Day 6: (21 June) Story Spring Shelter
Today’s elevation profile looks like a bleeps on a cardiac monitor with many ups and downs. I feared that last night’s heavy rains would leave the trails gushing with water, but they were just normally muddy. When Dennis came through here in 2008, the mud was knee-deep. At one point, the mud sucked off his boot and he had…
Day 5: (20 June) Goddard Shelter
I’m still hacking away. Perhaps I should have chosen “Hacker” as my trail name instead of “K-Fun.” We are getting a little stronger each day and improving our time. Instead of a mile per hour, we are doing it in about 50 minutes. With thunderstorms threatening, we decided to stay in the shelter. Since our…
Day 4: (19 June) Melville Nauheim Shelter
We left Bennington, VT around noon. It only took us a few minutes of hitchhiking before Steve, a salesman paying a cold-call at the hospital, stopped to give us the 7-mile ride to the trailhead. I enjoyed the walk, the sun peeking through the canopy, the sense of accomplishment after plodding uphill. I sound like…
Why are we hiking the LT?
You may wonder why Dennis and I are attempting to hike the Long Trail, the oldest trail in the US. Dennis, a seasoned hiker (having completed the Appalachian Trail), is doing it for the challenge, the pleasure of being in the woods, the camaraderie among hikers, and getting back to appreciating the luxuries of modern-day…
On the Vermont Long Trail (Day 1 – 3)
Doug McKain from Green Mountain Hiking Club chauffeured us from the North Troy Inn at the end of the Long Trail (LT) to the start in Williamstown, MA. Though only 273 miles, it took us 7 hours to drive, with a short stop at the Green Mountain headquarters in Waterbury Center and then to eat. When we…
On our way to Vermont
Yesterday an Thursday we hiked about 5 miles in Winnekenni Park in Haverhill, Ma. I think my legs are ready for the easy first days on the Long Trail. After the walk on Friday, we picked up a pizza and I couldn’t resist this beer, just because of the name. Today, it is rainy and…
Training in NH
Dennis and I went hiking on the back roads around Newton, NH. Everything is verdant and vibrant following the rains. The rhododendrons, azaleas, and spring flowers add colors not seen in Florida. We also saw golden finches, robins, cottontails, and other small woods animals. I had not realized how much I missed the smell of newly…
Changing to hiker mode
On our drive north, I read the Green Mountain Club Long Trail Guide, Hiking Vermont’s High Ridge. It divided the trail into twelve divisions. Each corresponding chapter included a profile map, descriptions of the route, and its side trails. Though the book offers a lot of information, we will not take it with us. It is too…
Tweaking gear
A few trial hikes discouraged me from using Dennis’ Gregory Z35 Pack. The torso is about two inches too long. It didn’t sit right and caused me to lean forward too much. Not wanting to spend money on another pack, I decided to use my Osprey Talon 33 back pack. I’ll miss the extra three cubic feet, but not…
Gear change
Dennis and I were speakers at the Appalachian Trail Club of Florida. Dennis presented slides from his 2008 walk on the first part of the Long Trail, which is also part of the Appalachian Trail (AT). I think he was a little wary that all the photos of the mud might change my mind about…