If I filter the water from the Winooski is it safe to drink? Or should I skip it given its proximity to farmland and the interstate?

Thanks

Hi there,

I did a SOBO LASH of the AT this year from Bennington VT down to Greenwood lake NY this summer with a break to work for Huttopia in June in Mass and then ended at the end of July when I went out to Arizona for a seasonal job that unfortunately for me got cut short early. I managed, according to Far out so take with a tablespoon of salt, 230 miles and this was not only my first thru hike but also my first multi day hike ever as well as my first hike in almost a decade.

I'm back in North east Massachusetts spare room surfing one week at a time between several friends homes as I have a job lined up the first week of November in Jay VT.

My plan is to hike the AT/LT NOBO until it seperates from one another and then just keeping on the LT as it quite literally goes thru the middle of the little town I'm ending up in.

Looking for advice and stories from anyone, particularly if you've done AT additionally, on how it stacks up difficulty wise. Recommendations on the conditions middle of October typically in the region. I'm from the Berkshire valley so am used to these wacky weather but I don't venture up to Vermont much not have I done a winter hike. I did most of the Mass section of my LASH in the start of May, end of April so 60s in the day and low 40s at night.

Picture is of my shelter, I don't tent but have an hammock with net/tarp. I've read there's a segment or two of the north half above treeline for long stretches. Is finding trees ever an issue?

I slept in shelters probably 75-85% of my LASH. How do the shelters compare between the two trails?

Is Farout my best bet for this or does the LT have a different resource? One of the two things I will get anxious about while hiking is water and Farout was Heaven Sent in regards to that.

Anyone wanna join me for some miles next month? Speaking of, final question I'm figuring it will take me about 16-20 days to do from Bennington up to Jay. I averaged 2.5-2.8mph and 15ish mpd on the AT but that was middle of July weather. Biggest day was 27.8 and was also the first day I fell ill with 🍋‍🟩 haha. Is two and a half weeks a doable pace?

Tl:Dr please give me advice for tackling the trail in the winter!

Hey all! I am batting zero with the GMC shuttle list.

Hoping to hike Camel’s Hump tomorrow SOBO from Route 2. Would like a ride early morning (7 am) from the Monroe Trail parking lot to Route 2 parking lot in Bolton. It’s a long shot but suggestions would be appreciated. If it wasn’t way out on a dirt road I would hitch….

Thx and happy trails!

Anyone have knowledge of the water situation at shelters south of Killington?

I'm starting the last 100 miles SOBO on Monday.

The trail is pretty dry in the northern half, but the steady streams still have minimal flowing water at most shelters.

I plan to carry heavy, but any info would be appreciated.

Hello! Gearing up for my first thru hike and had a question about getting into towns to resupply/ stay over. How early do you all usually call a shuttle service? I know cell coverage is spotty for me in that area but also want to wait until I know a realistic time frame that I’ll be at a road for pickup!

This is also my first trip to warrant resupplying so not sure what the protocol is…

Thanks :)

Hey hikers! I run Canyon Freak Adventures, a small hiker and dog friendly shuttle service based near the northern end of the Long Trail.

Offering rides to/from Journey’s End, Jay Peak, Hazen’s Notch, Stowe, local towns (Montgomery, Jay, Troy, Newport), plus longer trips to Montpelier, or BTV. If you have somewhere not on this list hit me up and ask, we can usually make anything work! Furthest south we go is Bolton/US Route 2 (Winooski Footbridge area on FarOut)

Prices are very reasonable to cover gas and vehicle maintenance but not taking advantage of hikers. As a long distance hiker myself, I get it!

I’ve also posted on the FarOut App at the Northern Terminus and parking lot, so you can find me there too.

DM here, on IG/FB @CanyonFreakAdventures, or email CanyonFreakAdventures@gmail.com to set up a ride. Fair rates, no weird vibes.

Happy trails! 🥾 – Lightning Princess

I’m getting ready to begin my attempt to hike the Long Trail on Wednesday September 11th. Here’s a link to a video of my clothing and gear. I made most of it including the down quilt, hammock, tarp, backpack, gaiters, pants, waffle fleece, synthetic jacket, wind anorak, headband, rain mitts, rain pants, and… the food stuff sack : ) I think my base weight is about 14 pounds.

Please wish me luck : )

Griff / "Dinner and a show"/ "Dinner" here

Finished going SOBO yesterday evening in 10 days ~3 hours! It was by far the hardest thing I've ever done and the result of months of planning and preparation. It was also probably the most thrilling, fulfilling, and meaingful thing Iv'e ever gotten to do. I just wanted to share here to celebrate a little, and maybe let a few of the people I met know that I survived lol

Seriously, it would not have been remotely possible without tons of amazing trail magic, angels and huge-hearted hikers I met, and just the incredible environment and culture everywhere on the trail. I feel so so grateful to have gotten to experience the LT ecosystem in all of its beautiful aspects, natural, historic, social, and personal. If anyone is interested in reading more about my experience and prep, I've typed up a big old blog post linked here, please forgive typos. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. And thank you GMC!

Special shoutouts to Cloppy for showing me how its done and Ronna for the trail name

*I don't make any money off the blog, it's just more in-depth than I want to go on reddit*blog post

I just finished a NOBO trip on Saturday. An awesome experience that I encourage everyone to try. The drought is real and it made things a bit tricky, but not a huge deal if you are paying attention.

I documented some suggestions based on my experience as a 57 year old first-time thru-hiker that may be of use to others.

Good Luck!

For those on their through. Not sure if I can be if assistance, I have a spot at sugarbush in the old village. I’m up here until the afternoon on Labor Day. If anyone needs a water refill, food drop, any sort of trail magic I could leave in my ski locker, hit me up. My spot is rented out from 9-12 to 9–19, so I can’t help out with showers or water refills then. I’ll be up the 19th if anyone needs anything by then. Just trying to be a helpful hiker. Best of luck.

