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  1. #1

    Default Finished my LT end-to-end hike!

    On October 19, I finished my third LT end-to-hike. Started June 15 so obviously I took a lot of zeros to do other things and to minimize hiking in rain or in once case, excessive heat. It helps when you live in VT and are retired.

    Much of the hike was slackpacking along with some one-nighters and a few two-nighters. Some were NOBO, some SOBO. I didn't hike the trail "in order" but randomly; a few days in the north might be followed by a few in the south. The point is, I hiked the 270 miles.

    Here's the journal - still must be revised to eliminate the numerous typos.

    http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/574092

  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cookerhiker View Post
    On October 19, I finished my third LT end-to-hike. Started June 15 so obviously I took a lot of zeros to do other things and to minimize hiking in rain or in once case, excessive heat. It helps when you live in VT and are retired.

    Much of the hike was slackpacking along with some one-nighters and a few two-nighters. Some were NOBO, some SOBO. I didn't hike the trail "in order" but randomly; a few days in the north might be followed by a few in the south. The point is, I hiked the 270 miles.

    Here's the journal - still must be revised to eliminate the numerous typos.

    http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/574092
    We we're hoping to see you out there. Pretty sure we saw an entry from you in a shelter journal? We hiked from September 15th to Oct 3. Got some YouTube videos of our hike if you want to check em out. Thanks for your journal link, I'll check it out.

    YouTube link is below

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtT...gOgkk2heBUXvTw

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by hipbone View Post
    We we're hoping to see you out there. Pretty sure we saw an entry from you in a shelter journal? We hiked from September 15th to Oct 3. Got some YouTube videos of our hike if you want to check em out. Thanks for your journal link, I'll check it out.

    YouTube link is below

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtT...gOgkk2heBUXvTw
    There's a chance that we passed each other in your first week but I couldn't find any reference to dates in the videos. From Sept. 16 to Sept. 20, I hiked from Camel's Hump to Smuggler's Notch, took one zero day, then hiked on Sept. 22 from Rt. 15 to Codding Hollow Rd. As I said in my post, I skipped around alot, took many zeros, and hiked SOBO some times and NOBO others. My hike was quite random!

    I suspect that if you saw my name in a shelter register, it was further south.

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cookerhiker View Post
    There's a chance that we passed each other in your first week but I couldn't find any reference to dates in the videos. From Sept. 16 to Sept. 20, I hiked from Camel's Hump to Smuggler's Notch, took one zero day, then hiked on Sept. 22 from Rt. 15 to Codding Hollow Rd. As I said in my post, I skipped around alot, took many zeros, and hiked SOBO some times and NOBO others. My hike was quite random!

    I suspect that if you saw my name in a shelter register, it was further south.
    Forgot to mention we went Southbound. Too bad our paths did not cross. Maybe we'll see each other on another Trail :-)

  5. #5

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    Default

    CONGRATS!!! Did I officially hike a few sections with you in July?!

    Thank you again SO MUCH for your hospitality and superb trail angel support during my AT section hike of VT in July!

    I think my next trail might be the California John Muir Trail, but perhaps the Long Trail some day. You're an inspiration.

    Rain Man
    [I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35

    [url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]

    .

  6. #6
    Registered User handlebar's Avatar
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    Congratulations! The LT was the most physically challenging short trail I've hiked. Reminded me of back-to-back-to-back... hikes out of Stecoah Gap nobo.
    Handlebar
    GA-ME 06; PCT 08; CDT 10,11,12; ALT 11; MSPA 12; CT 13; Sheltowee 14; AZT 14, 15; LT 15;FT 16;NCT-NY&PA 16; GET 17-18

  7. #7
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    Congrats! How would you compare the Long Trail to the Colorado Trail in terms of difficulty? I hiked the CT in just over four weeks - is two weeks pushing it for the Long Trail? I keep reading about how it is the most difficult of all the "shorter" thru hikes.

  8. #8
    Registered User colorado_rob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    Congrats! How would you compare the Long Trail to the Colorado Trail in terms of difficulty? I hiked the CT in just over four weeks - is two weeks pushing it for the Long Trail? I keep reading about how it is the most difficult of all the "shorter" thru hikes.
    First, yes nicely done CH ! I think the LT is one of my favorite hiking experiences, second only to the Sierra High Route.

    Having done both myself Coffee, I do think that the LT, at least the northern most 100 miles, is just about as tough as it gets for an actual trail, and WAY tougher than the relatively gentle CT (in terms of ruggedness of the trail).

    What's next CH? It's fun following your adventures.

  9. #9
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    That's what I hear consistently - way tougher than most other trails! Probably better to block out 3 weeks. Definitely on my bucket list.

  10. #10

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    Colorado_rob speaks the truth on all accounts.

    Having also done both the CT and the LT (SOBO), the northern LT is about as tough as any trail I have EVER seen. Hipbone and I had a saying....if you can do the LT you can do any trail.

    With that said it is a beautiful stretch of trail. If you start that northern section knowing that doing 13 mpd will take all day and you WILL be worn out at the end of that day, that mindset will do wonders for your enjoyment of those sections. 2 weeks is possible for sure...especially if you hike in a time of year with longer days. However we hiked mid-September to the beginning of October and the days were noticeably shorter than July on the CT

    It ended up taking us 20 days + 3 zeros and I would say that we were steady hiking and we also enjoyed our town stops. We did bigger miles (17-25 ) once we got past Appalachian gap.

    Above all though I would say do it! Hiking in Vermont is awesome!


