morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-24
From: Curry Creek Tentsite

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: few clouds

Late start again. Ran into Shiv, Tumbleweed, Jingle, and Sweets! Hiked with them on and off all day. We hadn't seen Jingle and Sweets in a while because they were ahead of us, but then they took the weekend off in Roanoke to visit friends and came back and caught up! It was great seeing them again. Today we finally got beautiful weather! It was sunny with a slight breeze and blue skies! Rhododendrons sprinkled the ground and mountain laurels were in full bloom. It was spectacular. Verge and I took our time, enjoyed the views by the blue ridge parkway (including Harvey's Knob pictured above), had multiple snack breaks, talked about clothes and food and future trail splurge opportunities (like going to the movies or spending a night in a hotel or getting massages at the halfway point). It was fun. I love talking to her. She's pretty cool...I guess.Came to the shelter mostly thinking we'd eat dinner then push on but there was only one person in the shelter so we decided to stay! (Shelter luxury has been rare lately). This one must be less popular because of the lack of water (we carried some up the hill in preparation). Met Salami and Dirty Bowl who started in mid-April and average 25 miles a day! They both hiked the PCT last year or the year before, too. Les Mayo also showed up and had dinner with us.Missing my awesome parents. Hoping to see bears. Lots of black flies swarming my face. Night!
Date: 2016-05-25
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Petite Gap Tentsite
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

So it's safe to say that last night was the worst sleep I have ever had. You know when you have a bad night's sleep and you can say you at least slept like maybe 1-3 hours cumulatively? I NEVER EVEN FELL ASLEEP. I was lying awake in pain from 9pm until 5:30am when I couldn't take it anymore. By in pain, I mostly just mean because I couldn't sleep. The moon was so bright and shining into my eyes, someone in the shelter had a loud, odd snore, it was WAY too hot, and the best part--the bugs. Little black flies swarmed and tickled and bit my face, hands, and neck ALL night. It was the most frustrating thing ever. I'd try to hide in my sleeping bag from them but it was too hot!!! So I'd try mind over matter...and be about to fall asleep...and one would bite my hand or crawl into my nose. It was awful. Upside: I got up to see the sunrise. Downside (besides the obvious of no sleep): no sleep on a 22 mile day in the hot hot sun!At least it was super beautiful all day. I gotta say, I enjoy the green tunnel. Felt kinda sick all day. Actually passed out on the trail for a ten minute power nap. Oops. Then we had to trek extra long through bear-danger-zone. (Originally we planned 20 miles but had to go farther because the bear-problem area stretched further than we thought).Tenting in Petite Gap with Big Bad Wolf! Resupply in Glasgow tomorrow, and Great P said he might do trail magic! Wahoo!
Date: 2016-05-26
From: Petite Gap Tentsite

To: Glasgow
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Humid! But nice out. Short day from our tentsite. Mostly downhill.We crossed the longest foot bridge on the AT, and then we were greeted by Great P doing trail magic! It was a fantastic selection of bananas and carrots and pickles and soda and apples! So yummy! And we had nice company to boot! He even gave us a ride into Glasgow after! (He'd been giving people rides back and forth all day!) He's awesome.We got our package in Glasgow and claimed our spot at the free shelter in town. We saw Lassie there, and we met Odysseus, Outback, Ron Paul, and Smash. We hung out with Lassie and Odysseus for a while then went out to eat for a lovely big dinner at Scotto's. Oreos from the grocery store for dessert. Then we hung out around a fire until it was time for sleep. Lovely day!
Date: 2016-05-27
From: Glasgow

