Long Trail: Day 0-6
Day 0:
When we arrived in Williamstown, MA, we checked into the 1896 House, a beautiful country inn, and dropped our bags off in the
room. We then had a beer on the patio at the '6 House Pub near our room, celebrating the start of our journey. After the beer we went to Mezze Bistro & Bar, a great burger place where we ate outside on
a picnic bench under the trees. After Mezze we stopped over at Bright Ideas
Brewing for a beer before driving to the Purple Pub in Williamstown to have a snack before calling it
a night. Being that our hotel room had a large Jacuzzi in the bathroom, I sat in it for a while as Tatiana prepared her bags and electronics for the hike
soon to come.
Watch the vlog of
this portion of the trip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drS7SN8wWAQ
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1896 House |
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Mezze Bistro & Bar |
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Bright Ideas Brewing |
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The Purple Pub |
We departed 1896 House in Williamstown, MA at around 6 AM
and Tatiana drove me to the Pine Cobble trailhead, arriving just before 6:30
AM. The trailhead was just down the road from the trail parking lot so she parked
the car and she hiked in with me, following the Pine Cobble approach trail for
several minutes before returning to the car. Because we had a car that day, I
was able to slackpack the entire first section of the trail, allowing me to
move faster and farther than if I had my full large pack with me. (Slackpacking
involves only bringing the bare essentials—water, food, toilet paper, raincoat,
etc). After Tatiana returned to the car, I continued onward along Pine Cobble
trail and ascended Pine Cobble Mountain. At the top of the mountain, a sign
pointed the way to where the Pine Cobble Trail intersected with the Appalachian
Trail (AT). After following that trail, I intersected the AT a little while
longer. Once on the AT, it was another half hour or so until I reached the official
sign marking the Long Trail southern terminus on the Massachusetts/Vermont
border. At the southern terminus sign, I also met two northbound AT thruhikers
and chatted with them briefly before hiking on. My Long Trail journey had
begun! I arrived at Seth Warner Shelter sometime thereafter and had a brief
snack but did not stay long as I wanted to keep moving. Next came the hike up Consultation
Peak which was a decent climb and where I droned briefly near the peak. I then
descended past Sucker Pond and Congdon Shelter, moving very fast with my day
pack on. I then ended the day’s hike with a climb up Harmon Hill, finishing the
hike around 2:30 PM. Tatiana then picked me up at the VT RT 9 trailhead and
brought me to the Autumn Inn hotel where I showered and got into clean clothes.
We then got ready to drive to Manchester Center. Prepositioning the car in
Manchester Center would allow us to both hike over the next three days and have
transportation waiting for us at the end of that hike. On the way over to drop
the car in Manchester Center, we stopped at Robert Frost’s grave in Old
Bennington Cemetery, the Bennington Battle Monument, Robert Frost’s house, and
also stopped at the Publyk House for an appetizer and a quick beer. Once in
Manchester Center, we dropped the car off at the Old Rooterville Road trailhead
and rode a free bus (the Orange Line with the pickup spot in front of the CVS) back
to Bennington, VT. We then walked from the bus parking lot in Bennington to a
great dinner restaurant downtown called Allegro.
Watch the vlog of
this portion of the trip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drS7SN8wWAQ
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1896 House |
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Pine Cobble Trail |
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/massachusetts/pine-cobble-trail |
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Autumn Inn |
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Bennington Battle Monument |
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Robert Frost House |
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Publyk House |
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Orange Line Bus |
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Allegro |
Day 2: Distance hiked: 14.2 miles
We got up at the Autumn Inn and arranged a ride to the
trailhead from the Autumn Inn manager for $15. He took us to VT RT 9, where I
had ended my hike the day before. Most hikers have trailnames. For this
thru-hike, I kept my Appalachian Trail name Koozie, and Tatiana took the
trailname Southface (meaning the opposite of Northface--the brandname standing
for rugged, outdoors types). It was an immediate climb up Maple Hill (it got
hot and sweaty quickly) and then a short break at Melville Nauheim Shelter.
