Who Has Hiked the Long Trail

[Rambler]

It is relatively easy to make your own hammock and if you make it double layered you will have pockets below the first layer where you can place a sleeping pad. This will give you enough of a layer underneath, so you do not need a quilt. In summer, (June/July) you would not need an underquilt. Just hang a layer, like a ground cloth, underneath the hammock just to block a draft. Look up "Speer Hammocks" You can find how to make your own. It is possible to do so without any sewing.
http://hammockcamping.com/

Here is the double-bottomed hammock MYO:
http://www.imrisk.com/zhammock/zhammock.htm

I have sectioned hiked the AT end-to-end over three summers, all in August. The trail divides nicely into 100 mile sections. With the exception of hiking south from Killington to the MA border, I hiked north. In August, the southernmost section is filled with AT thru-hikers. You can learn a lot from them. The most important thing I learned from them was that I had the ability to hike at a faster pace. I learned to increase daily mileage.
In the AT/LT section I often stayed at shelters, but not in the shelters. I used a hammock which meant I could sleep most anywhere, no longer needing flat or non-rock ground, just two trees.
Hiking the AT/LT , I had a lot of rain and mud, but I got used to it. However, not having dry feet meant blisters, but I have learned to prepare better and have had little problems since.
Hiking the sections north of the AT meant fewer people, even finding myself alone in shelters. I stayed in many shelters north of the AT.
The Green Mountain Club in VT offers workshops on hiking the AT given by thru-hikers usually in early June or May. Buy the End-to-Enders'Guide" from them, too. (greenmountainclub.org) Here is another new site about the LT:
http://www.longtrailhiking.info/
Of course, if you complete the AT you will have hiked 100 miles of the AT, too. So, it is inevitable, you will start hiking all of the AT.

[skeeterbait]

Realize this info is now behind the curve...
When I hiked into Johnson the Long Trail Tavern was closed. Word was that it had been sold and was being worked on before reopening. Looked like work was in progress but did not see anyone there.

There is no place to stay in Johnson, but although I missed it on this trip I HIGHLY recommend the Awesome View Hostel (listed in the 'End-to-Enders Guide'). Really great people and the money goes to the Long Trail Protection fund.

skeeter

[Jan LiteShoe]

Realize this info is now behind the curve...
When I hiked into Johnson the Long Trail Tavern was closed. Word was that it had been sold and was being worked on before reopening. Looked like work was in progress but did not see anyone there.

There is no place to stay in Johnson, but although I missed it on this trip I HIGHLY recommend the Awesome View Hostel (listed in the 'End-to-Enders Guide'). Really great people and the money goes to the Long Trail Protection fund.

skeeter

How about this fine rendition of a very recent Long Trail hike?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kwG0G7nbgU

[Johnny Thunder]

My girlfriend and I End-to-Ended this summer around the same time that you're looking at. Started in Dalton, MA on July 20th and finished 5 weeks later. 7 zero's (including three days on an impromptu mounting of Marcy and slide down the Avalanche Pass).

Feel free to email me with any specific questions.

I felt that guidebooks were inessential on account of the fact that you probably should carry the one VT LT map. It's good enough to get you around. Otherwise, you'll be able to ask questions of locals and such. It does lack pay to stay site information.

Be prepared to become lost on top of every ski hill north of Maine Junction.

It's not as difficult as most say. If the comparison is to Southern Maine then I'd say that the Mahoosucs were harder. My friend Bigglesworth gave me a good estimate before starting...you should be able to comfortably cover 2/3 in the North of what you could hike in the South. That said, our longest day was our last (18 miles).

You can go into town WAY more frequently than most people believe. Hitching was easy. Most times we'd wait about 10 minutes to get rides. Often they'd be two or three different roads in the same car. We never carried more than 3 full days worth of food.

There're creeks next to most major in/out roads so you don't need to pay money for a place to stay and shower. But, be prepared to get wet. Really, really wet. So laundry might be a high priority.

Don't wear Gore Tex boots. Don't bring a down jacket (I did and it was a super-sweet pillow). Don't bring a Light-my-Fire spork. Don't expect to find a lot of stealth spots North of Maine Junction. Don't skip out on the Long Trail Brewery. The rocker fits nicely under one of their patches. Don't miss all three alpine slides (Bromley, Pico, Stowe). Don't let any gear issues get to you past Rutland. Don't be afraid to ask questions of Thruhikers. Don't miss out on camping on top of the ski mountains. Some have "warming huts" on top (Bromley and Lincoln peaks come to mind).

Hitching back home was also way easier than people say here. If you can get South East from Journey's end it's fine. We got from Canada to Dublin, NH in 4 hours and two rides. That's something like 275 miles!

Good luck.