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

So I neglected to mention the run-in with a couple of locals last night. Two guys came and hung out by the fire, and it was kind of a weird interaction. They were both very drunk and under the influence of other substances as well, and they stayed until two in the morning when many of us wanted to be asleep. Herm. Anyway, the next morning, Lassie, Outback, and Odyseeus called the shuttle guy to leave, but Verge and I stayed for a bit and ended up running into Jingle, Sweets, Tumbleweed, Shiv, and their friend who was visiting! It was a lovely surprise. Then a guy came by the shelter and asked if anyone needed a ride in a half hour! Perfect timing! We both squeezed in another shower, and we're ready when he arrived. (Bumpy joined in for the ride as well).However, after we all got packed in the van, his car wouldn't start. We got Verge to go get someone to help jump it, but that didn't work! So someone tried to fumble around and tap the starter from underneath, but that didn't work either. We were resigned to call the shuttle guy when Jingle saunters out from his lunch break at Scotto's fiddles with something quickly and the car started! Thank goodness for Magical Jingle! He modestly mumbled, "there was just a bad connection," but I have no idea what that means. Verge got shotgun, and Bumpy and I sat in the back of the van on a bucket and a carton with no seatbelts and nothing to hold on to as our driver (previous trail name Fish) rushed down the windy roads and told us about his time on the trail and his years of living and hunting in the woods. It was quite the experience! Sadly, Verge and I were a little bit carsick when we said our thank yous and goodbyes and had to wait a bit before hiking. As we waited we ran into a SOBO sectioner who showed us some nice pictures on his phone. After a snack, we were good to go up the giant hill, and by now it was 2:30pm. 10 miles of face melting humidity up a big hill to the shelter, and we saw ETA and Great P! Happy for good company. (Great P sporting his new fancy attire pictured above--new flamingo shirt, purple pants, and purple buff--love it!) We also ran into Firestarter and I met Blazer, a guy from Germany.I then proceeded to play lots of fun cards with Great P. So many bugs were out! I survived. Listened to the peepers and bullfrogs before sleep. Lovely!
Date: 2016-05-28
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Hogcamp Gap Tentsite
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: few clouds

800 miles today! Wahoo! Verge, Great P, and I hiked to an amazing swimming hole! It was so refreshing and fun! I definitely stayed there at least an hour! Loved it. Perfect for the heat we've been experiencing.I then basically had a perfect day of hiking. Everywhere was so green and lit up by the sun. I'm happy to now also be able to identify garlic mustard on the trail for an extra bite of green here and there. Though there was a hill bigger than yesterday, I was luckily able to be distracted by good conversations with Great P. We plowed through the 17ish miles for the day, and we even got a couple pretty views! The light breeze, blue sky, and tons of green and sunshine made me so happy. We got to the campsite and it was packed with people! I had almost forgotten it was Memorial Day Weekend! So many day hikers and weekenders. I met a lovely group of Boy Scouts as well as a man and his son who come every year and give bananas and hot dogs! The banana hit the spot. Enjoyed my evening thoroughly. Happy to get to camp earlier to have more time to hang out. Shout out to my awesome parents Bombadil and Goldberry for passing 1000 miles! Jeez, Verge and I need to up the miles if we're ever going to catch 'em. Great job guys; I'm floored! Love you!Also--I always appreciate the supportive comments in my guest book everyone--thank you!
Date: 2016-05-29
From: Hogcamp Gap Tentsite

To: Tye River Campsite
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice hike; lots of rain; I discovered I love azaleas and how they smell (pictured above) rain into Shiv and Tumbleweed and their friend, and they gave us trail magic chocolate! Hiked up the priest and wrote a confession in the trail log (as tradition calls for), lots of day hikers and weekenders everywhere. I listened to the band Alt J on the way down the mountain, and I loved the wind. Nice camp by the water with Pantry and his dog Mofie. Met s nice weekender from PA who told us about jule weed (snap dragon?) and the curative properties it possesses. Amazing dinner of cheddar broccoli rice side and then nice pomegranate tea. So tired tonight. Good night!
Date: 2016-05-30
From: Tye River Campsite

To: Humpback Mountain Tentsite
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: broken clouds

