morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-05-18
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: light rain

The weekend provided Catfish with rest, good food, and a great visit with family. There was some really bad weather Sunday after he got back on the trail, so he stopped early to set up in a shelter. He had been hiking in cold rain and didn't want to sleep outside in his hammock. The storm passed by night, but it got pretty cold. He's looking forward to some good weather and more miles tomorrow.
Date: 2008-05-20
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

The weather is still cold and windy. They seem to be having "colder than normal conditions" in southern VA right now--no kidding (he says). Catfish has been having trouble with his feet since he replaced his boot liners in Damascus--he got some that were recommended by other hikers and the outfitters, but they take some breaking in and are not as cushioning as the ones he had. As a result, he has bruises on the bottom of his feet and they are bothering him more than they have since the first week on the trail. The good news is that the new liners seem to be helping his knees. He is continuing to try to stop at shelters where he can sleep inside, due to the exceptionally cold weather and the rain.
Date: 2008-05-21
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 22.5
Weather: few clouds

This is going to be a long day for Catfish if he makes it all the way to Pickle Branch Shelter. He didn't make as many miles as he thought he would yesterday, due to stopping to talk and visit with other hikers and to take pictures. That's what the hike's about, after all. His feet are feeling better since he put moleskin in his boots and he was feeling good today. He enjoyed seeing the Keffer Oak--the largest oak tree on the southern A.T.--over 18 feet around and about 300 years old. He put his pack next to the tree for perspective and took some pix. He was looking forward to seeing the Audie Murphy memorial(erected near the site of the fatal plane crash of the WWII hero)later today. He and some hiker buddies are planning to go into Catawba, VA tomorrow evening to a restaurant that serves All-You-Can-Eat meals. Thursday night is southern barbeque night--something this Georgia boy will certainly enjoy, although the sauce probably won't be as good as his Daddy makes!
Date: 2008-05-22
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Johns Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: few clouds

Catfish and some other hikers (around 12 of them all together) got into Catawba in time for an incredible meal at the Homeplace Restaurant. It sounded as if Catfish ate some of everything in the place! The shelter where they stayed was not far from town--a good thing after all they had eaten! Catfish says whoever described VA as flat must not have hiked it--the elevation maps make it look pretty flat but he says he has found plenty of challenging hills to climb. It has provided some beautiful views, and the clear weather days have allowed him to enjoy the scenery.
Date: 2008-05-23
From: Johns Spring Shelter

To: Lamberts Meadow Campsite
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: broken clouds

Catfish and friends hit the 700 mile mark this morning and were celebrating by taking pictures and enjoying the spectacular view from McAfee Knob. He plans to hike into Daleville, VA tomorrow to do some laundry and check with the outfitters on other possible solutions to his foot problems.
Date: 2008-05-24
From: Lamberts Meadow Campsite

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Catfish was hiking alone today and had seen 11 deer in about a 30 minute period. He said the deer aren't afraid of people and will let you get very close to them. He heard one in the brush, which was between knee and chest high, and walked up very quietly to within about 15 yards of the place the rustling was coming from when he realized that the "deer" was black. Catfish just froze and the 185 pound (approximately) bear ran off. That seem to be as close as Catfish wants to get to a bear! He's staying in Daleville tonight, and is planning on hiking a 19-mile day tomorrow to Bobblets Gap Shelter.
Date: 2008-05-25
From: Daleville, VA

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

Catfish bought some different insoles in Daleville and his feet are doing better. He has some numbness in the tips of his toes, but says that's just part of the stress on his feet. At least they are feeling enough better with the change in insoles that he is able to hike without his feet killing him. He's looking forward to slack packing in a few days!
Date: 2008-05-26
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter

