Trail conditions of the northern LT

[angewrite]

Everyone keeps asking about the trail conditions of the northern section of the LT. In this case a picture is worth 1000 words.

On 30% of the trail you WILL be walking in ankle deep mud. In some places it's nearly knee deep (on me- over the top of the socks) The water situation is so great that you may not realize you are walking in a constant water source. The streams ARE the trail.

The views make it all worth while.

[Trillium]

Great pics Bobcat. Now I understand why Chief and Xmas called Stumpy to ask for a ride back off the northern section of the LT.

[Hammock Hanger]

That's just part of hiking the Long trail.

[rafe]

Timely thread. I'm at a motel near Stowe, thinking about a day hike near Mansfield tomorrow. Forecast is for thunderstorms every single day this week. We had lunch in a restaurant in Montpelier by the river, which seemed to be rather swollen. And of course, it rained all afternoon today... What the hay, this just isn't my year for hiking...

[Mags]

Mile for mile, the northern part of the LT is some of the hardest backpacking I've ever done.

[vonfrick]

that is some high quality mud. i love vermont.

[fehchet]

Better wait until it freezes over and then put on some Eddie's.

[oruoja]

I sure lucked out by heading south from N. Troy hiking from 7/5 thru 7/18 as I only had a day and a half of rain with only a few perpetual muddy sections to deal with. As already noted over the past few weeks it rains at some point virtually everyday and the forecast over the next ten days calls for more of the same. While hiking the LT this year I also saw the least amount of other hikers than ever before. Even had the entire Mansfield ridge from Taft Lodge all the way to Taylor Lodge without seeing another soul.

[Quoddy]

The present conditions, while probably somewhat worse than normal, are certainly not totally unusual. There were days when I hiked the LT last year that I was walking in ankle to calf deep water and mud. At the end of the day I'd wash the mud out of my shoes and socks in the nearest stream, and then put them back on again the next morning. I remember sticking my pole in mud near Laura Woodward while on a punchon and having it sink in to the handle.

[Cookerhiker]

On the whole, last year's LT thruhike wasn't as wet for me as what I'm hearing about this year. But check out this mudbath shot:

http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=255350

[vonfrick]

On the whole, last year's LT thruhike wasn't as wet for me as what I'm hearing about this year. But check out this mudbath shot:

http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=255350

wish i could post the pic of me (we took disposal cameras) after my encounter with one of many floating bog bridges in maine. i was on all fours but managed to keep my pack clean. i had to go back in to get my poles, which were a foot and a half down in the mud and difficult to extricate with the suctioning thing the mud seems to do(and me laughing so hard i could barely breathe!). amongst our group, the move has now become known as the "full vonfrick". good times.

[Tinker]

There's a reason that the Green mountains are so green.

I had about 60% cloudy days with rain showers (many very heavy) during my 6 years of section hiking the LT. Going in Sept. or Oct. is probably the best time for dry hiking (except for the occasional snowstorm)