View Full Version : Long Trail info
Back in 2002, I wrote a Long Trail doc for a hand out at an ALDHA Gathering.
It has been on my website in one form or another over the years since then.
Lately, I've noticed it has been getting a fair amount of hits. Since the doc was a bit outdated (Jonesville General store anyone?), it was time to update the doc a bit. I'd hate for people to use outdated information to plan a hike.
So, with the powers of the intertubes, I was able to update the doc for 2008.
As always, it is not the end all and be all of planning information, but should help in getting you started in planning a trek of this Vermont classic.
http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=33
No Belay
05-07-2008, 21:29
Appreciate it Mags!!! Perfect timing as I'm just starting the logistical planning for a late Sept SOBO. I promise I'll put all the info to good use.
Nice! Thanks Mags. I'm walking the LT nobo starting in July.
BackTrack1
05-07-2008, 22:02
cool, wish it was there last yr when i did the LT
CrumbSnatcher
05-07-2008, 22:34
the colorado trail is 200 miles longer than the LT. and you can hike it in the same amount of time as the LT. shows how rugged the long trail is. nice site, thanks.
Mile for mile, the northern part of the LT is some of the hardest hiking (physically) I've ever done. Of course, my pack was heavier then and I was in worse shape. :)
While it is a rugged trail, I think a great prep hike for the AT or just as an enjoyable hike in its right.
Glad people can make use the doc.
RedneckRye
05-08-2008, 00:10
Hooray for the MAGS site.
CrumbSnatcher
05-08-2008, 09:46
Mile for mile, the northern part of the LT is some of the hardest hiking (physically) I've ever done. Of course, my pack was heavier then and I was in worse shape. :)
While it is a rugged trail, I think a great prep hike for the AT or just as an enjoyable hike in its right.
Glad people can make use the doc.
too rugged for a hiker to carry a child carrier?
too rugged for a hiker to carry a child carrier?
I know that there were numerous spots where I gave it my best shot and hoped for the best. There are many, many locations that were particularly dangerous when they were wet. I guess it come down to what risks you are prepared to take, especially with a child involved. I only had a few falls, but that was mainly due to being very careful. There are some spots where a fall wouldn't be forgiven. Several of the hikers I spent some hiking days or evenings with had their hikes end with falls. The climbs and decents are frequent and there is almost no flat hiking on the northern portion.
too rugged for a hiker to carry a child carrier?
In parts, yes. :) Devils' Gulch comes to mind. Many parts of the LT were, IIRC, almost hand over hand climbing.
Here's a photo from the trail as well:
http://www.pmags.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=6413&g2_serialNumber=2&g2_GALLERYSID=9b7269e0127675108ae6001d1d0952b4
Yes. The ladder IS the trail!
You be the judge. Everyone is different. Naturally, not all parts of the LT are like the above photo.
TJ aka Teej
05-08-2008, 11:21
too rugged for a hiker to carry a child carrier?
If you really like the child, yes - some bits are too rugged!
CrumbSnatcher
05-08-2008, 11:26
how about the CT.
how about the colorado trail too rugged?
Better tread, but could prove to be interesting above treeline at times with a small child.
You should read Scraping Heaven by Cindy Ross. (http://www.amazon.com/Scraping-Heaven-Familys-Journey-Continental/dp/0071373608) The first part of the book is about being on the CT with their small children.
CrumbSnatcher
05-08-2008, 11:43
Better tread, but could prove to be interesting above treeline at times with a small child.
You should read Scraping Heaven by Cindy Ross. (http://www.amazon.com/Scraping-Heaven-Familys-Journey-Continental/dp/0071373608) The first part of the book is about being on the CT with their small children.
thankyou mags i'll check into that. i consider myself and my ole lady strong hikers, and would love for our daughter to be with us. that doesn't mean an accident couldn't happen. we would like to hike 4-5 weeks this fall,and naturally wanted to take my daughter with us(she would be a year old.) but would never jeapordize her safety. babysitter or more local hiking are options.
and naturally wanted to take my daughter with us(she would be a year old.) but would never jeapordize her safety. babysitter or more local hiking are options.
