morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-05-29
From: Jennings Creek camp

To: Harrison Ground Spring camp
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: mist

The rain never hit hard last night and I awoke to find the ladies down by the creek eating breakfast. I joined them and we watched the water and hoped that the gray morning would stay only cloudy rather than deliver any significant rain today. We broke down and set out one by one, I left last, a little after 9. The day was going to consist of steady climbing and I was in no great rush. I plugged along for a while until I came up behind Workhorse. He and I chatted for a little while about our reasons to do the trail and as many conversations do, we started talking about the weather. He let me know that the forecast from this morning had us getting plastered with heavy rain for the next 48 hours beginning tonight. The remnants of the tropical storm in Florida are supposedly sending some heavy bands of moisture north. Not exactly what I wanted to hear after just taking a zero. We have the opportunity to hide from the weather in a hostel tomorrow in Glasgow but the group has decided we are better off gutting it out to Buena vista on Thursday and posting up there for a night if necessary. We are all already hiding from the rain in our tents at 7:45 tonight and it seems fairly certain that the next two days are going to suck. As for the rest of today, we hiked in clouds for 17+ miles and managed to get in before the precip had begun. A drier forecast looks possible on the near horizon but we will soak a few more days in order to get there.
Date: 2018-05-30
From: Harrison Ground Spring camp

To: Punchbowl Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain ranged from steady to heavy to very heavy last night and I stayed dry enough but my tent got soaked. It was still coming down good this morning when I stuffed my tent along with about a half pound of water into the stuff sack. I ate in the rain, standing up, already hating the day. We had decided on 21 miles today, if the weather is going to be miserable, we might as well be hiking. I felt kinda low as I started the day. Was able to grind out the first 9 miles before lunch and took a decent break down at the first shelter with the others. Juke box decided he wasn¢t up for the big miles today and resolved to get a shuttle into Buena vista to wait out the storm. I marched through the afternoon and kept a decent pace despite the intermittent torrent of rain. We met a trail maintainer with gatorades and fruit down by the Foot bridge at the James river. He informed us that this has been the wettest May on record for Roanoke. The final 10 miles were a bit of a struggle and one particularly nasty wave of rain had me a little worried up on a ridge but I squished into camp sometime after 6 and claimed what seemed to be the last shelter spot. My tent is too soaked to dry out in the rain cloud I¢m currently living in so I¢ll call this good for the night. It¢s my bday tomorrow and we will get into Buena vista early afternoon and decide whether or not to get a room for the night or pack out.
Date: 2018-05-31
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Buena Vista Motel
Miles today: 11.4

The shelter was good last night and it rained hard for at least an hour which I slept comfortably through. Ibex came by around 7:45am to wish me a happy birthday and give me a couple shooters and a package of red vines that they had gotten me. She also informed me that glow stick had been up vomiting and with diarrhea all night. She warned me that I might want to wash the Bday gifts since glow had been carrying them and then promptly went off to wash her hands. Despite the potential viral danger, I very much appreciated the thoughtful gifts. I just won¢t be indulging them until I can get to soap and sink water. With glow sticks condition, it was a given now that we¢d be staying in Buena Vista tonight, for her to hopefully recover and for all of us to dry out. We would be aiming for the Buena Vista motel and glow was able to hitch a ride in from the nearest road gap while chef, Ibex and I hiked down the 11ish miles to the standard road gap for the town. Once there, we accepted a hitch from a local named Jason who was in a bit of a turf war with another shuttler maned piney. Apparently Jason gave people free rides and piney charges folks so he gets a little raw when other people give free rides. At any rate, it was somewhat amusing listening to them gripe at each other for a few minutes before we headed down to town. We arrived at the motel and got Jason¢s contact info for a return ride tomorrow, solid find and thanks to Jason. Ibex, chef and I opted to share a room with two doubles and promptly dirtied the room with all of our wet gear the moment we opened the door. We pulled everything out to dry before heading into town to grab food at the local Italian place. It was fantastic and we also chatted with the waitress Bella who offered to give us a ride back to the motel later if we ordered a pizza delivery. Good deal. We made a quick stop for ice cream and then made our way to the laundromat to get a load done. It rained like a bastard while we waited for our laundry and I felt vindicated in our decision to stay in town tonight. The parking lot of the laundromat turned into a pool before the downpour finally stopped and once our clothes were dry, we were able to walk back into town without getting wet. We made another stop at Don Tequilas and Chef ordered a round of Bday shots which turned into three rounds. We did a buzzed resupply at the dollar general and decided to just hoof it back to the motel rather than wait for Bella, the pizza girl to pick us up. We still ordered a pizza, though. I laid on the acceptably comfortable motel bed and drank a few beers, ate pizza and watched cable. It sounds like glow is feeling a bit better and she wants to get back on the trail tomorrow. We have a date with devils backbone brewery and neither rain nor virus will keep us from it. Solid birthday, we did most everything that a hiker wants to do when off the trail so I¢m content.
Date: 2018-06-01
From: Buena Vista Motel

