WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. #1
    Registered User FreshStart's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-09-2015
    Location
    Somerset, NJ
    Age
    37
    Posts
    78

    Default Got cleared at work for my hike!!!

    So I have been waiting for a call back from my big boss about my hike for 2017 for a few weeks now and just heard today! I will be starting August 5th and have until Sept 5th to finish. I am going to nobo and am crazy excited. It was hell trying to get it approved but success. I'll be picking everyone's brain here for the next year!!! I think a month should be good, I'm a newer hiker. Started hiking last year and finished all of NJ and NY on the AT in overnighters and long weekends. Any advice would be great! I'm planning on hammocking as Ive never spent a night in a shelter yet. I will post a gear list soon!!!!!!

  2. #2

    Default

    Good for you. I have only hiked the northern section from the border down to Jonesville. I will be going back next month to go from Jonesville down to Killington.

    The LT guide books are good but bulky. I mostly just used the map and I wrote down info from the two different guides to take with me. On the LT website they give a time guide to hike between all of the shelters. It will give you a good start to determine how far you want to go in a day. I found that the times were off a little for me and I finished earlier than the sections suggested. In the northern section you are restricted to where the shelters are mostly for camping spots. You will not have a problem finding trees to hang from.

    Headed NB that time of the year you will probably run into multiple college groups doing their freshman orientation in the northern section. I ran into a few of the groups and they were very nice. They do take up a shelter area if you are stopping where they do for the night.

    The trail can be pretty rough and wet. There were times when the trail looked more like a stream than a trail. I thoroughly enjoyed the northern section even with as rough as it was. There were a couple of parts near Mt. Mansfield that was more of a hill climb/rock scramble than a hike.

    Enjoy and and have a blast!

  3. #3

    Default

    let me know if you have any questions. I thru'd the LT around that time of year in 2014

    one hell of a trip

    also a fellow hammocker

  4. #4
    Registered User FreshStart's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-09-2015
    Location
    Somerset, NJ
    Age
    37
    Posts
    78

    Default

    Thanks! I do have a few, how were the bugs? I'm hoping it won't be bad by then. I've heard of horror stories of black flies up there. Also, would I be able to hammock every night? Are there places that are very strict about stealth camping. I just like to be far enough away for people to do my own thing and sleep in peace. I'm also on the fence about buying the ULA ohm 2.0. I'm currently using the Osprey AG 50 but the thing is like 5 pounds. I'm assuming my full load with everything included is around 25 pounds with about a week of food, the AG seems like overkill I guess.

  5. #5
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
    Join Date
    12-13-2004
    Location
    Central Vermont
    Age
    68
    Posts
    2,661

    Default

    Bugs won't be much of an issue that time of year. You can run into pockets now and then, but avoidable. By then, the worst bugs will be that single horsefly or deerfly that dive bombs your head. Try putting double-sided tape on a baseball cap if you want to gross people out with your neat "collection".

    Rules on camping will vary depending on location, so check the GMC guidebook, but you'll be able to hang most of the time.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    05-05-2011
    Location
    state of confusion
    Posts
    9,866
    Journal Entries
    1

    Default

    Camping rules vary depending on private land (none), state, federal, and elevation.

    Most welcome the shelters and huts due to all the rain, and try to carry very light shelter since won't use much. . Unless you get lucky, not uncommon to get rain much of the time
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 08-07-2016 at 13:45.

  7. #7
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-22-2002
    Location
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Age
    61
    Posts
    7,937
    Images
    296

    Default

    Sounds great, we did a nobo end-to-end in 2014 and it was quite an experience. Hope you enjoy it. A month is plenty, and a hammock will be very useful.
    Ken B
    'Big Cranky'
    Our Long Trail journal

  8. #8

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by FreshStart View Post
    Thanks! I do have a few, how were the bugs? I'm hoping it won't be bad by then. I've heard of horror stories of black flies up there. Also, would I be able to hammock every night? Are there places that are very strict about stealth camping. I just like to be far enough away for people to do my own thing and sleep in peace. I'm also on the fence about buying the ULA ohm 2.0. I'm currently using the Osprey AG 50 but the thing is like 5 pounds. I'm assuming my full load with everything included is around 25 pounds with about a week of food, the AG seems like overkill I guess.
    If you don't mind shelters, well then shelters are a great option to use on the LT. Some are really nice, and after Maine Junction they are typically not crowded. Sometimes, you can have one all to yourself. Up north, they are pretty nice. You'll run into a lot of college orientation groups that time of year who camp outside the shelters. At least I did. As for hammocking, a lot of shelters have good camp spots surrounding it to hang a hammock. You can also stealth camp as long as you adhere to the local rules and regulations. Up north, there are less and less places to stealth camp and most people camp at or in a shelter.

