View Full Version : AT through CT
How long does it take one to go through CT on the AT? I am curious about straight hiking time not stopping for drops or to resupply. I am planning a section hike. Thanks
i only spent 2 nights in ct,it is only 52 miles i average between 20 to 25 miles a day,i stopped in kent ct to do laundry,there is a nice sandwich shop i ate at,a nice grocery store there to,if you have an alcohol stove,do not buy fuel at the
outfitter .30 cents an ounce,i bought a 12 oz bottle of fuel line anti freeze
aka methal alcohol at the gas station for 79 cents,make sure you get the methal version and not the isprohyl version.i stopped salisbury ate at the deli
in the store there.happy trails to ya:bse :jump neo
How long does it take one to go through CT on the AT? I am curious about straight hiking time not stopping for drops or to resupply. I am planning a section hike. Thanks
At about 51 miles, I would guess most section hikers do it in 4 days. It can certainly be done faster or slower however. Thing is, you can't magically get off the trail in Sages Ravine at the north end. It's worth camping there, and either continuing on the South Egremont (11 miles further) or getting off near Mt Everett. There is road access at Mt. Everett. I suppose there are side trails into Sages Ravine that you could bail on too. Its a very popular area - for good reason. Lovely grove of Hemlocks...
RITBlake
12-15-2004, 12:28
Mike and I just completed this section a few months ago. I reckon we ended up hitting CT/MASS border about halfway through day 4. There are some stretches in CT that run completly flat along the banks of the Housy River. You can make up some serious time in these flats. But... don't be fooled there are plenty of ups and downs. Don't miss the small town of Salisbury..Theres a GREAT deli in the back of the supermarket. Sleep at the RIGA shelter if you can, the view when you wake up in the morning is fantastic.
Give yourself 4 days to complete this hike. If you're in great shape and moving fast you'll do it in 2, If you're in good shape and moving quick you'll do it in 3. Blake
Mike and I climbed the bear mountain section in the worst thunderstorm of the summmer. It was CRAZY. At one point the trail climbs a very rock steep incline. There was so much water it had become a strong waterfall. And we were up to our waists crossing the Mass/CT border
Tim Rich
12-15-2004, 12:59
It's not difficult terrain, so three or four days to cover it depending upon your hiking speed. There's a nice river walk and a nice shelter near part of that section, good sandwiches in the little community by the covered bridge (Cornwall Bridge). You might want to make sure the store's open as you plan your food. We broke up our sections in Kent (Bear Mountain to Kent, and Kent to Dalton) and there's nothing cheap there. On our section that ended in Kent, a Mr. Hall shuttled us to the NY Metro stop near the mental hospital (Wingdale?), and then he and his son shuttle us to the Hartford airport on the Kent/Dalton section. We got his name from the outfitter in Kent, but that was several years ago, so if you need a shuttle give them a call. We did one of those sections during leaf season, and it was beautiful.
Have a good hike,
Tim
Thanks for the input guys. I am in CT but spend most of my timing hiking in NH. I should do more in CT as it is my backyard.
if you stay at silver hill campsite,you may want to pack water in.i pumped my butt off,to get the water pump running,the water was very rusty.but i loved this camp site,my favorite camp site on the AT so far:sun neo
Jack Tarlin
12-15-2004, 19:42
Puck:
The info you've got so far re. days, mileage, suggested campsites, etc. is all excellent.
You haven't mentioned what time of year you're planning to do this stretch. If you're going in mid-summer, keep in mind that compared to other stretches in new England, there isn't a whole lot of water, so pay attention to your Data Book info and perhaps carry a little extra. Also, Connecticut can be bug city in the summertime, with Stewart Hollow Brook and Pine Swamp shelters usually being the worst offenders, so make sure and bring a tent, or bug netting if you're tarping; you might want to NOT plan on staying in shelters unless you wanna get eaten; CT isn't as bad as Massachusetts in this regard (nowhere is,come to think of it). If you don't have maximum strength DEET when you start your trip, I very strongly advise you pick some up at the excellent Outfitter in Kent. Lastly, the comment about Sages Ravine is right on the money, it's a beautiful spot; if you have the time, you might want to extend your trip a day or two and continue into Massachusetts to Jug End Rd.; this is a beautiful section of Trail with all sorts of great places to camp.
UCONNMike
12-15-2004, 21:10
Mike and I just completed this section a few months ago. I reckon we ended up hitting CT/MASS border about halfway through day 4. There are some stretches in CT that run completly flat along the banks of the Housy River. You can make up some serious time in these flats. But... don't be fooled there are plenty of ups and downs. Don't miss the small town of Salisbury..Theres a GREAT deli in the back of the supermarket. Sleep at the RIGA shelter if you can, the view when you wake up in the morning is fantastic.
Give yourself 4 days to complete this hike. If you're in great shape and moving fast you'll do it in 2, If you're in good shape and moving quick you'll do it in 3. Blake
Mike and I climbed the bear mountain section in the worst thunderstorm of the summmer. It was CRAZY. At one point the trail climbs a very rock steep incline. There was so much water it had become a strong waterfall. And we were up to our waists crossing the Mass/CT border
Yeah Blake's account of the trip is very accurate, I should take about 3-4 days depending on how fast you hike, but since its only a section hike, if you can I'd take my time and enjoy it, youll have plenty of time to pull big miles and kill youself when you do the whole thing. We ran into a few problems along the way way but it's to be expected. This was our time table:
1. 0.5 CT RT 55 to 11.3 Mt Algo Shelter (10.8)
2. 11.3 Mt Algo to ~23.0 CT RT 4 (11.7) (then hitched back to Kent, stayed in Kent to meet up with thru-hikers who were zero'ing there, stayed in a park and slept on picnic tables, in the morning we hitche dback to where we left off in Cornwall)
3. 23.5 Mohawk to 35.2 Belter Camp Cite (11.7)
4. 35.2 Belter Camp Cite to 49.0 Riga Shelter (13.8)
5. 49.0 Riga Shelter to Hemlock Shelter in Mass
So if we hadn't gone back to Kent we prob could have shaved that 5th day, but we had a great time a learned a bunch from the thru-hikers we met, and made a great friend, Pop Tart, who we hiked with from midway thru our 3rd day til we ended in Lee, MA.
UCONNMike
12-15-2004, 21:16
Oh yeah and to comment on Blake's account of the rain we hit as we went up Bear Mt., Race Mt., and Everett are all true, it rained so hard that we had trouble finding the blazes on the rocks as we went up becasue the water was flowing down the trails up to our knees and at the tops when we were above tree line we were in the cloud and the rain was more like hail and it was coming at us sideways, it was unreal.
UconnMike thanks for the break down. it is helpfull.
Jack I was thinking of doing this in the spriing. The stretch along the Housatonic is famous during the spring bird migration. I thought doing a section then would help me and my son get in shape for a solid peakbagging season in the whites.
He has done plenty of day hikes. but on his first two nighter he hit his limit with a heavier pack. After a night of rest and a nice walkout of Lincoln woods from 13Falls he was ok. I though I should do some easier hikes to get both of us into better shape. Acouple of nights in CT on the AT could be just the thing.
Thanks for the advice.
UCONNMike
12-16-2004, 12:11
I wouldn't under estimate the terrain in CT, most of the Thru-hikers we talked to on the trail described the CT part like a mini Georgia, because of all the mind-less ups and downs, there isnt alot of ridgline walking, you go up and over everything. Once Blake gets back I'll get the maps from him to see the profile of the trail, to get a better idea of what im talking about