To: Piney River branch camp
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: few clouds

Felt fine this morning despite the birthday drinks and started to get my things together as chef walked down to the post office to send home some of his bulky winter gear. He stopped by Hardee¢s and grabbed some breakfast sandwiches and I called Jason to get us back to the trailhead. He showed up with two other hikers and we all piled into his truck for the ride up. We talked about his attempts on Longs peak in CO, he has not successfully summited but has tried some of the more technical routes. We thanked him again and started our climb up away from the road gap. Our initial plan to get to Priest Shelter was shot in the face as soon as we realized it was 20 miles instead of 16. We wanted to make sure glow stick was fully recovered from yesterday¢s illness so after we had taken a long rest in a meadow, we decided on a camp site that was another 5.5 miles out. The weather was holding up and we hiked with fingers crossed and arrived at the camp between two converging streams and got set up. We were able to get dinner in and have a little campfire before calling it a day. No sooner had we hopped in our tents did the rain begin again in earnest. Let¢s hope it only plans on raining through the night and we get clearer skies tomorrow.
Date: 2018-06-02
From: Piney River branch camp 

To: Priest Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain was persistent last night but had let up by morning, though the clouds were still hanging overhead. Perhaps it was the gloomy weather, but we all ate quietly and broke camp before heading off. The sky remained clouded and almost as if on schedule, it opened up about 5 minutes after noon. I was still nearly a mile away from the priest shelter when it hit and I silently cursed myself for having slowed down for a half mile earlier to chat with Marmot, a hiker who had been slowed down by injury back near Fontana Dam but was still trucking. That¢ll teach me to be social. I was drenched when I got to the shelter and found Head chef and a couple others there. He informed me that he had checked the weather forecast a few minutes prior and the outlook for the next 24 hours was not good. Over an inch of rain today and continuing until late tomorrow afternoon. I thought June might show us some mercy but apparently not. When the girls arrived, we discussed the possibility of holing up here and pushing 15+ miles tomorrow to get to devils backbone brewery. Ultimately, they decided to push on to the next shelter so that tomorrow¢s hike would be fewer miles. I stayed with chef and resolved to get moving again once the rain lessened. It kept on until well after 5pm at which point we decided we would stay and get an early jump tomorrow to get to the brewery. They don¢t open until 11:30 so we figured that if we get moving by 6, we will still make it in with plenty of afternoon left to drink. We may also beat the ladies there if we get rolling early enough which would surely piss them off. Just hope i don¢t have to walk all day in pouring rain to get there.
Date: 2018-06-03
From: Priest Shelter

To: Devils Backbone Brewery
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

It was still coming down hard when chef and I got moving at a quarter to six. It had been going all night and we wouldn¢t get a break yet. Put on wet boxers and socks again and I hate how comfortable I am with doing that these days. I scarfed a quick granola bar and got my pack cover on and then my raincoat. I figured I¢d be walking downhill for the first few miles and not sweating too much to have it on. We hit the trail at 6:30 and climbed the short way up over the Priest and then started the long descent down to the road gap. We slowly dropped out of the perpetual cloud and the forest below was less dense with fog. I ditched the rain jacket and by the time I hit the road gap, you could almost see some contour in the clouds above as opposed to the oppressive gray mist we had been in since yesterday afternoon. Almost as good as sunshine itself was a couple providing trail magic in the parking lot. They were former thru hikers and had breakfast going. I stopped and fueled up and chatted with them and one of the local ridge runners about his experiences on the trail. After a while, we headed back out as we still had a 6 mile uphill to tackle and over 10 to go to get into Reeds Gap and the brewery. The sky was still mostly gray and spitting rain as I started the climb up the other side. It was a pretty long and persistent way up and over and I had myself convinced for the better part of 2 miles that I¢d lost the trail. The gps on my app seemed to agree and I nearly turned around twice before I finally encountered a southbound hiker. She confirmed that I was still on the AT and that glow and ibex were ahead a ways. Phew. Lack of white blazes on the trees had me questioning everything. I eventually got over the top of Three Ridges and began the 4 mile descent to the road gap where I hoped to find a hitch down to the brewery. The rain let up a bit as I dropped elevation again and it had mostly stopped by the time I got to the road. Chef and I nabbed a ride pretty quickly and he and I hopped in along with chandler, a thru hiker we had met the previous night at the shelter. Joyce was our driver, a retiree who lived with her husband at the nearby wintergreen resort. We arrived at devils backbone after 15 minutes and found the girls at a table outside having arrived just ahead of us. We delighted in craft beer, grilled food and drier weather. The brewery has a tent space for thru hikers so we got set up there and then continued enjoying the offerings from the bar including white rum that they distilled themselves. We drank and ate until well past our normal bedtimes and enjoyed all of it. We will attempt to get the 19 miles into Waynesboro tomorrow and tent there....at another brewery. Eventually this trail will just be a half-year long brewery tour. We are trying to pioneer that into existence.
Date: 2018-06-04
From: Devils Backbone

