morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-05-27
From: Daleville, Howard Johnsons Express

To: Bobletts Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

Day 66: Our day of resting and feasting in Daleville is over. Time to get back on the trail. Our next segment is a seven day hike up to the Dutch Haus in Montebello, where we will spend next Saturday night. After breakfast at the hotel, we pack up and get on the trail by 8:15. Our packs are heavy with 7 days of food and full water bottles. The morning is beautiful, with full sunshine. The temperature quickly climbs into the mid 80s as we ascend about 1300 ft over the first 5 miles out of town. We reach the Fullhardt Knob Shelter 5 miles into our morning at about 10:00. After a quick stop for some gorp and water, we move on. The next 6 miles are gradual climbs and descents through the woods until we reach Wilson Creek Shelter at 12:30. We stop for lunch here for a half hour. SnotRocket, Anchor, Chef Boy R Dee, and MudBug are having lunch here as well. During our final 7.5 miles as we approach Bobletts Gap Shelter, we get our first glimpse of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This road goes all the way up through the Shenandoahs to Front Royal. We will be crossing this road many more times during the coming weeks. As we walk today, we realize two major milestones: 1. We cross the half way mark through Virginia, and 2. We cross the 1/3 mark between Springer Mt and Mt Katahdin. We are making good progress now and feel really good about our chances of successfully making it all the way to Mt Katahdin. We will not get overconfident though, knowing full well that the trail can throw us for a loop at any time. We reach Bobletts Gap Shelter at just after 4:00. Our feet are very tired and sore after carrying heavy packs for 18.5 miles. We set up our tent on a flat spot beside the shelter, cook and eat dinner, and settle into the tent for the night. A very good day today.
Date: 2012-05-28
From: Bobletts Gap Shelter

To: Bryant Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 67: Slept good last night in the tent. We are up and on the trail at 7:45. As we reach the top of the shelter access trail, someone has left a cooler full of Gatoraid bottles there for hikers. We grab a few bottles for the trail and off we go. The day is again sunny and hot. We sweat profusely as we hike along gently undulating terrain. During the morning, the trail crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway a couple of times before veering away from the road back into deeper woods. Later in the morning, we pass Cove Mt Shelter and begin following a long ridgeline down towards VA 614. It is a pretty descent, with views of distant farmlands and villages in the valleys below. By noontime, we reach VA 614. There is an awesome swimming hole here alongside the road in Jennings Creek. We stop here for lunch and go for a swim along with several other thru-hikers. The water is freezing but it feels wonderful as I take the plunge under. It's nice to wash away the morning sweat and feel refreshed. After lunch, we immediately begin ascending 1000 feet up Fork Mt. So much for feeling refreshed. After a short flat section on top, we descend back down 700 feet, arriving at Bryant Ridge Shelter at a little after 2:00. After yesterday's long day, we decide to call it a day here. We spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the tent, which always feels good. Tomorrow, we will spend the first half of the day climbing about 3000 ft up Floyd Mt, then Apple Orchard Mt. Whoever stated that Virginia is the flat state obviously never hiked it! Feeling good and loving the summer weather.
Date: 2012-05-29
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Harrison Ground Spring Campsite
Miles today: 13.5

Day 68: After another fairly restful night in our tent last night, we rise at 6:30, eat breakfast, and pack up quickly. We want to get an early start for our long climb this morning, hoping to beat some of the heat. By 7:45, we are on the trail and climbing immediately. For the next 3-1/2 hours, we ascend Floyd Mt and then Apple Orchard Mt. The morning is sunny and quite warm, and the sweat flows freely as we climb. Stopping for a quick break at 9:45 to fill our water bottles and eat some gorp, we admire the blooming rhododendruns around us. At this lower elevation, the blooms are starting to fall onto the trail below, creating a carpet of purple. At the higher elevations, the blooms are still in their glory on the bushes. At about 11:30, we reach the top of Apple Orchard Mt at about 4200 ft, completing our big climb for the day. There is a a large FAA tower at the top here, and we stop on the lawn outside the gate here to have lunch. After lunch, we continue on up the trail, where after 0.3 miles, we walk under the Guillotine, a rock formation that has a bolder suspended between two sides, making it look like a guillotine. Moving on, we cross the Blue Ridge Parkway again, walk past the Thunder Hill Shelter, and arrive at our destination campsite at just before 2:00. It is early to stop, but this is what we like to do. We spend the rest of the afternoon resting in the tent as a soft breeze wafts through the netting. Watching the breeze rustle the leaves in the trees overhead proves very relaxing. At about, 4:45, True North and Plant Man join us at the campsite. We share a nice dinner with them a little later. Right now, there is a thunderstorm rolling through. We don't expect it to last too long though, and hopefully tomorrow will be another nice day. Tomorrow, we will be crossing the James River Footbridge, which is the longest bridge on the AT for foot travel only. Another wonderful day for us - good weather, good health, and high spirits as we close in on the Shenandoahs.
Date: 2012-05-30
From: Harrison Ground Spring Campsite

