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  1. #21
    Formerly "Totem"
    Join Date
    01-03-2008
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    Old Bridge, New Jersey
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    Slept here Saturday night. No mice or turds. Looks like the (years) aforementioned leaks in the ceiling have been fixed. Fire Ring and Picnic Table in good condition. Privy Okay.
    up over the hills, theres nothing to fear
    theres a pub across the way with whisky and beer
    its a lengthy journey on the way up to the top
    but it ain't so bad if you have a great big bottle o'scotch

  2. #22
    Registered User
    Join Date
    05-22-2010
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    Brooklyn, NY
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    40
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    Crashed here two nights ago. At about midnight "The Kidd" and I were woken up by a constant scraping sound. We looked down from the loft where we were laid out and saw a nice sized porcupine going to town on the floor. We noticed that the floor and bunks looked whittled and chipped, but were too tired to even care. In the morning, I noticed the privy had taken similar damage. We passed someone the day after who had said that the resident porcupine had been there for two+ years, but saw no mention of it in the register or on the forum here. If you stop and the shelter is empty, I suggest using the loft to avoid pissing off the resident or rolling over into 1000 quills in the gut.

  3. #23
    lemon b's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-17-2011
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    4 miles from Trailhead in Becket, Ma.
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    69
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    There are a couple pictures of Tom Leonard in my gallery. Think I've only actually slept there once years back as I perfer going farther to North Wilcox or slething to the South. Always like the view from the tenting area.

  4. #24

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    Yup, we've been trying to discourage this guy and his progeny for years. We've sprayed the shelter with bitter apple, and put salt blocks in the woods away from the shelter. The rocky terrain is ideal for denning, and plenty of hiker sweat to provide a tasty midnight snack. I'd be a shame if he should have some sort of tragic accident...

    Cosmo


    Quote Originally Posted by Emperor Near-0 View Post
    Crashed here two nights ago. At about midnight "The Kidd" and I were woken up by a constant scraping sound. We looked down from the loft where we were laid out and saw a nice sized porcupine going to town on the floor. We noticed that the floor and bunks looked whittled and chipped, but were too tired to even care. In the morning, I noticed the privy had taken similar damage. We passed someone the day after who had said that the resident porcupine had been there for two+ years, but saw no mention of it in the register or on the forum here. If you stop and the shelter is empty, I suggest using the loft to avoid pissing off the resident or rolling over into 1000 quills in the gut.

  5. #25

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    Update, June 23rd, 2012. 5 Volunteers hauled a bear box into Leonard on the 23rd. Got help from a group of international students from Eisner Camp who were out for a training hike. Also shifted the privy to start the mouldering cycle on the full side of the crib and cleared the brush from the view from the tent platform. Register had two reports of a persistent bear at the site the week of June 16th.

    For photos and more: http://massatprojects2012.blogspot.com/.

    Cosmo

  6. #26
    Wanna-be hiker trash
    Join Date
    03-05-2010
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    Connecticut
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    42
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    Very cool Cosmo. I thank all of you for keeping that area in great shape. One of my favorite times on the trail was taking a nero day at Tom Leonard a couple of years back, our morning consisted of lounging around at the tent platform and enjoying the view.
    Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

  7. #27
    Coach Lou coach lou's Avatar
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    09-03-2011
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    Madison, Connecticut
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sarcasm the elf View Post
    Very cool Cosmo. I thank all of you for keeping that area in great shape. One of my favorite times on the trail was taking a nero day at Tom Leonard a couple of years back, our morning consisted of lounging around at the tent platform and enjoying the view.
    I'm not telling Sherrie about the Porky or the Bear!

  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by coach lou View Post
    I'm not telling Sherrie about the Porky or the Bear!
    There is a baseball bat at the shelter, if Mr/Ms Porky got a sharp lesson it would do a world of good. I think the bear is a pretty rare visitor. The easy water source is pretty dried up at this point, follow the blue blazes past the privy (not as bad as it sounds) all the way down to some really great water.

    Cosmo

  9. #29
    Registered User
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    01-24-2007
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    madison, ct
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    80
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    A few years ago I found the easy water source dried up and hiked down the hill to the stream. One of the first things I bought when I got home was a platypus 4L water bag. Open top, two handles, and a screw on cap. weighs about 2 oz.

  10. #30
    Registered User
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    06-30-2012
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    Sterling, New York
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    67
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    We'll be staying at the Tom Leonard shelter sometime this month. Thanks for making one aspect of our stop much, much easier!

  11. #31
    Registered User
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    03-01-2004
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    Tampa, FL
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    Stayed there on July 1, 2012. The only water at that time was down the hill. Shelter was a bit smelly due to the animal repellent and floor board edges were well chewed up by porcupine. Otherwise, it was OK, but as mentioned earlier, mosquito netting is highly recommended and you will still be tormented by the constant buzzing. There is a new bear box there. Also, there is a tent platform right at the overlook and a very few good tent sites behind the rocks.

