Journey's End to North Troy or St Albans?

[steve54]

Howdy, and thanks in advance for any advice -

Assuming all goes well and I'm not irretrievably lost or abducted by aliens, my NOBO plan is to finish by spending my last night at Journey's End around 1st or 2nd week of October ... after, would I have better luck walking to North Troy, spending the night and getting a shuttle/ride to St Albans the next morning for the 9:25 Vermonter, or walking back to 105 and trying to hitch to St Albans? It doesn't look like there are a lot of options for lodging in Troy; St Albans looks a little more promising, and I can be sure of being on time for the train ... but I've never hitchhiked and don't know what to expect in terms of being able to catch a ride (though by that point, I'm sure I'll have more experience!). FWIW, I'm taking the Vermonter to Brattleboro, then shuttling back to my car in North Adams ...

Thanks again,

Steve

[Slo-go'en]

Not much of anything in No. Troy. Hiking back to 105 via the LT (even though you have to climb back over that damn hill) is probably your best bet. It's at the height of land so those going west are not going real fast and there is a place for them to pull over. Otherwise, 105 is a real narrow and twisty road. There is a modest amount of traffic on 105, but it's not a very busy road. How long it takes to get a ride is just a matter of luck. I believe there are shuttle options available.

[DavidNH]

I would suggest that you have a prearranged shuttle to meet you at either north Troy or at the Rt 105 crossing to take you to St. Albans. There is NO public transportation in that part of Vermont and I sure would not want to rely on hitchhiking.

[bigcranky]

We walked back to 105 the same day we finished, and hitched west to Richford (easy enough hitch even with very very very little traffic on that road). Stayed the night at The Crossing, which has inexpensive rooms for rent, and a nice little bar/restaurant. There is a public commuter bus service to St. Albans on weekday mornings that leaves Richford around 5 or 5:30am, and gets there in plenty of time to get breakfast before getting on the Vermonter.

I spent some time before and during the hike worrying about getting back, but it was way easier than I expected.

[Slo-go'en]

We walked back to 105 the same day we finished, and hitched west to Richford (easy enough hitch even with very very very little traffic on that road).

That makes sense. If you spend your last night at Shooting Star shelter, the walk to the boarder and back to 105 isn't too bad and probably puts you at a good time of day to hitch to Richford. You could even stash your pack near the road before heading up to the boarder.

[bigcranky]

Yup, Shooting Star the last night, after a looooong day in cold rain (high-40s and coming down in buckets all day). The climb up and over Jay Peak was great but no views and the restaurant was closed even after we called to ask and were assured it would be open.

Walking to the border and back to 105 didn't take long at all, we were hitching by late morning and in the restaurant in Richford for lunch. Mmmmm, hot roast beef sandwich and Long Trail Ale on draft.

[steve54]

Thanks for the input, all - I'm leaning towards the shuttle option; at that point, I'm pretty sure I'll just be ready to get home and leave as little as possible to chance.

Wish me luck!

Steve

[bigcranky]

When I was doing the research, there weren't that many shuttle options in far northern Vermont.

Here's a link to the bus from Richford to St Albans, look on the 4th tab for Rt #116.

[steve54]

The 2015 ETE guide lists a few possibilities: Andy and Carlene Squires, Steve Merrill (though I understand at that time of year he may not be reachable), John Selmer ... I'll be checking on these about a month before I leave. If none are available, I'll switch to Plan B and try hitching to Richford, or possibly all the way to St Albans if the driver is agreeable. I know I'll have to be flexible; set plans tend not to survive the harsh light of reality.

Thanks,

Steve