View Full Version : Long trail re-supply
achangeincourse
01-03-2010, 17:57
I was thinking about doing the Long trail in the spring and was wondering where good re-supply points are ?
Johnny Thunder
01-03-2010, 18:23
I was thinking about doing the Long trail in the spring and was wondering where good re-supply points are ?
North Adams, MA (grocery less than 1/4 mile from AT/LT-Approach)
Bennington, VT (grocer about 2 miles North of town. Outfitter lent bikes)
Manchester Ctr (2 grocery stores and an outfitter)
Rutland (by way of Claredon Gorge or Rt 4)
Middlebury (long hitch but I got first car rides both ways) Alternative: Hancock has a health food store and you can hitch to a proper grocer
Warren (good restaurants, easy hitch, and a Shaws)
Waterbury (ibid) (the shelter 3 miles after the road has an awesome water source...stay there)
Stowe (easy hitch. grocery is a bit out of town but there is a health food type place right downtown)
Johnson (cool college town. Dude almost broke an axle trying to stop to pick us up. Grocery store.)
Eden (we sent a package here but it wasn't necessary. There's a country market that'll have everything you'll need to get to Canada.)
My girlfriend and I did it this past summer and we never carried 3 days food. (OK, maybe once when we left Waterbury with Thai take-out and went to the shelter mentioned but that was all). It's easy to get into town and easy to get around them once you're there (for the most part). Laundry can be a hassle and expensive at times...so can showers. Bring some bronners and bathe at the rivers/creeks before going into town.
Johnny T
In addition to what Johnny said, you can pretty much find everything you need in the Long Trail Guide. Yes, I also think it's easy to get around VT to resupply pts. by hitching and sometimes by bus. I found it totally unnessary to haul mor than 4 days of food.
Like the trailname!
achangeincourse
01-03-2010, 18:36
thanks johnny T thats really helpful, its going to make my planning quick easy!
achangeincourse
01-03-2010, 18:39
In addition to what Johnny said, you can pretty much find everything you need in the Long Trail Guide. Yes, I also think it's easy to get around VT to resupply pts. by hitching and sometimes by bus. I found it totally unnessary to haul mor than 4 days of food.
Like the trailname!
thanks, happy hiking:sun
keep in mind that until Mid May the trail will be impossibly muddy, that is after the snow melts, and then you will have big time bug season. You might be best putting trip off till July if you could.
As for resupply, the Inn at the Long Trail will accept mail drops. Manchester, VT is a relatively easy hitch from the trail and there is a grocery store right next to an Eastern Mountain Sports there.
DavidNH
achangeincourse
01-03-2010, 19:30
keep in mind that until Mid May the trail will be impossibly muddy, that is after the snow melts, and then you will have big time bug season. You might be best putting trip off till July if you could.
As for resupply, the Inn at the Long Trail will accept mail drops. Manchester, VT is a relatively easy hitch from the trail and there is a grocery store right next to an Eastern Mountain Sports there.
DavidNH
thats a good point
Ditto on the previous comments - it's easy to resupply, and please wait until after Memorial Day. It's also easy to cache food along the trail if you want to cut down on side trips. I use bear canisters for that purpose.
Slo-go'en
01-03-2010, 21:17
Tripple ditto to the above. I did an E2E north to south in the month of June once. It was insane. First 2 weeks were cold, wet and muddy. Second 2 weeks the black flies drove us fully into insanity. And it was still muddy. I only hike the LT in the late summer or fall now. September is the best month to do the LT.
Cookerhiker
01-03-2010, 21:43
Tripple ditto to the above. I did an E2E north to south in the month of June once. It was insane. First 2 weeks were cold, wet and muddy. Second 2 weeks the black flies drove us fully into insanity. And it was still muddy. I only hike the LT in the late summer or fall now. September is the best month to do the LT.
Ditto to that. I hiked the LT from mid-August to mid-September in '07 (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=6248) and found that was the best time - no bugs and decent weather. Only one night was it cold enough to bundle up. Some days were hot & humid but many were ideal.
My first hiking of the LT in the late 70s and early 80s was mostly in the spring. While I did have some fantastic weather, I also recall some miserable black fly days especially on the Killington massif.
achangeincourse
01-03-2010, 21:59
very true i didn't factor in the black flies so i think i'll start in mid to late august
keep in mind that until Mid May the trail will be impossibly muddy, that is after the snow melts, and then you will have big time bug season. You might be best putting trip off till July if you could.
As for resupply, the Inn at the Long Trail will accept mail drops. Manchester, VT is a relatively easy hitch from the trail and there is a grocery store right next to an Eastern Mountain Sports there.
DavidNH
Beat me to it! :)
Blackflies aren't just found in Maine and NH.
keep in mind that until Mid May the trail will be impossibly muddy, that is after the snow melts, and then you will have big time bug season. You might be best putting trip off till July if you could.
As for resupply, the Inn at the Long Trail will accept mail drops. Manchester, VT is a relatively easy hitch from the trail and there is a grocery store right next to an Eastern Mountain Sports there.
DavidNH
Beat me to it! :)
Blackflies aren't just found in Maine and NH.
Beat me to it! :)
Blackflies aren't just found in Maine and NH.
It's a little known fact that the blackfly is only native to Vermont, and was transplanted to other areas by accident, much as the plague was spread around europe.
Johnny Thunder
01-04-2010, 12:22
I'm also concerned that if you start early you'll miss alpine slide season. No end-to-end is worth it unless you ride the alpine slides.
keep in mind that until Mid May the trail will be impossibly muddy, that is after the snow melts, and then you will have big time bug season. You might be best putting trip off till July if you could.
As for resupply, the Inn at the Long Trail will accept mail drops. Manchester, VT is a relatively easy hitch from the trail and there is a grocery store right next to an Eastern Mountain Sports there.
DavidNH
In fact, sections of the trail are closed until Memorial Day weekend. And, even where it isn't closed,best to stay off the trail until late May because of the severe damage done to the trail while the frost is coming out of the ground.
Here are two great websites with loads of useful information regarding the Long Trail:
http://www.longtrailhiking.info/
http://www.downthetrail.com/the-long-trail/
Johnny Thunder
01-04-2010, 18:58
You know that scene at the end of Bill and Ted's where they montage through the speeches given by the various historic figures brought to San Dimas by way of a time traveling phone booth? There's that part where Napleon is describing how he'd conquer Southern California using a local map and Risk game pieces...I like to imagine him doing the same in Vermont;
"An zen we will have zee alpine slidez" - Napoleon (the short dead dude)
Hiked the Long Tr twice in the fall. Great time of the yr to be in VT and hike this trail. It's been covered, but I'll also tell you that this trail can be muddy and sloppy in places. It's largely a deep forested shady trail that dries out slowly, but it also goes over some fabulous peaks including the state high pt, Mt Mannsfield. Hiking it early-mid spring season can add to trail erosion.
I think I agree with everything that's been said. The Long Trail Inn is the perfect mail (though it has to be through a package delivery like UPS, not US Mail) - because they are open every day. The second best mail drop is Jonesville - the Post Office is right on the trail and they have had a hiker box there, presumably still do.
Also there are a couple options from Apalachian Gap - Waitsfield and Bristol. I like Bristol a lot, but Waitsfield is likely to be an easier hitch.
http://www.longtrailhiking.info/ which Jeff mentions has an on line version of the End to End guide - it lists resupply info.
TakeABreak
06-01-2013, 14:50
I did the Appalachian Trail in 2000 suffered an injury and finished in 2001. I bought the Long trail guide a few yrs ago and was dis-appointed in it, the author seems to ramble about nothing, as compared to the A.T.'s Guide Book and Companion guide's I use for planning my mail drops, I have not read the End to End book is it any better? Also, does anyone have a recent mail drop, shower, laundry points list they can share, thanks
The Long Trail End-to-Enders Guide is more like the Companion. The latest version is about to be released, so if you order it from the Green Mountain Club, be sure it's the 2013 edition.
The Long Trail Guide is really best for someone who wants to know the trail, the terrain the history. It is not a practical guide to hiking the trail - though it might enhance your enjoyment of the trail for a leisurely hike and it might make it a little easier to find the trail at certain crossings, but the E2E guide is the one worth carrying. Supposedly the format has been changed - it was a bit redundant in the past, but very useful - definitely worth consulting and I think well worth carrying.
Mountain Mike
06-03-2013, 16:54
The LT guide is tmi for me about the trail & history. I have older ones but don't recommend it as needed. Get the End to Ender & the GMC map. The map doesn't show some snowmobile trails but is great showing towns off the trail to give you good proximity location.
NorthCountryWoods
06-03-2013, 18:48
The LT guide is tmi for me about the trail & history. I have older ones but don't recommend it as needed. Get the End to Ender & the GMC map. The map doesn't show some snowmobile trails but is great showing towns off the trail to give you good proximity location.
I would say it's good for those that don't know the area, but like you said, there is a lot of superfluous info. The E2E guide is better for the specifics.....but don't take it as gospel. Things change up here faster than the guide can keep up.