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  11. #11

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    Also cooker hiker congratulations...I meant to say that in my previous post!

    Before we did the CT I read your entire journal about your CT hike. Thanks for the effort of such a detailed journal. I really enjoyed reading it. As hipbone said too I saw your entry in one of the shelter registers and thought I may get to tell you in person about reading your journals but we didn’t quite sync up this time.

    I look forward to reading your LT journal entries now


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  12. #12
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    Cookerhiker's CT book is one of my favorite trail books: https://www.amazon.com/Shades-Gray-S.../dp/1494785714

  13. #13

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    2 weeks to thru hike the LT is pretty aggressive. Ask 10K about that. 3 weeks is more average. The last time I thru hiked the LT it took me 24 days. No zeros.

    If it wasn't for the thin air on the CT, it would be really, really easy. Up hill on the CT is hardly noticeable, on the LT it's a constant steep up and down.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  14. #14
    Registered User colorado_rob's Avatar
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    If I recall, my LT E2E was 16 days, and I was CRANKING. As said, 13 miles up north is a massive day, I think I did mostly 11-12, but it was late September with short daylight hours. Once near ME junction where it meets with the AT (going south in my case), it's a cruiser. That's another thing to think about, NOBO, vs. SOBO. If you're in shape, I do recommend SOBO. Excellent logistics if you're flying in to Burlington like I was (free ride to N. Troy if you spend the night in the B&B there), then ride to near the t/h the next morning (the lady at N. Troy is nervous about the complete ride, dropped us off about a mile short).

  15. #15

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Rain Man View Post
    CONGRATS!!! Did I officially hike a few sections with you in July?!

    Thank you again SO MUCH for your hospitality and superb trail angel support during my AT section hike of VT in July!

    I think my next trail might be the California John Muir Trail, but perhaps the Long Trail some day. You're an inspiration.

    Rain Man
    Right on, Rain Man! It was great spending a day hiking with you over Vermont's second highest mountain. And we know that those young thruhikers appreciated your generous Trail Magic.

    Here's the specific page: http://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/574901

  16. #16

    Default

    Congratulations! I can't claim to have hike any of VT with you, but I certainly enjoyed our meals together! Rest assured I'll be in touch when I get the gumption to tackle some of VT in your area!
    "Maybe life isn't about avoiding the bruises. Maybe it's about collecting the scars to prove we showed up for it."

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    Congrats! How would you compare the Long Trail to the Colorado Trail in terms of difficulty? I hiked the CT in just over four weeks - is two weeks pushing it for the Long Trail? I keep reading about how it is the most difficult of all the "shorter" thru hikes.
    Quote Originally Posted by colorado_rob View Post
    First, yes nicely done CH ! I think the LT is one of my favorite hiking experiences, second only to the Sierra High Route.

    Having done both myself Coffee, I do think that the LT, at least the northern most 100 miles, is just about as tough as it gets for an actual trail, and WAY tougher than the relatively gentle CT (in terms of ruggedness of the trail).

    What's next CH? It's fun following your adventures.
    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    That's what I hear consistently - way tougher than most other trails! Probably better to block out 3 weeks. Definitely on my bucket list.
    Thanks guys! Yes, I agree that the Long Trail is more challenging physically than the CT. That's not to say that every mile of the LT is harder than every mile of the CT but on the whole, the LT's terrain makes for slower progress and more strain on the knees, feet, etc. And of course, you must acclimate to the high elevations of the CT - a problem for me on the first three days.

    Coffee, I know of guys (and women) who have hiked the LT in two weeks but that's pushing it. No matter what shape you're in aerobically, you can't hike fast (NOBO)on the descent into Appalachian Gap, the ups and downs from Bolton Mountain to Taylor, the ascent up Mansfield with the ladders, Devil's Gulch, the descent down Haystack. Up north, I met a guy who looked as old as me who was really pushing it. He looked beat. Later on when I met a SOBOer and asked about this guy, he said the same thing.

    If you can squeeze an extra week, you won't regret it!

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by hipbone View Post
    Forgot to mention we went Southbound. Too bad our paths did not cross. Maybe we'll see each other on another Trail :-)
    Quote Originally Posted by mtngoat01 View Post
    Also cooker hiker congratulations...I meant to say that in my previous post!

    Before we did the CT I read your entire journal about your CT hike. Thanks for the effort of such a detailed journal. I really enjoyed reading it. As hipbone said too I saw your entry in one of the shelter registers and thought I may get to tell you in person about reading your journals but we didn’t quite sync up this time.

    I look forward to reading your LT journal entries now


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    Sorry I missed you guys. Because of the time taken and the random sequences of my hike, I wasn't part of any bubble and consequently only met other hikers once. The only exception was hiking near Bolton Mountain where I met the older guy who I later saw at Rt. 15 and meeting two women who I had seen earlier at Minerva Hinchey Shelter. Also, I wasn't diligent about always signing the shelter registers - my bad.

    These two spreadsheets - one sorted by date, one sorted by location - illustrate the convoluted nature of my hike.Long Trail 2017 hike.pdfLong Trail 2017 hike South-North sort.pdf

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by Teacher & Snacktime View Post
    Congratulations! I can't claim to have hike any of VT with you, but I certainly enjoyed our meals together! Rest assured I'll be in touch when I get the gumption to tackle some of VT in your area!
    Nice to meet you, Teacher and thanks for your help. Let me know when you come to VT.

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    Cookerhiker's CT book is one of my favorite trail books: https://www.amazon.com/Shades-Gray-S.../dp/1494785714
    Why thank you!

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