was lumbering up my second long climb of the day. Dragging my feet, leaning a lot on my poles, zombie-trudging up the hill.All of a sudden, I saw a flash of movement by my left foot and heard loud hissing.I stopped and slowly backed up. There was an enormous snake coiled up just to the left of the trail. I'd nearly stepped on it! The hissing sound was surprisingly loud and continuous. I took out my phone to take a picture of it, so I could identify it later. And that's when it hit me. That hissing sound wasn't hissing. That was RATTLING. I'd seen rattlesnakes at home in Sycamore Grove, but they'd been brown and normal snake sized. THIS monster was thicker than my arm and had striking colored bands.I threw rocks to see if he'd move. No luck. I finally had to bushwhack through thick brush and trees on the cliff's edge to get around the snake. And when he heard me, he started up again."I'm not going anywhere near you!" I yelled.It called to mind another thing AP told me that night on the porch. She'd had a particularly bad day on the AT and was ready to go to bed when a bear started nosing around her tent. "Not today, bear!" she yelled at it.I hope she and I can meet again soon so I can tell her I yelled at a snake.
Date: 2016-06-27
From: Dragon's Tooth

To: VA 311 / Casa Corbin 
Miles today: 9.0

As you might imagine, selecting just one photo a day out of the dozens I take each day is really hard. Take today, for example. Do I show you any of the jaw-dropping sunrise pictures I took from Dragon's Tooth? Or do I share the vehicular wonder that stumbles its way to the local gas station chock-full of smelly ravenous hikers?Behold the Dragon Wagon.This beast is owned by the proprietor of Four Pines Hostel, a converted 3-car garage filled with fraternity couches and all the basics a hiker could need, including free beer (no interest to me), free freezie pops (huge interest to me), and free peanuts (mmmmm). When the owner is gone, he entrusts the keys to the Dragon Wagon to the most trustworthy of the hikers ---in this case, Stitch. And that person drives everybody down to the gas station to load up on food.When I arrived in the morning, Stitch gave me the nickel tour and I met several hikers whose names I've been seeing in the logbooks, including Friendly Nate (shaved head with diamond pattern Mohawk, looks a bit like Puck from Glee), Kemosabe, Wonderbro, and a German guy and his dog. We all piled into the Dragon Wagon, including the dog who laid his head in my lap, and headed off for the store. I had pizza, orange juice, and a bottled Starbucks frappucino. When flavor combinations like this sound good to you, you're either pregnant or you're a hiker. The quantity of what I'm eating is increasing, but it's the weirdness of it that really signals that hiker hunger Stage 1 is upon me.Side note: I keep being the only female hiker amongst packs of guys. It's reminding me a lot of growing up with brothers in the woods.At the hostel, I was finally able to contact Tanya through texting (still no phone service). She offered to pick me up for the night before our McAfee ascent. So we agreed on a road to meet at- VA 311, another 6 miles or so from the hostel. I left some money in the donation box at the hostel, some tortillas for the guys, then headed back to hike out and meet Tanya.Tanya has now successfully found me at 3 different random points on the trail. We have to keep meeting like this! :-) It's so random and weird. I love it. I'm very lucky to have the type of friend who is crafty enough to figure out how to find me despite GPS-defiant country roads, lack of cell service, trail re-routes, and nutty conspiracy theorists.McAfee tomorrow!
Date: 2016-07-01
From: Jennings Creek / Middle Creek campground

To: Black Rock Overlook
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a short day because I got a late start and there was a rough climb, but no matter, it was an "experience" day. I met another English teacher - Ten Percent from Ohio, named for his goal of doing 10% of the trail at a time. Turns out, his high school's Common Book this year is the same as UCLA's from a couple years back - The Other Wes Moore. I really enjoyed talking books with him.We read in the log at Cornelius Creek shelter that it was worthwhile to press on and camp at Black Rock 1 mile north, so we decided to check it out. We got here early with plenty of time to spare before sunset, so we made dinner (matching Chili Macs), chewed the fat, and started the fire. We've just come from taking a million pictures of the sunset and the ever-shifting violet ridges.Today we also saw the stunning Bryant Ridge shelter. I haven't seen anything like it on the AT. The architect built it in memory of his son, I believe. It had a beautiful poem to him under the eave on the second floor (enlarge photo to read). It had a porch, multi-levels, plexiglass windows...just stunning. I would have loved to have stayed there but it was only 4 miles in.What is it about fires that makes them so lovely to watch and fiddle with?And yes, I started the fire with the early pages of the book-I-found-on-trail that I'm currently reading - Jane Yolen's Cards of Grief.
Date: 2016-07-02
From: Black Rock Overlook

