Questions for Long Trail thru-hike!

[TheWildMoose]

Hey everyone! I hope every has had a great weekend so far. This summer, my best friend and I plan on doing our first major thru-hike, and we figured the Long Trail would be a perfect for us. Somewhat close to home, and completable within a month.

With that being said, I just have a few questions I could really use answers for!

- What is the estimated cost for this trip? I am sure we might stop at a restaurant/hostel(s) along the way at some point. We already have all of our gear.

- Any tips or things to look out for while on the journey?

- When is the best time to take on the Long Trail? We were thinking early June.

- What was your experience on the Long Trail?

Thanks everyone! I really look forward to your answers and advice. I'm getting excited to begin planning for this trip!

Cheers!:)
Austin B

[Slo-go'en]

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- What is the estimated cost for this trip? I am sure we might stop at a restaurant/hostel(s) along the way at some point. We already have all of our gear.

There is only one hostel along the Long Trail which is the Green Mountain house in Manchester center. The rest of the lodging will be at B+B's which can range from $50 a night (Inn at the Long Trail) to $80 a night or more. I dropped $125 for room and dinner at one B+B in Waitsfield. I'm not sure how much I spent (I never keep track of such things, I just spend what is needed), but I would guess less then $500.

- Any tips or things to look out for while on the journey?

If the rocks are covered in a thin green moss, it's slippery as all get out and even if your careful you'll often end up on your butt.

- When is the best time to take on the Long Trail? We were thinking early June.

Early June is the very worst time to hike the Long Trail. The Black Flies will be out in force and can drive you to insanity. It often rains a lot in early June. As someone who thru hiked the LT in June, I would never, ever do that again. The very best time to hike the LT is in the early fall, like September.

- What was your experience on the Long Trail?

It's hard to beat, but is extremely difficult north of the AT Maine junction.

Thanks everyone! I really look forward to your answers and advice. I'm getting excited to begin planning for this trip!

Cheers!:)
Austin B

[TheWildMoose]

Brilliant thank you for the advice.

Unfortunately my buddy and I are finishing up our final year in college and will not be able to make it out during the fall. Are there any other times in the summer that you would maybe recommend?

Keep the insight coming! :)

[mattjv89]

I'm remembering the blackflies being basically gone by early-mid July so any time after that is better insect wise. Could be really hot then or you could hit it lucky, last summer i think I could count the days over 80 on one hand but the one before was stifling hot and humid a lot of the time and pouring the rest. If you're a fan of staying in shelters they're likely to be crowded from the AT bubble in the southern 105 miles around that time.

[mark schofield]

I'd go in August if September is not an option. Weather is a bit cooler and less humid. Less bugs. If you are young and in good shape, I'd go SOBO. Tougher but much less crowded. When you get to the southern part past Rt. 4, you'll fly. It's a beautiful walk whatever you do.

[bigcranky]

We did a Long Trail end to end hike this past July. I think the month was perfect - while we had some rain, overall the weather was very good. I would not want to be on the LT in June.

Cost: I think conventional wisdom says about $1000 per month on a thru-hike for a solo hiker. We spent less than $2K since we could share rooms and such. But we stayed in B&Bs for the most part (no hostels) and we ate and drank very, very well (we were on vacation and could afford it.) If I had to, I could rehike the LT on about $500 for food and stuff, but I really liked the B&Bs :)

There is a hostel in Rutland, too, along with the Green Mtn House in Manchester Center. However, if you only splurge on one place, spend a night at The Inn at Long Trail. It's less than $100/night, includes a terrific breakfast, and there is a great little Irish pub onsite. So, yeah, it'll cost more like $200 once you're done with meals and Guinness.

Our trail journal is linked below, with daily entries and a page on gear and logistics.

Overall our experience was good, but the trail itself was extremely physically challenging. (Note that we are much older than you and all our experience is on the Southern AT.) But we did it, and this was our first long distance hike, too.

Happy trails and good luck.

[imscotty]

I will second the advice above to go in late July or August if you are limited to the summer months. It takes a long time for the LT to dry out from mud season, if it ever does.

[Vthiker77]

What's dry?? I'be never heard of such a silly word :) August/September for sure. We were lucky this year. It was the perfect summer/fall.

[Deadeye]

all good advice regarding June hiking, but... hiking in June in Vermont is better than not hiking in June in Vermont. Be prepared for the bugs and you'll live... DEET, a bug-proof tent or hammock, and a headnet if you can handle wearing one (I can't). The bugs don't read WhiteBlaze, so not all of them are always out in June, and plenty of them are still around in August!

[Jeff]

One benefit of going northbound is there are 2 excellent outfitters in Manchester Center 50 miles into your hike. Unless you are experienced long distance hikers, your equipment will probably need to be tweeked. If you go southbound there are almost no opportunities to fine tune your gear early on.