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 69: Last evenings thunderstorm lasted a bit longer than we expected as it rained off and on for most of the night. The heavy raindrops splattering on our rain fly during the night make it difficult to sleep well. By morning, the rain has stopped, giving way to a humid fog. As we start hiking, the fog quickly burns away and once again we have a sunny and very warm day. We cross the Blue Ridge Parkway and then ascend for about 800 ft before going right back down 800 ft. We stop for a quick water and snack break at Marble Springs Campsite and then move on into a nice flat section of ridgeline with some nice views. The trail conditions are excellent today and we make good time as most of the rest of the day is down hill. Arriving at Matts Creek Shelter at about 11:30, we run into Breeze. He is one of the hikers that we started with on our first day out on the trail way back on March 23rd. We haven't seen him since the NOC in North Carolina. He tells us he is meeting up with SHOE, whom he will hike with for the next several days up to Waynesboro. Reaching the James River Bridge, we watch some young kids trying to get their nerve up to jump off the bridge into the river about 30 ft below. None of them jump while we are there. Crossing the bridge, we make our final ascent of the day, about 300 ft up to the Johns Hollow Shelter. Camping here with us tonight are Plant Man, True North, Earthling, Yodler, and a few others whose names we don't know. Tomorrow, we plan to hike about 16 miles to a campsite. We will begin our day with a long, hard climb, but at least the morning will be cooler and our bodies rested.  We are in a nice groove now.
Date: 2012-05-31
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Brown Mt Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 70: This morning at 5:30, a whiporwill awakens us all at the campsite and shelter. It was a beautiful night and the day looks to be equally beautiful. We are up early today and on the trail by 7:00. Our day begins with a 2900 ft vertical climb up Big Rocky Row and  Bluff Mt. The climb goes fairly easily in the cool morning air and low sun angle. We reach the top of Bluff Mt by 10:00. Hiking off of Bluff Mt, we stop in for an early lunch at 10:30 at the Punchbowl Shelter, about 9 miles into our day. Plant Man and True North are also here having an early lunch. After lunch, we cross the Blue Ridge Parkway once again, pausing for about 5 minutes to talk with a cross country bicyclist. The hiking during the afternoon is all easy, and we decide to go an extra couple of miles to the Brown Mt Gap Shelter. About 2 miles before we reach the shelter, we reach a gravel road, where an older couple, Flash and Hot Flash, offer us some Coca Cola and cake. They thru-hiked the AT back in 1987 and the licence plate on their car reads AT-7. We reach the shelter at about 3:45 and find a beautiful, flat camping spot right next to the stream here. For dinner, we join Plant Man, True North, Otto, and Ramblin Man at the shelter picnic table. Dinners on the trail are usually a fun, social time where hikers gather together in a common area to cook, eat, and share trail stories. We spend over an hour this evening at the picnic table socializing before going back to our tent. Tomorrow, we again begin our day with a 3000 ft vertical climb up to Bald Knob. We will employ the same strategy as yesterday - start early to beat the heat. A long, but wonderful day today. The weather could not have been better and we are feeling good.
Date: 2012-06-01
From: Brown Mt Gap Shelter

To: Seeley Woodworth Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: moderate rain

