Upcoming Long Trail Hike

Not much activity in this Forum anymore...

I am headed up to Killington to hike the norther 170 miles of the trail. Less than three weeks out so I am prepared but having those nervous nagging concerns.

Question about Shelters. My plan is to be out the last week of August and the first week of September. I would have preferred later in September since I think there would have been less people on the trail, but having to work for a living I needed to fit this in when I could. On the AT I rarely used shelters but suspect I may have to use them more often on the LT.

I tend to walk later in the day than most so I was wondering how busy should I expect things? Most shelters listed camping spots but not all.

My plan: Rolston Shelter, Skyline Tenting Area, Castle Rock Chairlift, The Hide Away Inn, Bamford Shelter, Puff Shelter, Taft Lodge, Bear Hollow Shelter, Nyes Farm Hostel, Corlis Camp Shelter, Tillotson Camp, Jay Camp, Journeys End shelter.

I can't wait! :banana

Facebook groups are the place these days it seems. Lots of activity there.

With end of summer, a holiday weekend and college groups getting started I would expect to see a lot of folks out there. Not sure about Taft, but most of those others should have spots, though they may be full when you arrive.

Sounding very dry up north, but some rain maybe this week. Sharing water notes with folks headed the other way is an LT tradition :)

Thanks for the suggestion. I've resisted Facebook up to this point. I'll see if I can check it out on someone else account.

Bamforth & Taft are the most likely to be crowded, especially if you hit them on a weekend. Any of them are hit & miss. Puffer is my favorite - kinda dumpy as shelters go, but great location, and usually mouse-free.

We hiked late most days on the LT, and mostly had no problems with shelter space. One was full up with a kids group but we were able to tent nearby. But many shelters up north did not have nearby tent space, so I get your concerns. But it always worked out for us. The Trail will provide :)

The shelters north of the AT are generally pretty quiet, with the exception of Camels Hump and Mansfield. As Deadeye says, try to not to get to one of these mountains on Labor day weekend. However, it does sound like a lot of people are planning a September LT hike, so you never know. Tenting is limited or non-existent at many of the shelter sites so there is little option but to cram everyone in, stacked like cord wood.

You will be hiking a lot of dry ridges. For the most part, water will only be available at the shelter sites. You will have to carry all your water up to the Chair lift building.

Water has always been a problem at Shooting Star - there is a hand pump there which has always had sketchy water. The main problem seems to be the pump needs to be primed and no one has water to spare to do that with. If it starts raining a lot in the next couple of weeks, the situation can change.

Hope your in really good shape, you have some hard miles lined up there.

Jay Camp is a real dump and too close to the road. Avoid this one if at all possible.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gwb

Not much activity in this Forum anymore...

I am headed up to Killington to hike the norther 170 miles of the trail. Less than three weeks out so I am prepared but having those nervous nagging concerns.

My plan: Rolston Shelter, Skyline Tenting Area, Castle Rock Chairlift, The Hide Away Inn, Bamford Shelter, Puff Shelter, Taft Lodge, Bear Hollow Shelter, Nyes Farm Hostel, Corlis Camp Shelter, Tillotson Camp, Jay Camp, Journeys End shelter.
I can't wait! :banana

---

I'm planing on doing the same (finishing the Long Trail), around the same time. Maybe I'll see ya on the trail, I'm planning on going sobo though.
Like you (and all the other hikers doing it) I am excited about, and very much looking forward to this hike! Here's to hoping we have a great hike and great weather!

u.w. / willin'

When my friend & I got to Puffer shelter there was a kid's group filling the shelter and there were only two flat spots to camp. One was by the privy, the other behind the shelter. We tented behind the shelter. When we did the last 50 or 60 miles to Canada there was a group of 8 or 10 people and we pretty much hit the same shelters all of the way. This was also in August. Unfortunately there are few places to camp besides the shelters.

For sure HikerMiker,

I figure this is getting to be a more popular time of year for the Long Trail, with the holiday and as we move closer to fall. While I'm sure not above sleeping on the floor/bench in any shelter, I am a hammock guy - so I'm hoping that gives me a few more options when it comes to sleeping spots along the way.

u.w. / willin'

It's an adventure. Seasonal timeframe, arriving late, and if it is raining it is possible you're availability will be limited. Be prepared to camp. First come first served.

I feel as if times have probably changed on the Long Trail since I hiked it in 2014. The popularity seems to have exploded in the past 5 years.

Be prepared to tent out

Sent from my SM-J737V using Tapatalk

Coupla points, not meaning say anything negative...

First, wow, what a great trail. I plan on repeating it soon for my wife's benefit. Nothing but very fond memories. Sure, a real butt-kicker for the northern-most 100-ish miles or so.

Second, I did it SOBO in the fall of 2016, finished in early October, and the timing was just about perfect, as the shelters always had space, sometimes I was the only one in a shelter.

I did the southern 100 miles, those miles common with the AT, in very early September in 2016, and the shelters were essentially full, and it seemed the folks were mostly NOBO LT hikers rather than AT hikers.

Is there ANY way you can delay by a few weeks? I know you said work/life drives your schedule, just asking one more time.... Is there any way? The experience might be much better if you could. I'm sure you'll manage with your planned schedule, just thought I'd ask.

gwb

Hope to see you on trail & hope we both have a great hike.
I'll be in black shorts, white button up, and blue calderas. Burnt orange montbell rain jacket if it's raining/cold-ish.

u.w. / willin

don't know if we passed each other or not along the way.

hope you had a great hike! for sure mine was!

definitely a great trail to hike, with a lot to offer. while there are a lot of similarities with the AT, also some differences too.
8 days from Journeys end to Sherburne Pass is what it took me, and I've now hiked the Long Trail in it's entirety.
Thank you Long Trail for the experience and memories

u.w. / willin'