Beautiful, sunny day but way way hot. It's been so hot and humid lately I've been dripping sweat constantly (ew). Especially with all this uuphill! We conquered Three Ridges today. Also, to be honest, I thought since it was Memorial Day Weekend and it was crowded with people that there'd be trail magic, but I guess I've just been spoiled so far into expecting it. Alas, there was none....untiiiiil our long day was almost over, we were very much dragging and there were coca colas in a river!!! We each had one, and it was just the refreshing pick-me-up I needed. On our way down the mountain to our campsite, I saw my first bear!!! It looked a little small, so it was probably a juvenile, and he was a curious little fella! He didn't immediately run away! He kept staring at us and then would saunter a few paces away and stop and look at us again. It was so cool! I tried to snap a pic, but I guess I was too excited and worried he'd run away so it's not a very good picture (a little blurry). Anyways, Bear! Yay! (He eventually scurried away). Then we got to our tentsite and there was only one other tent (a guy named Smiley). We ate a quick dinner, and settled in. I'm thankful I had service and was able to chat with my fabulous Kate and tell her all about my trail adventures. I can't wait until Pennsylvania when I can visit her!
Date: 2016-05-31
From: Humpback Mountain Tentsite

To: Church Hostel
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What a beautiful, relaxing day! We hiked the lovely 9 miles into Waynesboro and immediately got asked if we needed a ride! We hit up the outfitters (where we ran into Iwox and Chicken Feet) and then got dropped off to do laundry (where we ran into St. Nick). We then walked to the post office to get our package and were offered another ride to the church hostel! What luck!There we saw Fob (and learned his full name is Fob W. Pot--short for Father of Boy Who Pooped On Trail haha) and Hawaii. The church hostel was great! It was so clean and relaxing. We got to set up our beds, take showers, have snacks, and I got to play piano! Finally it was time for the long awaited Ming's Garden trip (AYCE Chinese buffet!) Our buddy Outback joined us and we saw Lassie and Odysseus as well! It was so delicious! I had salad and sushi and lo mein and broccoli and coconut shrimp and a plate of dessert too! Yum! I wa Sao happy to get some sushi.We finished off the night with a fun trip to Krogers and watching Shawshank Redemption and eating chocolate cake with Fob. It was a perfect day. Verge and I were both so relaxed and content.
Date: 2016-06-01
From: Church Hostel

To: Stealth Shenandoah Tensite
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: broken clouds

June! What?! How is it June already??Verge and I had a relaxing morning after eating a quick yummy breakfast and leaving the church. We explored Krogers again, met Han-SOBO (a south bound hiker who started in Harper's ferry, is hiking to springer then flying to Mexico and hiking to Panama!) and tried to decide what we wanted to do. To zero or not to zero? To near-o or to do 21 miles? Decisions decisions! In the end, we decided we should explore town, go out to eat, and go to the movies! Lunch at the Green Leaf Grill was great! It reminded me a lot of the Ale House (where I used to work)! We finally got to see the jungle book (thanks to a ride from a trail angel who offered us a ride named John)! It wasn't quite as good as we had hoped, but it was still fun to watch, chitchat, and eat movie candy. Got a call from the dad and he updated us that they got to Pennsylvania! (And they said they'd be staying in a hotel in Waynesboro, PA to celebrate so we'd both be in Waynesboros--pretty nifty). We were definitely debating just zeroing, but why not get back to the trail? So, we called a trail angel (Mr. Gizmo) and got back to the trail that night at 7:30pm and walked as far as we wanted until we found a nice little spot to set up. It was only four miles, but at least we were back in the woods and had entered the Shenandoahs! As a side note, it's funny how quickly we can go from being in playful moods to being grumpy. Also, bear-bagging in the dark is the bane of my existence. Or really just bear-bagging in general. I swear I'm getting worse and worse at it.
Date: 2016-06-02
From: Stealth Shenandoah Tensite

To: Black Rock Hut
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: broken clouds

