Summary: 14 miles hike from The Hemlocks to Tom Leonard shelter
05:47 – wake up at IT will be raining for the next 2H. Today will be a long day with 14 miles ahead of me. The high temperature today will only be +9°C.
06:51 – start the hike mostly down to route 7.
07:55 – removed the umbrella. I am taking a yellow jacket and jumper off. Rain is stopping for now.
08:32 – I have reached a view from the ledges into route 7 valley.
09:00 – Jug End Road – 3.61 mi completed. 4.5 more to route 7 and 10.9 to the shelter for today.
10:00 – breakfast under a dry tree. I spotted a tree with a completely dry trunk. I landed under that tree for breakfast break. AS I was eating the other parties from the night before were overtaking me. Strangely, the spot that I picked was the only place with mosquitoes. They also like the dryness under the tree.
10:47 – the first sun is out, and I am crossing an open section of the trail with streams, bushes and multiple board walks. And the sun just timidly peaked through, warming everything, drying everything, but just for a moment. By 10:52 it is raining again and raining hard.
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| AT here is a bit wobbly but totally fun. And it goes and goes till a dry land can be reached | Fun to climb a split ladder with a backpack. |
11:28 I am at West Sheffield Road in Great Barrington. Making another attempt for a break. I need to find a dry spot to do my Duolingo before 12PM. No. The signal is too weak.
11:47 – 12:53 a stop under a covered terrace at Campo De Fiori store for gardening and outdoor things. It is located just a few short steps away from AT on route 7 in Sheffield, MA. Here I finally reached my 2000 days steak just 9 min before noon. 6.1 more miles to go today.
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| Campo De Fiori store let me use their cover space to complete my 2000 day streak in Duolingo. | After five or six repetitions of rain commimg and going – the sun is finally out for good. |
Here I am finishing the old small graph ruled notebook and starting a new one (“Field Book”).
12:53 When I am leaving, the sun is shining, but rain starts again just as I cross the road.
13:19 – I am crossing the Housatonic River over the bridge. The sun is reflecting in the puddles again.
14:30 I am at Brush Hill Rd. The sun is still fighting to get an upper hand. I am sitting on a sticking out tree roots that are a bit dryer than other surfaces.
15:34 I am going through a forest section that underwent a fire. The fire here happened in November 2024 (The Butternut Fire) and smell is still lingering. Although large trees remained but all the underbrush was destroyed along with black peat. I’ve completed about half of the hike for this trip.
16:17 +10°C. I am tired from all the walking and hauling. Although it is only 1.8 mi to the shelter, but I am making a deliberate stop and changing the socks to continue to enjoy the hike. I will not play the victim here.
17:20 – 0.3 mi to shelter. The rain is trying to start but should completely stop in 49 minutes. Is there a place for me at the shelter?
17:41 – I am at the Tom Leonard shelter. All my companions from the other night are already here. Plus, one more through hiker is sleeping in the attic. Plus, one more will arrive shortly after me. Sherril and her husband will sleep in their tent. Me and Cruser from Virginia will sleep on lover banks, and young trough hikers that started AT in February will sleep upstairs in the attic. There is plenty of room for everyone. And the rain finally went away – for now.
18:54 – I am eating my Mushroom Risotto from Good To-Go brand.
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| A vegan option on the trail. Just add boiling water and wait for 12-15 minutes. | Tom Leonard Shelter – a dry spot in a sea of wet forest. |
19:50 for the first time I am checking how much remains to the destination – Mass Pike – 22.5 miles. That I can’t do in one day, so I will do only 11 miles to the next campground.
I am tired. If fact, I am so tired that I lost some curiosity, and there is no energy to raise the glance to look at the world.
20:11 I am settling in in my coconut. My personal implements (camera, iPhone, batteries, water, watches, glasses) are spread around me on kind of shelves. Two young North Bound hikes settled upstairs in the attic. For tomorrow, there are two shelters 5 and 7 miles away, and there is a campground at 11.2 mi from me. That is most likely my target for tomorrow.
20:28 That is it. Closing the store for today. It will get dark soon.
Navigate through the List
- 2025 CT to MA Appalachian Trail trip preparation (2025/05/21)
- Day 1 - 2025-05-22 Thursday - start the hike from Salisbury (2025/05/22)
- Day 2 - 2025-05-23 Friday - cross into MA (2025/05/23)
- Day 3 - 2025-05-24 Saturday - hike 14 miles to be in the hut (2025/05/24)
- Day 4 - 2025-05-25 Sunday - hike 21.7 miles to a cabin (2025/05/25)
- Day 5 - 2025-05-26 Monday- bike back to car (2025/05/26)
- May 2025 AT trip - lessons and consequences (2025/05/27)
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