To: Matt's Creek Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

2:15 pm - Bear Tally: 6 (toddler bear, ran scared)Another snake I nearly stepped on, but thankfully much more reasonably-sized than the rattler.This thing I'm climbing, Highcock Knob or whatever the @*#!!! it's called, is trying to kill me. Everything is close - in the sense of moist, hot, buggy. So. Many. Bugs.2:50 pm - This is not the long green tunnel. This is the Bikram rocky torture treadmill.9:30 pm - Family reunion! Atlas and Straw are here! "Mom! We caught up to AT-AT Walker!" Atlas called when his mom came down to the shelter.We have a full house tonight: Ten Percent, Redirect, Red, Atlas, Straw, a southbounder, and me.And finally, Atlas had the chance to teach me Yu-Gi-Oh! It might just take the whole Appalachian Trail for me to understand the rules of that game! The card that cracked me up was the "malevolent nuzzler."(Can I send 3 packets of ramen to the graveyard to special summon a pizza?)It was a rough day...the arches of my feet were hurting from going over all the rocks. I saw a sign pointing to "The Devil's Marble Yard." Indeed. This was walking over the devil's marbles...and softballs...and baseballs...and bowling balls.And my heels were sore from the impact of hard ground and rock. I kept seeking out moss to walk on for relief.But seeing everyone here really lifted my spirits.
Date: 2016-07-03
From: Matt's Creek Shelter

To: Pedlar River Bridge
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: broken clouds

Things are kind of perfect right now...the lingering taste of roasted marshmallow on my tongue. The guttering firelight on my orange tent wall, making the inside of my tent look like a jack o'lantern. The sound of crackling embers on one side and a rushing creek on the other. This family---I don't know where to begin with this magical family and how grateful I am for their kindness and generosity.The inside of my tent is soaked from last night's storm...had to pack it away wet. I'm hoping it being up overnight will help dry it. But even a wet tent and my impossibly dirty grossness couldn't put a damper on a night like this. Seeing Big Mama with her delightful kids....so charming, polite, smart, patient with each other....made me want kids even more. And she has FIVE of them. That she's managing on her own. Plus a dog (Gurgi! As in The Black Cauldron!). On the AT. Since Georgia. WOW.And with all of that, she still makes time to extend kindness to a stranger like me.If you want to learn more about the family's AT journey, check out their Facebook page, 12 Feet Walking. There's also a Gofundme page on there, I believe. My mind is so full but I want to nod off to the firelight. I took a gamble, hiking past the last shelter, knowing I probably wouldn't have enough light to make it to the next. But it led to this.People can really surprise you with their loveliness.Big climb tomorrow. And 4th of July. Can't really compare to the awesomeness of Robbinsville last year, but that's okay.Big Mama and the crew shared with me their lunch, dinner, and campsite. All I had in return were dog treats for Gurgi (thanks again, Sandy!) and the ability to craft a pretty sweet campfire.
Date: 2016-07-04
From: Pedlar River Bridge

To: US 60 / Hampton Inn, Lexington
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: overcast clouds

6:05 pm - Wash-O-Matic, Lexington, VAHappy Independence Day! And I'm spending mine...waiting outside a laundromat! hehe, not really. I had an awesome day with the family and I'm stoked to explore downtown. It's super cute here...I'm tempted to zero. REALLY excited about restaurant food and a coffee shop. Probably should have had dinner first but I wanted to take care of laundry.I was just SO soaked. There are few things more demoralizing than smelly wet socks. And a wet tent. And a damp sleeping bag. And shoes. And backpack. Basically everything you own.And it sucks knowing I could go out there tomorrow and it will get all wet again.7:25 pm Southern Inn RestaurantStrawberry fields salad, fried pimento cheese, fried chicken.Lexington is really adorable and I was feeling bad that there are all these cute shops I won't get to see (The Bookery! Indie coffee shops! Pure Eats, housed in a former gas station! An Irish store! A chocolatier!) Then Tanya reminded me - *I* was the one who talked about not having schedules out here and hiking your own hike. I've been pushing hard. This place is cute. Everything is damp. And I'd like to try out the new glue on the tent repairs. Zero it is.I kind of want to stay on the same schedule as Straw and Atlas, but they could be anywhere now. The fried chicken is tender, but to be honest, it doesn't taste as good as the $1.49 chicken nuggets from Burger King that Big Mama brought to the roadside for us. How sweet of her to include me! After slogging through all of that rain and the muddy trail...soaked to the bone...to have a little packet of nuggets and mustard sauce was just the best thing.And we sat on a picnic table and talked about the X Files...and when she mentioned her appreciation for David Duchovny, I started singing "David Duchovny, why don't you love me?" and she joined in! And her kids were surprised because they'd heard her sing it before and thought she'd made it up. :-)Her son Orion had seen my name in the trail journals and wanted to meet me because I had "one of the coolest names" he'd seen. Kid has good taste. (He's also reading Tolkein's Silmarillion on the trail!)I hope I lived up to his expectations! The Force is strong with that one.11:50 pm - Oh my god have I wrecked this fancy hotel room in record time! (Big Mama was so kind as to give me a lift into Lexington and find somewhere to stay)I saw a few renegade fireworks from the bridge (real fireworks were cancelled due to rain)I'm learning the perils of being overzealous with throwing out trash...and keeping my things in Zip-Loc bags, which I also use for trash. I'm missing my toothbrush and isopropane!I've stretched out the tent in the bathroom...there's bits of the forest floor all over the bathroom. Eeep! I'm drying the tent so that I can re-seal it. I want to hit every coffee shop tomorrow on my zero!Orion, Autumn, Solstice, Cora, Neme, Big Mama....I loved talking, hiking, and camping with ya'll so much. Best of luck on the rest of your adventures! Let me know when you're in California!
Date: 2016-07-05
From: US 60 / Hampton Inn, Lexington