  12. #32
    Registered User
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    09-23-2012
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    Boston, MA
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    27
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    Stayed for a night yesterday. It rained at night but there were no leaks. Stream is about 50ft from the shelter, so getting water is not a problem. Overall, a great shelter.

  13. #33

    Default Water

    Quote Originally Posted by clarosee View Post
    Stayed for a night yesterday. It rained at night but there were no leaks. Stream is about 50ft from the shelter, so getting water is not a problem. Overall, a great shelter.
    Note, the water 50ft from this shelter is NOT the best water available at this site. There is a blue blazed trail past the privy down hill steeply to the small stream coming out of the ice glen. This source is by far a better source. The source near the shelter is typically colored with tanic acid from the swamp that it comes from and will often go dry in mid summer.

  14. #34
    Registered User
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    01-24-2007
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    madison, ct
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    80
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    take enough water containers for a few meals down the hill with you. it's a long walk.

  15. #35

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    How windy does it get on that tent platform? I'm not 100% confident in my tent (different story) and so I just want to gauge how gusty it'll be if I use the platform. Are there more sheltered platforms around the site?

  16. #36

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    I don't think wind would be an issue any more than any other tentsite--unless the wind was exactly in the wrong direction. The platform faces southish and is surrounded on three sides by trees. It's not at the top of the mountain. There are other tent sites near the shelter as well. The shelter is 50yds away if things get really ugly.

    Cosmo

    Quote Originally Posted by jeconiah View Post
    How windy does it get on that tent platform? I'm not 100% confident in my tent (different story) and so I just want to gauge how gusty it'll be if I use the platform. Are there more sheltered platforms around the site?

  17. #37
    13-45 Section Hiker Trash
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    04-09-2008
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    Lynchburg, VA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wanderer0131 View Post
    Note, the water 50ft from this shelter is NOT the best water available at this site. There is a blue blazed trail past the privy down hill steeply to the small stream coming out of the ice glen. This source is by far a better source. The source near the shelter is typically colored with tanic acid from the swamp that it comes from and will often go dry in mid summer.
    To piggy back off of this the more reliable source is on the blue blazed trail past the privy. I had the pages from the Companion with me and it stated to that the water was "down a steep ravine". There's a trail going to the ravine to the left of the shelter (when facing away from the shelter), which is where I presume some are getting water when the flow is higher. That was dry when I went through there in early September of this year, but mistaken thought it was the source and ventured further down into the ravine, which is a rugged boulder field. So if it's dry at the top of that hit the trail that goes past the privy as stated above.
    AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
    JMT: 2013

  18. #38

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    I was there 2 weeks ago and got water in a small ravine that went under a wood bridge a few miles south of TL Lean-to.

    Hikers at TL Lean-to had dammed up the very slow trickle to make a collection spot. this place was past the privy, but I did not go down to it.
    Trail Miles: 4,927.6
    AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
    Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
    Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
    Foothills Trail: 0.0
    AT Map 2: 279.4
    BMT: 52.7
    CDT: 85.4

  19. #39

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    There is no trail down into the ravine to the left--you might have been able to get there, but it's not blazed or maintained. Best just to follow the blue blaze past the privy (bear right going away from the shelter). Probably the coldest water south of Maine. Snow lingers in the secret places in that ravine (Ice Gulch) until well into the summer.

    Cosmo


    Quote Originally Posted by Berserker View Post
    To piggy back off of this the more reliable source is on the blue blazed trail past the privy. I had the pages from the Companion with me and it stated to that the water was "down a steep ravine". There's a trail going to the ravine to the left of the shelter (when facing away from the shelter), which is where I presume some are getting water when the flow is higher. That was dry when I went through there in early September of this year, but mistaken thought it was the source and ventured further down into the ravine, which is a rugged boulder field. So if it's dry at the top of that hit the trail that goes past the privy as stated above.

  20. #40
    13-45 Section Hiker Trash
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    04-09-2008
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    Lynchburg, VA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cosmo View Post
    There is no trail down into the ravine to the left--you might have been able to get there, but it's not blazed or maintained. Best just to follow the blue blaze past the privy (bear right going away from the shelter). Probably the coldest water south of Maine. Snow lingers in the secret places in that ravine (Ice Gulch) until well into the summer.

    Cosmo
    You are right in that there is not a blue blazed trail into the ravine on the left side, but there is a heavy "use trail" there. When I rolled in I was not in a super clear state of mind due to the heat and being worn out. So I blindly followed this use trail into the ravine, and it's clear that many others have also. So that's why I thought I would report on it so others don't make the same mistake.

    Oh yeah, and once in the ravine there was some really cold air coming up from under the rocks...it felt fantastic...kinda like air conditioning.
    AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
    JMT: 2013

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