[freightliner]

Just bring long sleeve shirts and you'll be okay in June yes there's bugs but there's bugs in Vermont all summer long. The yellow deli in Rutland is a must stop you can get the bus right at the trailhead and it takes you right to the deli which is right behind the bus stop and cost like four bucks. The food is excellent and Walmart is right across the street for resupply. You also have to remember to bring enough money to pay for the campsites and lodges on the trail because they cost money. Five bucks I think but they may have gone up. The biggest problem about hiking in June is the water will still be too cold to go swimming and there is a lot of swimming opportunities on the long trail. Just that alone would make me push back the hiking date. Yes the bugs will bite you will inch but in the end you will have great hiking memories.

[soilman]

I did my SOBO thru the last 2 weeks of Aug and first week of Sept. Weather was good, had hot days, cold days, dry days, and rainy days. Biggest concern for hiking at that time is there a lot of college groups out for orientation. I ran into about 8 or 10 groups during my trip. Most were not a problem as they usually had their own shelter. Most of the groups were 10 to 12 people in size. Had one group come in around 10 pm at Kid Gore and set up their shelter and cooked until past midnight. As far as expenses, I probably spent less than $500 on the trail, but probably spent another $500 for transportation expenses to and from the trail, ie. rental car, taxi, Amtrak. I only spent 2 nights in town, one at Inn at Long Trail and one at Green Mt House.

[Jeff]

You also have to remember to bring enough money to pay for the campsites and lodges on the trail because they cost money. Five bucks I think but they may have gone up.

Good point!! Only about 8 or 10 campsites/shelters charge $5 on the LT. You can avoid them all if you want to hike on, but there are a few that are really beautiful spots....like Little Rock Pond !!!

[fastfoxengineering]

Completed and end to end this past August/September 2014.

1. I suggest a SOBO hike allthough I've never gone nobo. Everyone we met finishing a nobo hike as we went southbound were in rough shape physically and mentally due to the final stretch near canada just really breaking them down. Going sobo the hike gets relatively easier and easier. You won't get insane trail legs during this trail. I feel its better to start the hard section with good spirits and a strong body than to have to push through it beat up at the end of your thru-hike.

2. I spent around $600 on a 26 day hike. I will say $50 was because I had to mail stuff home and change some equipment. Also, I had a $170 bar tab at the Inn at Long Trail. Well worth it. So a frugal hike can easily be had in the $400 mark. $500-$600 is a good number but you have to watch your spending.

3. I stayed at Nye's B&B, The Inn @ LT, and The Green Mtn House. I recommend all of them. Hiking with a partner saves some money on rooms. I also payed about $15 in GMC fee's to stay at some of the shelters/tentsites. Taft Lodge, Stratton Pond, and one more I just cant remember.

4. Don't go in June. Me and my brother laughed at how August/September is the "Dry" months. Some of the mud puddles are lethal death traps. And when it rains, it pours. When it pours, the LT floods.

5. Don't go in June. Bugs can really make or break a good hike. If we had to deal with bugs the first five days on our hike. We might have went home. It was hard enough and rained 4 consecutive days. We were able to push through the weather and laugh it off. If I had flies and skeeters attacking the whole time. I wouldn't have found anything to laugh about.

6. Pack light. That terrain is tough.

7. Trekking poles will save your life on the LT. Literally.

8. Stay at Puffer Shelter if its nice. It's a crappy shelter but the view is sweet.

9. Pack 2-3 pairs of hiking socks and 1 pair of camp socks

10. Be carefull with your food especially in the south at shelters. Those mice are acrobatic.

11. Have a great hike

If you have any specific questions pm me. I was just rambling.

Regards

[Deacon]

These are good points. Regarding the $5 fee at those shelters that charge a fee, if you are a member of the GMC, you pay $5 at the first shelter but don't need to pay at the others. Just show your membership card and receipt from the previous shelter.
This is how it was in 2013, but don't know if this has changed.

[Second Hand]

The fees are pretty hit and miss to. I've been section hiking the LT all year and I would always bring cash for the Shelters, but I never ended up paying. The only place that was occupied by a care taker when I was there was the Lodge at Killington's side trail. I chose to beat feat and try my luck at the Long Trail Inn. A decision I was very happy about.

My one piece of advice would be take advantage of the Inn if you can. It's such a great atmosphere, extremely hiker friendly, good food, good beer. I really enjoyed it.

[rafe]

I got charged $5 by the caretaker at Stirling Pond Shelter this summer.

+1 on the Inn at the Long Trail. Silly to miss this one, as it's just off the trail. They have all the services a hiker needs, and a hiker box. I believe they'll accept mail drops. If you're not a purist you can get there more directly via the Sherburne Trail, and it's just as pretty if not more so than the AT/LT.

