Southern Vermont slackpacking question

[Trish]

Hi, My husband will be slacking me in June, 2015 for the first 100-110 miles of Vermont. Is there anyone out there who might know if my road crossing are workable? I can respond by stating crossing plans....we are flying in to Vermont so will rent a car-a RAV is what we have reserved....

[4eyedbuzzard]

Hi, My husband will be slacking me in June, 2015 for the first 100-110 miles of Vermont. Is there anyone out there who might know if my road crossing are workable? I can respond by stating crossing plans....we are flying in to Vermont so will rent a car-a RAV is what we have reserved....

I don't have my "good" map with me, but as I remember (going NOBO), there is a pretty long stretch where there is really no accessible road crossing of any kind - from the trailhead on Rt 9 until you hit a Forest Service road (FS 71?) that connects with Stratton-Arlington Rd / Kelley Stand Rd, about a mile past Story Spring shelter. Even slacking, that section (22 miles +/-) is going to be a long tough day - it's the better part of a two day hike for most folks. Other than that section, there are enough road crossings and access points from Kelley Stand Rd. all the way to Norwich to make slacking realistic. Kelly Stand Rd is unpaved, but is usually pretty well maintained. I've driven it in a regular passenger car that time of year.

[Cookerhiker]

One of the most challenging stretches is your first one. Section 1 is 14 miles but that doesn't count the 4 miles access trail from Massachusetts, so you really have 18 miles on your first day. You may be able to divide this stretch using some side trail access points. Per the LT Guide, there's a county road at 3.1 (7 from your starting point) which "...under favorable conditions, may be driven east..." I wouldn't assume anything without checking with local sources.

As Buzzard stated, Section 2's 22.6 miles from Rt. 9 to Kelley Stand Rd. doesn't have any breaks. The side trails in this section are too long to make a slackpack viable so unless you're willing to backpack one night, you'll have a long day. The longest uphill you'll have is the first few miles from Rt. 9 up the Glastonbury massif.

In Section 3, you have 17.5 miles to Rt. 11 & 30. Per the guidebook, you come to an old road (Old Rootville Rd.) after about 12 miles from Kelly Stand. The guide states it's 1.8 miles down this trail/road to a "paved public road" but again, I'd check with local sources or the GMC.

In the subsequent sections, the distances between access points are manageable with some short days and some long ones.

[Thorfinn]

It's true about that long stretch in southern Vermont. I was able to chop six or seven miles off it with the help of a local kid. I don't have my maps here at the office. Please contact me privately and I can give you details. Briefly, there is a road that goes into a pond off of Rt. 9. From the end of the road it is a ten minute bushwack to the trail. The second half of the road is pretty rough and my wife didn't want to do it in our truck. Hence, I went to a bar and asked the locals about kids with big trucks. The one I found was great. BTW, the existence of this road was unknown to the shuttlers and Forest Service rangers that I contacted although you can see it on GoogleEarth. It was confirmed to me by a former trail maintainer that I bumped into at another trailhead.

[4eyedbuzzard]

It's true about that long stretch in southern Vermont. I was able to chop six or seven miles off it with the help of a local kid. I don't have my maps here at the office. Please contact me privately and I can give you details. Briefly, there is a road that goes into a pond off of Rt. 9. From the end of the road it is a ten minute bushwack to the trail. The second half of the road is pretty rough and my wife didn't want to do it in our truck. Hence, I went to a bar and asked the locals about kids with big trucks. The one I found was great. BTW, the existence of this road was unknown to the shuttlers and Forest Service rangers that I contacted although you can see it on GoogleEarth. It was confirmed to me by a former trail maintainer that I bumped into at another trailhead.

You are probably speaking of Pine Valley Rd. which can be seen here in this segment http://tnlandforms.us/at/googleat.ph...&mt=3&scale=11 Click on hi-res trail segment link and then zoom in on Little Pond area just east of the AT between Melville Nauheim and Goddard shelters.

FAIR WARNING: I can't say I'd personally recommend bushwhacking, even if it's only a quarter to half a mile, in unfamiliar forest to someone from out of town, and/or going on any rough unmaintained roads a rental vehicle. I think both ideas are possibly just asking for problems.

[10-K]

Wallingford south to Manchester Center is a great slackpack. Plus you end up in Manchester Center, my favorite trail town x100..

[Thorfinn]

Just for clarification. The road I referred to is probably the Pine Valley Rd. It's easy to find. The first half has several houses and camps so it is fairly well maintained. Beyond that is rough. I wasn't recommending trying it in a rental vehicle. A car won't make it. That's why I hired a kid with a big truck. His name is Jake Caruso and two years ago he worked at the Citgo station on the west side of Wilmington. He loved taking me in and didn't want any money although I paid him handsomely. His truck was so high I had trouble getting in and out. Almost any pickup should do. It's just that my wife doesn't like driving on rough roads.
The bushwhack is very easy. The trail is about 400 yds. directly west of the parking area at the end of the road.

"In Section 3, you have 17.5 miles to Rt. 11 & 30. Per the guidebook, you come to an old road (Old Rootville Rd.) after about 12 miles from Kelly Stand. The guide states it's 1.8 miles down this trail/road to a "paved public road" but again, I'd check with local sources or the GMC."

This section took me nine hours but I was slowed by a very icy trail over Stratton Mtn. I'll be over that way myself in the next week or two.

[Jeff]

"In Section 3, you have 17.5 miles to Rt. 11 & 30. Per the guidebook, you come to an old road (Old Rootville Rd.) after about 12 miles from Kelly Stand. The guide states it's 1.8 miles down this trail/road to a "paved public road" but again, I'd check with local sources or the GMC."

This section took me nine hours but I was slowed by a very icy trail over Stratton Mtn. I'll be over that way myself in the next week or two.

Old Rootville Rd is rather steep. Not bad going down into town, but steeply up in the morning to get back on trail. Most hikers who go down Rootville Rd decide to skip the next 5 miles northbound and resume the hike at VT11/30.

[kennethofritz]

A bridge washed out during a hurricane several years ago. The result was a long ride east of bennington to get to 1 trailhead instead of following 7 north. it may be repaired by now,. short of that, good luck with your plans.

[Thorfinn]

When I did that section a couple of years ago most of the mountain roads were washed out. I believe they have now been repaired. The devastation was very impressive. You should call the USFS to check.
If you skip five miles for convenience can you say you did the entire trail? I don't think so.

[4eyedbuzzard]

The public roads damaged by Hurricane Irene in 2011 have pretty much all been repaired. There are no trailhead access issues (at least on public roads) that I know of.