To: Hampton Inn, Lexington
Miles today: 0.0

9:15 am - Hampton Inn - This morning I went into the bathroom and there was a live moth on the soap and my tent hanging from the shower rack. That pretty much describes the state of the place - I brought the forest in with me. I was using a hair dryer on some of the gear hoping to treat and cure the tent. It's delightful to have a day of food and rest. Side note: when I used the bathroom for the first time last night, toilet paper felt like a luxury.1:40 pm - Pure Eats - Hit Lexington Coffee Roasters to do the coffee tasting flight and journal entry. Then came to Pure Eats for a brat, doughnut, and another entry. I hit 200 miles this trip at Middle Creek.I'm super enjoying walking around town, sightseeing, eating, and journaling. Shuttle gets me at 8 am tomorrow morning. And then it's back into the woods until Waynesboro.2:30 pm - Robert E Lee's first gravesite, Traveller's memorial. - An orrery is a planetarium. Great word. 4:00 pm - Second Story of Robert E Lee Hotel - I went to Washington and Lee College, found the English Department (because that's apparently what I do in college towns), saw General Lee's grave, hit the chocolatier for some dark chocolate with bananas, hit the Irish store for Hob Nobs, gazed longingly at books too heavy to carry at the Bookery (totally wanted Hamilton) and just had such a pleasant day. I did accidentally scratch open my legs. I didn't notice until I saw the blood on my fingernails. Oops. I've had to mindfully stop scratching.You have to live a college town that still has book and toy stores, no Starbucks, and like 4 different indie coffeeshops.Noticed my ankle bones have disappeared - feet are swollen but there's no pain. Texted my brother the doc - he told me its heat edema. Too hot, not enough water, too much salt. Yep, describes today.Caught up on the last 2 episodes of Game of Thrones on my phone! Holy sh***t!
Date: 2016-07-06
From: Hampton Inn, Lexington

To: Seeley - Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

11:20 am - Ugh. First day back on trail after a town is hard. I feel low energy, tired. My pack is too heavy. I'm not ready to get all gross again. Although the temperature up here is actually much nicer than down in town.And hey...I'm having some of that bananas and dark chocolate from Lexington and it's helping me recover from the dementors.This morning Ken Hawkins, part of the local trail club, picked me up at the hotel to shuttle me to the trailhead. And he didn't charge me! And he gave me a free fuel canister! He wouldn't take my money.He was coming up to do some trail maintainence so I hiked with him for a bit to learn about what he does. It was interesting! Power tools aren't allowed in these parts, so all of the blowdowns and whatnot have to be handled with hacksaws, sling blades, etc. The ATC stipulates that the area around the trail must be clear by 4 feet. You have to get permission for things like switchbacks and the process can take 2 years. Sometimes the clubs have contests to see who can pull the most weight of invasive species - this year it was garlic mustard, a plant that flowers and drops toxins that kill the plants around it!He called the logs at 45 degrees on the trail "water bars" - they channel the rainwater off the trail.8:05 pm - Partial family reunion! Ten Percent showed up! He zeroed in Buena Vista while I zeroed in Lexington. He also told me the night in the Punchbowl Shelter was AWFUL so I'm sooooo glad I didn't stop there. I had a rough day back. My pack was heavy, it was hot, the bugs were relentless. I had to do the windmill / windshield wiper thing with my pole all day.When I got here I met another father / daughter pair: Nightingale and Cheshire. We talked, watched the fire, and just as I was about to go to bed, Ten Percent appeared! I'm curious to see the Priest log book tomorrow - apparently people write confessions in it.,
Date: 2016-07-07
From: Seeley - Woodworth Shelter