Beautiful day of hiking! Nice terrain. I definitely have realized I need more music and dancing in my life in order to be truly happy. An increase of spontaneous dance parties is in order!Verge and I were about a mile or so away from the next shelter when we got caught in a downpour! This is the first REAL rain is say we've been caught in. It was awesome!! We just sang and trudged through the streams as rain poured down our faces into our mouths. I loved it. I couldn't stop smiling.We stopped at the shelter for water and decided to stay in order to (try to) dry off. Fun people! Met Myles, New Hampshire bob, storyteller (who knows Bombadil and Goldberry!), tree, diatom, mola, and saw mountain goat, sleeping beauty, dolly, and farmer. I enjoyed my delicious dinner and listened to some Explosions in the Sky before bed.
Date: 2016-06-03
From: Black Rock Hut

To: Prickly Tentsite
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: moderate rain

Banged out a super quick 7 miles to the Loft Mountain Store where we decided to snack, have showers, and do cheap laundry! We got so relaxed and preoccupied we actually stayed there for like three or four hours! By the time we finally got going we were debating only doing 6 more miles, making it only a 13 mile day; however, when we got to the next shelter and it was only about 5:30ish, we decided to do dinner and continue on. The Shenandoahs are so mystical. The crazy amounts of green brush and vines and little white flowers and dense dense forest make me feel like I got transported into a world of fairies and elves or something; it's fantastic! I saw a bear and five deer today! Awesome. So, we run into a lot of people who always ask about how it is to hike with your sibling. They always say, "I'd never be able to do that; we'd kill each other!" Well, thankfully, Verge and I are very close and know each other very very well; in fact, she's one of my best friends! I typically can sense her moods so well that I know what things I can and can't get away with in a given moment; however, it seems we either are just spending way too much time together or maybe our hormones are out of whack, but lately, yes, sibling stuff has been more difficult. It's only taken about 900 miles, but it's happening. It's been rough for a little bit, and since I'm writing about my experience on the trail, I figured this counts as an important tid-bit to mention.
Date: 2016-06-04
From: Prickly Tentsite

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: mist

Hugely late start! I felt like we were such sleeping beauties because we slept in and camped in tons of thorns. We got to the next shelter for water and hung out with jelly, tree, Odysseus, napster, and saw great p! So many day hikers and weekenders in the Shenandoahs because of the beauty, easy terrain, awesome wildlife, and amazing campgrounds with camp stores and laundry and showers and food! Hiked with great p today and relaxed at a picnic area, listened to the ominous thunder, and stopped at the camp store for ice cream (it was so good), and then we got poured on! Great P and I raced to the shelter around 6:30 thinking there'd be at least four or five people but there were none! Great P, Verge, and I had shelter to ourselves! We hung out with Odysseus who tented and it rained all night. Lovely day!
Date: 2016-06-05
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Rock Springs Hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: moderate rain