[lazy river road]

JonnyThunder why no gortex boots...i was planning on wearing my vasque zepher II. I like the ankle support and are high enough that hopefully the mud wont seap in....i know they may become a little clamy but I have really bad knees and want a super supportive shoe....I also decided on my hammock...im gonna get the warbonnet BB...havent decided on a tarp yet and will probally use a blue pad as under warmth....I plan on going NOBO lygistical reason...but hearing how difficult the north is i may change my mind by next June....Jonny I do have more specific question that I will def email you with as my list grows....I was also considering signing up for a end to end mentor through the GMC....did you do this or do you want to be my mentor...I still have to decide on a pack im between the Osprey Argon 70 and the catalyst...I like the Osprey bc i can use it in the winter (i live in MD) and would like a year round pack.....I def will be at the LT Brewery on of my favorites Brewerys in america....Ive been hanging around Hammock Forum as well gaining lots of info...would it be easier to find stealth spots in a hammock north of Maine Junction....

[Jester2000]

My girlfriend and I End-to-Ended this summer around the same time that you're looking at. Started in Dalton, MA on July 20th and finished 5 weeks later. 7 zero's (including three days on an impromptu mounting of Marcy and slide down the Avalanche Pass).
. .

How did your girlfriend feel about your impromptu mounting of Marcy?

Note: JT got lost at ski resorts because he became addicted to alpine slides.

[Jester2000]

I think most people have come to the conclusion that on a long distance hike, there's no way that Gore-Tex is going to keep your feet dry, but a Gore-Tex shoe WILL stay wet longer.

[Johnny Thunder]

Jester: (re: my mounting of Marcy) Dude, she was there. High fives all around!!!

Gore tex is evil at any point in a hike past day 1. Maybe even past hour 1. I also favor supportive boots and have a heck of a time finding ones without Goretex. Garmont makes a model of low and high top boots with no lining. I bought them at an EMS in Lake Placid and couldn't find a way to make them break. Check it.

You should have no problem finding a place to hang anywhere on the LT. I can put you in touch with Cookie Monster who E2E'd about a week after we finished. He's a hanger.

Ummm...as far as packs go...wait until you have all your stuff and see if you can fit it into something smaller than a 70 liter. I have a hard time imagining a need for that much space (even in the winter). Jess and I used 50 liter packs and had too much space (I had a Circuit with everything inside and she had a Gregory Jade with no Brain [cue lots of zombie jokes]). You should always keep your pack stuffed as tight as possible b/c balancing is easier with weight close to your back.

I'll be happy to answer all of your questions when you have them together (or even one at a time). We didn't have mentors because we'd both hiked the AT in 08 and the Long Trail seemed like an easy stretch of the legs.

Johnny T.

PS. I only got lost on mountain tops which were accessible by summer-run ski lifts. Coincidence? (climbing onto soap box) I'm ok with sparse blazing just so long as all road and trail intersections are well marked. It seems like the GMC relies on hikers following the "obvious path" over and through ski trails instead of actually blazing them. Problems arise when Sugarbush ski co runs a couple dozen picture takers up the mountain every hour.

[lazy river road]

JT thanks ill def be PM'ing you with some question and how do I get in touch with cookie monster does he hang around here or on hammock forums? Wow I never realized how many people dislike gortex...i really wish I would of found this site before my yellow stone/tetons trip this summer where I bough expensive gortex shoes....a wisper light international.....a great but semi heavy tent (marmot aura 3p but ill use it when me and my GF go on trips or make her sleep in it by her self while i sleep in my new Warbonnet BB after I order it....i also saw some where that hammocks are colder to sleep in then tents is this true...is this because of the lack of insulation and not being inside....Ill also check out some 50L bags...but one of the first things I learned was to get my gear first then my Pack so im gonna def be waiting to buy a pack untill i decide on my final gear list...

[Jester2000]

Hammocks will sleep colder because of the airflow underneath you, but you can compensate for this. There should be all kinds of threads regarding underquilts in the hammock forum.

[lazy river road]

thx jester thats what i figured ive been reading a lot on hammock forum...so much information...i love it

[Yukon]

My Asolo 520's have Gore-Tex and my feet have never gotten wet, guess I'm doing something wrong

[Jester2000]

My Asolo 520's have Gore-Tex and my feet have never gotten wet, guess I'm doing something wrong

Congratulations!

[JoeHiker]

Every time I've hike the Long trail (not the whole thing, mind you -- the most I ever did was 2/3 before snow knocked me out) it has been fairly wet. I've worn gore-tex shoes each time and my feet almost never got wet. Maybe once a trip.

But when they did, it wasn't really bad at all. They dried out like they would in any other shoe. Actually it seemed like better since I wasn't wearing porous shoes that let the water in. There are so many steps on that trail into just a bit of water that would get your feet wet again in normal shoes but not in waterproof ones. My feet get numb easily so that was important to me.

I wouldn't want to wear the boots regardless -- too bulky for me -- but I think the shoes get an unfarily bad rap.

[Dogwood]

As already said the northern part is more strenuous. If you start out at the northern terminus heading SOBO, as I did, either hit the trail in shape or work into the hike slowly doing shorter mileage days to begin.

The short above timberline areas like Mt Mannsfield and Camelback can be very windy, exposed, and see quickly changing inclement weather roll in. Views are great if the weather cooperates.

Shelters occur rather routinely. I carried no shelter. That was Oct remind you not the busier hiking months of June and July.