Day 71: We went to bed last night under clear skies, but then at about 9:30, I began to feel the patter of rain coming through the tent screen. I quickly grab my headlamp and pull the rain fly over the tent just as the rain begins to pick up in intensity. It continues to rain off and on for most of the night, and we wake up to a wet, dreary looking morning. We had planned to get up at 6:00 this morning, but with these weather conditions, we linger in our sleeping bags until about 6:30. Luckily, it is not raining as we pack up and get on the trail. Within 10 minutes, we pass a pine cone sign on the trail, marking 800 miles that we have hiked. For the first hour and a half, we ascend towards Bald Knob under cloudy, threatening skies. At about 9:30, the clouds can no longer hold their moisture and the rain begins to fall. It continues to rain as we reach the summit of Bald Knob. We pass another hiker who informs us that heavy rain, wind and possible hail is in the forecast for today, so we we move along quickly. We want to get to the Seeley Woodworth Shelter as early as we can. After we get off of Bald Knob, the terrain gets easier and we break out into several open grassy sections. It's too bad that the weather is so foggy and rainy, otherwise the views from here would be quite nice. At about noon, we stop for a very quick standing up lunch of peanut butter crackers and Fiber One Bars on the trail. No sitting down for a relaxing lunch today. At just after 2:00, we complete our 15.8 miles for the day, arriving at the shelter. Thankfully, there is ample room for us, so we set ourselves up in the shelter. While we sit in the shelter, the sun comes out briefly, then it rains again, followed by a little more sun, then more rain. This pattern repeats itself several times until it is almost dark. With us here tonight are True North, Plant Man, Otto, and Ramblin Man. A hard day today in adverse weather, but we are excited about tomorrow - only 3.4 miles to hike tomorrow morning down to the Dutch Haus B&B, which we've heard good things about. The weather forecast also calls for nice days and cooler temperatures over the next several days.
Date: 2012-06-02
From: Seeley Woodworth Shelter

To: Spy Rock Rd, Dutch Haus
Miles today: 2.3

Day 7:The rain subsided shortly after dinnertime last night. All of us in the shelter are in our bags and settled in for the night by 7:30. Behind the rain storm, much cooler air pushes in. By morning, the temperature is near 40 degrees. There is no need to get up early today since we only have a few miles to hike before 11:00, so we stay in our sleeping bags until about 6:45. By this time, everyone is stirring and gathering and packing their gear. I bring the very wet tent out behind the shelter and set it up to dry in the cool, breezy morning air. We begin our short hike down to Spy Rock Rd at 8:45 and arrive there by 9:45. At 11:00, Lois from the Dutch Haus arrives at the parking lot and drives us down the road another couple of miles to their B&B. This is one stop along the AT that is not to be missed. All hikers, even non-guests, get a free lunch, which is excellent. Dinner is optional for those who want to pay for it, but it is also fantastic. The accomodations here are clean and inviting, and everyone who is staying here does not want to leave. We look forward to breakfast tomorrow. Here with us tonight are Passion Flower, Four Trees, Plant Man, True North, and several others whose names we can't remember. Today has been very relaxing, with great food, great accomodations, and great company. Tomorrow, we move on up over The Priest, our last 4000 footer until we reach New England. The weather forecast looks great for the next several days. Waynesboro, here we come!
Date: 2012-06-03
From: Spy Rock Rd, Dutch Haus

To: Maupin Field Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: light rain

