Pleasant River to Long Pond Stream Lean To – 16 miles

The shelters have been a great source of entertainment and companionship for us. Every 5-10 miles along the trail, the Appalachian Trail Club has built three-walled structures for long distance hikers. We aim for the shelters for lunch breaks and camping because this is where other hikers tend to congregate.

We carry a bottle of whiskey with us to share with the other folks in the shelters. Passing the bottle around often lights up the conversation. Going forward, this seems like it will be a valuable strategy.

We said goodnight to the other gentleman in the tonight’s shelter and then I settled in next to a moth that was easily six inches across, the size of a small bat. It didn’t bother me until I turned on my phone to journal. The moth was attracted to the light of my phone screen and started flapping around my face, causing quite a ruckus.