I am hiking the LT in August, and have a question regarding terrain. In the End-to-Guide, it says the most difficult terrain is from Lincoln Gap to Jonesville. But in most of the journals that I have read, the writers have indicated that most of the norhtern section is pretty tough.
Can anyone give me some insight in hiking south?
Trihiker
The hardest section for me on my '06 thru-hike was the 10 miles south of Camel’s Hump. Basically, most of the LT north of Lincoln Gap all the way to the border is rugged. It get’s A LOT more difficult when its wet. The combination of slippery footing in the rugged sections makes it very slow going at times… Its an awesome, but tough trail. Happy Trails!
freebird
Hey Trihiker -
I End-to-End hiked the LT last fall. 27 days… truly one of the greatest experiences of my life. You are going to have a great time.
When I was preparing for my hike - I too had a lot of questions about the terrain. There is a lot of hype surrounding Northern Vermont and how difficult it can be to get through. The truth is - it IS hard, but no where near impossible. If you are willing to put in long days (8 or more hours of hiking) you can def. hike 15+ mile days - even in the Camel’s Hump/Mansfield Area.
That being said - I would say that I noticed a major increase in terrain difficulty at Brandon Gap. Climbing up to the Horrid Cliffs wasn’t that fun, haha. Freebird is right - the terrain before Camel’s Hump is difficult as well - specifically from the Montclair Glen Lodge north to the Summit.
Other difficult stretches that come to mind: Mt. Mansfield from the Puffer Shelter all the way to the Forhead near the summit.
The hike up to Bolton Mt. is more LONG than it is HARD - pretty much because you’re coming from one of the lowest points on the trail (Jonesville) to an elevation just under 4000.
Another long hike - coming out of Smuggler’s Notch all the way up to Madonna Peak. Seemed to take forever. A good idea here would be to crash at the Warming Hut at the summit instead of pushing on. It’s not in the LT Guide Book - but it’s there… and it’s open. One of the best views on the trail… Mt. Mansfield, Lake Champlain, and the entire Adirondack Mountain Range. Unreal.
Hope any/all of this helps.
Enjoy the trip!
-li-
-li-
I’ll just stay that it get’s tough in the NORTH. up down up down uuuuppp dooowwwnnnn uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuppppppp doooooooooooooownnnnnn… So, it’s tough and the terrain makes it worse. Not to mention the blow downs…It’s just tough especially when it’s wet like stated above. I took a few falls and I consider myself pretty sure footed. A wonderful challenge though. LOVED THE WHOLE THING!!!
snail
Although it might be more difficult from Rt. 4 north to Canada rather than the Williamstown to Killington section, the traffic lightens up because the AT splits to the east. So there aren’t as many people. And the shelters are spaced fairly close together. So you don’t have to put in an 18 mile day if you don’t want to. Someone said “It’s only walking” (yeah right). But I’ve done it a few times and the northern part is more enjoyable to me. But I’m older and usually out of shape when I start, so most anything is difficult for me.
mark schofield
The trail north of route 4 is definitely tougher than south of route 4, but definitely doable. The only sections I thought were ‘tough’ were the approach to Camel’s Hump because lots of rock-hopping was involved and the approach to Mansfield because of the exposure. That said, those were two of my favorite sections.
What I found more difficult in the north was that the trail was horribly overgrown (except in areas that see lots of day use). The GMC definitely caters to the AT hiker. In the south the trail was cut back and visible, in the north I frequently couldn’t see the trail for the overgrowth. In the south you pay the shelter fee at one shelter and you’re covered for the next couple of nights, as soon as the AT hikers are gone you pay for every shelter that charges.
Hiking wet trail that I couldn’t see had me cursing the GMC on many occasions! That said, I’d do it again:)
Tumblina
Based on two trips, its hard to predict for sure what you will find to be the most difficult. It depends on weather, maintenance, what direction you are going in and how you are doing.
That said, I agree with pretty much everything that was said. It definitely is more effort per mile in the North, although there are stretches of pretty easy trail in the North. For me, during my Southbound hike in '05 it was the sequence of peaks up to and including Mansfield that were the most work. In my Northbound ('07) trip it was probably the trip to the peak of Camel’s hump. The south side of Mansfield is the one stretch that I recall being really more than walking - hand holds and balance really help.
Pedxing
Trihiker
When are you heading out on your trip?
I’m planning an August 24 start N-S. Mostlikely taking 22 days.
PapaJoe