To: Jennings Creek
Miles today: 9.6

Catfish hiked to Jennings Creek to meet his mom and some friends from Wisconsin-Merton and Margaret Lueptow-who drove down to see him. They picked Catfish up at Jennings Creek and headed up to Peaks of Otter Lodge. Unfortunately, no one told the "pick up" committee that the highway was split by the mountain, and it took a lot longer to find Catfish than originally planned. He ended up standing in the pouring rain for about an hour and a half waiting on his ride. After a hot shower, a good meal, and a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed, he decided the wait was worth it! The lodge was a nice place to stay and the visit with family and friends was great.
Date: 2008-05-27
From: Jennings Creek

To: Thunder Ridge Overlook
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today Catfish got to slack pack and he loved carrying a very small pack with just water and a little food. He was breaking in new boots, so this was a great day to carry a small load. His mom and friends took the day to provide some trail magic to hikers--what a wonderful experience! They met 25 hikers from 12 different states and every one of them was a pleasure to meet and visit with. They all were so appreciative of a cold drink and snacks--it was a lot of fun for the "trail angels". They met Catfish at Jennings Creek again and went into town for supper and to do laundry. Catfish ate a 16-inch Philly Cheese sub--the waitress said she had never seen anyone eat a whole one before! She gave Catfish a free dessert,and of course, he ate that as well! One more night for Catfish at the lodge then back to shelters and his hammock.
Date: 2008-05-28
From: Thunder Ridge Overlook

To: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

Today was horrible weather--Catfish set out on the trail in rain, mist, fog, and generally nasty conditions. The weather made it difficult for his mom and friends to get down the mountain, and they encountered more of the same weather all the way back to Georgia. Catfish said it cleared up some during the day where he was, but then it got really humid. It must be hard to enjoy the hike when you can't see anything, but hopefully the really gorgeous days like Tuesday was make up for the bad-weather ones.
Date: 2008-05-30
From: Browns Mtn Creek Shelter

To: Montebello, Va (The Dutch Haus B&B)
Miles today: 18.2

The hike from the brown mountain shelter to fish hatchery road was fairly uneventful. The day began with high humidity and a climb of almost 3000 feet, but after that the walking wasn't bad. A group of us decided to go to the Dutch Haus Bed and Breakfast for a little relaxation and some good food. The people there were super nice and the food was fantastic!!! The only downside of staying is that the next morning there is a mile long uphill walk back to the trail. . . oh well, it's worth it!
Date: 2008-05-31
From: Montebello, Va (The Dutch Haus B&B)

To: Harpers Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I did a short day today and it was fantastic! The view from Spy Rock was ok, but not near as great as some other views we've had. The climb up the Priest wasn't bad, but by the time we got to the Priest shelter it appeared rain was coming. The shelter register there is hilarious because the theme of it is "confessions to the priest" so everyone is supposed to confess something. Some people have made really funny and creative entries.After sitting there and taking a break a brief rain shower passed and Sojo and I started the decent off of the mountain. The whole way down I was so thankful that I didn't have to walk up this side, because even though it wasn't terribly steep, it was just a long long downhill. At the bottom I came to the Tye River and since I wasn't far from the shelter I stopped for an hour or so and just soaked my feet and legs in the river. While I was there I talked to Sundance who thru hiked in 1991.As the afternoon went on I made my way up to the shelter. When I got there Sea to Land and his Cousin were there, and there was also a group of Scouts. Throughout the evening a few more day hikers filtered in and Peepers showed up. One of the day hikers had his daughter and he brought a bag of food over to us and said that he always tries to have something for the thru hikes he runs into! That was so kind of him and it was great to have trail magic at the shelter!!!
Date: 2008-06-01
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Bear Spring
Miles today: 18.0