Somewhere along this stretch we met Newt for the first time. After chatting
with him briefly, we hiked over the top of Maple Hill and descended briefly
before rising again to Little Pond Lookout. Somewhere along this next stretch
we met Nutboat and Husky, friends of Newt. Nutboat and Husky had been friends
since high school and Nutboat had met Newt sometime in college. We would get to
know this group much better over the next several days. We then came down from
Little Pond Lookout before rising steeply to Goddard Shelter. At Goddard
Shelter we took a brief break and chatted with several hikers including Newt,
Nutboat, and Husky. After leaving Goddard Shelter, we ascended Glastenbury
Mountain and went up Glastenbury Fire Tower where we had spectacular views of
the surrounding mountains and forests. We then pushed on to Kid Gore Shelter
and got rained on over this next stretch. Coming in a little wet, Newt and
Nutboat had already claimed the left side of the shelter and had the guitar
out, singing songs. Southface and I took the right side of the shelter. We then asked if Husky had arrived? We told Newt and Nutboat that Husky had been in front of us on the trail, and
that if he wasn't at the shelter, then he must have missed the turn off to the shelter side trail. We found out later that Husky may have been under the influence of something and had ended up walking a mile and a half
past the trail turnoff before realizing his mistake, hiking all the way back to the shelter and arriving
several hours after we did. That night at Kid Gore Shelter was Southface and my
5th Wedding Anniversary so Newt played us a song to
celebrate the occasion. As Newt and Nutboat sang songs, Husky came bounding in, set up his stuff to eat dinner, and then asked us if we
wanted one of his homemade concoctions. We declined. After everyone put
their food and stuff in the bear box, Husky then took the bunk atop of ours.
The rest of the night Husky did what we call alligator rolls on a pool float
that he used as an air cushion. The poor guy could not get comfortable apparently,
and needless to say, Southface and I did not get much sleep that night either.
In the morning, there was a great sunrise as Kid Gore Shelter has a nice clear
view of the forests and distant mountains.
Watch the vlog of
this portion of the trip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drS7SN8wWAQ
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Autumn Inn |
Day 3: Distance hiked: 15.3 miles
We left Kid Gore Shelter around 7 AM several minutes after
Newt and Nutboat. Husky decided he wanted to sleep in until 10 AM due to the
exhaustion of having hiked three extra miles the day before. A couple hours into
the hike we passed a nice pond and then arrived at Story Spring Shelter. We
stopped at the shelter to use the privy and eat a snack before continuing on.
After we left Story Spring Shelter there was another climb and then the trail
was fairly easy until arriving at Stratton Mountain. The path up Stratton
Mountain was gradual at first and then became steeper and rockier toward the
top. It then rained for a half hour near the summit. Southface was exhausted
with the steep climb and the rain was taking its toll. At last we arrived on the
summit and climbed the Stratton Mtn fire tower. There were great views from the
fire tower. On the ground near the fire tower the flies were relentless, making
it impossible to have a snack. At this point, we had initially decided to take
a side trail to a gondola to stay at Black Bear Lodge at the base of Stratton
Mountain. The gondola was closed, however, and thus it would
make for a much longer hike. After walking down the side trail a ways, we
decided to abort those plans and head for Stratton Pond Shelter instead.
Southface was unhappy. We then hiked another 3.1
miles (an eternity for Southface) and arrived at the shelter prior to sunset. I
arrived, dropped off my pack, and then went back for Southface’s pack. When I
neared the shelter Newt was there and told me how he and Nutboat had just went
swimming in the pond. This sounded great at the time so once Southface and I
were somewhat settled, I took off for the pond and went swimming. The water was
so calm and refreshing. Then Southface came down and washed off as well. We
then settled onto the top bunk in the middle of the shelter. I then helped Newt
make a fire but then a half hour later it started raining and the rain killed
the fire. That night was the best night sleep that I had ever had in a shelter.