To: Harper's Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: clear sky

After a long uphill climb to get here, and getting rained on, there were 2 or 3 enormous downed trees blocking the path to the shelter. I wasn't sure how to get around them. Over? Under? Around?I chose....poorly.When I felt the first sharp prick around my ankle, I assumed it was a thorn. But then...more. Lots more.If you've ever wondered what it's like to step on a nest of bees, it's a lot like walking into a cactus, and then having the cactus follow you, bludgeoning you in the shins.I threw my piles down, ran down the embankment, dropped my pack, and went straight into the creek. I splashed cold water on my legs to get the bees off...then looked for a spot to lie down so I could put my arm and legs in the water to get some relief from the burning stings.All in all, I can't tell how many stings I got...there are places that are long and swollen, might me multiple stings. One or two on the back of my right arm, at least 3 or 4 per leg. I don't see stingers though, which is lucky.After that, I thought eff it, I am not staying at this shelter. So I went back down the trail to look for campsites.I met a woman, Largo (musical term for "slow"). She was on the last night of a short section hike and said she'd gotten lazy with her bear bag. She said she hoped I didn't mind and went to bed.I inspected the bear bag, which was 50 feet from my tent, resting against a downed tree...2 feet off the ground.I don't think so.If my luck today has me rained on and crashing into bees' nests, I am NOT sleeping next to a bear Happy Meal conveniently placed at bear height.I hung her bag with mine.Being at the Priest with Cheshire and Nightingale was fun. I spent the day hiking there with "Like a Prayer" playing in my head. The bugs there were so bad I made a fire just to get a break from them as I read the journal. Confession: I saw a Pasta Side left in the shelter that was I guessed was meant for Nightingale and Cheshire and I ate it. I couldn't bear another #?!?*!! tuna packet.Then later, I saw in the trail journal it WAS meant for them.I confess! Hiker Hunger made me do it!
Date: 2016-07-08
From: Harper's Creek Shelter

To: Dripping Rock / Tree Streets Inn in Waynesboro
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: moderate rain

7:00 pm - Ming's Chinese, Waynesboro - Orion, you were RIGHT.You were riiiiiiight!(in the voice of Anakin Skywalker at the end of his life)sweet, sweet buttery coconut shrimp...exploding sweet creamy fatness in my mouth...heavy filling warm wonderas if my body were a hollow vessel I could fill with Chinese foodgreen beans - crunchy green vegetables not from a bag!cocktail wiener wrapped in bacon ...okay, kinda soggy / boiled / not good ...DON'T CARE!egg roll...it's probably not polite for me to lip-smack and make these noises but foooooooood!I'm afraid I'm going to fall asleep in this booth in food coma ecstasy.Lo mein...noodley carbs that aren't packaged ramen!folded fried wonton, omg, crab Rangoon?!I want to eat all the things!!My stomach is a bottomless pit but I'm afraid of falling asleep!Deviled egg! Why is this "Chinese"? Don't care! Nom nom nom.Protein! For building muscle! For climbing more effing mountains!Lychee! Loquat! Watermelon! Almond cookie! Lime Jello! Because why not?!(Sudden memory from Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series: having to stop baby dragons from gorging themselves. There's no one to stop me!)The climb out of Harper's Creek took waaaay longer than planned. It was so disheartening to realize how long Id hiked to only cover 6 miles.(waiter brought the check. He thinks I'm done. How cute.)I had told Tree Streets Inn I'd be in today but would confirm date. But I've had no cell reception. I had lunch at Maupin Firld shelter and figured I'd push for Paul Wolfe, even though it was another 16 miles. But when I got to Reeds Gap and got reception, I learned Tree Streets had reserved a room for me TONIGHT, and they were fully booked tomorrow! This was my only chance. So I told them I'd try to make Rockfish Gap by 10:00 pm. And I started running / mad-rock-scrambling. But I still had to ascend Humpback...it was becoming obvious that I couldn't make it and I was killing myself trying to. (broke a tip off my poles in the scramble)But I could hear cars...what if I had reception at the road? I could call for a shuttle! So that's what I did when I hit Dripping Rock. Yellow Truck picked me up and took me to Tree streets in Waynesboro, where boxes awaited me (thanks for the coffee, Mom!!). A lovely Victorian B&B (thanks for going out of your way to do my laundry!) and a shuttle to Ming's, which Orion had been telling me about. I sent a pic to Big Mama for him.