Started the morning with the rest of the climb up Three Ridges. Roughly a 2000 foot ascent from the shelter. I'm kind of getting tired of these big climbs first thing in the morning. Whoever started the rumor that Virginia is flat and it's easy to do big miles needs to actually do some hiking here! I stopped for a long break at the Maupin Field Shelter and talked to a really nice couple out for a weekend together. To me, one of the best parts of the trail is just getting to meet all these people and share stories and experiences, and not really having a schedule to keep or anything like that (most of the time).A short time after leaving there I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway (one of many crossings) and there was one orange left in a trail magic bag! I crave fresh fruit, so I was very happy! Then one of the scout leaders that was with the group at the shelter the night before had some left over pita bread that he gave me, and then I remembered that the night before I had gotten a packet of salmon from the man that brought the food to the shelter, so I had a complete (and good) lunch comprised solely of trail magic food!As the day progressed I started up humpback mountain. When I got to an overlook I saw a storm building so I picked up my pace a little. Soon the wind was howling and there was thunder in the distance, but I was almost out of water so I had to get to the spring where I planned on camping. When I got to the top I could see that there was rain in every direction, but it was miraculously missing where I was. As I started down the mountain it appeared my luck was about to run out because thunder started booming close by. Just when it appeared the bottom was about to fall out I got to the spring! I threw my pack down and put up my hammock in record time just as the rain started! After about a minute of rain, it stopped. As it turned out that's all there was and I wouldn't have ended up very wet at all even if I hadn't gotten my hammock set up.
Date: 2008-06-02
From: Bear Spring

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

It's always exciting heading into town. I knew that it would be a short day, and to make it even better, today Dr. Fuller was coming to meet me and put me up in a hotel for the night and treat me to a couple of meals. He had been planning on hiking for a day, but some things came up and that ended up not working out. He met me at Rockfish Gap and we headed into town for the all you can eat buffet After that we went to Staunton, Va and stayed in a hotel over there. I got all my laundry done and then we went to Chili's and had supper. After that it was Wal-Mart for resupply and then sleep in a soft bed!
Date: 2008-06-03
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a good visit with Dr. Fuller and he sent me off onto the trail into Shenandoah National Park with a full stomach and well rested. After a full resupply, my pack felt terribly heavy! When I got to the first shelter I stopped for a break and ended up taking a 2 hour nap. When I woke up I got one of my boots on and it started raining so I decided to call it a day. The rain continued and people kept showing up. By the end of the evening the shelter was full! In the middle of the night a huge storm hit. There was constant thunder and lightning and buckets of rain pouring down! That nap saved me from being in my hammock during a huge storm! I knew naps were important
Date: 2008-06-04
From: Calf Mountain Shelter

To: Loft Mountain Camp Store
Miles today: 20.4

Today I had planned to go to the Pinefield Hut, but Mother Nature had other ideas. This was my first full day in Shenandoah and so far I have to say it hasn't lived up to expectations. The trail is very well graded, but so far nothing has stuck out as spectacular. I had heard how beautiful this park is, so hopefully it will get better. I spent most of the afternoon hiking with Mike from Connecticut. We stopped at the Loft Mountain Camp Store to see what they had there, mainly because it isn't very often that a store is only 70 yards off the trail. We planned on going down to the Wayside to eat supper, but it turned out that the Camp Store had snacks and beer and we decided to eat from our food bags since they were heavy from coming out of town. As we got ready to pack up and do the last 6 miles to the shelter a thunderstorm started building up. We waited around a few minutes and a huge storm hit. Power went out, the wind was howling, and lightning was popping all around. We went into the laundry room at the camp store and after a brief discussion we decided to spend the night there in the laundry room because we didn't want to get caught out in a crazy storm and get hit by lightning. We ended up with a great night of sleep and stayed dry in an interesting shelter.
Date: 2008-06-05
From: Loft Mountain Camp Store

