New England Section Hike Summer 2012

[CMassDudeBro]

Hey everyone,

This summer I want to do some serious backpacking before I have to start my career as a teacher in the fall. I'm 22 and I'm fresh out of college.

At the moment it looks like I'll be starting in early June and have until mid-August to finish up. My question is, "Do you think I could backpack the entire AT in New England during that time span?" (Kent, CT to Katahdin) If not, how far could I go?

Some other questions I hope you guys could answer are, "How much would it cost approx.?" "Any gear suggestions?" "Any suggested training?" " "Any difficult sections of the trail?" etc.

I've hiked short sections of the AT over the past few years--October Mt. State Forest, Mt. Greylock, Glastonbury Mt., and the Franconia Notch Loop (Lincoln-Haystack-Lafayette). I used to play soccer and run long distance.

Thanks for your help,
Nolan

 

[Nick]

Welcome to the boards (again ...? looks like you've actually been a member for a while )

I can't speak to timeframes in that duration. I've hiked parts of the AT as well and considered a full length hike, but it never happened, and now of course i can't afford that much time from work

Congrats on the teaching career by the way. My wife is a teacher and many of her family. I think it's a very noble profession.

 

[CMassDudeBro]

Yeah, I joined two summers ago.
I was going through a tough time, so I had to put my backpacking ambitions on hold.
Part of the reason I wanted to become a teacher was so I could be active during summer.
Hopefully, I'll be more involved on the forums and post more about my wilderness experiences and such.
Thanks for the welcome back. lol.

 

[skibum9995]

Kent to Katahdin is about 700 miles I believe, so 2.5 months is plenty of time. The trail through CT, MA, and VT is generally pretty easy, although there are some tougher sections (Greylock, Killington). You have plenty of time to get ready, so if you start in decent shape, 15 mpd is very doable.The hardest section is the 50 miles from Pinkham Notch to Grafton Notch. You can expect your mileage to drop a bit in that section.

Cost is dependent on the style of hike you want. Zero days in town are where you will spend most of your money, so minimizing those can reduce the cost quite a bit.

For gear, the lighter your pack the better. Post your gear list, and I can give you specific recommendations on where you can save weight.

 

[tomcat]

I thru hiked the AT and to get from VT/MA border to Katahdin it took 38 days. Keep in mind I started in GA so I was broken in so to speak. As for gear you could probably get a way with a 40 degree sleeping bag that time of year. I prefer a MSR Pocket Rocket stove (two weeks on a canister is pretty easy if you do it right). I'd get a tent. You WILL hit buggy pockets and regret not having one in Northern New England even in a dry year. I'd recommend a sub 3 lb tent. Big Agnes Fly Creek is the most popular and very light. Others like REI QuarterDome or EMS Velocity fit the bill and are quite a bit less expensive. Pack-find one thats comfortable and you will probably need a minimum of 50 L if you are ultralight. Pad- I prefer inflatable (Pacific Outdoors less than a pound) but light and cheap is a Z Rest by thermarest. Most people prefer low shoes to boots. I agree but I recommend Gore Tex because wet feet are a bitch and common in New England.
Hardest part like said is high Whites from Franconia to Grafton Notch. 100 mile wilderness in Maine is easy. Majority is low and flat with 16 miles of Barren Chairback Range and then White Cap RAnge but can be done in 6 days comfortably from Monson to Abol.
Other options for long hikes in the area are a Thru hike of Long Trail. figure close to month and Cohos Trail in N NH (162 Miles and VERY Remote in the northern part of it.)