morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-26
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I don't know who set my tent up on the worst incline of all time but they need to be fired. I opened the fly this morning and my sleeping pad headed out the door. Not my best effort. Oh, and another first last night. I actually got out of my tent in the middle of the night to take the rain fly off. There was a fly buzzing around between my tent and rain fly. You'd think that fly could have figured out how to get under it but he decided he'd rather buzz all night.I left at the usual time and finished up the last four miles to Apple Orchard Mountain. It was humid but there was a nice breeze at the top. The FAA tower looked a lot like a Doppler radar so I spent a few minutes checking it out.I made it a few more miles and had lunch at the Thunder Ridge Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Quite a few folks had made it from their cars to the viewpoint. I chatted with a few of them while I stuffed my face with pepperonis and Frito's.I've been going back and forth with Steam Machine from Germany all day. We spent a few minutes at one of the gaps laughing that we'd just climbed Highcock Knob. We're still laughing at it here at the shelter tonight. Yes, I know, I'm a 12 year old. I'm not interested in growing up.The next 8 miles were spent descending down to the James River. It's been hot all day and I had dreams of diving in all afternoon. When I got there the cops were ticketing some locals for jumping off the bridge. Dangit. So I headed to the edge and waded in, clothes and all. It was truly the best decision ever. Now my skin and my clothes smell like river water. Consistency is key.I hopped out and headed towards the road. When I got to the top I was handed an ice cream sandwich. Delicious. I crossed the road and headed for the shelter only to be pulled in by a beautiful stream. It was already 6:00 so I decided to go ahead and make dinner there so I wouldn't have to do it at camp. As Forrest Gump would say, "one less thing".I finished the last couple of miles to the shelter to find Steam Machine, Weatherman, and Doc already here. The big topic of conversation is the 2000 foot climb first thing in the morning. There are three big climbs before Waynesboro and it should amount to one everyday. I'm always glad to knock them out in the morning.That's it. Still pushing to hit Waynesboro this Saturday. Virginia still isn't flat. Ricky asked about Summer vs. Winter gear. The only thing I technically swapped out was my sleeping bag. I was using a 20 degree bag and I went to a 40 degree backpacking quilt. Otherwise I sent home a bunch of clothes. Rain pants, winter hat, long sleeve shirt and a pair of warm socks.
Date: 2015-05-27
From: Johns Hollow Shelter

To: Bald Knob
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The days of me getting out of camp first seem to be over. I was out of my tent at 6:55 this morning and was the last one to pack up. I even left at 7:15. I've been around a really good group of hikers this week.The 2000 foot climb wasn't bad at all. It was long and humid and I was able to wring sweat out of my shirt at 8:00 in the morning. Still though, for 2000 feet, not bad. The views from the top back to the James River might have helped its cause.The next few miles were quick then up to Bluff Mountain. Apparently a 4 year old wandered away from school in the 1890s and was found dead on top. Or so says the monument. I had lunch at the Blue Ridge Parkway because of trash cans. If you ever meet a thru hiker in the woods ask for their trash. I promise there will be excitement. Fozzie and Trick showed up and enjoyed it with me.This afternoon, as I was crossing the Pedlar River Bridge, I had the iPod on shuffle and "Where the Boat Leaves From" by Zac Brown came on. Good thing nobody was there to prove that I might have danced across the bridge. It was a suspension bridge so I didn't have to provide all the motion. Around 4:00 I hit Brown Mountain Creek Shelter and a few of the folks from last night were already there. My plan was to eat dinner there and climb the 2700 feet up the next hill so I didn't have to do it in the morning. They made a convincing argument to stay but stubbornness won out. It was only 5:00 when I got done eating and there were still some good hours left to hike.So, I made my way up the mountain. I mildly regretted leaving but I'm glad I'm up here. I have to drop 600 feet in the morning to 3487' and then climb back up to 4000'. After that it should be pretty decent all the way to The Priest. The trail descends 3000 feet there then climbs the same distance to reach Three Ridges Mountain. It's the last huge climb before Waynesboro and the biggest of this stretch. I'll go up it Friday. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.That's it for today. I'm thoroughly exhausted and only pushing this hard because I want to be in town this weekend. I think I have enough food to be out until Sunday but I don't want to push it.