To: Hightop Hut
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

This morning about 20 minutes after leaving the camp store I saw two bears! they were cubs, so I didn't hang around long. I walked to within about 7 yards of one because the grass was thick and tall off the sides of the trail and I couldn't see anything. All of a sudden I heard a commotion and saw the grass moving and heard a bear kind of snort. I then saw one climb up a tree about 35 yards away while the other one was still running around the base of the tree. One started grunting and I figured he was calling his mama, so I headed on down the trail. I took a break at Pinefield Hut and decided that I was only going to go to Hightop Hut because the weather was extremely hot and the way the shelters are spaced the options were to do a 14 mile day or a 26 mile day. The spring at Hightop was great and I drank lots of water after I got there because I needed to rehydrate. As the evening went on lots of people showed up and we all socialized for a while and then it was off to bed. I should have hung my hammock because I got eaten by bugs during the night. I will for sure be hammocking from now on.
Date: 2008-06-06
From: Hightop Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: broken clouds

Today started out looking like an exciting day. The reason for that was that we were supposed to be around a camp store for lunch and then at a wayside for supper! Today was another blistering hot day, so it was nice to stop for lunch at the camp store and have some cold drinks and sit in the shade. The only problem with that was the news we got there. We were told that the Big Meadows Wayside didn't have power, so it was closed! I was looking forward to a blackberry milkshake because that's what the waysides are supposed to be famous for. Sure enough, when we got to the road crossing, Boat and Sojo went to check out if power was back and they brought back the bad news. Thankfully I read the details about the Big Meadows area in the Handbook and I saw that the Lodge had a restaurant and taproom. We went up there and they were running on a generator, so we were able to get some icy cold beverages and some food that the Lodge was apparently very proud of (read overpriced). While at the restaurant we (Sojo, Boat, Blues Traveller, Cranky Pete, Smokin' Joe, Mike, and I) decided to camp at a campsite listed in one of the many thru-hiker companion books. It was supposed to be close, so I made a few phone calls and then talked to some day hikers, and then headed the mile or so down the trail. The only problem was that I couldn't seem to locate the campsite. I ended up having to night hike the 3.4 miles to the next shelter and everyone else was there too because they didn't find it either. Gotta love the guys who write those books.
Date: 2008-06-07
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Pass Mountain Hut
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Got up and made the few miles to the Skyland hotel with no problem at all because there was the promise of a big breakfast! The buffet was awesome! Eggs, bacon, fruit, french toast, and coffee. . . I'm really liking this park! After breakfast, several of us hung out for a long time in the shade in front of the hotel, but finally we ended up heading on out. It was crazy hot today and so humid I would have sworn I was in south Georgia! The afternoon brought a long break at the Pinnacles picnic ground, and then another break at a picnic shelter to get out of a storm. After the storm, Blues Traveller and I headed the last few miles to the shelter and saw another bear. It was so hot during the night that I didn't end up opening up my sleeping bag until 2am or so, and if you've slept in a hammock you know that means it was hot because the air circulation usually cools you down pretty fast. I'm ready for cool weather again!
Date: 2008-06-08
From: Pass Mountain Hut

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Hot, hot, hot, that's the forecast and this time they didn't lie, I guess there's a first time for everything even though I wish this forecast would have been wrong. The terrain in the park has been pretty easy so far, but it has seemed much harder because of the heat wave. Today a bunch of us took a very long break at the Elkwallow wayside and that made everything better. We spent 6 hours eating, drinking beer, and eating more! When the temps started to cool down slightly in the evening we made the rest of the trek to the shelter. The exciting part of the day occurred this morning when a nice friendly rattlesnake that was sunning next to the trail decided I was too close and warned me with a buzz from his large string of rattles. I didn't see him because he was in the weeds next to the trail. When he alerted me to his presence I was only about a foot and a half away, so I startled me ever so slightly. After jumping out of my skin and getting out of striking range, I got a brief video and a few pictures of him before he retreated into a hollow tree. That was the main excitment for the day. . . hopefully the most excitement I'll have for a while!
Date: 2008-06-09
From: Gravel Springs Hut

To: Front Royal, Virginia
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: few clouds