    I started my Thru Hike going southbound and it poured cold rain on us for 4 days straight. It was quite miserably at times. Spending a night in Johnson was much needed. Bugs were a non-issue for us. Not at all.

    I wouldn't jump right down to an Ohm 2.0, a circuit would probably serve you better. I pack really light nowadays and actually just ordered a new orange robic circuit today lol!

    Imho, the circuit will carry better with any weight than the ohm would. Just my opinion. Unless you like "frameless" packs and the features of the Ohm 2.0 vs the circuit, I would go with a circuit. Once again, that's just me... If you remove the aluminum stay on the circuit your practically have an ohm 2.0 suspension. Also I believe a circuit with the stay removed weighs about an ounce or two more than the ohm 2.0. People quite frequently state the ohm weighs more than ULA claims. In conclusion, the circuit is a more versatile pack for me. And I feel it would carry 25lbs more comfortably all day for most people than an Ohm 2.0.

    Just so your aware. And being from New Jersey I'm not trying to be condescending as you probably are aware. Your going to Northern Vermont in September. There is a possibility for some COLD weather. A synthetic or puffy sweater would of been a welcome addition in my pack on my thru-hike. I had a fleece midlayer, however, a little more insulation would of been perfect.

    The Long Trail map is a necessity imo for a thru-hike. The End to Ender's guide is useful, but I barely used it. If you can right down information on businesses and resupply logistics on a piece of a paper then I wouldn't see the need to carry one.

    You will meet some AT thru-hikers on the southern section.

    I spent about 5 out of roughly 25 nights in my hammock. I love hammocking. The shelters on the LT were so accommodating and for the most part, clean and nice, we camped in them most of the time. I hiked with my brother and another sobo. Prob had a shelter to ourselves at least a dozen times.

    Water is plentiful on most of the LT.

    Camp at Little Rock Pond. We did not. The night before we were exhausted and camped like an hour before the pond. I slept well and enjoyed the night. But wished I kept hiking and found the pond.

    Northern Long Trail is remote, and you may or may not see other hikers for a day or two. I actually ran in to "Wired" finishing a nobo thru hike of the LT after she had just thru hiked the AT. I didn't know she was a bad ass triple crowner till I googled her. Well, I came around a corner and she screamed "Hey". I was kinda dumbfounded. She then proceeded to tell me how lucky I was to be hiking with my brother, as she hadn't seen another person in like 60 miles. Granted she was doing 30 mile days, but still.

    It torrentially downpoured a few times on the LT. Some were welcome as I was inside a shelter and it was nice falling asleep to that. Other's I was just far enough from a shelter to get soaked to the bone. And of course, 5 minutes after reaching said shelter, the sun comes out.

    Bring a water filter. You shouldn't need to carry much water on the LT. Water is plentiful for the most part.

    I thoroughly enjoyed staying at the Green Mountain House, The Inn at Long Trail, and Nye's B&B....next time, I'll stay at other places, but these were deff an A+ for me.

    Hmm.. all for now

    FastFox

  9. #9
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-22-2002
    Location
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Age
    61
    Posts
    7,937
    Images
    296

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by fastfoxengineering View Post

    Just so your aware. And being from New Jersey I'm not trying to be condescending as you probably are aware. Your going to Northern Vermont in September. There is a possibility for some COLD weather. A synthetic or puffy sweater would of been a welcome addition in my pack on my thru-hike. I had a fleece midlayer, however, a little more insulation would of been perfect.
    I took my UL down parka in July and was happy to have it -- worked well in conjunction with a very light quilt. We had several nights where temps dipped into the 40s. In July. In September I wouldn't even think twice about taking it, in October I'd want its warmer cousin. But then I'm old and live in the South.

    Nye's B&B was wonderful, as was the Inn at Long Trail (take a zero, you deserve it at this point ). We also enjoyed the Stagecoach Inn in Waterbury, and also the Hyde Away Inn in Waitsfield. We kinda did the B&B/Craft Beer Tour of Vermont on foot. It was great.

    We had torrential downpours many days in the northern part of the trail -- going up Jay Peak in heavy, cold rain with temps maybe getting into the mid-50s was a fun experience; I was shivering the whole way down the other side and all the way to Shooting Star. Brrr.

    +1 on the LT Map. People will tell you that the (big, heavy) LT guidebook is essential, but we did not carry it. These days I would have the LT map on my phone using the Guthook app -- that would have been very useful many times on the hike. But I would always carry the excellent map.

    In the northern section camping is generally restricted, and even so there aren't that many good campsites along the way -- too many rocks, roots, and steep cliffs. A hammock would make camping easier, even at shelters. As much as I dislike sleeping in shelters, we spent almost half our nights on trail in a shelter due to lack of good tentsites. Well, one night it was because of the weather, to be honest.
    Ken B
    'Big Cranky'
    Our Long Trail journal

++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •