Date: 2016-04-17
From: Mt Wilcox N Shelter

To: Tom Leonard Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: few clouds

I woke to a chilly morning. I packed up and said goodbye to my friends Seth and Wyatt.I hiked past a beaver pond and heard the beaver slap the water with his tail as he dove down deep. I tried to take a picture of him. I really need a zoom lens to photograph animals. I walked past a three tiered beaver dam. I decided NOT to get water downstream of a beaver dam.   After hiking about 45 minutes, I was warmer. I stopped by a stream to get water, eat breakfast and take off my cold weather clothes. My cold weather clothes include a fleece midriff "bra", hot pink silk base layer top, black spandex shirt, fleece gloves, neck warmer, balaclava, fleece hat and hooded Nano puff Patagonia jacket. Below the waist, my cold weather clothes include two pairs of used panty hose with the toes cut off (the tips of my toes do not like pressure when I am sleeping), silk base layer bottoms, large wool socks and large fleece lined water resistant pants. I hate to be cold.   As I was eating breakfast, Seth and Wyatt came by on their way back to the car. I told them they missed the strip tease show when I took off my cold weather under garments. They continued on. I finished breakfast and packed up. I passed them on an uphill climb, while Seth and Wyatt were resting.   I met a young family on the Benedict Pond Loop trail. The man recommended Tom Leonard Shelter. He said it was the only shelter in Massachusetts with a view.   A little before the Tom Leonard Shelter, I was climbing steep rock steps. One was a little higher than the others. With one foot on the step, I hopped on the other foot for momentum. One, two, jump. Ouch! I hit my head on the rock above me. I did not see it because of my Exofficio Bug Off cap with visor. I sat down for a few minutes while I recovered from the head bump.   I got to the Tom Leonard Shelter a little before 1 pm. As I was coming to the shelter, a man without a pack was also coming to the shelter. I asked him where his pack was. In 2016, my hiking partner Again and I met a man with a dog, without a pack, at the shelter just south of Hot Springs NC. He was suspicious. This man without a pack explained he and his wife had lunch at the shelter. She left her cell phone there. He found the cell phone and left the shelter as quickly as he came.   Steve and Stephanie came to the shelter while I was getting water from the nearby stream. See their picture. We had a pleasant conversation. Stephanie asked how I cook on the trail. So I cooked freeze dried black bean soup on my MSR stove. They left as I was eating lunch. I was so sleepy. The long drive was catching up to me. See 4/15/16 Preparation Entry Prep for MA-CT-NY. The next camping area/shelter was over 14 miles away. Too far for me to hike before dark. I laid down to take a nap. While I was sleeping, Tim came by, said he was exhausted and went to set up his hammock. See photo - 4/17/16 view from tent site from Tom Leonard shelter. I sleepily waved at him.    I woke up two hours later. I decided to follow the blue blazes to water. The water trail was fairly steep downhill for 0.3 miles. It ended up at a stream that was the same stream I crossed to get to the shelter from the trail. Tim thought perhaps the stream dries up near the shelter at other times of the year.    I returned to the shelter with my water and cooked dinner. I ate dinner with Tim. We discussed our children. I did my usual stretches and went to sleep.