Had a relaxing morning and left around 9:30 with the intention of hiking 22 miles; however, the thing about the Shenandoahs is that there are so many distractions! Verge and I hiked 8 miles to Big Meadows Campground and were once again tempted by laundry and showers because although we had just done laundry and showers two days ago, we hiked a big day and got rained on which pretty much automatically means you stink again. It was terrific. The shower was so warm and so worth it.Sadly, it was getting later and it'd been raining (again) so we cut our day short--by ten miles! That pretty much never happens. We feel a lot of pressure to do bigger miles so that I can be done in time for school in the fall (and so that we can catch our dad), so days shorter than 15 miles pretty much always make us uncomfortable these days (unless it's an "into town" day). I've been loving the Shenandoahs for the beauty and terrain, but there are just so many non-thru-hikers and random stops with luxuries, and it just is so different from the rest of the trail that it confuses me! I don't know if I like it. If I was more relaxed about miles maybe I'd enjoy it more? Anyway, even through the rain and the weird miles, I'm still going strong in the happy department! Don't let the fretting fool you! I enjoy every day. I enjoy the sweaty hard work up the hills, the beating of the downhills on my feet, the heavy rain as it pours down my face, the sense of community and family on the trail, the peaceful quiet of the woods around you when you're alone, the companionship with the wildlife, being able to think about how I feel in a given moment or what fun adventures the future will bring, being able to bond with people I meet on the trail, being able to practice patience and communication, being able to hang out with my sister (whether it's quarreling or laughing) and so much more! I have so much to look forward to as well. In just about one week I'll be in Harper's ferry--the mental halfway point of the AT. Just about one week after that my mom is coming down to visit us, slack pack us a day or two, do trail magic, and celebrate my birthday! Probably a week after that (or so?) I'll be close enough to visit Kate in Pennsylvania! She's been such a great support for me on the trail. Just today I got to talk to her on the phone! It was lovely. Every day there's something to look forward to. I love it. I'm happy. Side note: this just in--there's a guy at the shelter who uses mousetraps at shelters, and he set one up and caught two mice in one trap! Then he set up another and caught two more mice in that one! It's mostly sad, but also a little humorous because besides Verge and me, the shelter is full of guys, and they all crowd around the traps and watch the mice get caught. Boys! Seriously? Goofs. Also, beautiful sunset.
Date: 2016-06-06
From: Rock Springs Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 28.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I actually woke up early for once! (6am)The shelter boys from last night were Princess Peach, Mountain Goat, Happy Feet (from Germany), Napster (from Germany), and the comical mouse-murderer Pharmacist. Jelly also kept us company but he tented down the hill with his awesome hiking companion, Maggie, aka Peanut Butter, aka his cute puppy. They were a fun group. Verge and I were wondering how far we should go, and we settled on aiming for 22.5 miles to get to Elkwallow wayside for a couple of granola bars for the next day. We thought that it closed at 5:30pm, so we got going!Today was MARVELOUS! Finally no rain! It was sunny and breezy and perfect! Verge and I happily hiked along, and we actually got a couple views on the way! I upped my bear count to six so far! My deer count is way too high for me to remember; they're everywhere, and they're so friendly and not afraid of us at all. Verge and I hiked with Pharmacist for a while (man, he's fast!), but he was stopping off in Luray and we were continuing on. Somewhere along the line, we made a joke about going the whole way to the next shelter, which would be 28.5 miles for the day...but we were definitely just joking!Verge and I got to the Elkwallow wayside at 4:20pm! That means we hiked 22.5 miles in 7.5 hours! Pretty cool. We got there and soon realized that it was open until 7pm...but that means we could just relax! I wanted to eat everything in the whole store. I settled for a banana and a milkshake (we cooked our dehydrated meal for dinner). At the wayside I met Kanuck! (My parents hiked with him for a while) I also met ROC Steady and a couple who reads my blog! They recognized my picture and told me they keep up with my whole family on the trail! I couldn't believe it! I think it's so cool when that happens! (Thank you for your kind words and support--it's so appreciated!)Jelly and Maggie (Peanut Butter) joined us at the wayside, and we hung out with them for a bit. Jelly is from Boston! Always fun to meet fellow Massachusettsians (it's a thing; let it happen). Verge and I left at 6:30pm deciding to push the final 6 miles to the shelter! 28.5?! What?! Can we really do it?!Answer: YES!! We banged out those last 6 miles in two hours. (The milkshake must have really energized me). The shelter was so crowded! Luckily, there was room in the shelter! (Lots of people tented). We saw Outback, Lassie, Odysseus, and Spaghetti Legs. We also saw Napster! He decided to do the 28.5 miles as well! Awesome. Lots of mice at this shelter. Where's Pharmacist the Exterminator when you need him? Just kidding. Mice are cute. (P.S. the pharmacist murdered 15 mice at that last shelter. 15!!! Downright genocide.) Who will Cinderella have as sidekicks now?!