View Full Version : Long Trail - anyone hiked it recently?
skinny minnie
08-16-2007, 08:06
Find myself once again debatng which section to do. Have a few questions - has anyone done Killington Peak recently?
Paul Bunyan
08-16-2007, 08:10
Yea, i did it a little while ago. It's not that hard of a mountain. It's long, and in a few parts steep, but it's nice.
Landshark
08-16-2007, 10:23
I live right near Killington Peak, I think it is great. You get to the scramble part near the top, turn around to get your bearings, and all of a sudden you can see all of Rutland and most of Vermont. I can see my house from there! Gotta love local hiking. One of my favorite dayhikes is to spot a car at Rt 4 (either sherbourne pass or the LT/AT lot just west of there) and start at the Bucklin Trail. The trail between Cooper Lodge and Jungle Junction is great--a few ups and downs, very little mud, lots of wind, very few people.
Find myself once again debatng which section to do. Have a few questions - has anyone done Killington Peak recently?
Did it within the last month. Did Rt4 to Middlebury Gap last weekend which I enjoyed much more and found more challenging than Killington. I am also very fond of Rt. 9 to Stratton / Arlington Rd. - see my LT trailjournal.
-Will
I did the 40 miles from VT 11 & 30 to Rte 9 two weeks ago and enjoyed it very much. Stratton Pond was great as were the views from the fire tower atop Stratton. It was a casual 10 miles perday with very good shelters at Stratton Pond, Storey Spring and Goddard, the last two with very good springs.
skinny minnie
08-16-2007, 14:05
Yeah, I was wondering how tough Killington would be as compared to other areas. I noticed that in order to get to Killington via Bucklin trail, you cross Brewers Brook several times - is it an easy crossing? I've yet to actually have to ford across any water, this year :)
And I was also debating between Stratton and Killington. I did Stratton about 5 years ago and recall it being nice. There was a really great guy as the caretaker at the time. And the pond was pretty. I enjoy being near water a lot so that's why I was thinking of Stratton again. And it's not too far up from MA, relatively speaking.
I'm just trying to put together something in a nice section of the trail - with decent elevation, milage, and a nice, scenic area. I only have one car though, so I have to decide between a loop or retracing my steps.
Will - I'll have to check out your journal. Thanks.
wilconow
08-16-2007, 14:06
I did Manchester Center to Hanover, NH last month. You can view the photos in my gallery
It was my first time up north. Compared to NC/TN (which I've done about 120 miles of), there was a lot less elevation gain. More places to get food at road crossings. Lovely Lakes + Ponds. Nice deep pine groves
I would find it difficult to base a trip around Killington Peak. It was a decent view, but all the towers, gondola, snack lodge, just didn't make for the most pleasant experience.
One really nice place to stay was the lookout cabin, about 20 mi. of rt 4. oops thats on the AT after the maine jct
Landshark
08-16-2007, 16:20
Yeah, I was wondering how tough Killington would be as compared to other areas. I noticed that in order to get to Killington via Bucklin trail, you cross Brewers Brook several times - is it an easy crossing? I've yet to actually have to ford across any water, this year :)
There are no difficult crossings of Brewers Brook--there are bridges over it. Little Rock Pond and White Rocks (USFS 10 to Rt 140) is a nice area for a dayhike or overnight. I have not been to Stratton yet but the swimming at Little Rock Pond is GREAT--when I overnighted there I went in twice in the evening and once in the early am. You could also do a nice loop involving Griffith Lake and Baker Peak (or even start at Bromley, go through to Baker Peak and return to Griffith lake). You could also do some great hiking around Mt. Mansfield if you aren't scared of heights. Lots of loops in that area. Camels Hump as well.
If you can't find a loop to do, the Rutland area has a few people who shuttle hikers, you could arrange to leave your car somewhere and then get dropped off at your start point. Actually, even though I am from Rutland (and have a built-in shuttle driver, thanks to my fiance) I don't know how to get in touch with drivers! You could try calling the green mountain club.
My wife and I hiked a nice 2-day loop a couple of weeks ago in the Route 4 area. Left the car at Inn at Long Trail, crossed the Route 4 highway, hiked the Sherburne Pass Trail up to Pico Camp for lunch, then continued on to the Long Trail/AT. We hiked north and camped at Churchill Scott Shelter. The next day we hiked north to Maine Junction, then took the LT north to Rolston Rest Shelter and camp. The 3rd day we hiked back south to Maine Junction, then took the AT north to the northern end of the Sherburne Pass Trail and hiked back down to the Inn for a great lunch and some Guiness. The trail up and around Pico is beautiful.
skinny minnie
08-17-2007, 08:09
There are no difficult crossings of Brewers Brook--there are bridges over it.
Yeah, my map said something about tricky crossings in high water, so I was wondering. Not that I really expected either high water in August or a tricky crossing. I kind of figured there would be bridges.
And that is great about the shuttle rides. I'll definitely have to look into it.
Lone Wolf
08-17-2007, 22:37
just got back from hiking about 190 miles of the long trail. didn't enjoy it so much
Pacific Tortuga
08-17-2007, 23:02
Wolf, what,s up ? Why didn't you like it ? Was your ULA ok ? Are you wanting to come out west and do the JMT? You sound discouraged, what happened ?
I know, too many ???????.
Lone Wolf
08-17-2007, 23:05
Wolf, what,s up ? Why didn't you like it ? Was your ULA ok ? Are you wanting to come out west and do the JMT? You sound discouraged, what happened ?