Day 73: This morning, the breakfast chime at the Dutch Haus rings at 7:00 and we all sit down for a wonderful breakfast - quiche, pancakes, sausage, fresh fruit, and orange juice. This place really does it right. At 7:45, we are shuttled back up to the parking lot 1.1 miles from the trailhead. We begin our hike today by walking up the steep gravel road back to where the AT intersects it. By 8:10, we are back on the trail heading north. Our first climb of the day is up The Priest. It is sunny and cool, with a fall-like breeze blowing, and it is refreshing to walk. By about 10:15, we are up and over the summit of The Priest, beginning the long descent to VA 56. About 1/3 of the way down, we come to a beautiful overlook of the Virginia countryside below. There is a church group here holding their Sunday service as we arrive. We participate in a quick morning prayer with them before moving on. At 11:45, we reach VA 56, where we stop for lunch in the shade by the side of the parking lot there. After lunch, we begin a 6 mile, 3000 vertical ft climb up towards Three Ridges Mt. The climb isn't too bad for most of the way. We stop at Chimney Rock about 2/3 of the way up for a break. The view back towards The Priest is amazing. From here, I call the Tree Street Inn in Waynesboro for a room reservation for Tuesday night, two days from today. As we finally reach the top of Three Ridges Mt and begin descending, we get a few minor sprinkles of rain, but they quickly pass and the sun comes back out. Descending about 1000 ft, we arrive at the Maupin Field Shelter at about 4:30. We have hiked 18.1 miles today on the AT plus an additional 1.1 miles up to the trailhead this morning. Our feet are a bit tired, but it has been a great day. Things are really going well for us out here now and we look forward to each new day.
Date: 2012-06-04
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 74: After a restful nights sleep under clear skies, we rise at 6:00 and are on the trail by 7:00. After 1.5 miles, we arrive at Reeds Gap, where we are greeted by a bag full of sodas hanging from a tree. We each take a Coke and stow them away in our packs for later. Today is another gorgeous day, with sunny skies, good visibiliy, and low humidity. Looking at our trail guide, we see that there is a gradual 1000 ft climb this morning spread out over a few miles. After climbing it though, it seemed that it was much more of a climb than the guidebook noted. Must be the lingering effect of hiking over 19 miles yesterday. During the climb, we stop for a break at a beautiful rock outcropping called Cedar Cliffs. We are treated to a sweeping view to the west of Virginia farmlands and countryside below. The going is rather slow this morning, as there are a lot of rocks on the trail. We have to be careful with each step we take so we don't trip. At the top of the climb, we stop for lunch on a large ledge, surrounded by mountain laurel in full bloom. After lunch, the walking becomes easier immediately, as we start a gradual descent. By 1:55, we reach the Paul C. Wolfe Shelter, where we set up our tent below. Camping here with us tonight are Sitcom & Blurg, Hopalong, True North, and Plant Man. Tomorrow, we will hike 5.2 miles with Sitcom and Blurg down to Rockfish Gap, where we will be picked up by a shuttle from the Tree Street Inn. We are hoping to get into Waynesboro early and go to Weasy's AYCE pancake challenge for breakfast. Can't wait!
Date: 2012-06-05
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap, Waynesboro
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

Day 75: We rise at 6:00 this morning, eager to get to Rockfish Gap so we can spend most of the day in Waynesboro. Sitcom and Blurg leave at about 6:45, 10 minutes before us, and as we hit the trail, Plant Man And True North are leaving as well. The 5.2 miles from the shelter to Rockfish Gap go quickly, and by 8:30, we have all reached the road. I call the Tree Streets Inn for a ride into town, but the owner tells me that it will be awhile before he can come get us. As he's trying to explain where we should walk to for him to pick us up, a van pulls up and drops off a hiker. The driver then offers us all a ride into town, which we gratefully accept. The drivers name is Santas Helper. He has hiked the trail before and as he drives, he tells us about all the places we should consider staying at when we get further north. Getting into town, Santas Helper drops us all off at Weasie's. We are all excited about the prospect of a big breakfast. Inside, I order the all you can eat pancake special and SilverGirl orders the 3 eggs, french toast, and bacon special. The pancakes are very large, but I still manage to eat 8 of them. My stomach is ready to explode when I'm finished. The waitress tells me that the record is 24 pancakes. They must have had to carry that person out when he was done. After breakfast, we walk by the post office and pick up our mail drop package before proceeding on to the Tree Streets Inn to get checked in. The Inn is very nice and the rooms are awesome, but we find out that they don't do laundry and that they don't serve breakfast until 8:30, which is very late by hikers standards. As SilverGirl bathes and showers, I walk over to the laundromat, get our wash started, and walk up to the RiteAid Store to by some Steripen batteries. As I get back to the laundromat, SilverGirl meets me there. Finishing up the laundry, we walk over to the A&W, where we order chicken sandwiches, fries, and root beer floats. I am still full from my pancake breakfast, but I down my lunch anyway. I am so full that my stomach hurts and I have to walk slowly as we go back to the Inn. When we get back, all I can do for the next 4 hours is lay in bed, hoping I don't get sick. Thankfully,  I don't, but it is not until about 7:00pm that I feel I can eat again. We walk over to the Ming Garden Chinese restaurant, where we both order the buffet. This is probably the best Chinese buffet we have ever had. The selection and quality of the food there was amazing. Once again, we gorge ourselves. Back at the Inn, we settle into bed and watch a movie before falling asleep. Tomorrow, we have a 20+ mile day planned up to the Black Rock Hut in the Shenandoahs. We wish we could get an early start, but with breakfast not being served until 8:30, we will have to settle for a very late start and a late finish tomorrow.
Date: 2012-06-06
From: Rockfish Gap, Waynesboro