Date: 2015-05-28
From: Bald Knob

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 25.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The bugs were excited to see me last night. Those little moving lumps under my tent are so precious. I almost feel bad when I start banging on my tent floor to make it stop. Almost.I was up and gone a little before 7:00 with big plans this morning. I knew I wanted to knock out the immediate 500 foot climb because I wanted big miles by lunch in order to have an idea on where I could get to tonight.By 10:30 I was already hungry but was 9.3 miles in. I came to a really good stream and had an early lunch. I was pumped to already be there.By 1:00 I made it to Spy Rock and decided I had a few minutes to climb on this really massive boulder. When I say massive I mean bigger than a pretty big house. I got to the top, looked out across the valley and saw a storm moving in. I ran back off the rock, packed everything up, threw my rain cover on and ran back up the trail. Fifteen minutes later the sky opened up and the trail became a river. Sour feet, anyone?It lasted about 20 minutes and I was mildly thankful for the impromptu soaking. I had a shower on Sunday so it can't be that bad, right?Around 2:30 I climbed up The Priest and ran over to the shelter. It's a tradition to confess your trail sins in the register so I did just that. I'd tell you what they were but it's between me and everyone who goes up there.I got to the bottom of the mountain about 6:00, crossed the Tye River and found a good rock to have dinner on. I'm really liking it when I stop to cook dinner at a cool spot. It gives me another hour or two to hike when it's cool and I can go straight to bed when I get to camp. I chatted with a local guy while I cooked and he fished. We both work on computers for a living and agreed neither of us wanted to talk about it. Kayaking, mountain biking, and backpacking were far better subjects.I left there about 6:40 and proceeded up the 1000' climb to the shelter. The trail was pretty nice and went fast with a full stomach. This shelter area is actually really great with a ton of campsites and a creek. Tomorrow I'll finish the last big climb to Waynesboro first thing and hopefully end up 5.1 miles from Rockfish Gap. The big day today sets me up to coast into town on Saturday. I'm ready for some real food.
Date: 2015-05-31
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: light rain

I'm getting a lot better at not hurrying out of town. We woke up a little late this morning and laid around for a while before even thinking about hiking. By 10:30 we finally took showers and began packing. We didn't leave until noon.The three of us headed to Mccalisters for lunch and sat there for a while watching a plane pull gliders into the air. We were mostly doing the standard stall tactics because leaving isn't fun. By 1:00 we headed back to the trail and I spent the ride putting my smelly shoes back on.We got back to the gap, I polished off a Gatorade, said my goodbyes, and headed up the trail. It was great hanging out with Mrs. Rock Boat and her amazing Mom. I'm not sure if I told her Mom thank you for everything before I left so I'll do it here. Thank you for the massive amounts of food and my new shirt. It fits like a champ. I walked across I-64, up Skyline Drive and made the right turn into the woods. It only took a few minutes to get to the permit station for Shenandoah. I filled mine out and the skies started to get dark. Just like the Smokies. National parks don't like me for some reason. I grabbed my pack cover and got the rain jacket handy just in case.Within minutes I saw a blinding light and heard a really loud clap of thunder. I took a few seconds to verify I was alive and that my shorts were still clean. I've had a close call with lightning, in the Smokies, but this was scary close. After a few minutes I just continued on. It sprinkled but thankfully the downpour never came.I got to Calf Mountain Shelter ridiculously early, as in a little after 4:00 but with thunder returning I decided to call it a day. I'm usually really good in thunderstorms but the close call earlier really got in my head. With 12 miles to the next campsite I didn't want to risk getting everything soaked the first day out of town anyway.I got here and met Ha Ha and some sectioners. Bonobo, Lightning, Rocky Mountain High, and Magoo showed up a little later. It's been a good night with a lot of laughs so I don't regret stopping. I had planned to come here anyway but the trail was so much faster that the miles came quickly. Stopping that early definitely felt strange.Alright, considering 26 tomorrow if the trail continues to cooperate. Everything I've been told says it should. And there may be milkshakes and hamburgers at some point in the day. Quite a change from last week.
