August 26, 2005 - Tom Leonard Shelter to Glen Brook Lean-to
I left shelter very early and headed to Great Barrington for supplies. There was beautiful scenery all day.
This was also the hardest climbing in a long time for me. There were steep climbs, big rocks, and great
views. I got two quick rides in and out of town. I called Virginia and we talked of the big hurricane Katrina.
It will miss us in Florida but the Gulf coast looks like a bulls eye is on it. After getting food my pack seems
really heavy. I had received new shoulder straps from Kelty before leaving and they are built too light. I
don’t think they will hold up to the weight I carry. Everything is made in a cheaper manner nowadays. I
have a blister where the moleskin came loose on my left toe. I will doctor it up and it will be fine. I am
beat. I walked from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. with one hour off in town and at Jug End Road. I stopped at the little
spring down the hill from the trail and cooked up some weight. I had fried eggs, Brats, bread there. The
water I got at this spring was the only safe looking water I saw all day. The water here at the shelter looks
good. There is another shelter nearby but I like to stay at the first one I come to in case it is full I can go
on. I slept well at this shelter alone.
August 27, 2005 - Glen Brook Lean-to to Brassie Brook Lean-to Connecticut
I was up early after a good nights sleep at shelter alone. I was dog tired last night. I had 2 eggs, hard
boiled, 2 brats and two pieces of toast and coffee for breakfast. I left shelter at 7:30 a.m. and had no
energy at all. It took me 31/2 hours to go the first 3 miles. It was hard hiking all day except the last mile to
the shelter. Everett Mountain was beautiful up on top but a hard climb. Race Mountain was another
tough climb but very rewarding. When coming off the views to the east were spectacular. Bear Mountain
was a real tough straight up climb. There was a nice world’s largest cairn on top. This is the highest point
in Connecticut. Yes I am in Connecticut. Sage’s ravine was beautiful as I remembered it in 1981. I didn’t
get these great views in 1981. I got to the shelter at 4 p.m. I washed up all dirty clothes and cleaned up a
little. The water here is the worst I have seen on this trail. It is the color of tea and it smells. I used the
filter and then I treated it with tablets. I am trying to lighten up my pack a little. I will leave my gators and
knee brace here. The more weight you carry the more problems you have with your knees. Hiking will be
easier tomorrow.
August 28, 2005 - Brassie Brook Lean-to to Limestone Spring Lean-to
I was up really early after good nights sleep alone in the shelter. My laundry didn’t dry so I put on a damp
shirt and my other dry socks. 5 minutes after leaving shelter at 6:40 a.m. it started to rain and it poured
until I got to the next shelter. This shelter is just like Brown Mountain shelter in North Carolina. It has that
log which you have to jump over to get out of the shelter and has dirt between the sleeping pad and the
log. This shelter is an old one. The trail had been relocated from here and you now have a steep decent
to get here. It is .5 miles off the trail too. It does however have the best water I have seen in a long time
from a very nice spring. Water is scarce in these parts so this shelters water was worth it. It is very quiet
here in a little gorge. I washed out some clothes but they will never get dry on a wet evening. I will wear
clean wet clothes tomorrow. I have enough food to get to Cornwall Bridge. I will stay at Pine Swamp
tomorrow. I will be at the mileage ½ point of my second Appalachian Trail hike tomorrow. There is a cold
shower at a Hydroelectric plant and I figured that will be the place to celebrate!! I am hungry. I passed
the Giant’s Thumb rock formation today. It is sitting out by itself. A Scottish fellow came in to the shelter
at dark and set up over the hill. He plans to do 20 miles a day from here to Mt. Katahdin. Good luck!!
August 29, 2005 - Limestone Spring Lean-to to Pine Swamp Lean-to
I slept well. Before sleeping I turned on the radio to learn more about the huge hurricane Katrina. It will hit
New Orleans. The gas prices are up again. I left the shelter at 6:35 a.m. and got back to the shelter in 20
minutes. Prospect Mountain was not a hard climb from this direction. The view was not good up there
because of fog and rainy weather. I hiked hard down into the valley below. The mosquitoes were bad so I
couldn’t stop much. I had to stop and put on repellent. I hiked up a temporary relocation where a train
wreck covered the road and got to hydroelectric plant where the shower was right out in the open, for the
entire world to see. It was even cold water. You would think that at a power plant there would be a hot
shower. I took a shower with my clothes on and dripped dried in the sun. I put on a clean pair of socks
and off I went. I was going to eat at a restaurant but the wreck relocation messed me up for that. I walked
by the high school and on out of town. I bought one liter of Coleman fuel [old stuff] from a gas station.
The seller was a cranky old fart who gripped at me the whole time I was there. The old place looked
abandoned. He would not let me use the phone so I left. The fuel I got would barely burn in my stove.
