Genearl advise - The Long Trail - Vermont

imported
#1

hello i will be hitting the trail june 1 and trying to get so info to help me plan better. iv orderd the long trail guide and map but sice im on a ship at sea i wont be getting it till i get home and ill only have about 5 days to plan if i wait on that. i know june isnt the best time but ill take what i can get. iv never done a decent thru hike before just 1 and 2 dayers on the florida trail. a couple questions i have 1- should i bring a stove or is that just unneed wait. 2- how far apart are the towns are the restocking points. 3-has any body hiked it in june and if so hows the rain? 4- whats the avarage temp on the trail im use to hiking in the south and dont want to come un prepaired for the cold or bring to many cold weather clothes and have all that extra wait… any advise will help thanks

Squireel

#2

June can be a wet month in the mountains. Most of the heavy mud is drying up but each rain can make some sections slick. June should be renamed ‘Black Fly Month’. These skin biting/blood sucking pests are ever present. DEET works well. Pickup or make an alchohol stove, it weighs very little and fuel is readily available. You will run into some cold nights(30’s)but no bitter cold. Town resupply points are plentiful. Good luck.

Ankle Express

#3

There will be rain, bugs, mud, and plenty of room in shelters that time of year. Would still consider a tent for the bugs and warmth if that’s a factor to you. I prefer a white gas stove for the hot food and coffee, but not a necessity. I’ve done the southern section twice, and that trail gets real a few miles north of Shelburne Pass. I’ll be about a month behind you this year for an end-to ender. Good luck.

fishngame

#4

thanks for the advice every lil bit helps

squireel

#5

Average temp? Tough to say - highs anywhere from the 60’s to the 80’s in town, cooler in the mountains and MUCH cooler at night. Rain is unpredictable. Last year it rained almost all summer, which was unusual but not unheard of. Plan on rain, plan on a few cold nights. Long johns and a wool cap to sleep in just in case. I did the trail in July with a 40 degree bag. I unzipped it on warm nights and bundled up on chilly ones.

You will want a stove - you’ll see many hikers with the ‘pepsi can stove’ (google it for directions to make it). Super lightweight, but if you’ve already got a stove - go with that.

Towns tend to be 5 days or so apart. Manchester is the first big one. When I thru-hiked in '05 the other hikers I met had no problems hitching into towns for food. Not always the best variety, but doable.

There should be plenty of space in shelters, but there will also be lots of black flies. You may want a tent so you can get away from the bugs whilst sleeping.

Crocs make for a great camp shoe - super light weight to carry (and can be strapped to the outside of your pack) and you can hike in them in a pinch. Many hikers like hiking poles, this is a personal preference thing.

Manchester is your first major town and there is a gear store there.

The End to Ender’s guide is an excellent reference.

You may want to check out Fish Outta Water’s journal on trailjournals - he too did the trail after getting off a ship.

Happy Hiking

Tumblina

#6

Suireel,
Trail journals has several years’ journal available for reading. I’d check prior journals for a good idea of what other trekkers have used for gear.

Ankle Express

#7

If you have never cooked with an alcohol stove then you need to practice a few times, they can be finicky. If you have trouble with it just buy a canister stove, they are pretty much bullet proof.

I would suggest a 30 deg bag and a wool base layer hat for extra protection. If you sleep cols then maybe get a 20 deg bag.

Definately have a bug net and 100% Deet.

Tom Murphy

#8

Lots of good advice so I won’t say too much. I definitely agree with the need for bug netting in June. An alternative to a tent is a hammock with built in netting. I’ts what I’ve used. I found great advice on hammocks at:
http://hikinghq.net/gear/hennessey_hammock.html

I skipped the stove both times I did the LT in fact, the lst four longer (100+ mile trips) I’ve done, I’ve done without a stove. It means less weight and fewer chores and the freedom to eat as much as you want wherever and whenever you want. I just take foods that had a lot of calories/ounce - nuts, dry salamis, cheese, harder breads, trail mixes and so on. Most people seem attached to their hot meals, especially on cool nights and mornings - if you’d miss hot meals or want lots of variety, by all means take stove. If you’re hiking with a friend, there is also the sociability of cooking together to consider - but in June there is no need for a stove.

pedxing

#9

I forgot to mention. There is a fairly new website - still a work in progress - which has good information. A lot of the info from the End to Enders guide is going in there:

http://hikinghq.net/gear/hennessey_hammock.html

pedxing

#10

http://www.longtrailhiking.info/

pedxing

#11

The LT is an excellent short long distance trail. I did it a few years ago and didn’t bring a cooker of any kind. Study up on the light weight aspect of hiking and you’ll be fine.

hoof

#12

We’ll be starting our end to end on May 27th. In years past we have usually started a long trip earlier than most. Yeah the bugs can bother ya. Yeah some places can be quite muddy. But hey, it’s trekking in the back country right :slight_smile:

All of our previous trips during May and June have seen mosquitoes, but generally we have not used bug netting. Food wise… you could get away with not carrying a stove. So many towns to stop at and grab stuff.

Temp wise, we have seen warm nights around 50-55 and we have had cold nights 35-45… this holds true at any time of the year on the LT though. Usually you can get away with a good 40 degree bag as long as you have lightweight clothing layers to sleep in.

Good luck and hopefully we run into you on the trail in June.

–Rolling Stone and Blue Tang

Joe Figura

#13

It will be around 60-70 degrees. I would bring warm clothes. A light weight jacket might be nice. You will need good rain gear. It WILL rain. Have a good time!:happy

Allie