Give it a try NOBO someday. The Mts in the south of VT are smaller and the hiking easier. You get into shape as you go. If you're young, that doesn't hurt either.
Give it a try NOBO someday. The Mts in the south of VT are smaller and the hiking easier. You get into shape as you go. If you're young, that doesn't hurt either.
The LT has been checked for us. We don't plan on ever going back. If we go back, it will be on bikes. New experiences... CT and John Muir and out of country hikes are high priority.
Tom
If you go back to VT I mean, not biking LT!
The LT is definitely two distinct trails , the far easier southern section combined with the AT and the northern section that exists out of shear cussedness of the GMC. That SOBO 3 or 4 mile warm up hike via the Journeys End trail and the stretch from the border to RT 105 definitely gives a hiker a bit of false confidence for what is to come and I expect that tends to discourage folks once they cross Rt 105 where the real fun begins. Given the OP is from Florida I expect there aren't a lot of options for training in similar conditions. Even the southern AT isn't training for Northern VT.
If you go SOBO, you wont know that he Northern part is harder until you get to the southern sections. And then it's too late to complain or negatively compare. Plus, you will finish on winged feet. When I did it a while back, I didn't put any expectations on myself. Just took it as it came. Some days were slow but thats ok. The relatively uncrowded trail above the Maine Junction, and especially from the Northern Terminus to Mt Mansfield made that part of the trail a lot more personal for me. To me, I felt that part was more of an accomplishment.
We're headed up to VT in the fall of 2018 to finish up the eastern half of the AT through the state. Really it's the "northern" half, but people get that confused with the LT. We don't currently aspire to hike the LT, but if we have enough time, we'd be interested in a one-day taste. Something hard, but not insane, and not too far from the AT. Ideas?
It depends on what you want. A day hike of Camels Hump is a challenge and pretty great. But almost any section north of Brandon Gap would give you an interesting taste. There are enough trail around Camel's Hump that there are a few loops you could do.
I suggest Mt Mansfield for one day LT hike instead of Camels Hump. There are some nice loops. The classic is from the west from an old CCC camp at Underhill State Park up the Laura Cowles trail up to the ridge line and then down the Sunset Ridge Trail. For the adventurous, hard to beat the very very steep Hell Brook trail up and then down the LT with a short hike down the road to connect the two. The summits are busy but there is nice stretch of above treeline. There is Ben and Jerrys and the Lake Champlain Chocolates factory outlet on the way back to I 89.
Camels Hump is mostly wooded with some cliffy spots if you want and then a very small area of above treeline. Its nice but no where near as nice as Mansfield.
Mansfield or Lincoln gap area.
The Presidents, Lincoln: This difficult 12.4 loop via Cooley Glen Trail, the Long Trail, and Emily Proctor Trail is aptly named as it brings hikers over Mt. Cleveland, Mt. Roosevelt, and Mt. Wilson. The two shelters along the way provide nice places to rest during this long adventure.
Thanks, peakbagger and gravityman. I have plenty of time to begin learning about this area. Going through more of Maine in a few weeks, and will learn whether a "very very steep" or "difficult" dayhike on the LT is doable or if we need to dial it back to something less challenging. I'm hoping we can go for it.
Hell Brook Trail is reminiscent of Mahoosuc arm with taller ledges
This is a beautiful hike. And once you are up there, it's a great walk.
http://www.madrivervalley.com/listin...monroe-skyline
I hiked SOBO in 2014 and loved it! I have since done the southern section (from the MA border to Maine Junction) NOBO, and the northern section (Canadian border to Maine Junction) SOBO again. I much prefer SOBO. I loved the quiet and challenge of the northern section. It was often rainy and difficult, but also beautiful. I did feel a bit beat up by the time I got to Maine Junction, so I can appreciate that feeling! My mileage varied considerably. The approximately 11 miles from Jay Camp to Tillotson Camp seemed to take me all day, but in the about the same amount of time I could hike 27 miles in the southern section. So yes, the mileage in the North is deceptive.
You can read about my experience here