Hi Trail Buddies
I’m looking for a little information on the Long Trail.
When do the bugs die down to make enjoyable to hike The Long Trail? Middle of July or August? (this is the time I have off to hike the trail, I can do it close to August if they will be better.
How is the Northern half to hike with a dog?
Any pointers on the Trail would be helpful.
Thank you so much.
Happy trails to all.
POOH-BEAR
POOH-BEAR
I live near App Gap (110 LT miles south of Canadian border) and hike the area all summer - I end-to-ended in 2003. The black flies are usually gone by mid-July and the bugs (mosquitoes) seem to back off around mid-August. September is nirvana - no bugs, warm days, cool nights.
Hiking with a dog on the northern half is fine with some tough exceptions: the descent of Stark Mountain into App Gap (2 ladders), the ladder on the north side of Burnt Rock Mountain, the ascent of Camel’s Hump, and the ascent and descent of Mount Mansfield. I strongly suggest you bypass Mansfield’s Forehead and Chin if you bring your dog. The rest of the trail is fine.
Obtain the Green Mountain Club’s Long Trail Guide for your hike if haven’t done so already. Unless we have a wet summer like last year, water can be scarce during August on parts of the trail north of Lincoln Gap - fill up when you can.
Take your time and enjoy the views - this is a wonderful trail to hike. Good luck.
Rough
each summer I was on the LT I came across hikers with dogs that had done battle with porcupines. One guy was carrying his dog and hoping to get to a road and a vet. The dogs mount was full of quills. So beware. Enjoy.
Hammock Hanger
I hiked the southern section, or rain forest section in July of 2005. The bugs were pretty horrible but not hike ending. In fact on the “worst” day i had it was amazingly hot and buggy, two naked hiker guys showed up at the shelter and complained more of the heat than the bugs.
Cheers
Cheers
I’m section hiking the LT, and I’ve done a week in early or mid-July each of the last four summers. As noted earlier in this thread, black flies are gone by then. I found mosquito swarms at selected shelters, but not as a rule. The constant problem bug for me has been deer flies buzzing my head on hot sunny days. It gets irritating after a while.
I don’t have a dog, so I can’t help you there. I’ve hiked the trail between Stratton and Journey’s End and I can observe that I’ve seen very few distance hikers with dogs north of the AT. Having navigated the sections that Rough mentioned, I will concur that it looks like it would be very difficult for a dog in those spots.
See you on the trail…
Digit
The black flies are gone early in July, mosquitos are still around well into August. That said, I don’t remember being bothered by mosquitos. I must have been at the time, because I remember thinking that one of the detractors of hiking poles was that they inhibited my mosquito-swatting powers. In retrospect, they weren’t a big deal. Bug spray took care of them. I had a capilene long-sleeve shirt and that kept them off my arms. They are really more of a nuisance at night - buzzing in your ears. On my next thru-hike I’ll bring a headnet… or maybe earplugs!
I saw plenty of hikers with dogs in the northern section. Yes there are some tricky segments, but most dogs seemed to find alternative routes to the ladders. All depends on your dog I guess.
Tumblina
My dog and I hiked the northern section in late Sept and early Oct of 03. He’s a very experienced trail dog, nimble and resourceful, done all but 2 New England 4K footers, etc. I’m sure I worried way more than he did about the above mentioned tricky spots, I assure you faired better on this part of the Long and Hard Trail than I did!
Places to be aware of from north to south (it’s true, I was forced to do a SOBO on this part due to a hiking partner’s preference): Devil’s Gulch, which is a mini-Mahoosuc Notch. No problem for doggy, though one area I assisted him up a rock jump.
We did bypass the Chin on Mansfield, I took him up the Profanity Trail instead, which was no cake walk, but again, he bounded up things still ahead of me. Then we backtracked to the summit so we could both tag it. I’m betting he could have made the Chin but I don’t feel I missed any kind of experience.
I had already walked the Forehead (without the dog but with HH earlier that year-what a scary piece of trail that was huh girl?!) so we took the bypass going south that Fall. I would not take the dog on the Forehead, in fact I wouldn’t take a human on it, I’m not afraid of heights or boulder hopping, but I found this one of the toughtest stretches of trail I’ve ever seen!
