Vermont Long trail and AT

I'm doing winter hiking, backpacking and snowshoeing - but my first love is still being out on the trail for a few weeks in the summer. Therefore, my hiking fantasies are going to my next summer trips.

My goal is to complete the Long trail and the Vermont AT next summer. I'm planning to do it in two trips:

First, a short trip from Norwich (where I stopped on my last AT trip) Vermont to the Long trail via the AT. This should be just a few days.

Second, a longer trip - allowing up to three weeks - to complete the Long Trail. I'm thinking of starting at the Canadian border and continuing along the Mass AT if I come out ahead of schedule.

If anyone has any tips on doing these two stretches of trail, especially the Long Trail - I'd greatly appreciate it. I am wondering about logistics. Would I take a bus and then hitch hike or pay someone to shuttle me to the trail head? Are there hostels or Inns at the Northern end that would shuttle me to the trail head and pick me up at a bus stop. Would it be realistic for me to finish in 21 days? (In terms of my pace, I go farther in a day than the average backpacker, because of long days - not speed, but not as far as your hardcore trail hiker or thru-hiker, despite hiking longer days. On the NH AT I averaged 14-15 miles/day).

I will be grateful for any advice or info you have to offer, not only for the practical benefit of the advice - but I plan to have a lot of fun planning and daydreaming. .

I could give you a hand when you arrive at the Massachusetts end. The Vermont/Mass state Line is still a little ways out in the woods. I've approached this from the Mass side and it's about 4 miles to North Adams. Depending on when you are planning to do this, I don't mind to help you out. I'm kinda kicking around the logistics of doing the Mass AT in June myself. I understand what you mean though about planning for the summer trips. Winter at times seems awfully long...

Hey Cal - thanks for a very kind offer. I will probably aim to continue into Mass on the AT until the first good road crossing. I'm slowly trying to string together sections of the AT working down from Baxter so AT miles are better than non-AT miles.

Maybe someday I'll catch on to winter hiking the way some of the hardier souls have done it. Even though I can have some fun in the winter, and appreciate the beauty of it, I envy the people who get a gleam in their eye when it gets cold and the snow piles up.

I noticed Cave Dog tried to beat the old record for speed on the Long Trail (4 days 15 hours and change) but set out in the nasty rain we last August and just missed it. If I manage any faster than four days for every one of his, it will be pretty near miraculous.

Following the AT south into Mass. , the first road you come to is Massachusetts Ave. You pretty much pop out of the woods through someone's backyard and have a short roadwalk to a bridge over the Hoosic River. Beyond the bridge is a church that allows parking for hikers. If you give enough advance notice I could meet you here for a ride. Around what month are you planning on doing this. I'll be heading back to the Whites on May 7th and June 4th and you could hitch a ride back from there if need be. After that I'm not going back until late July.
I'm in the same boat as you for the winter bug. I love looking at pictures of the winter scene but give me a nice 65-70 degree day with a slight breeze anyday.

Cal - I will start the long trail in late July or early August. I get too much work in June and through the first three weeks of July to be able to afford to take off then.

Thanks again.

Long Trail in July / August

Hey Pedxing,
I'm headed up to the Long Trail around the same time frame you've mentioned (late July / early August). I'm going to do end-to-end starting at the Canadian border. Let me know if you'd be interested in completing any of the trail together. It'd be kind of nice to have someone along for at least some of the trail. I've been unable to find anyone even remotely interested in going along for this one. Otherwise, I'm going to do this thing solo. Thanks and good luck! 8)

Runs: I'm definitely interested in starting out the trail together, sharing a shuttle to the trail head, etc. As far as hiking together - after the first day or two, it's probably best just to see what our paces and styles are like. It's always good to have people you know headed in the same direction - so you can look out for each other. I may be able to drag a couple of people along (or maybe not - last year I did the NH AT alone despite having friends who sounded interested in going at first)... but that's no reason not to join forces if we are headed the same way at the same time.

I'm traveling right now and probably won't be on the net again for a week (so no disrespect intended if I don't reply for a while).

Hey Runs - It's looking like I will be heading out in early August (maybe the 7th or 8th). I just spoke to the guy who runs the business that generates most of my work - and they will be closed from August 7 thru Labor Day - so that's when I can best afford to take off.