Tom Leonard Shelter

August 31st, 21 Miles
Hiked to the Tom Leonard today. Flash and I were booking it today. Stopped at the Route 7 grill outside of Great Bearington. Flash got a hand burger and I ate a big steak with some dark beer. We night hiked 6 miles up a mountain to the shelter. At the shelter was a college group having a Firefox some orientation program. We got ready for bed and passed out.

Slack Packin

August 30th- 15 miles
We woke up early, had a nice breakfast and got ready for a big day. Everyone got their slack packs ready. We were all happy to have 5-10 pound packs today. We started off hiking fast, completing 7 miles in 2 hours. Once we hit Salisbury, CT we decided to go into town to eat lunch and check out the area. By the time we hit the trail we weren't going to make our final destination unless we night hiked. We decided to get picked up early. Big Lou and Hudson has spaghetti and meatballs ready for us when we got back. That meal along with a shower and dessert put me down for the night early. I have not been that full on the trail before.

The bearded woods

20 mile day
Hiked with my new crew to the Bearded Woods Hostel. Was very glad to take a shower and eat a great big meal. We had a chicken, corn on the cob, potatoes, baked beans, what a feast. We decided to slack pack tomorrow.

Kent, CT

9 miles, August 28
Today I woke up early and hiked my 1 mile into Kent. Went to pick up my mail drop for some much needed supplies. Got some new shoes, a light for night hiking and some chocolate. Thanks mom and O&P for the mail help. Went to the local grocery store and stocked up. Was able to eat some breakfast at a bakery while my cell charged in the library. So happy to be able to eat and use a computer. Waited in the library for my friend Spook to show up. Spook finally showed up, after 2 months of chasing each other we've met up finally. We decided to go eat some burgers before leaving for the nearest shelter. By the time we were done eating and on the road it was 6pm. We ended up night hiking to the shelter. Lots of rocks and steep declines but we made it in one piece. Met up with the rest of the crew, Flash & Songbird.

Aug 27th, outside Kent

Hiked 22 miles to a shelter only 1 mile away from Kent, CT. I'm in Connecticut now. Another state down, feels good. Was going to try and make it into Kent today to pick up a mail drop but I'm exhausted. Last 2 miles of my hike today took almost one and a half hours. Shelter has lots of sobos, they are stragglers from what I can tell. My friend Spook is going to try and meet me in Kent tomorrow.

Hike to the telephone shelter

Left the house at 111am having said goodbye and downing three waffles. Was dropped off at a deli down the road from the trail. Ate a bagel and got a sandwich for the road. Hiked 12 miles to the telephone pioneers shelter. Water was flowing at the shelters entrance, a good sign. Didn't have much of an appetite, so I just drank water and went to bed. A couple hikers showed up at 9pm, one a sobo. All in all it was a slow good day.

Nero day, Aug 25th

Woke up today around 8:30. Amy made us fellow hikers breakfast, waffles and coffee my favorite. The sobos said goodbye and were on their way. Amy & Bill invited me to pull a zero at their house. I decided to pull a nero and hike 5 miles to the local deli/pizza place. Made it to the pizza place in under 2 hours from the RPH shelter. Ate a large pizza with extra sauce and 3 cokes, all without a problem. Met two nice sobos at the picnic table. A beautiful German Shepherd was with them. That dog was very protective of his owner, can't wait to get one. Was given a ride back to the house by Amy. When we got to the house, a BBQ was underway. Didn't get to eat as much food as I would have liked due to the fact I had eaten a large pizza just an hour earlier. Downed a couple Guinness beers and talked to the guests. Took another shower which was still amazing as the previous day. Everyone went to a concert, but I decided to stay behind and sleep. Feelin good, tomorrow I hike to Kent.