Thru-ing The Long

[EricSJNH]

Hey everyone,

Summer after freshman year of college and I can't think of any better time to thruhike the long trail. I've just begun nailing down the details of my trip. I'm looking to leave at the very beginning of August and finish, at the very latest, within 20 days. I'm a strong backpacker so the pace for me is half the fun!

I've been searching on trailjournals.com for a while now to find some journals detailing a sub 20 day thru but I'm having trouble finding one. Anyone know of one off the top of their heads?

Also, I want to buy the Long Trail Guide and the 2007 edition is the only one currently offered. Is this good for planning a 2008 trip? I'm not sure when new editions are published..

Any other feedback would be greatly appreciated..thanks!

-EricSJNH

[rhjanes]

This is 27 days....but WOW...
http://www.jamiecompos.com/longtrail.html

And Jan's...buy the book
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=766

[NorthCountryWoods]

I know a guy that did it in under 19 (can't remember the exact number), but he doesn't have a journal. He went super lite and ran a lot of it.

New guides come out every couple years, so the 2007 should be perfect.

[Frosty]

The Long Trail Guide comes out every four or so years. THe current edition was published last year, so buy now. THere won't be a new guide out before you hike.

What you really need is the End-to-End Guide:

https://www.greenmountainclub.org/pr...l.php?sku=2225

It has all the planning info that you need. It does change every year, but I would still buy one now so you can do your planning. There may be a few changes in stores, lodging, etc, but it would be more helpful to have for planning.

You could use any trail journals trip to get a feel for yours. Re-supply options are rather fixed on the LT, so you would just be carrying less food between stops than someone on a 28 day schedule. The people who hike really fast tend not to journal or if they do, tend to write smaller entries. makes sense, if you think about it.

Did you check out Pedxing's journals? He hiked SOBO in 2004 or 2005 and NOBO last year. He is a very strong hiker and did it in your time frame.

Hey everyone,

Summer after freshman year of college and I can't think of any better time to thruhike the long trail. I've just begun nailing down the details of my trip. I'm looking to leave at the very beginning of August and finish, at the very latest, within 20 days. I'm a strong backpacker so the pace for me is half the fun!

I've been searching on trailjournals.com for a while now to find some journals detailing a sub 20 day thru but I'm having trouble finding one. Anyone know of one off the top of their heads?

Also, I want to buy the Long Trail Guide and the 2007 edition is the only one currently offered. Is this good for planning a 2008 trip? I'm not sure when new editions are published..

Any other feedback would be greatly appreciated..thanks!

-EricSJNH

[Kerosene]

If you're traveling light, are strong, and don't get injured then I can't imagine that you wouldn't be able to go thru in 20 days. I did it SOBO in 27 days with 5 nero/zeros in August 1979 with a 45-pound pack, a newbie for a companion, and 22 days with rain.

I wouldn't stress about the itinerary, as it's likely to shift anyway depending on how you feel and the weather. Just shoot for 15-mile days and you should be fine. Note that it will be harder to crank out that kind of mileage on the northern part of the LT. The bigger challenge will be determining where to re-supply.

Here's a link to the guidebooks and map you'll want to consider purchasing from the Green Mountain Club.

[Littlest Hobo]

...with one zero and a couple of nearo days, so 20 days is very doable.

Not sure I have many secrets to share. Never really did any ultra-high mileage days (I think 15 miles was my highest) - 12 to 13 miles a day was about my average. What I did do was make sure that I never spent the whole day hiking. Was on the trail by 6:30, hiked seven or eight miles, had a two to three hour break around mid-day, then hiked another four or five miles.

That, and the fact that my pack weight was light-ish (in the 25 pound range with food and water) meant that there were few days that I was really hurting. But you will have those days... trust me.

What I would suggest if you want to get done faster is go SOBO. If you do, the last 100 miles of the trail are a cakewalk compared to the northern half. Met a couple of southbounders just north of Bennington who were pushing 20 mile days easy.