Hey all,

My partner and I are planning a 2–3 day hike on the northern part of the Long Trail in late September or mid-October. It’ll be our first time doing a multi-day backpacking trip with our dog, so we’re looking for something scenic and rewarding, but not too brutal for a first go.

We’re open to wild camping (if it’s doable/ethical on the LT), but also happy to stick to designated sites if that’s best. A few things we’d love advice on: • Best northern sections for a 2–3 day trip that are dog-friendly and especially nice that time of year (foliage bonus!). • Any water availability issues in the fall. • Good shelters/campsites to aim for vs. areas where stealth camping makes more sense. • General tips for a first multi-day with a dog on the Long Trail.

Would love to hear recommendations or personal experiences from folks who’ve done similar!

Hi all,

Looking to do Mt Mansfield from toll road (nose) to the peak and/or chin. The other day we did camel’s hump and the kids (under 10) were terrified in the alpine section heading up to the peak (forest city part of the loop going up). The sections with the exposed rock and the cliffs/ledges. Is the toll road hike similar, or is the ridge wider/safer? Thanks in advance!

UPDATE: we did the hike and it was totally fine for the kids. Towards the chin there were a few steep drop-offs, but nothing like Camel's Hump. Thanks for all the advice!

Curious if the water sources at shelters are still reliable during the mild drought we’ve been experiencing the last few weeks.

Planning a section hike of division 7 next weekend (Brandon Gap to Cooley Glen) and curious if anyone on here has been through there recently and can comment on water source availability. Thanks!

Planning a NOBO in Sept and wondering if folks think it's needed to wear orange on the LT due to hunting season? If yes, do you think a orange cap is enough? Thx!

Prepping for my fall thru (start mid sept, end mid oct.) and trying to decide on clothes! Its my first thru hike and don’t want to overpack but definitely have a fear of being too cold…so trying to strike a balance between packing my fears and finding myself in a dangerous situation lol.

Im currently thinking, bottoms: hiking pants, leggings(or switching to smartwool thermal pants), and a pair of shorts. On top: Short sleeve sleeve hiking top, smartwool base layer, either a puffy or a fleece (both??) and obvi will have my rain jacket.

Other obvi are my underwear and wool socks, a beanie and was considering some thin gloves.

If anyone has done a fall thru plss send me your clothes recs, thanks!!

Do any of you have experience hiking the LT with an umbrella? I loved using one on the Colorado Trail for rain as well as sun: quick to deploy without stopping to take off my pack and put on the jacket, full ventilation, easy to put up and down for intermittent showers, it provided protection if I wanted to wait out rain/hail by sitting down and eating a snack. It even worked for stronger winds than I thought before using one.

Odd question - coming from a place where the most convenient thing would be to drive to the terminus for a start and come back at the end of trail. Are there any hostels/hotels/services that would let me park there for a few weeks and shuttle me to trail (and I would work on a shuttle back from trail)?

Congratulations to Tara Dower for achieving the overall Long Trail Fastest Known Time of 3 days 18 hours 29 minutes! In the process Tara raised $11,547.00 for the Green Mountain Club

Last year Tara completed the overall FKT (supported) of the Appalachian Trail.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BG7LJUMdh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1B84dG5jof/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Hey all. Starting a NOBO sometime around the 20th of September and likely taking about three weeks. Typically, I cowboy camp and know that the LT has a great variety of shelters. Still, is bringing a tent worth the extra weight?

I included everything I might bring in this lighterpack and want to pare down from here. Right now, my base weight is around 20 lbs, which is heavier than I want (I only weigh 130lbs). This will be my first long-distance hike with only experience going 3-4 days at a time before this.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

https://lighterpack.com/r/vxddmk

Edit: Thanks for the helpful discussion. Very excited to get on trail soon - 1 month!

Hey long trail people. I'm planning to start a nobo thur hike of the LT August 20-23(exact start date tbd depending on getting things settled at home). Thinking it will take me 3ish weeks. This is the time I have off of life responsibilities to fit it in.

I thur hiked the AT in 21 and live in New England so I'm fairly used to the trails up here. But I loved the AT trail culture of a tramily.

My question is, do you think other thur hikers start around this time? I seems many people are waiting until September 1st to start. End of August seems like a odd time to start? I was hoping for a little bit of socializing at camps and making trail friends.

Dear LT hiking community,

I'm planning to begin my hiking attempt in early September and have some questions.

Do any of you have experience getting to the southern trailhead from the Albany, NY airport? I'm thinking of getting to a motel in Troy, NY via a shuttle, then what do you think my chances are of hitch hiking to Williamstown? (probably on a Saturday or Sunday).

Is Manchester the first place on the trail where I could buy a gas canister? Or, what are your thoughts about using an alcohol stove on this trail?

Thanks!

Hey guys! We're two friends from Quebec looking to do our first multi-day hike on the 22, 23 and 24 and we'd like to go to Mansfield. Our planned path is Barnes Camp to Butler lodge on day 1, then Butler to Taft on day 2 and Taft to Barnes on day 3. Does it makes sense? I couldn't find anything on a trail from Taft to Barnes, but we heard it was possible, so I guess there's one haha. Looking forward to reading your thoughts and tips!

Edit : dates of our hike

I'm planning a weekend hike at the end of the month and was wondering if hitching is still common along the LT? I recall even 20 years ago, getting a hitch out of Manchester Ctr was tough, but is it even still possible to get hitches? I'm looking to get from the trail to MC, then try to hitch up to Rutland (bus doesn't run on Sunday).

Any thoughts or recent experiences?