Home » Adventures » Long Trail
At the tail end of a year road tripping the U.S.A. I headed to New England to experience their famous fall colors. Specifically I thru hiked the Long Trail, which runs 270 miles the length of Vermont.
Browse all my pictures from this footpath in the wilderness, until I get a full trip report posted.
This hike was my first long distance one on the east coast, and had a unique character from the other trails I have done. Despite being an officially built and maintained trail, the tread was very uneven and difficult underfoot, with plenty of steep ups and downs along the way. Some of the trail predates the use of switchbacks, and more modern construction seems to still omit them for historical continuity. I constantly climbed up a steep mountain just to plunge down the other side. The tread underneath was almost never smooth dirt either, but a constant assortment of roots, rocks, boulders, and mud. I rarely strolled easily but was instead often looking down, placing each footstep carefully. This terrain made for some difficult hiking, despite the relative lowness of these mountains. My miles per day were less than usual, although the dearth of sunlight did not help in that department either. Much of the trail went through the “green tunnel,” where for miles on end the tree cover would densely rise up on each side of the trail obstructing any views. The trail would even PUD up to a mountain peak, where nothing still could be seen due to being entirely covered in trees.
On the plus side three sided lean-to type shelters or four sided enclosed cabins were located strategically along the entire LT. Almost every night I had a roof over my head and rarely used my tent. Several strong rainstorms rolled through throughout my hike, and the solid, dry structures were a much welcome place to spend the night.
The worst part of my thru hike though was that my main reason for choosing the LT— to see the fall colors — was greatly thwarted by a very warm fall. Despite starting my hike in late September the trees were still green and did not change till I was very far north. When the leaves finally turned, they were not as vibrant as usual. The colors were still nice, but nearly as dazzling as normal.
Not to throw too much hate towards the LT though. I did enjoy my hike and the Vermont wilderness, but the journey was more difficult than expected and the rewards not as grand. It was still a great way to spend my fall though, and the Green Mountain Club had done an amazing job building and maintaining the trail and shelters.
I drove to Vermont to reach the Long Trail, so once again I had to deal with the logistical headaches of finding a spot to leave my car and how to get from one end of the trail to the other. Without utilizing a private shuttle (which was too expensive for this solo, unemployed thru hiker) getting to/from the northern terminus was the hardest part. With a lot of internet sleuthing, a bit of muscle power, luck, and long spans of sitting on a bus, I figured out a way to do it for very cheap, albeit slowly (it took about 48 hours to travel between termini). I do not necessarily recommend this strategy for most people though, and be sure to read my explanations and alternatives for my shuttling method.
* The Williston Shopper also picks up at Troy, which is closer to North Troy than Newport. Rather than transferring via Newport, you may be able to leave a car somewhere in Troy, and walk back or catch a ride to it at the end of the LT
**In North Troy, the Green Mountain Club did not have any official places to park, so I looked around when I arrived. I asked a volunteer at the community center, and she said parking where I did would be allowed, but also seemed leery about me leaving my car there. I am also not sure if parking cars there is 100% legit, so be sure to ask before doing so. At the end of my hike I also met a border patrol agent, and he thought it was iffy to leave a car there too. My car sat there about 2½ weeks and did not have any problems. Caveat emptor.
***From Burlington, many options are available to get to Williamstown, MA, including multiple buses and the train. The only reason I transferred through New York City, was that none of the other more direct schedules lined up very well. Transferring through Boston or Albany would entail much less time spent on transit, but also an (expensive) overnight stay in a hotel. Use your own priorities (and group size) to decide how to go. Transit schedules also change constantly, so in the future the schedules of disparate bus and train companies may align better.
My modus operandi for resupply is to spend as little time in town as possible, avoid hitchhiking unless necessary, and not to pay for a hotel room. I hit all these points in all my towns on the LT. The following describes the towns I visited:
