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View Full Version : long trail article in backpacker magazine??



crl2010
02-03-2010, 18:47
who read the long trail article in one of the newer backpacker magazines about a guy who got injured everytime he hikes it?? what is eveyones thoughts??

Tinker
02-03-2010, 19:44
I don't read that rag anymore since the time they ran ads for off-road vehicles. I thought I had a subscription to a hiking magazine.
Someone who gets hurt everytime they hike should find another pursuit.

Penn-J
02-06-2010, 13:01
The very name triggers memories of pilgrimages that stir something fundanental in just about all of us. At each trailhead, we feel ourselves become somebody stronger and more heroic. With ritualistic headbands, beef jerkey, and clothes from the feathers of birds, we assume some deeper character and hoist on something of the vast historical trips that our ancestors endured. At the very least, a week on the trail satisfies some soul deep need that keeps us from stumbling out into the streets en masse and flogging ourselves with penitence chains or acting out some other demented, destructive need to connect to something more real than our desk jobs. Be honest. Who hasen't, at the start of every trip, felt like he was heading out for Normandy or joining Boone on a scouting trip for Newfound Gap? Perhaps the religious amoung us feel like they're setting out for Canterbury. When we jauntily swing that pack on and set foot on dirt, we're stepping out on a long and noble trail indeed.

I thought it was a great article. It makes me want to do another End to End hike!

ATsawyer
02-06-2010, 23:47
I don't read that rag anymore since the time they ran ads for off-road vehicles. I thought I had a subscription to a hiking magazine.


Gee, I have a 4x4 AND a subscription to Backpacker. Both serve me well.

lazy river road
02-07-2010, 02:37
I read the article...I dident think much of it...it dident give me any helpful information for my E2E this summer but it did remeind me to take my Leki's

moon_whisperer
05-13-2010, 15:22
I read the article a ways back. It got me psyched for my E2E in June. Short and Sweet (or Tough). Looking forward to 3+ weeks of all sorts of tough and rewarding

mdipi
05-19-2010, 23:59
Does anyone have a link to the article? I'm starting an E2E in June and would love to read the article even if it doesn't offer much in the way of advise.

dsquid
05-25-2010, 14:54
http://www.backpacker.com/americas-worst-trail-a-love-story/destinations/13656

NorthCountryWoods
06-03-2010, 10:11
Does anyone have a link to the article? I'm starting an E2E in June and would love to read the article even if it doesn't offer much in the way of advise.

Doesn't offer much in the way of anything about the trail. Has to be one of the worst hiking articles I've ever read about any trail.

Unlike the author, enjoy your hike.

on_the_GOEZ
06-08-2010, 16:32
The article is garbage. Even though the author had rough and painful experiences, I feel as though he didnt look at the big picture: being in the wilderness and enjoying the serenity it has to offer - probably because he was in so much pain. Try to look at the big picture...

The Long Trail IS difficult and grueling. For me, the elevation changes and rock scrambles werent the problem - it was the wetness, aptly named by fellow hikers "The Long Trail - A FootBATH in the wilderness." Being wet and sore sucks but seeing, enjoying and finishing the trail made all of the setbacks worth it. For me this is the essence of long distance hiking: indifference, enduring and accomplishment. The Long Trail was the best offering I have yet to hike!

Deadeye
06-08-2010, 17:16
The most recent Backpacker (I don't buy it, but the Library is across the street from my office, so I peek) had a suggestion for a trip over Camel's Hump, including the option to stay at a rustic 19th century cabin near the summit.

Of course, there's no such cabin anywhere near Camel's Hump.

I'll rely on locals and guide books for my information, thanks.

Tinker
08-28-2010, 22:27
The most recent Backpacker (I don't buy it, but the Library is across the street from my office, so I peek) had a suggestion for a trip over Camel's Hump, including the option to stay at a rustic 19th century cabin near the summit.

Of course, there's no such cabin anywhere near Camel's Hump.

I'll rely on locals and guide books for my information, thanks.

From the Long Trail Guide, 26th edition, page 159: "Descend north from the summit, skirting the exposed northwest slope before dropping down to the camel's Hump Hut Clearing (10.2 mi.). This was the site of a nineteenth- century rustic hotel (summit house), which failed financially and burned in 1875"...........

So just how long ago was that hike, anyhow???????????:rolleyes:

warraghiyagey
08-28-2010, 23:30
The dude has some writing chops but the article was rife with negative energy about the Long Trail and hiking in general.

Blue Jay
08-29-2010, 07:38
Gee, I have a 4x4 AND a subscription to Backpacker. Both serve me well.

Well yeah, they're both aimed at the same market, rich car campers. Not that there is anything wrong with that but the name is a bit misleading, however car campers like to pretend, so it works.:banana

Tagless
08-29-2010, 08:46
I also agree the the article's title is very misleading and off base. On a related note, here is an except from my recent (trailjournals.com) Long Trail journal...

"As we were preparing to begin our southbound Long Trail hike at the Journey’s End Camp, I noticed a scathing register entry, recorded three days previously by someone that had just completed his hike.

This was one unhappy hiker! He listed other trails completed and went on to say that The Long Trail was, by far, the worse of the lot. He went on to state that the Green Mountain Club should “be ashamed”.

I don’t understand this hiker’s intense negative reaction at all, as my overall experience on the Long Trail was very positive.

After getting through the rough (less maintained) northern end, I continuously noticed that trail maintainers had done a lot of great work. While there were a couple of spots in ski slope areas that might have been a bit more clearly blazed, but overall the trail markings were quite adequate. All caretakers and other Green Mountain Club volunteers that I met along the way were all welcoming and helpful.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how nice many of the shelters, lodges, and camp areas were. Many had been replaced or renovated within the last ten years. Caretakers and volunteers told me about plans to deal with some older shelters still in need of work. For the most part, privies were in good shape - less disgusting than many the overused ones we encountered on the Appalachian Trail. Water was plentiful - allowing me to carry 1 liter or less much of the time.

The Long Trail offered many great views, beautiful woods, and pleasant hiking trail. Coming up on three moose in the wild certainly made this hiking experience all the more memorable.

With all of this in mind, I’m thankful to have hiked on The Long Trail and would highly recommend the experience to others."