pedxing
Member
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. .
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. .