Date: 2015-06-01
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Gigi and Magoo get up early so I did too. I actually wanted to with the threat of afternoon thunderstorms looming. I was up and gone at 6:30.Now, I've griped a lot about the promises of a flat Virginia. Everyone generally agrees that it has been a really tough state to hike. Well, today the prophecy was fulfilled. There were a couple of decent climbs but nothing over 800 feet and the trail grade was that of my dreams.Early on in the day I came across what I thought was my first bear on trail. From a distance I saw a black something up the trail and slowly started walking towards it. When I got closer it started to stand up and I thought it was starting to get angry. Then I saw white, girly legs. And then realized it was Trick with her giant black pack cover sitting on the trail taking artsy pictures of a snake. Hilarious. That pack cover could probably hold three of her inside of it.By 2:00 I heard thunder and was right next to the Loft Mountain Camp Store. 20 miles in. I ran into the store, bought a bunch of drinks and hung out in the corner since there was an outlet. The lady working there was awesome and we had a good conversation about how she works summers in national parks. That sounds like the best retirement idea of all time.The storm hit South of me so I decided it was time to hit the Wayside a mile away. In the park they have things called Waysides that have a restaurant and a shop in them. It's pretty great. I met Pork Chop there and spent a good hour eating chicken fingers. Again, this is nothing like last week. But still, at that point it was 4:00 PM and I had only 4 miles to go to finish a 26 mile day.The rest of the hike went quick and I got to the shelter around 6:00. Lightning, Bonobo, Pork Chop, Trick, Janie and Flyboy are all here as well. Janie has decided to hike from this shelter to Maine so today was her firsr day. She tolerated all of us so it seems like a good start. It's been a fun night. I'm sleeping in the shelter again, or hut as they call them here in the park. As I type this it's pouring rain so I'm happy with my decision. No idea where I'm going tomorrow but it may be a shorter day since we're having to shelter hop because of all the camping rules here.Good day though. Talked to a lot of random people and really enjoyed the miles. It was really a break after last week and my knees are thrilled with it. Hopefully it's like this all the way to Front Royal.
Date: 2015-06-02
From: Pinefield Hut

To: Bearfence Mountain Hut
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

There was a fun mouse in the shelter last night. I stayed in there with Flyboy and Janie to escape the downpour. Neither of them hung their food on the bear poles. I had a fun night teasing them both about it. The mouse never bothered me though.It rained all night but slowed up in time to leave this morning. We had all planned to do 20 miles today so nobody was in a rush. I left right after Pork Chop at around 7:15.The trail today was a touch harder than yesterday. Just a little more elevation but not too bad. The fog and rain really seem to make the miles slow up though. I finished the first 8 miles to Hightop Hut by 10:30 and stopped for lunch.Pork Chop was already there and a couple of trail maintainers and Lightning showed up a little later. We spent the latter part of lunch making fun of Lightning and his attempt to dry his tent in the wettest possible conditions. Even the trail maintainer threw in a jab.I left around 11:30 and ended up hiking around Bonobo most of the day. By 4:00 we came to Lewis Mountain Campground and decided to walk up the hill to the camp store. Pork Chop was already there and we sat outside on the bench eating and drinking until after 6:00. It was a great time and luckily we were less than a mile from the shelter.We made the quick walk down the hill, found where Lightning had gone, claimed our shelter spots and hung out around the picnic table. A few minutes later Pork Chop started pointing out a bear in the woods. None of us could see it so I started walking towards that direction. I think the bear and I saw each other at the exact same time because he snarled at me right when I saw him. Like a little girl I hustled back to the shelter. We spent a minute discussing our strategy and all decided it didn't need to be so close. We grabbed our hiking poles and started making a ton of noise and yelling at it. Eventually he wandered off. Judging by all the bear poles and the bear box at this shelter I'm assuming it's been a problem in the past. Atleast I've officially seen a bear on trail. And this guy was huge.Tomorrow looks to be another 20ish miles. There's a Wayside and a restaurant during the day so we may get sidetracked. I think we're all getting a little spoiled. It's been nice though. It's not perfectly flat here but the hills are ridiculously manageable compared to what we've been doing. It's strange to do 20 miles and feel like we're slacking. Hopefully the weather gets better before we finish the park.