To: Black Rock Hut
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: light rain

Day 76: A long, but wonderful day today. We begin our morning with breakfast at the Tree Streets Inn. Bill, the owner, then shuttles us and K2 up to the trailhead at 9:30. This is much later than we prefer to start, but the terrain looks easy today so we should be able to complete our 20 miles by around 5:30 this afternoon. As we start hiking, it is raining very lightly, but within a half hour it stops and the sun begins to make brief appearances through the clouds. The terrain is quite easy today and the trail is well graded, so we are able to cover miles fairly quickly. At 11:30, we stop at Beagle Gap, about 5-1/2 miles into our day for lunch. Otto, Ramblin Man, Mongoloid, and Fox Trot are here as well. While we eat, a young doe mosies into the parking lot just in front of us and gives us a good show of herself. She is not shy or afraid of us at all. Later during the afternoon, we see another doe about 15 ft from us off the trail. She also has no fear of us. Todays hike is long, 19.8 miles, but it is very pleasant with the nicely graded trail and very few rocks.  We  arrive at Black Rock Shelter at 5:30 and set up our tent on a tent site near the shelter. There is a nice group of hikers here with us tonight (Passion Flower, Four Trees, Talks-a-Lot, Mongoloid, and Fox Trot), and we have a very enjoyable dinner with them all at the shelter. A crackling, warm fire burns 10 ft away from us and the heat reflecting from it feels wonderful. These are the moments that make life here on the trail so special. Tomorrow, SilverGirl and I plan to hike about 13 miles to the Pinefield Hut. Along the way, we will be passing the Loft Mt Wayside, where we plan to stop for lunch. We are off to a good start on our jouney through the Shenandoahs and look forward to the gentler terrain and numerous Waysides and Grills sprinkled along Skyline Drive. In two days, we will be passing the 900 mile mark - wow!
Date: 2012-06-07
From: Black Rock Hut

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 77: We had a few brief showers early in the night, but they were short lived. A whiporwill serenaded us all night long. I thought it might still be raining when I got up this morning, but when I got out of the tent, the sky was completely clear. I had only been hearing drips from the trees on the rain fly. The first thing I see when I emerge from the tent is a fairly large buck about 30 ft from our tent. While we eat breakfast at the shelter picnic table, we notice about 3 more deer in the woods on the other side of the water source. This morning is magical, with crystal clear skies, cool temperatures, and easy walking. The views from Black Rock Mt are spectacular. By 11:30, we have covered the 8.5 miles to the side trail down to the Loft Mt Wayside. We meet up with Four Trees, and the 3 of us walk together the 1/2 mile down to the Wayside, where we enjoy an expensive, but tasty lunch along with Passion Flower, who arrived there just before us. The afternoons hike is a bit tougher as the terrain undulates a bit more. At a crossing of Skyline Drive, we see our first bear of the trip, a fairly small one. He doesn't pay much attention to us as we walk by him about 40 ft away. By 3:15, we arrive at the Pinefield Hut. We are the first ones here, and as we set our packs down and take a rest at the picnic table in front of the shelter, a large black bear walks across the trail about 40 ft from us. He stops to check us out, and we start talking to him and making some noise, which prompts him to turn around and walk the other way. Five minutes later though, he is back, circling in front of the shelter at the edge of the woods. We yell at him again and he continues on his way. SilverGirl decides at this point that tonight will be a night inside the relative security of the shelter. With us here tonight are Mongoloid, Fox Trot, and Talks-A-Lot. Tomorrow, we are shooting for a 21 mile day, but we shall see. The shelter spacing combined with the camping restrictions here in the Shenandoahs make it difficult to plan ideal hiking days. You need to either go really far or really short. Tomorrow, we will pass the 900 mile mark of our hike. We're rapidly approaching the 1000 mile mark, which we will hit at the VA/WV border next week. We hope to be in Harpers Ferry a week from tomorrow, where we will take a few days off to visit our son, Matt, and his wife, Emma, in Arlington, VA. It will be nice to be with family again....we haven't seen any of our family since we started.