The Long Trail

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 …

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

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 …

A lot of you have been in contact with me recently about hiking the Long Trail this year and it’s exciting to hear all of your plans. Regardless of whether you thru-hike the LT in a few weeks, or section hike it …

Last weekend, I finished the 8th and final section of my 270 mile End-to-End hike of the Long Trail, in Vermont. Of those 270 miles, I hiked about 230 miles by myself, beginning on May 23rd and ending on October 12th, 2008. …

I just got home from a 42 mile backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail, starting in northern Massachusetts and ending about 14 miles north of the Massachusetts-Vermont border on Rt. 9, outside of Bennington, VT. This hike was significant because it included …

I got back Sunday night from a 4 day, 51 mile exodus on the most northern section of the Long Trail, hiking southbound from Journey’s End to Johnson, on Rt 15. This is the most remote section of the trail that abuts …

I just got back from what many say is the hardest section of the Long Trail: up and over Bolton Mountain (3,690 ft.), Mount Mansfield (4,393 ft.), Spruce Peak (3,320 ft.), Madonna Peak (3,668 ft.), and Whiteface Mountain (3,714 ft.) My hike …

Vermont’s Long Trail is famous for its mud. In fact, the mud is so bad in the spring from snow melt, that the Green Mountain Club asks hikers to stay off the Long Trail until Memorial Day each year to reduce erosion …

I just got back from a 22 mile southbound section hike on the Long Trail that featured a climb over Camel’s Hump (4,083 ft), one of the top three highest peaks in Vermont. This hike was by far the hardest hike I’ve …

The 30 mile section of the Long Trail from Middlebury Gap to Appalachian is one of the toughest parts of the Trail that I’ve hiked to date. It rained again, nearly continuously, for the last two days. Day to Day Mileages looked …

This is part 2 of the trip report. Part 1 is located here. Daily mileage looked like this. Day 1: Clarendon Gorge to Coopers Lodge,KillingtonPeak: 1.3 road miles to shuttle bus + 11.3 miles trail. Day 2: Coopers Lodge to Rolston Rest …

I got back last night from a four day, 50 mile section hike on the Long Trail in Vermont and I’m slowly recovering from being back in civilization. I’m still in the zone, if you know what I mean, where I’m much …

I got back last night from a tough 32 mile section hike on the Long Trail in Vermont. I had originally planned to do this section in 3 easy days but ended up compressing it down to 2 days by hiking a …