Date: 2015-06-03
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Byrds Nest #3 Hut
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, the bear never returned. Or atleast never bothered us again. I think there was a mouse but he was only heard and never seen. We were all up a little after six though since the sun is coming up early.The morning was really a seven mile race to the Wayside. I got there around 9:45 and Lightning was already at a table.   I ordered and Pork Chop came in shortly after. It was a light breakfast of biscuits and gravy, an English muffin with bacon, egg, and cheese, and a giant piece of blackberry ice cream pie for dessert.After that it was a 9 mile race to the restaurant for lunch/dinner. The three of us hiked in together and spent far too long charging gadgets and eating overpriced cheeseburgers. At 5:30 we decided it was time to make the 6 mile trip to the shelter, in the rain.About a mile in we came to a corner in the trail and saw a little bear hanging out to our left. Unlike last night this was the cute variety of bear. He slowly meandered out of sight and we continued on. Two bears in two days though, not bad.We arrived at the shelter at 7:30 to find it mostly packed. It's raining and cold so we did a little convincing to get the folks to make space. So, we're packed in here like sardines but it's better than a wet tent. This cold weather and rain really bring back memories of the Smokies. Luckily this park has the restaurants which redeem it completely.I haven't even looked at the guide for tomorrow. I know the shelters are spaced badly so I may actually have to break out the tent. It's rained every day since I've been here so I just haven't used it. I've really enjoyed the park though. Easy hiking, tons of food, and I've been with a fun group the whole way.
Date: 2015-06-04
From: Byrds Nest #3 Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night a guy snored so loud that he kept the shelter up most of the night. Around 10:30 PM I gave up, grabbed my iPod and found an empty radio station for the white noise. I had to turn the volume up all the way to drown him out. This morning he looks at me and asks me why I had my phone on all night and that he heard it from my headphones. I responded that it was to drown out snoring. He comes back with, "who snored?". The entire shelter responded with a unified "YOU!". It was great.We all struggled to get up and out this morning with this weather. It was so cold, windy, and rainy this morning that nobody wanted to get out of their sleeping bags. Bonobo finally sat up and deflated his mat, so I did too. I was first out at 7:45.It has rained all day and is still going as I type this. Not the best of days and it has made for sluggish hiking. I discovered that since we're so close to Washington DC that I can listen to radio stations as I walk. Morning radio is still really bad but I liked a little change in the routine.By noon we made it to Elkwallow Wayside and stopped in for lunch. This one had no place to eat inside so we made ourselves comfortable on the floor in true hiker trash fashion. We were cold and wet so drying out anywhere was enough for a little happiness.We all discussed how much we didn't want to put 16 more miles in to the 2nd shelter and just flew the six to this one.   Relatively short day but a fun time with some good people here. After the last few weeks it's nice to have the time to make dinner, listen to some guitar and hang out a bit. We'll leave the park tomorrow and head to Front Royal. I have no idea what the plan is but I'd like to clean up, dry out, and get a small resupply to get to Harper's Ferry. Some big days coming up and I'm really excited to head North. Other than the weather the park has been a blast. I can honestly say the last three weeks weren't particularly fun. The miles were tough and I felt like I was doing everything I could to just get through it. This week my smile is back and I've laughed my way through Shenandoah. It's time to head out of Virginia. Just a few more days.