I imagine local hikes or even weekends are very doable with a one year old. Long term hikes probably less so.
My good friends took their one year old on a backpack last summer. He was also on a hut trip this past winter. The backpack was less than 4 miles r/t. The hut trip was less than 3 miles in with very little elev gain.
So it can be done; seems like you just need to adjust what you do.
Then again, I am saying this as a guy without bambinos :)
Cookerhiker
05-08-2008, 15:03
I know that there were numerous spots where I gave it my best shot and hoped for the best. There are many, many locations that were particularly dangerous when they were wet. I guess it come down to what risks you are prepared to take, especially with a child involved. I only had a few falls, but that was mainly due to being very careful. There are some spots where a fall wouldn't be forgiven. Several of the hikers I spent some hiking days or evenings with had their hikes end with falls. The climbs and decents are frequent and there is almost no flat hiking on the northern portion.
Having also end-to-end hiked the LT last year, I second this especially the reference to the effect of wetness/dampness on one's footing.
Just Jack
05-08-2008, 15:51
Any thoughts on whether or not to hike the LT going North or going South? Is the trail more difficult going North? What about transportation to--from the trail on the North end or the South end. Anything else that you want to throw in would be appreciated.
The southern 100 mile are on the AT:
Easier tread, more popular, better maintained. Between RT4 and Rt15, the trail is quite burly but nicer in my opinion in terms of scenery.
After RT15, and the last 50 miles, the trail become easier.
If you go Sobo, you get the hard stuff over with and cruise on the AT portion.
Jamie Compos, aka Duct Tape, is w WBer and has a good guide for transportation info (towards the bottom):
http://www.jamiecompos.com/longtrail/planning.html
Any thoughts on whether or not to hike the LT going North or going South? Is the trail more difficult going North? What about transportation to--from the trail on the North end or the South end. Anything else that you want to throw in would be appreciated.
I'd say definitely head NOBO. Firstly, the very gradual progression from relatviely easy to quite difficult gives a hiker the chance to slowly get in shape for the most difficult section, between Lincoln Gap and Johnson. Secondly, the trail begins quite scenic, but the more spectacular sections are in the north and are something to really look forward to.
The southern end is quite easy to reach. The northern end is almost in the middle of nowhere, which is a downside. The time of year is another thing to consider. Heading NOBO very late in the season, or SOBO very early, means being colder in the north.
While I was on my hike I often thought that I was glad I listened to the many hikers that said, "Head NOBO".
Cookerhiker
05-08-2008, 18:10
Any thoughts on whether or not to hike the LT going North or going South? Is the trail more difficult going North? What about transportation to--from the trail on the North end or the South end. Anything else that you want to throw in would be appreciated.
You can always be creative and do what I did: start in the middle at Rt. 4, hike north to Canada, then return to Rt. 4 and hike south to Massachusetts. Actually the only reason I chose this route was my hiking partner only wanted to hike the northern half and it was easier to start our hike together. One nice aspect was meeting many NOBO AT thruhikers when I hiked the southern portion. I was amazed how many there still were in September.
After covering the north first, I breezed through the south.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=6248
If you read the journal, you'll note that we flipflopped a few places around Camels Hump and Mansfield to take advantage of weather forecast. If at all possible and/or within your control, hike over those 2 mountains in nice weather.
Camels Hump is still one of the favorite mountains I've hiked. I remember being up there early in the morning with clear views to the Whites, lake Champlain, back to where I came and north in to Canada.
Awesome day. It is also undeveloped...unlike Mansfield.
Cool little mountain.
Cookerhiker
05-08-2008, 18:29
Camels Hump is still one of the favorite mountains I've hiked. I remember being up there early in the morning with clear views to the Whites, lake Champlain, back to where I came and north in to Canada.
Awesome day. It is also undeveloped...unlike Mansfield.
Cool little mountain.