[Lone Wolf]

Hey everyone,

Summer after freshman year of college and I can't think of any better time to thruhike the long trail. I've just begun nailing down the details of my trip. I'm looking to leave at the very beginning of August and finish, at the very latest, within 20 days. I'm a strong backpacker so the pace for me is half the fun!

I've been searching on trailjournals.com for a while now to find some journals detailing a sub 20 day thru but I'm having trouble finding one. Anyone know of one off the top of their heads?

Also, I want to buy the Long Trail Guide and the 2007 edition is the only one currently offered. Is this good for planning a 2008 trip? I'm not sure when new editions are published..

Any other feedback would be greatly appreciated..thanks!

-EricSJNH

http://www.greenmountainclub.org/
the 07 guide will be fine. get the map too

[Mags]

I did the Long Trail in 1997 in 18 days. I had much heavier pack and was in worse shape than I am in now.

So, if you go light and are in reasonable shape, a sub-20 day hike of the LT is very doable.

[rhjanes]

Upload and stitches looks like 18 days.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=207870

[NorthCountryWoods]

Upload and stitches looks like 18 days.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=207870

Looks like they skipped the first 100 miles or so.

If you can average 14 mile days, you can do it in 20. It's 278 miles from the Pine Cobble trailhead to Journeys end parking lot.

[A-Train]

You'll have no problem doing it in under 20. Be in good shape, carry a light pack and it shouldn't be a big deal. The first 100 miles you can cruise thru. Should be able to start off here at 15 mpd and work up for the first week. Definately will be harder the 2nd half. I found 15 mile days to be quite challening, where 20+mile days on the AT were doable.

My journal is on trailjournals if you wanna gander. I did it over 2 years but all together still something like 17 days I think.

[peakbagger]

Do yourself a favor and buy the map of the long trail, GMC sells it on their website. It has the entire trail on one map, shows all the shelters and is great for planning. The maps int he Long trail guide dont have enough detail on the surrounding areas, which you should have if you need to get off the trail for help.

The other thing is to build up a lot of brownie points with someone to pick you up at Journeys End. Its quite remote and a hard hitch

[EricSJNH]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I ordered the End-to-End Guide yesterday off GMC's website and picked up the Long Trail map at the local EMS.

I guess the next step is to "force" myself to read up on the many suggested blogs and figure out some basic logistics of the trip. How unexciting and boring right?haha

[rafe]

Jan's book, The Ordinary Adventurer, is a must-read for anyone contemplating a hike of the LT. It's a great read. I guarantee you'll enjoy it.

[pedxing]

I did it in 19 days with a 1 1/2 of those days off trail in Burlington. I'm well into middle age and not fast, though I'm pretty steady (stubborn?), and it shouldn't be hard to best my pace. That trip journal is at

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=204071

[pedxing]

Just saw Frosty's post. Thanks for the kind words Frosty!

Under 20 should be no problem at all for a college age person who is a strong backpacker. Personally, I'd love to have a chance to send a month, but I had a great time both trips and was able to stop and swim, run off to the Whistle Stop Diner for a bite, spend most of a weekend off trail and have a few other off trail ventures.

[EricSJNH]

Pedxing,

Its too funny that you posted here because your journal, as suggested above, was the first one i read through!

I really enjoyed reading yours and joted down some notes about various shelters and towns that you commented upon.

Thanks for the reply,
EricSJNH

[pedxing]

Thanks Eric. I look forward to reading your trail journal later this year. If you have more questions down the line, feel free to follow up here through a post or a private message. I've been volunteering with the GMC as a "Long Trail Mentor," so I'm learning a bit about how to advise people and would be grateful if, after your hike, you'd tell me what advice people gave you that was helpful, what was unhelpful and what you wish someone had told you.

[hammock engineer]

Man all of this LT talk is making me want to revisit it and finish the parts I missed this year. If I don't land I real job by the end of the summer I'll have to go out.

On a side note, I remember parts of the northern LT being really scarse on the blazes. The popular spots are well marks. But some of the lesser traveled ones I think I only saw 5 up and over the bump.

[Mags]

The LT was first long hike and will always be special to me.

I'd really love to come back and do it in the Fall!