[TheWildMoose]

Wow, this is fantastic! These are all really great points and all of this advice is extremely helpful! So by the sounds of it - it sounds like I might want to bring some quality rain gear, leave preferably after June, and be weary of bugs.

Thank you so much everyone, I really appreciate it!
WhiteBlaze coming to the rescue once again.

Cheers.

[Just Bill]

The Inn at the Long Trail is pretty mandatory- you don't need to rack up a massive bill. I had two meals and a handful of Pints and even with a generous tip to Owen (seeing as he's the best bartender in the world) it was around $55. There is a hiker rate, but not always available.

If I were to really splurge- The Stowe Ski Resort would make a luxury zero- right about that sweet spot too in the worst of the North Section. Hiker rate on a non-weekend day was $275 :eek:

Never had to pay a fee for a site, woulda been pleased to, but it's never worked out right for me.

Overall- Vermont is one of the finest states around.
You could easily do the LT on little or no money as a fairly wilderness experience for an established trail.
You could easily do a European/Camino esque trip and spend weeks visiting the eclectic towns, artisan shops, and consuming some of the finest meat, cheese, beer and cuisine in the country.

I hope to one day do more of each- but the backwoods of Vermont hold a special lure that is hard to pass up- and the trail sucks me in.

[mark schofield]

Once when I did a SOBO thru hike, I stopped at The Inn at the Long Trail and left a resupply box. Did the same thing at Nye's B7B. My wife dropped me off at the northen terminus and I picked my stuff up and stayed the night on the way down. The Inn is a must. Lots of hikers to share tales with.

[Jeff]

One of the benefits of hiking in June is the GMC caretakers (the past couple of years) do not start until the July 4th weekend.

No caretaker means no one to collect the $5 !!! However, no caretaker also means no one is maintaining the privy's.

[bigcranky]

Overall- Vermont is one of the finest states around.
You could easily do the LT on little or no money as a fairly wilderness experience for an established trail.
You could easily do a European/Camino esque trip and spend weeks visiting the eclectic towns, artisan shops, and consuming some of the finest meat, cheese, beer and cuisine in the country.

Totally agree on all points. We loved Vermont, and did something close to your second hike. It was terrific. But the trail itself, not so much :)

[lemon b]

Hey everyone! I hope every has had a great weekend so far. This summer, my best friend and I plan on doing our first major thru-hike, and we figured the Long Trail would be a perfect for us. Somewhat close to home, and completable within a month.

With that being said, I just have a few questions I could really use answers for!

- What is the estimated cost for this trip? I am sure we might stop at a restaurant/hostel(s) along the way at some point. We already have all of our gear. Bring at least 700 dollars.

- Any tips or things to look out for while on the journey? Get the Long Trail Guide. Do not hesitate to take by pass trails in bad weather. If you go Southbound it will be a lot simpler to get home after hike. Work out for a good six weeks. In Northern Sections do not be in a rush and be mindful of water sources. Might want to give Jen at the visitor Center a call she is usually up to date on conditions or can direct you to who is. Join the GMC. As was said earlier discussion with site caretakers can be helpful. Long Trail Inn can't be missed. Manchester Center is a nice place to take a zero.

- When is the best time to take on the Long Trail? We were thinking early June. IMHO- August

- What was your experience on the Long Trail? Its a spiritual experience. Take it a day at a time.

Thanks everyone! I really look forward to your answers and advice. I'm getting excited to begin planning for this trip!

Cheers!:)
Austin B

Have fun. Hope the weather is clear. Stay dry.

[roughdrafts]

I hiked northbound in August this year and the weather was good, especially in the first half of the month, and the bugs weren't too bad. I spent about 14 nights on the trail and 7 in towns, but I lucked out on accommodation costs and my most expensive nights were in Waitsfield ($35/night including breakfast). I did spend a lot of money on Vermont beers throughout the state though. Overall I probably spent less than $400 on the whole trip since I hitchhiked/took buses, stayed in some kind strangers' homes, shared rooms with other hikers, and didn't have to replace any gear.

You can set up your tent for free across the street from the Inn at Long Trail and blow your savings at the bar. Just be VERY careful crossing the street there (I would not recommend trying it drunk). I saw a woman get hit by a car while running across the street in daylight; can't imagine how much more dangerous it is in the dark.

As mentioned above, the mice on the southern part of the trail are beasts. They chewed through my hipbelt pocket to get at an empty wrapper (my fault for forgetting about it) and kept me awake at night until I switched to using my tent.

+1 on carrying the lightest pack possible (I didn't carry a stove/cookset but I did have three wonderful pairs of socks) and using poles -- I still have a scar on my knee from one bad fall just north of Appalachian Gap (which also bent my pole) but my poles saved me many times.