The best on the LT
Regarding the choice of NB vs SB on the LT, it is true that the southern 100 miles with the AT has less steep up and down sections and for the most part better footway, but even up north there are only a few spots that really get a bit tricky to where you really want to stop and ascess the best way to navigate a jumble of rocks or long slabs which seem to be perpetually wet. As far as steep or long grinds I found the trail from Jonesville to Bolton to seem like a ten mile never ending grind. Going south from Jonesville after a three mile roadwalk you gain elevation pretty quick and then only have a short steep section up Camel's Hump. The only issue here is that Jonesville/Richmond is a logical resupply point so you will be climbing heavy no matter what. Devils Gulch is short, but then going NB it's steep getting up Belvidere Mt. The Forehead and Chin of Mansfield can be dicey in bad weather, but at least at both ends you have either Taft Lodge or Butler Lodge to rest up or wait out really bad weather. The best advice is to try and budget extra time if possible because you will find difficulties where you don't expect them.
CrumbSnatcher
05-08-2008, 19:29
Regarding the choice of NB vs SB on the LT, it is true that the southern 100 miles with the AT has less steep up and down sections and for the most part better footway, but even up north there are only a few spots that really get a bit tricky to where you really want to stop and ascess the best way to navigate a jumble of rocks or long slabs which seem to be perpetually wet. As far as steep or long grinds I found the trail from Jonesville to Bolton to seem like a ten mile never ending grind. Going south from Jonesville after a three mile roadwalk you gain elevation pretty quick and then only have a short steep section up Camel's Hump. The only issue here is that Jonesville/Richmond is a logical resupply point so you will be climbing heavy no matter what. Devils Gulch is short, but then going NB it's steep getting up Belvidere Mt. The Forehead and Chin of Mansfield can be dicey in bad weather, but at least at both ends you have either Taft Lodge or Butler Lodge to rest up or wait out really bad weather. The best advice is to try and budget extra time if possible because you will find difficulties where you don't expect them.
thankyou,very helpful...
DuctTape
05-09-2008, 01:41
Camels Hump is still one of the favorite mountains I've hiked. I remember being up there early in the morning with clear views to the Whites, lake Champlain, back to where I came and north in to Canada.
Awesome day. It is also undeveloped...unlike Mansfield.
Cool little mountain.
Ah, Camel's Hump....
Lookin' good Mags, and thanks for the links! I'll have to hit ya back. Your site and "hiking resume" is inspiring.
I remember reading your "mile for mile" assesment druing my LT planning and thinking to myself, "If this guy says it's really rugged, than it must be!" :D
grizzlyadam
05-09-2008, 02:02
hey crumb...i saw you mention wanting to take your one year old on a trip.
kanga and christopher robin hiked the jmt with their one year old a few years ago.
here is a link to their trailjournal (http://http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=1824) if you're interested in learning more about it.
I remember reading your "mile for mile" assesment druing my LT planning and thinking to myself, "If this guy says it's really rugged, than it must be!" :D
Well, I am an admitted wimp. :)
Seriously, your LT journal/photos kept me sane this past week. Good stuff!
Kerosene
05-09-2008, 10:58
Camels Hump is still one of the favorite mountains I've hiked. I remember being up there early in the morning with clear views to the Whites, lake Champlain, back to where I came and north in to Canada.
Awesome day. It is also undeveloped...unlike Mansfield.
Cool little mountain.I also enjoyed the summit of Camels Hump. Here's a bit of my journal entry from August 14, 1979 during a SOBO thru-hike:
The trek up Camel’s Hump was tough and we rolled into a relatively full cabin [the old rickety, now removed Gorham Lodge] late in the afternoon, forcing us to sleep on the floor. After dinner we walked the 0.7 miles up to the summit to see the sunset with several other hikers. As the sun set over Lake Champlain, a thunderstorm rapidly moved east through the Winooski River valley just north of us. The base of the clouds were below us as we sipped on some sweet white wine spiked with blueberries that one of the hikers had brought. We kept watching until we determined that the storm was moving our way, at which point we literally ran down the mountain back to the Lodge in order to beat the rain and avoid any lightning.
For 29 posts about hiking, I'll make #30 a thank you! I hope to see more of the LT someday.