trail fact: Multiple hikes. Approximately 100 people have reported hiking the A.T. two or more times; about 25 have reported hiking the A.T. three or more times.

Massachusetts
Great Barrington

"You're not quite evil enough. You're semi evil. You're quasi evil. You're the margarine of evil. You're the Diet Coke of evil, just one calorie, not evil enough."

Journal Entry 6.26.00
"What a day. What a night. Lightning storm was fierce. Woke up to find my food bag on the ground, attacked by chipmunks. Tore through the string and chewed two holes in the bag. They ate my trail mix and raisins. Mosquitoes were god-awful this morning. I was on the verge of insanity trying to hike through the swarms. I made it to Rte. 7 in Sheffield and hitched into Great Barrington. I wound up hitching another ride to this retreat center/hostel and here I am - clean, indoors, and bug-free. Wonderful! At least I was able to fix my food bag with a shoe string that I found on the trail. Truly a very trying day."

Journal Entry 6.27.00
"2:30pm at the Tom Leonard Lean-To. I'm taking a break and seeking shelter from the rainstorm that just hit. I woke up this morning at the hostel to find Good Vibe, No Whey, and Ole Faithful (Half Hat). They came in late last night. At last our reunion!! I hadn't seen Good Vibe since Damascus, VA. They all decided to do a short day so I could catch up since I was technically like 10 miles behind them on the trail (they got off at a road crossing further north than Rte. 7). So I hitched back to Great Barrington and started my hike. The mosquitoes were DREADFUL! I spent $25 in town on an arsenal of repellants along with a huge citronella candle that I'm carrying to the shelter. I covered my body with 100% Deet but they were still swarming me. They are absolutely maddening. There are swarms of them in your face and all over your body. I was choking on them. I have a head net but it's 95°F and just too hot to have my head covered, even in netting. Poor No Whey had huge red welts all over her body. Well, another 5.3 miles for me and I'll be meeting them at the next shelter for tonight."

Journal Entry 6.28.00
"4:30pm at Upper Goose Pond Cabin. 14 miles today. I got a late start (8:30am) and felt like I was dragging all day. Luckily the mosquitoes were not nearly as bad and I was able to take a break without being eaten alive. Good Vibe thinks there are actually enough mosquitoes out here to literally kill someone. The cabin here is nice, right on the lake. I have been collecting dead mosquitoes to tape to my postcards in at attempt to let my friends and family understand this absolute mosquito hell. Killing them and taping their dead bodies to postcards gives me great pleasure! Everyone here is helping with the collection. We are currently trying to scheme a way to hike out of here and hitch into town for Indian food..."

Journal Entry 6.29.00
"9pm at the Kay Wood lean-to. Here with Good Vibe and a YMCA group - oh joy! Good Vibe and I did 11 miles this morning to the road and then hitched back to Lee for Indian food. We got a ride all the way (15 miles) in the back of a pickup and the guy even gave us lollipops when he stopped at the bank. Then he dropped us off right at the restaurant! We chowed! It began to pour while we were at the library checking email. We thought we would have no chance of getting a ride in the rain when a woman in the library offered to take us. She was meeting someone there for his English lesson so they only catch was we had to speak English to him in the car. No problem! It was an EXTREMELY funny ride back to the trail. No Whey told me that she wrote a Haiku today which seems to sum up our mindset as of late. It's called "Hiker's Tragedy" and goes "when the cookie lady becomes more appealing then the mountain laurel". How true...we've become hiking machines."

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