The old man had two old 1960-1970 Nissan 4X4 Landrover style look a like vehicles. He had used them
for snow removal years ago. I never knew that they imported vehicles like this into the U.S.A. My boots
were all wet this day of hiking and not comfortable. I did change to dryer socks which helped a lot. I did
this one mile before the shelter and this usually dries the boots out evenly. I will re supply in Sharon
tomorrow. I will call Virginia too. At 5:30 p.m. there is no one else here. The water source here is from a
beaver pond. It stinks too. Thank God for my filter.
August 30, 2005 - Pine Swamp Lean-to to Stewart Hollow Brook Lean-to
It was a hard day of hiking all day. Up and down, up and down. The last two miles were flat. I am staying
at Stewart Hollow Lean-to. My feet are a mess. They are wet and cracking after all of this rain. This is
always my worst fear. Your feet can take some wetness but when it they are wet all day they get soft and
you get blisters no matter how tough they are. I may have to take a day off to let them heal up a bit. I will
go into Kent Conn. tomorrow.
August 31, 2005 - Stewart Hollow Shelter to Mount Algo Lean-to
I slept well and left shelter at 7:15 a.m. My feet are really bad. They hurt a lot and my blisters are oozing.
I cut holes in them and put alcohol on them and they will dry and be better tomorrow. I hiked into Kent
and at the trail bridge before the road I came upon a field of spearmint which was a full 15 inches high.
You could smell it for 100 yards. It will make a fine tea in nights to come. I tried without success to hitch
into town so I walked with my blisters. This town had everything I needed, except friendly people. I almost
left the grocery store when the manager told me to leave my pack outdoors. I asked him where the
closest grocery store was near his and he looked at me and said what. I turned around to leave and he
then changed his mind. He could kiss my butt if he thought I would abandon my pack, my friend to be
stolen by local ruffians. This whole town was like this. The outfitter was not even accommodating. It was
fitting that I had to walk back out of town to the trail. In 1981 this town seemed friendly. I wondered what
happened to change this. I got what I had to have and, see you!! I did stop by the library and caught up
on my emails . I bought some booze too to take up the trail and keep me warm on these cool nights. I
also stopped by hardware store and for a rip off price of $10.00 I bought a $4.00 can of camp dry. My
nearly new pack cover was leaking bad. The outfitter would not call the manufacturer to see if they would
do anything about it. This whole town was a rip off. I got back to the trail and hiked up steep trail to Mount
Algo Shelter. I got to the shelter and had to get water. After that I relaxed at the shelter. Moose Tracks
came in after a while and he is south bound also. He got in late so he will have to go back into Kent
tomorrow to do his shopping. He had heard of the non hiker friendly town and did not want to have to
stay there overnight. The shelter is free. He was unable to get denatured alcohol for his pop can stove
and he was the first person I ever heard of using 98 percent rubbing alcohol. It worked well.
September 1, 2005 - Mount Algo Lean-to to Ten Mile River Lean-to
I woke up to a clear morning. The storm blew out in the night so I had no excuse not to hike, except for
my raw feet. I took 3 hours to go the first 3 miles. I had no energy all day and stopped many times but the
rest did no good. I felt like lead was in my boots! There were several steep climbs and a gorge walk
which was beautiful and a little easier for the last 2 miles. By then my feet were toast and I just trudged
on in auto pilot. I made it to a very nice area of Ten mile River. There is a nice campground near the
shelter and a water pump. I washed up and rinsed out some clothes and hung around the campground
for an hour. I decided to go to the shelter nearby and I was not sorry. It is a beautiful shelter overlooking
a field and it would be a nice area to view stars and wildlife after dark. As the sun was shining it was a
great place to dry clothes also. I ate a little here after arriving and I am still beat! I can’t tell if I’m sick or
just wore out. My blisters on right foot aren’t too bad after today but the lack of energy was odd to me. I
bought some chocolate in town and it did seem to help a lot in the energy department. Oh by the way,
the night before last I was able to get some corn on the cob out of a field and it was young and very good
boiled. I hope the farmer doesn’t mind us hikers taking a few to eat. It was young field corn. I grew up on
that stuff in Ohio. I had fresh real butter to go with the corn and wow it was good. I met another from
Sanford Florida named Engine. I tried to give him some but he did not want to cook it. The mosquitoes
are bad here on a raining night. It will be hard to sleep if they get worse. The weather is starting to heat
up a bit but we are in September now and it should start cooling down for good now. The elevation here
is 290 feet, this is why the bugs and heat are a factor. I have done 110 miles since I left Dalton Mass with
433 more to go to Harper’s Ferry. I stayed at this shelter alone on this night.
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