Northern end to Pittsfield in 24 hours

Amig@s,

I plan to complete the LT on the northern end at approximately 3:41 PM August 16th 2008. I have an AMTRAK departing from Pittsfield, MA (near the southern end) at 3:41 PM August 17th, precisely 24 hours from my completing of the trail. Would someone kindly recommend how I can get from the northern end to Pittsfield in this time frame?

How's the hitching situation? I am a fairly decent hitchhiker (friendly, etc). So would I be able to hitch from the northern end to a town where I could take a bus down to Pittsfield (or Williamstown or North Adams, etc.)?

I appreciate any well-intentioned suggestions about this topic!

Thanks and see ya on the LT August 3-16.

You can take a bus from Montpelier or White River Jct to Pittsfield. It will take you a few hours to hitch from North Troy to Montpelier but it's doable and you can find a cheap motel in town. Or you can take the train from Montpelier, Waterbury or Essex Jct to White River Jct and then take a bus to Pittsfield.

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Originally Posted by djessop

I plan to complete the LT on the northern end at approximately 3:41 PM August 16th 2008.

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Approximately? Why, couldn't you get it to the last millisecond? :-?

Probably a good idea to arrange a shuttle to at least Montpelier/Barre or White River Junction. You can never catch a ride when you really need one (at least I can't). Being that it's on a weekend, the hitching is usually worse....since tourists are the main cars on the road and have a different view of hitchhikers.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by NorthCountryWoods

Probably a good idea to arrange a shuttle to at least Montpelier/Barre or White River Junction. You can never catch a ride when you really need one (at least I can't). Being that it's on a weekend, the hitching is usually worse....since tourists are the main cars on the road and have a different view of hitchhikers.

Good luck.

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I'd say it has a lot to do with what time you actually finish on the 16th. If you want to finish earlier on the 15th and get a ride to the Long Trail Fest in Rutland, let me know.

Pick up a one-way car rental in Burlington, drop off in Pittsfield, but if money is an issue this might not work.

Humm, just noticed this thread is 3 years old! Hope the OP got to the train station on time.

Just in case anyone else is thinking of hitching out of North Troy, keep in mind it is a sparcely populated area with little traffic and most of it very local. ( I lived in the Jay/North Troy area for a bit, some years ago)

I know this is an old thread, but the original question was how to get from the Northern terminus down to the Amtrak in Pittsfield in a reasonable time. After much research, I found an easy way, although I sure many of you already know this route.

if you want to go west on the Amtrak, then from the Northern terminus, either hitch or shuttle 67 miles due west to Rouses Point New York. Rouses Point is actually closer to North Troy than Burlington. Rouses Point is right on the New York/Canada border, and the Adirondack train (Amtrak) starts south at 12 noon every day. That train will go all the way to Schenectady NY, arriving around 4:30pm. From there, get on the Lake Shore Limited Amtrak line at 7:00pm to go west. For myself, I'll be headed to Sandusky Ohio.

This would even work if you're going east as well but would be a little more out of the way. Overall, this is a time saver as you can be on your way home the same day, and is definitely much less hassle than connecting on all the buses. Hope this helps.