I never hauled more than 5 days resupply. No need to with the adequate resupply options. Hitching in Vermont is one of the easiest states to hitch in. I've hitched in 44 states. I would say go UL; certainly possible thru-hiking this trail. I never carried more than 1.5 L of water at a time. Even in Oct 07 water was regularly found.

It can be a muddy trail that doesn't dry out quickly. A lot of the tread is shaded. The peat/mud can be deep. I would expect encontering mud. If you don't mind hiking with wet muddy feet or can somehow manage to cross the muddy areas on the debris that has been thrown on the trail good luck.

Elevation profiles, especially for the northern end, for the Long Tr can be deceptive. There are many ups and downs of less than 100 ft that don't show up on elev. profiles.

Not a particularly rocky trail overall so IMO heavy supportive boots are not warranted unless one has some specific medical reason or is hauling more than 40 lbs. I wore WP Montrail Hurricane Ridge XCR's for my Oct thru-hike; they worked fine. Felt like slippers. Feet never got hot/sweaty but that was in OCT not June. Rained on me hard for 2 days. The WP Montrail XCRs dried out super quick.

Bring bug dope.

As Johnny Thunder stated consider staying on top of high pts. at ski centers because some have shelters(warming huts) and outstanding views. Also goes true for camping atop fire towers.

Enjoy all the great folks and trail towns in Vermont, truely the Green Mountain state.

Lastly, don't do what I did at Jay Peak going SOBO. I came out of the woods and saw a faint trail going up to the peak on a ski run, as the Long Tr does elsewhere. I followed that to the top thinking it was the Long Tr. When I got to the top the Long Tr. immediately started going steeply back downhill on rough terrain through thick forests. I thought this sucks. I expected some kind of view from atop Jay Peak. Got to the bottom, came out of the woods, and realized, hey, this looks familar. I had just come back down Jay Peak on the official Long Tr that I should have followed UP to Jay Peak instead of following that faint trail up the ski run! SO, back up Jay Peak I climbed for the second time. LESSON - regularly, read the trail description and consult the map before you hike!

[JoeHiker]

As Johnny Thunder stated consider staying on top of high pts. at ski centers because some have shelters(warming huts) and outstanding views. Also goes true for camping atop fire towers.

Although technically it's against the rules to camp on a lot of those high points so you had better stealth it

Lastly, don't do what I did at Jay Peak going SOBO. I came out of the woods and saw a faint trail going up to the peak on a ski run, as the Long Tr does elsewhere. I followed that to the top thinking it was the Long Tr. When I got to the top the Long Tr. immediately started going steeply back downhill on rough terrain through thick forests. I thought this sucks. I expected some kind of view from atop Jay Peak. Got to the bottom, came out of the woods, and realized, hey, this looks familar. I had just come back down Jay Peak on the official Long Tr that I should have followed UP to Jay Peak instead of following that faint trail up the ski run! SO, back up Jay Peak I climbed for the second time. LESSON - regularly, read the trail description and consult the map before you hike!

I did the exact same thing! Stayed atop Jay peak overnight and the next day came down the trail so happy I was getting a good start. By the time I realized my mistake and got back up top, I had lost over an hour.

[Tinker]

I plan on thru hikeing the Long Trail this summer. Leaving late June returning late July. Any pieces of advice....did people enjoy this trail. I heard its a beatiful trail through some really pretty areas. Advice...suggestions....encouragement

I section hiked it in the 1990s. It's wilder than the AT up north (comparable to the AT in Maine). Resupply is relatively easy. Hiking the northern section is more difficult than the southern section. Hike it from S to N to get in shape before the difficult stuff starts (north of Rte 17).
Don't miss staying at Stratton and Little Rock ponds.
Spruce Peak and Roundtop were my two favorite shelters (I used shelters whenever I could back before I discovered hammocks).
Celebrating my wife's birthday at The Inn at Long Trail has become a tradition. Their rustic lodge is not to be missed, along with the Irish music and lots of interesting food.
I didn't stay at any hostels or hotels on my trips.

[lazy river road]

WOWOWOW so much great new info since last time i checked so I have decided to purchase the Warbonnet Black bird probally the 1.7 Double Layer for my sleeping...im not sure what tarp im gonna get...I am in very good shape...I go to the Gym 5 days a week and do at least 3-4 hrs of Cardio a week plus weight train...I know being in trail shap is a bit different but hey if I want to E2E I have to go SOBO...Ill have 31 days to do the trail...havent figured out milage/where ill be re supplying yet...But i plan to take it easy..Enjoy the peacefullness of the woods and enjoy the small vermont towns along the way...I know SOBO is much harder way to go but ill take my time and take it easy...

So my next big question is how do all of you WB'ers keep you pack weight 30 pds and lighter

[lazy river road]

p.s. again I cant thx you every one enough for all the great info I dont think id be able to plan my trip with at every one's help...is any one planning on doing the LT around this time as well?

[Dogwood]

From what you said about your fitness level already and attitude 31 days will be more than enough time to enjoy a thru-hike of the LT and a bit of Vermont. ENJOY the journey.