It was pitch black and somewhat cool for once.
Watch the vlog of
this portion of the trip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drS7SN8wWAQ
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Stratton Mountain |
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Glastenbury Mountain |
Day 4: Distance hiked: 10.6 miles
Departed the shelter at 7 AM with the entire group after a
quick breakfast and morning routine. It was an easy walk with mild ups and
downs. Made it to Old Rootville Road which was a gravel road walk, making the
miles even easier. We had a nice view at Prospect Rock and then Southface
continued to follow Old Rootville Road toward the car in Manchester Center while
the rest of us took the Long Trail up and around to meet her at VT RT 11/30.
This next part of the trail had minor undulations and I passed Spruce Peak
Shelter before finally arriving at the trailhead parking. I then waited on
Newt, Nutboat, and Husky as we had promised to give them a ride into
Manchester Center. Southface had brought us each a Gatorade which tasted
delicious! I drank it down in about 5 seconds as I waited on the others.
Nutboat arrived next, then Newt, then Husky. I pitched the idea of them doing
a slackpack with me the next day and after some contemplation, Nutboat thought
it was a good idea. Southface and I then drove everyone clown-car style with 5
people and 5 large packs in an economy sized car, dropping the trio off at the
grocery store before we went to the Barnstead Inn (Southface had already
checked in prior to my arrival at the trailhead). I then showered up and picked
the others up at the grocery store and dropped them off at the Hampton Inn.
They had decided to stay two nights in Manchester and complete the 17.6 mile
slackpack with me the next day. Newt had decided to leave the trail to see his
girlfriend and Aunt. Nutboat had also bought Southface and I some Conehead IPAs
which we then drank on the porch while I ran out to Cilantro and got us some
amazing tasting tacos and burritos. We ate them on a nice swing bench outside
our room. We then relaxed a bit and went to Ye Olde Tavern for dinner (great
restaurant in an old Victorian house-style setting). When we got home we dried
the shoes and socks off for a long time using the hair dryer before falling
asleep.
Watch the vlog of
this portion of the trip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drS7SN8wWAQ
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Barnstead Inn |
https://www.barnsteadinn.com/ |
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Zero Gravity Beer |
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Cilantro |
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Ye Olde Tavern | https://www.yeoldetavern.net/ |
Day 5: Distance hiked: 17.6 miles
Got up and ate breakfast at the Barnstead Inn (great
homemade granola and then corn beef and hash with buttered bread and hot
chocolate). It was great to have a slack pack day! We picked up Nutboat (Husky had decided to take the day off) and then hit the trail by 9 AM. We immediately
climbed Bromley Mountain which felt easy without a heavy pack on. At the summit
I briefly checked out the shelter and warming hut, and also walked around the
ski lift before descending down the other side. I then caught up to Nutboat and
talked with him a bit as we hiked and then met Southface at Mad Tom Notch for
lunch at a trailhead parking lot. I had a brief snack, refilled my water, and
then ascended Styles Peak and Peru Peak while it rained on and off, and then
descended down to Peru Peak shelter, a nice shelter on the river. Nutboat
caught up to me there and we chatted with 3 southbound hikers while we ate a
snack for about a half hour before continuing on. We then passed Griffith Lake
Tenting Area (nice place to camp near the lake) before climbing Baker Peak, the
first all rock climb on the Long Trail. I saw a couple snakes sun-tanning on
the rocks and took a 40 minute break on the rocks as I waited for Nutboat. The
view was great and I had remembered being jealous of a hiker I had seen
relaxing on these same rocks back when I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in
2012. It felt good to be back on Baker Peak and having the time to take in the
view and enjoy the setting. After leaving Baker Peak, a severe thunderstorm
came in and completely drenched us. I hiked extremely fast down the remainder
of the trail and eventually popped out at the USFS 10 trailhead where Southface
had the car with the heat blasting (felt amazing) and removed my soaking wet
shirt, shoes, and socks, before drinking a Conehead as I waited for Nutboat. He
made it to the car about twenty minutes later and was so happy to be greeted
with a beer and the warm car. He was grinning from ear to ear. After dropping
Nutboat off at the Hampton Inn we went back to the Barnstead Inn and I jumped
into the warm outdoor pool. It felt great. I then took a hot shower before we
went to dinner at the Copper Grouse and then a drink at Gringo Jacks. When we
got back to the hotel room we washed the clothes in the sink and then dried
them with the heater. The room was about hundred and twenty degrees and was
ridiculously hot! We made due with sweating for a couple hours in the room in
order to let the heat dry the clothes. Finally, we opened the windows to let in
the cold air and eventually fell asleep.
