The Long Trail

I was back at Mt Mansfield again to hike more trails on my quest to hike all of the side trails (also known as blue blaze trails) to Vermont’s Long Trail. With winter on the horizon, I’m making a big push to …

Mt Mansfield is the tallest mountain in Vermont, and in addition to the Long Trail, it’s crisscrossed by two dozen smaller trails from all four corners of the compass. Some of these trails are very steep, and some are short, but all …

Little Rock Pond is a scenic pond on Vermont’s Long Trail. It has a newer shelter and campsite area staffed by a Green Mountain Club caretaker. Recently, I visited it on a 26-mile backpacking loop, linking several obscure side trails with a …

Mt Killington is one of Vermont’s 4000-foot peaks. It’s on the Long Trail (LT), where the LT and the Appalachian Trail (AT) coincide before the AT veers east and heads toward New Hampshire. While you can hike Killington as a day hike …

The Belvidere Fire Tower is a distinctive landmark on the northern half of Vermont’s Long Trail, with commanding views of the Green Mountains to the north and south, including Jay Peak and Camels Hump. An inactive asbestos strip mine lies at the …

Mt Hunger is a mountain in Vermont’s Worcester Range just outside of Stowe and within spitting distance of Mt Manfield, the state’s highest peak. Having sampled the Worcester Range with a hike up to a viewpoint called Stowe Pinnacle last winter on …

Vermont’s Long Trail is the oldest National Scenic Trail in the United States. It runs 272 miles from the Massachusetts-Vermont border north to Vermont’s border with Canada. It’s a great trail to thru-hike or section hike. I finished hiking the Long Trail …

The last time I hiked over Camels Hump Mountain, a 4000-footer in Vermont, was in 2008 when I hiked the Long Trail. Now in 2024, some 16 years later, my goal was to hike all the other trails that go up, down, …

I’ve been exploring Vermont this winter with the intent of hiking and backpacking in the Green Mountains this summer and autumn (2024). The last time I spent time in Vermont was in 2008 when I section hiked The Long Trail. Now I …

Mt Mansfield (4393′) is the highest mountain in Vermont and can be quite challenging to climb in winter conditions. I recently climbed the peak with several friends, including my friend Ken, who is hiking all of the Vermont 4000-footers this winter. I’ve …

Finished in 1930, The Long Trail is the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States and shares a National Scenic Trail designation along with longer trails such as the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. The trail is 272 miles in length …

When I started my end-to-end hike of the Long Trail, I planned to avoid sleeping in shelters. This attitude is shared by many other backpackers, especially those who hike the Appalachian Trail, where shelters are often infested by mice and crowded with …

I section-hiked Vermont’s 272 mile Long Trail in 2008. It was a transformative experience and turned me into a backpacker. This is my complete 10,000 word trail journal. My Long Trail Journal below is listed from south to north, not chronologically. As …

After you complete the Long Trail, you can apply for a certificate from the Green Mountain Club celebrating your achievement. You must submit a summary of your end-to-end (E2E) hike to apply for this handsome document. Your write-up can be up to …