To: Paul Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Definitely feeling the effects of last nights brewery bonanza. Got myself pulled together and walked across the massive property back to the breakfast house. The sun was out and the sky looked imminently clear. The rest of the group had just sat down and started breakfast. I went inside and got my own order, a massive plate and phenomenal coffee for just $5. They also had us set up for a free ride back to the trailhead. This place has a reputation for being hiker friendly and it is more than well earned. Tommy drove us back out in their truck and we were quickly marching north again. The terrain was pretty smooth and with the sun out, spirits were high. We broke on top of an overlook that looked across to the ski runs at wintergreen resort. Nice view but I¢m not likely booking a ski weekend there anytime real soon. As though trying to make up for days of lost sunshine, we lazed on the warm rocks for well over an hour. Finally, we collected ourselves and got back on the trail. The afternoon kind of dragged on and with about 5 miles left, we cane upon a stream crossing. With the sheer volume of rainfall seen in the last few weeks, ¢stream¢ more likely means river. Chef and I contemplated the crossing and decided we were better off finding something better upstream. This turned into a quarter mile of picking along the bank until I finally decided to tightrope a rain saturated log that was barely wider than my own leg. It was pretty touch and go but I made it and chef applauded the effort even though he filmed my attempt in case I fell in. He found another way across a little higher and we picked back through the forest to the trail. There was a shelter there and we held up to wait for ibex and glow stick. After a while, glow stick showed and wisely removed her shoes and simply waded across the creek. No sign of ibex and we wondered if maybe she had simply waded across too while chef and I were upstream playing Last of the Mohicans. We texted ibex and sure enough, she had continued down the trail and was now nearly three miles ahead. We figured out that the brewery in Waynesboro where we intended to camp was closed today. With no better option, we opted to stay near the shelter tonight and push the extra miles tomorrow. Ibex obviously did not want to backtrack and she decided to push on and either camp or seek a better option if she could get into Waynesboro. Glow, chef and I made dinner and were even gifted a few trail magic beers from a lady who was out with her dog for the weekend. We had a couple each before turning in. Tomorrow we will hike a bit beyond the Waynesboro gap and meet my parents who are going to pick us up at a Gap on skyline parkway just inside Shenandoah. Will be great to see them for a few days and have them meet the tramily.
Date: 2018-06-05
From: Paul Wolfe Shelter

To: Fishersville Hampton Inn
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: clear sky

We got up at the usual time this morning (me at 8, the others before me) and did breakfast before hitting the trail. The 5 miles to Rockfish Gap were easy and it was a sunny and pleasant sky above. Glow and chef were waiting for me at the gap and we crossed over to Kings popcorn and hot dog stand for an early lunch/late morning snack. The hot dog was meh but the popcorn was pretty legit. As ever, the Dr Pepper was delicious and I nearly got another for the road but decided against it since my folks would be picking us up this afternoon and we would have several days ahead of town food. We recrossed the road and started our hike into Shenandoah park. The trail for the remainder of the afternoon looked much like what we had seen for the past few days. Plenty of green forest but not many impressive vistas. Rolling green hills and pretty easy trail was all. We stopped on the top of a hill with a bit of a view for lunch and also saw the tramily consisting of Gump, blood root, short sticks, ramble, and blue grass. We had been running into them frequently over the past few days and they¢d just come out of Waynesboro so we got some intel on where to eat. The rest of the day went quickly and we arrived at the road gap where my parents were waiting. Ibex who had inadvertently gotten ahead of us yesterday was already there waiting with them and drinking a beer that my folks had brought. We all had one in the parking lot and made introductions before piling into the vehicle and heading into town. Uncle ray and aunt Tess were kind enough to lend the car for the next few days and it will probably never smell the same again. After showering at the hotel, we headed down to the green leaf grill in Waynesboro and enjoyed a tasty dinner courtesy of my folks. Ice cream at Kline¢s after and then we headed back to the hotel for a nightcap and the ceremonial opening of my bday gift (peppermint themed everything, all individually wrapped). We made our plans to meet downstairs for breakfast and turned in. Looking forward to slackpacking without our full gear loads in the park tomorrow.
Date: 2018-06-06
From: Turk Gap

To: Fishersville
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: scattered clouds

We all met downstairs for the complimentary breakfast and ate like hungry hikers do. Everyone loaded up in lighter packs for the day and we headed back up to Turk Gap where we had left off the day before. The weather was clear and the trail was easy and I made good time, arriving at a picnic area for a light lunch and water up with only six miles to go on the day. Several hikers notified me of bear sightings nearby and a couple had seen four already today. I was eager to spy one myself but the next few miles slipped by and nary a bear was seen. I arrived at the side trail that led down to the wayside where we¢d agreed to meet my parents and I found chef already there lounging outside on a picnic table bench. He had seen a mom and her cub earlier and had video to show. They hadn¢t minded him whatsoever and created a bit of a roadblock before finally clearing into the forest. I popped into the wayside for a sandwich and one of the trail famous blackberry milkshakes that did not disappoint. Glow and ibex arrived and reported no bear sightings but of course when my parents arrived, they had seen one during their short waterfall hike. I¢m out here for nearly 3 months and see zero bears and they come out for a day hike and spot one instantly. Figures. I was somewhat redeemed when we saw a little cub foraging on the side of the road on our way out. Cute little bugger and he very nearly approached the vehicle when chef rolled down his window and put his hand out. He plodded back into the woods after a minute and we proceeded out of the park. Ok, one bear but it still doesn¢t count unless I¢m on the trail. For the evening entertainment, we rounded up our laundry and after some navigational miscues, found a laundromat to do some needed washing. We swung by kroger, ate at a divey Japanese grill nearby and then headed back to the hotel. We plan to notch 19 miles tomorrow, slackpacking again. It¢s nice to have this chauffeur service lately, wish I could do the majority of the trail this way.
Date: 2018-06-07
From: Fishersville VA

To: Fishersville VA
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Another night of fine Hampton Inn rest and the group convened again in the lobby for breakfast. We had bought fresh berries at Kroger last night and went all out again with the Belgian waffles. Shooting for a 19 mile day, we loaded up again for the trail. My parents dropped us at the South River picnic area and we agreed on the pick up time at the Loft Mt Wayside. We would be hiking southbound today to end up where we had finished yesterday and we would again be able to take advantage of the milkshakes and sandwiches there. The terrain was as good as any I¢ve seen and I motored through the forest with my lighter daypack (borrowed from dad). The day was mostly sunny and fairly cool in the woods, perfect hiking conditions. I stopped only briefly for snacks and was laser focused on making the wayside in good time. Several hikers I encountered said they¢d seen bear and told me where to be looking. Almost the entire day had gone by without a sighting until the last half mile. I was coming up a slight rise and heard a crashing off in the forest to the right. I looked over to see a black bear butt, hightailing it into the woods. He had heard me and apparently didn¢t want to hang out. I was excited to finally have seen a bear on the trail, I guess this months long trek won¢t be a total waste after all. I made the wayside and found chef there waiting and I ordered a bbq sandwich and a drink along with a mocha milkshake. I know everyone raves about the blackberry shake but nobody puts mocha in the corner. My folks arrived and had a few beers for us to toast mile 900 and we waited a little while with glow stick before her friend would arrive to sweep her away to bonnaroo. We said our goodbyes in the parking lot and told her she had better burn ass to catch up after her festival weekend. We left her on the grass at the wayside and headed back down into town. A necessary stop at basic city brewery was in order and we pulled in to a pretty hopping place in a massive industrial warehouse space. The tap room led back into a huge game room/drinking hall/food service arena. We made a food order and grabbed a table. The eats were solid, chicken satay, lettuce wraps, pirogis, sandwiches, all good stuff. Fat and happy, we headed back to the hotel and I had a nightcap with my folks and we watched the Caps clinch the Stanley cup. Tomorrow we will head to Luray and my folks will go back to the DC area. Ibex¢s boyfriend zach is coming down from ny so after a zero tomorrow, we will lean on him for more slackpacking assistance. He and ibex are staying at the budget inn which means chef and I need to figure out where we can crash in town in the cheap. Or free.