I know, too many ???????.
the pack was great. the trail was too much work for too little reward. enjoyed the town stops though.
Lone Wolf
08-17-2007, 23:20
the pack was great. the trail was too much work for too little reward. enjoyed the town stops though.
and i have to give a big thank you to 2 special folks that helped me and gypsy out immensly. Mrs. Gorp and mrc237 a.k.a. EZ. Mrs. Gorp took us in for 2 nights while hitching out of Wallingford one night plus she picked us up near Camel's Hump the other day and drove us back to North Adams to get our car. EZ drove to the Inn at the Long Trail from N.Y., paid for us to stay 2 nights then drove us all around Rutland then up to the Canadian border so we could hike south. that's some magic right there. i'm gonna have to give a lot of free rides for a while. thanks you two. and i can't leave out Blue Man Fiction who also took us in for 3 nights.
7Sisters
08-19-2007, 22:10
Looks like I am going to be spending about 8 days finishing the LT (from the Junction N). I'm planning to finish this the early part of October.
Can't wait
7Sisters, if you own a digital camera, take as many pics as you can and post your best to WB's gallery. Have a great hike.
7Sisters
08-20-2007, 20:27
7Sisters, if you own a digital camera, take as many pics as you can and post your best to WB's gallery. Have a great hike.
how do you do that?
Landshark (or anyone else really familiar with Killington) , what kind of temps can be expected on the summit of Killington and Cooper Lodge around the first week of October? Thanks for your help.
gravityman
08-22-2007, 16:19
the pack was great. the trail was too much work for too little reward. enjoyed the town stops though.
My wife and I TOTALLY agree with that assessment of the LT. A lot of work, rewards are minimal. Personally, I'm glad I did it, but I don't think it will be repeated. Short stretches are amazing though...
Gravity (and Danger)
Between Wolf and I, I was the one who enjoyed it the most. Of course, I was also looking to get back into shape a bit and did manage to lose a few pounds of beer belly accumulation. However, I think the LT would be much more enjoyable in sections. Camel's Hump and Mt. Mansfield are a must.
Skidsteer
08-22-2007, 18:35
how do you do that?
-Download the pics to your computer.
-Log on WB and click 'photos' in the upper left of the pge.
-from the drop-down choose 'upload photos'
-Under 'image options', browse your computer to find the photos you want to upload.
-fill out category, description, keywords, etc. and,
-submit!
Pretty easy.
7Sisters
08-23-2007, 01:56
Landshark (or anyone else really familiar with Killington) , what kind of temps can be expected on the summit of Killington and Cooper Lodge around the first week of October? Thanks for your help.
Early October in Vermont is tricky - you can have 25 degree swings. If you're planning on staying at Cooper "lodge", you need to know that it's an enclosed (with door) shelter. Therefore you will sleep warmer and be out of the wind.
I would plan on bringing a bag rated to 40 degree at night. Anything less for colder weather would be overkill. If you're out for a week, I would also plan on bringing a light stocking hat, a pair of light gloves, a fleece vest and a long sleeve light weight shirt. All these added together don't add much weight, but you take them and combine then with a shell jacket and pants and you will be warm down to 30 degrees.
Enjoy the leaf changing. I S/B on the trail that time as well - heading North on LT from AT split.
Thanks for the advice 7Sisters. I'm planning to handle temps down into the 20's just in case. Could get a little chilly at that elevation. I just hope we don't get a 40 degree rain during the day. Have a good hike.
JoeHiker
08-23-2007, 14:53
Early October in Vermont is tricky - you can have 25 degree swings. If you're planning on staying at Cooper "lodge", you need to know that it's an enclosed (with door) shelter. Therefore you will sleep warmer and be out of the wind.
I would plan on bringing a bag rated to 40 degree at night. Anything less for colder weather would be overkill. If you're out for a week, I would also plan on bringing a light stocking hat, a pair of light gloves, a fleece vest and a long sleeve light weight shirt. All these added together don't add much weight, but you take them and combine then with a shell jacket and pants and you will be warm down to 30 degrees.
.
I would bring a bag rated down to 20. When I hiked the long trail in Early October 2005, even that wasn't warm enough on a couple of nights. It can get awfully cold in those mountains. It's easier to keep "cool" if you've brought too much bag than it is to keep warm if you haven't brought enough.
Landshark
08-23-2007, 17:35
Landshark (or anyone else really familiar with Killington) , what kind of temps can be expected on the summit of Killington and Cooper Lodge around the first week of October? Thanks for your help.
I can't tell you for sure, but, I think there is a general rule of thumb. Something like 4-5 degrees cooler for every 1000 feet of elevation? Plus a little extra for windchill? So in October, the average temperature in Rutland is 35-55 or so (although last year on Columbus Day weekend we had three days in the 70s)... so if it is expected to be a low of 40 in Rutland--I have no idea of the elevation of Rutland, 1000 ft or so? Less? Anyway, Killington is at 4000 feet, so it would be at least 15 degrees cooler than Rutland. So, mid 20s would not be surprising. Actually the temperature on Killington Peak itself is much colder than Cooper Lodge. Although Cooper is quite drafty and leaky.
Was up on Killington last month on a good day. Am doing the side trails to the LT system this year. Bucklin trail was just fine as were Sherburne Pass and Shrewsbury Peak trails. Word of warning about Cooper Lodge, the windows in the front have been completely removed and the wind up there can really rip. At 3900 ft in October I would be prepared for freezing temps and precip. Pico Camp still exists .4 mile north of Jungle Jct and as of last month the windows were intact and there was good water neraby.