Watch the vlog of
this portion of the trip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drS7SN8wWAQ
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Barnstead Inn | https://www.barnsteadinn.com/ |
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Hampton Inn |
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/rutmvhx-hampton-suites-manchester/ |
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Copper Grouse |
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Gringo Jacks |
Day 6: Distance hiked: 19.5 miles
Got up at 7 AM and picked up Nutboat and Husky from the Hampton Inn. Southface dropped us off at USFS 10 trailhead and held our packs to allow us to do a 8.5 mile slackpack. This section was a great section as it was nice and flat along a river and then entered some great pine forests and rocky trail with boulders intermixed within the forest. Toward the end of the 8.5 miles the trail descended next to a river and waterfall and then came out past a gravel road and then a paved road farther below. The car park was up the trail a little farther past the paved road up another short hill. I waited for Nutboat, told him where the car was, and then he waited for Husky. When I got to the car, I packed up for the final time as Southface would be leaving for the airport. Then Nutboat and Husky arrived, grabbed their stuff, and then started hiking again. Southface drove me into down to stock up on food at a gas station and also get pizza for lunch. She then took me back to the trailhead and we said goodbye. It was really hard to say goodbye but at least I knew Southface would be returning for the end of the journey as well. After watching her drive off, I then started the ascent up White Rocks Mountain. The climb was extremely difficult as my pack seemed to weigh 50 lbs with all the food I had just purchased. I was drenched in sweat as every pore on my body was open and gushing sweat. I felt every step and it was painful climbing. I then started moving better on the downslope and caught up to Nutboat and Husky just as they arrived at the Minerva Hinchey Shelter. I said my goodbyes to them, took a photo with them, and then continued on. It’s always sad having to separate with good people on the trail, but sometimes it’s necessary to stay on schedule. After I left them at the shelter, it was a tough climb and then a great walk along the top of the ridge, where I paused at a viewpoint to enjoy the scenery. I then followed a steep descent down into Clarendon Gorge. During this descent, I took my first fall on a slippery rock and went down very hard. I came out of the fall with a bloody elbow and a sore hip. An extra 50 lbs on my back brought me to the ground so much faster than normal. I shook it off though and crossed the gorge at the bottom soon thereafter. I considered swimming in the river but kept going. It was a very steep, rocky ascent up the other side of the gorge past RT 103. There was a rock scramble and then a nice walk down to Clarendon Shelter. Clarendon shelter looked like a great shelter. It had bunks and sleeps 8. It also has a fire pit and it is next to a stream. Tom was there (he had taken the photo of Nutboat, Husky, and I earlier) and it was hard not to stay but I knew I needed more mileage. It was then a tough ascent out of the shelter and I walked along some farmland briefly before descending to Cold River Road. Still needing more miles I pushed on further and crossed another street and some land before climbing back up on a ridge. Luckily, it was getting late in the day so when I came upon a vista side trail, I knew that probably no one would be hiking this late so no one would come down this short side trail. I put up my hammock near the vista, hung my bear bag nearby, and then ate some snacks for dinner as I listened to the river down below. I had been a long day so I got into my hammock as soon as possible, looked over the route for the next day, and then went to sleep.
Watch the vlog of
this portion of the trip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drS7SN8wWAQ
Watch the vlog of the
other half of this portion of the hike here:
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