It's amazing how easy the days seem when you know you are getting to town. Today flew by and the terrain was fairly nice leading into Front Royal. I hiked with Hot Sauce and Mike, and Blues Traveller, Orange Dust, and Greenwood were close by also. When we got to the road crossing, Pop-Top was there waiting on Blues Traveller because he was giving Blues a ride, but while he was waiting he was giving out ice cold Cokes!!! I was about to sweat to death, but that Coke (or three) really revived me. The magic didn't end there though. Pop-top also gave us all rides into town which was just awesome because that meant we didn't have to try to hitch in 100 degree heat! Mike and I split a room at the Quality Inn and got to enjoy the pool and air conditioner!!!
Date: 2008-06-11
From: Front Royal, Virginia

To: Dicks Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was definitely cooler than it has been in a good while, but the biggest blessing is that the humidity is waaaaaay down. Life is good. Hiking wasn't bad at all today. I decided to stop at the Dicks Dome Shelter mainly because I wanted to see if it really was a dome. It kinda was. There were a bunch of boy scouts here, but they were all really nice and didn't take up all the hammock spots.
Date: 2008-06-12
From: Dicks Dome Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

One of the scouts has a dream of starting his own energy bar company. He gave me two to try out, so I ate one for breakfast and I have to say that it was mighty tasty. This guy might make it big one day, you never know. The "Roller Coaster" started today, but it's not too bad. I stopped for lunch at the Rod Hollow Shelter and Freebird stopped by, so we started hiking together. It's a lot easier hiking difficult stretches with someone. We started talking and made great time over the first half of the roller coaster section. Hopefully the second half will be about the same.
Date: 2008-06-13
From: Sam Moore Shelter

To: Keys Gap
Miles today: 17.1

The second half of the roller coaster wasn't bad either. Bears Den hostel is awesome! Stopped by there and got some cold drinks and really wished I could stay there, but had to move on. Crossed the 1000 mile mark today! That was the big event. Freebird and I celebrated with a shot of rum and a shot of tequila that I had carried since Daleville. When we got to keys gap, we went down to a little bar/pizza place and had some great wings, pizza, and beer. My Aunt Jan then came and picked me up for a couple of highly anticipated days off! I still can't believe I've walked over 1000 miles!
Date: 2008-06-16
From: Keys Gap

To: Gapland Road
Miles today: 16.5

I slackpacked today and it was great! I stopped by the ATC headquarters and had my picture made. I was thru-hiker #323 to get photographed. Rain was threatening all day and finally hit right as I got to Crampton Gap. There happens to be a museum there, so I stopped in and got the full personal tour because nobody else was there. It was pretty interesting and well worth it (particularly because I stayed dry!)
Date: 2008-06-18
From: Foxville Road

To: Deer Lick Shelters
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: few clouds

Catfish got back on the Trail about 2:00 this afternoon, after saying goodbye to his mom, Mamaw, and Aunt Jan. His hike was pretty uneventful today, but he enjoyed some cooler weather and some great new boot socks that Aunt Jan got for him. He had to go with the new boots, even though they aren't really broken in yet--his old ones were falling apart and he wants good traction for the rocks up ahead. He put over 1,000 miles on his old boots--and they sure smell like it!!
Date: 2008-06-19
From: Deer Lick Shelters

To: Quarry Gap Shelters
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday Catfish was hiking through Pen Mar County Park when a storm came up. One of the park workers told him he could sit out the rain in a music pavilion, so he was able to stay dry until the storm passed. He and Hot Sauce hiked together today and passed through Caledonia State Park just as some folks having a picnic were packing up. They invited the hikers to have some of the left-overs, so Catfish and Hot Sauce enjoyed fried chicken and desserts as a mid-day snack! The shelters at Quarry Gap are exceptionally well-maintained, with flowers, magazines, and air fresheners. There are actually 2 shelters connected by a breezeway--one labeled "Snoring" and the other "Non-Snoring". The hikers really appreciate the pride the caretaker has in providing a clean, well-maintained shelter for them!