Re-Supplying along the Appalachian Trail - Part 4, Kent CT to Hanover NH

Kent-CT-to-Hanover-NH Printable version
By Jack “Baltimore Jack” Tarlin
Most recently Updated February 2007

*When leaving Kent, it's possible to re-supply at Cornwall Bridge (about 11 miles from Kent), or in Sharon, which is about 4.5 miles west of the West Cornwall Road Crossing, (16m from Kent). I generally do neither, and instead pack 2-3 days worth of supplies, which gets me to Salisbury.

*Salisbury is small, with limited services, but these include a great market (with a killer deli which is pricey but worth it!), a pharmacy, a coffeehouse, an ice cream store, a bank with ATM, and a very friendly library. Limited fuel is available at the Auto Shop.

*After Salisbury, one has several options: At MA41, about 15 miles north of Salisbury, there's a convenience store in South Egremont, a mile and change to the west.

*At US7, there's a supermarket just under two miles to the west. A mile further brings you to Great Barrington, which has markets, lodging, and restaurants. Going 3 miles east from Rt7 brings you to Sheffield, which has a market and a few restaurants.

*There is a small hiker hostel at MA23 that will hold UPS/FedEX packages for guests, but this place does not enjoy a particularly inspired reputation for friendliness.

*Tyringham, MA has a Post office and not much else.

*At US20, one can hitch about 5m into Lee which has supermarkets, lodging, and restaurants. It can be a tough hitch.

*19 miles later, the Trail goes directly thru the town of Dalton. There's a small market as well as a convenience store. There are also several extremely friendly locals who take in hikers; if you stay with them, please respect all house rules, and remember that you're in a quiet residential area, so behave accordingly. If you stay with these folks, you'll certainly have a ride to a nearby mall that has a supermarket and several good restaurants, including an AYCE buffet place. There's also a great coffeehouse in the center of town and a very friendly town library. In short, Dalton is a great place to take some time off.

Note: Don't pack too much out of Dalton (or the next town, Cheshire) as you're very close to Rt.2, which has an enormous supermarket near the Trail crossing. However, before you get to this road, you have to go up and over Mt. Greylock, which can be something of a beast on a hot day. I've found it's better to re-supply AFTER Greylock and not before.

It is about 70 miles from Salisbury to Dalton, but these are fairly easy miles. Most folks do this in 4-5 days.

*In Cheshire, about 9 miles from Dalton, there's a small market near the Trail, as well as a convenience store.

Note: Don't plan on staying or eating at the lodge on top of Mt. Greylock; it will not be open this year, and perhaps not until 2009.

*About 14 miles from Cheshire, you'll reach very busy MA2. To your right is the large town of North Adams, with all sorts of services. Williamstown, a much prettier alternative, is an equal distance to your left. Lodging is cheaper in North Adams; it is possible to pitch a tent behind the Outfitter in Williamstown if you get permission. The best local supermarket is the Stop and Shop superstore, about .4 to the west. Williamstown has all sorts of other services, including theaters, pubs, many restaurants, a great coffee house, and one of the best public libraries on the entire Trail. It can be a very nice place to take some time off.

Note: Hitching into Williamstown from the supermarket can be difficult; I've found it easier to hitch from the Trail crossing; when leaving town, I have the driver drop me at the market; then I do my shopping and roadwalk back to the Trailhead.

*Unless you're planning to go into Bennington (18.4m from Rt.2) you'll need 4-5 days worth of supplies from North Adams/Williamstown. This will last you the 58 miles to VT 11/30 and the easy hitch into Manchester Center.

Note: Bennington is becoming a great hiker town, due in no small measure to the good folks at Nature's Closet, a small outdoors store in the center of town. They sell fuel by the ounce here, and also have bicycles for hikers to use, which is good, as the supermarket is quite a ways away.

*Manchester Center is a great Trail town, with only two real problems; the Post Office is kind of out-of-the-way, and there's no cheap lodging. There is, however, just about everything else, including two good outfitters, a big supermarket, a movie theater, laundromat, bagel shop, fast food and other restaurants, and best of all, Northshire Books, the finest bookstore you're likely to encounter on your trip, which also has a cafe and free internet service.

Note: Hikers should check in with the folks at Eastern Mountain Sports, as well as looking at the bulletin boards in the laundromat, as over the years, there have been locals that take in hikers for a nominal fee. If you don't overnight in town, and few do, a good time/money saving plan would be to stay at the very nice Spruce Peak Shelter, a very easy 2.5 miles south of town; then go into town, do all your stuff, and then get out, staying at the new Bromley shelter or at the top of Bromley Mtn. (If you get out of town earlier and feel like going 10 miles, the top of Baker Peak is a very cool place to camp on a nice night).

It's about 96 miles from Manchester Center to Hanover; this will take most folks around 6 days. It can be done without re-supplying, but you do have all sorts of options:

*18 miles from Manchester, at the Danby-Landgrove Rd., there's a market about 3.5m to the West. There's also a campground, with a small camp store and some fuels.

*26m from Manchester, 2.8m West of the VT140 crossing, there's a little market in Wallingford.

*6.5m later, at VT103, there's a general store in Clarendon one mile to the West.

*At US4/Sherburne Pass, it's a fairly easy hitch into the large town of Rutland, which has extensive services. The town of Killington is 2.2. miles to the East, tho if you're going into Killington, it probably makes more sense to stay on the Trail til you get to VT100, where an excellent convenience store is about .7 from the Trail. The Inn at Long Trail (at Sherburne Pass) is a great place to eat or stay, with a wonderful tap room. There are good campsites directly across the highway from the Inn.

*From VT 12, one can easily hitch into nearby Woodstock, which has a supermarket and other services.

*A few miles later, at the Woodstock Stage Road, one can walk or hitch a mile to South Pomfret, which has a general store.

*In West Hartford, you'll walk right by a small general store/deli which has been closed recently, but will hopefully have re-opened by summertime.

*There is a large general store in the center of Norwich VT, but you're probably much better off to wait til you arrive in Hanover, which has an excellent supermarket.

From the Mass/VT border to the Connecticut River (Hanover) is about 150 miles; it'll take most folks 9-12 days to hike, but if you have the time and the weather is co-operating, slow down and enjoy it. Many folks consider the Vermont section to be one of the prettiest sections of the entire Trail, with all sorts of beautiful places to hike,