There are several ladders along the way, the most ominous I kept hearing form others hikers was the one in “Ladder Ravine” between Camel’s Hump and Burnt Mt - I think this was referred to above. He could have gone around this ledgy area, but in the end he jumped to a narrow ledge half way up and then I assisted him up and around the rest of the ladder, it was no biggie after all.
There were some narrow box canyons particularly south of the Hump where I had to remove his pack because he was too wide with it, but overall Dalydog pulled off an impressive hike.
Otherwise this section is just plain hard and beats up on you, it’s a constant scramble up and scramble down, I liken it to the 33 mile Mahoosuc Range, over and over and over again.
I don’t mean to sound discouraging, in fact I’m trying to back up the fact that a dog can hike this, but they will be tired at the end of a 15 mile day, and believe me so will you!!
Lastly, Mama Bower’s place in Richmond (near Jonesville)takes dogs, so if you’re looking for a respite, they’re a great option. We also tented behind the LT Tavern in Johnson with him and overall found hitching not to be a problem, I think dog sympathy worked a few times “I felt sorry for the dog, so I stopped to pick you all up” - we even got a nice ride from a Mad River Glen shareholder in a leather seated BMW SUV!
Good luck…check out my journal on here if you want to see photos of Daly in action or even read his take on it. www.trailjournals.com/bluebearee
BB
Bluebearee
last year i started 7/24 and the deer flies were pretty bad in some southern spots, but the black flies were basically gone.
my dog hiked as far as jonesville, where our friends brought him home after meeting us for a resupply, not because he was having trouble, but i had never been up mansfield and didn’t know what to expect; i also didn’t want to take a bypass route.
i think he would have been fine, he’s like a mountain goat.
the day after he went home though, we suprised a moose and got to watch it eat for a few minutes before we left it. you can’t do that if there’s a dog with you, but it’s a pretty good trade off, i guess.
jd
I got a ride from a Mad River Glen shareholder in a Land Rover. Yale ballcap and polo mallets in the rear. Not used to such high doors, I gashed my eye as I opened the door to get in. Bled the whole trip into Jonesville while he told me of Mad River Glen. Dropped at this just opened pizza place right by the grocery market. This was in 1997.
This guy was thin, grey hair and total rich Vermonter.
As for the LT, it is an asswhooper. Southern half is ggreat walking. Stratton and Killington are gradual climbs. The mountain ponds are perfect in late July/early Aug. After Killington, the LT begins to get rough. And it only gets rougher. Still it packs so much in an extremely short amount of mileage. The backside of Camel’s Hump beats any view on the AT, to my mind’s eye. If you can wing it, stay on Jay Peak by the gondola.
It is hard, know it, accept it, so that you can enjoy it. 15 miles is asking alot. I’d settle for a happy series of 10’s.
P.S. Be near a shelter everyday around 4:30. It opens up that time damn near everyday. Never lasts long. But rains hard.
Yahtzee
Our MRG benefactor in the BMW SUV was from NJ, but I could tell the guy would have traded his portfolio in a heartbeat to be out hiking for 2 weeks the way we were.
I agree with Yahtzee, when I mentioned 15 mile days, I by no means recommend 15 mile days on the northern LT. 10-12 is way more doable - it will be wet, it will be MUDDY!! And you will wear your End to End patch with pride.
Oh, and if you have any aspirations to peak bag, don’t pass up the side trail to Big Jay, it’s one of the New England 100 Highest. Otherwise, you walk over the other ones right on the trail (Wilson, Breadloaf, Jay Peak).
Duh…I have to make a special trip one day soon to northern VT just to get that silly Big Jay, a mere half mile or so off the LT.
Bluebearee
Thank you everyone for the great information, I really can’t wait to get to The Long Trail this year, I do plan on taking my time to really enjoy it, not to just put in the miles, like I did on the AT. (My dog I’m sure will keep me in line as not to hike too many miles a day).
“Obstacles are those frightening things that become visible when we take our eyes off our goals”.
-Henry Ford –
Happy Trails to all,
POOH-BEAR
POOH-BEAR