Long Trail in a Limited Timeline

[Papa D]

Here are your stops:
Manchester Center (just because 10-K says so) (2-3 days in)
Rutland / Killington (w/ beer at Inn at Long Trail) taxi there too to Rutland
(6 days from start)
Waitsfield - AP Gap
(in 4-5 more days)
Johnson - walk / hitch into town - everything you need
(4 days more)
17-18 day trip total? aggressive, but totally doable.
if I was going to skip one of these though - just due to spacing, it would be Manchester - sorry 10-K - it is a great town, just too early on a LT hike to need to re-supply there in my opinion

[Mags]

When I did my first LT hike, I resupplied at the Inn at Long Trail (no longer on the trail, but still a quick side trip) via a UPS mail drop. Easy to get into Rutland as well.

Rt 15/Johnson (Good sized grocery store BTW)

Maildrop at Jonesville PO. You can hitch into nearby towns as well.

That's it.


Then, as now, I'd rather not hitch if I can avoid it. For comparatively short trips, maildrops can make sometimes make sense esp. if I just want to blow in and out of a place. Plus, I like being in town less and out on the trail more.


Many so called-fast hikers (myself included) just hike all day and make our town stops infrequent and short.

[stranger]

When I hiked I did the following around resupply:

1. Manchester - buy
2. Inn at LT - maildrop
3. Jonesville - maildrop
4. Johnson - buy

If I were to go again, I would add Waitsfield and just send a tiny drop to Jonesville, breaking up that 80+ mile carry in the middle, and Waitsfield is much easier to get into than Bristol.

[pedxing]

18 days is definitely possible. I've met novice backpackers on the trail who were moving at a much faster pace than that. I did it in 18 days last year at age 53 going North to South. This still allowed time for some extras - bushwhacks to neighboring peaks, swimming stops, four slower days when I met up with and hiked with my wife, driving around to reposition my car, stopping early to stay with a friend near the trail and so on.

Guthook's idea makes great sense - hike what you can without feeling the pressure to finish and then come back for what you missed later on.\

The south is an easier place to start - you can ease in, talk to lots of hikers - get in town easily to resupply and make gear adjustments - buying the thing you really wished you had or sending home stuff you wish you had left behind. You'll have some comfort with the trail, some rhythm and will probably be stronger when you hit the more remote and rugged areas of the North.

On the other hand, the North is splendid and if you like solitude there is something nice about starting there and about moving in the opposite direction from the majority of the hikers. There are also a lot more options for getting off the trail and to public transportation in the southern stretches of the trail.

I also agree with Stranger's supply stop list, including Waitsfield being an easier hitch than Bristol - though Bristol isn't that hard to get to and it is a great little town.

[StubbleJumper]

Here are your stops:
Manchester Center (just because 10-K says so) (2-3 days in)
Rutland / Killington (w/ beer at Inn at Long Trail) taxi there too to Rutland
(6 days from start)

Umm...6 days to the Inn? As I recall, that's like 104 miles. And then you need to add Pine Cobble Trail or the AT from North Adams to the VT line. So what's that in total? Something like 107 miles over 6 days?


Personally, I couldn't do it. The southern portion is the easier part, but it's still a good hike. Starting from zero and banging off 6 consecutive 18-mile days is a hell of shock.

[Cool Hands]

Thanks for the input everybody. I'll have quite alot to think about over the next few months, but I feel that I will definitely hike at least the northern section of the LT over the summer. It's especially a real help to hear about resupplying, trail towns, and mileage planning, as I've never really had any experience with any of that, regardless of experience with purchasing proper gear. I'll be browsing the forums quite often to find out how I can manage the hike.

[ShelterLeopard]

Cool hands- I'm in the same situation! (Although I took three years off between high school and college, so I'm a fair bit older than you). I have to decide where I'm headed as well- if I decide on one school, I won't be heading there until January, so I'd be doing the LT in September. Good luck, and you sound like you have a good pre freshman year time planned!