Date: 2015-06-05
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Front Royal, VA
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We filled the shelter last night with a really good group of folks. Ukelady even sang us all a lullaby before bed. When we woke up this morning we looked at each other and noted it was everyone's best night in a shelter. The rain finally stopped and the clouds were sort of parting when we got up. I was on the trail at 7:15. By noon the four of us had made it to US 522. Bonobo and Pork Chop found a ride into town right when they got there. Two minutes after they left Lightning and I had one as well. Vicki, the Warrior Hike coordinator, was gracious enough to give us a lift. We had a great conversation as we rode the three miles to the Front Royal Food Lion.The four of us grabbed a resupply and headed over to a nearby diner. All of us were excited that they had an all day breakfast. We sat there a while and stuffed ourselves with eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy.Afterwards we ran to the Super 8 but they didn't seem too excited about smelly hikers. We chose the Quality Inn instead. The four of us (me, Lightning, Bonono, Pork Chop) took turns taking showers then Lightning and I headed out to do laundry. While it was going we headed over to Main Street Mill to hang out on the patio. It's so nice to see the sun again. If you can remember way back to Grayson Highlands you may remember Rob from Old Orchard Shelter. He was on day one of a sixteen day hike to Pearisburg that night. Well, Rob lives in nearby Winchester, VA and we have been in contact for a while about getting together when I got to this area.Around 6:00 he rolled into town with his Wife, MaryAnn and son. We all headed to Jalisco and met their daughter there as well. Dinner was great and as you probably know already, huevos con chorizo always hits the spot. We had a great conversation and dinner and even headed out for ice cream afterwards. It's been a great night getting to know all of them and I hope I get the chance to repay the favor sometime. Rob, thanks again for everything. It was great catching up. Here's hoping the Braves get their act together and take the NL East.So once I got back to the hotel I could hardly move. So. Much. Food. Stuffing a thru-hiker is something to be proud of. It's not easy. I gave the Wife a call then set off trying to clean and dry my shoes. Earlier, I found Epsom salts in the hiker box at the hotel and might have grabbed a bath to get the muscles fixed up. I'm feeling full and relaxed at the moment. It's been a good town day.Tomorrow we hit the trail again. The goal is to be in Harper's Ferry early Monday morning to see the sites and hit up the ATC. Next week is going to be a good one. It's going to be hard to top this week though. Even with the rain.
Date: 2015-06-06
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: few clouds

There's something about being in town with a power outlet and a good cell phone connection. I stayed up too late as I always do in town. When the sun came up I was awake. I've been sleepy all day.I thought everyone would be in a rush this morning but it never really happened. We all ran downstairs around 8:00 to grab the Quality Inn "deluxe breakfast". When we got there they were microwaving the egg patties. I still had one. I'm not one to pass the deluxe experience.After that we packed up, watched a little Animal House on Comedy Central, and finally checked out around 9:10. We needed to get the three miles back to the trail so we headed back to the intersection by the Food Lion and put our thumbs out. The red light changed once and a van pulled up. After an interesting conversation with a local on the ride up we were back hiking by 9:30.The initial plan was to do just under twenty miles but there was nowhere to camp when we got there. Pork Chop, Lightning and I all decided we were still feeling good and decided to head the extra 3.8 miles to the shelter. It was 6:20 when we left and 7:25 when we arrived. We were ready to be done for the day. Bonobo was looking to do the solo thing tonight so he tented somewhere behind us.When we got here all the campsites were taken so Lightning and I opted to sleep in the shelter. There's only three of us in here including Outlier. Ukelady and Chameleon are also here and Ukelady serenaded us again. It's a nice way to end the day.Tomorrow is somewhere around 21-25 miles. I'll figure it out as I go. The further the better as it shortens up the walk into Harper's Ferry on Monday. The infamous roller coaster starts .4 of a mile from the shelter and will take us through the 1000 mile mark. We'll be out of Virginia on Monday morning.