[at-l] Back from the Long Trail

[wb4pan@mindspring.com (Charles Davidson)]

Kurt,

	That report brings back the memories. Sounds right on target. Can't wait to do it again.

chase

Kurt Bodling wrote:
>
> Just freshly back in the office catching up on email and such after
> completing a southbound end-to-end on the Long Trail.  No real trip
> report as such (was typing up my journal last night and I'm on page
> 9, single spaced, and only half way through the month), but here
> are some particulars:
>
> 1.  hiked southbound mainly for logistical reasons (easier to find
> someone to drop me off at the Canadian border than to find
> someone to pick me up there), and found I enjoyed meeting more
> people that way as I passed NOBO hikers rather than hiking with
> the same group day by day
>
> 2.  started on Saturday, 29 June; ended on Sunday, 28 July; no
> zero days
>
> 3.  black flies NO problem, but did get pretty bug bitten especially
> in the northern parts
>
> 4.  the northern parts of the LT really are harder than the southern
> parts; NOBO hikers kept telling me 'once you get south of
> Killington it'll get easier,' but I place the start of the easy part
> further north, at Lincoln Gap and Mount Abraham
>
> 5.  used a Hike'N'Light alcohol stove; worked very well; carried a
> plastic Tablespoon to measure the alcohol; used a gas line
> antifreeze from the auto parts store; actually mailed a couple
> bottles to myself in my resupply boxes
>
> 6.  used 2 resupply stops (Jonesville and then Clarendon), so I was
> carrying about 10 days worth of food at beginning and after each of
> those stops; YES, it was heavy, but I thought it easier than getting
> off trail to hitch into towns a couple more times ... except that
> hiking up over Camel's Hump from Jonesville with a fully stocked
> pack was the longest and hardest 13 mile day I've ever hiked
>
> 7.  warming huts at the top of ski chair lifts get my seal of approval
> as places to spend the night
>
> 8.  water sources in the GMC Guidebook and the End-to-Enders
> guide were pretty well on target except that the Boyce Shelter's
> source was a scummy little green puddle; also, there IS a working
> pump at Mad Tom Gap despite what any guidebooks might indicate
>
> 9.  I started with an Exstream bottle to filter water into a liter sized
> Nalgene, and to have as source to drink from while walking; worked
> okay for about a week until the filter started to clog; picked up
> some iodine from a couple kids going off trail that got me to my
> resupply; store in Jonesville had no iodine so I bought a small
> bottle of Clorox bleach and used 3-4 drops per quart which got me
> through to Clarendon where I could get some iodine
>
> 10.  I miss the sweet songs of the Winter Wrens and the Hermit
> Thrushes that accompanied me virtually all the way south
>
> 11.  stayed in $6 fee shelters 5 nights but only paid for first one; at
> second the story was that all the GMC caretakers were off at a
> meeting; at third the caretaker said GMC members get one free
> night per season and I had my membership card, so he gave me
> the fee back; and the other nights the caretakers never came
> around for the rent
>
> 12.  at the Inn at the Long Trail (at Sherburne Pass, just south of
> the Maine Junction) the two best things on the menu are the
> Guiness and the fresh fruit salad (I was missing fresh fruit from the
> very first night)
>
> 13.  at the Whistlestop Cafe in Clarendon, the 3 egg omelet looks
> like it was made with 6 eggs; very tasty food
>
> 14.  I found that day hikers were happy to send short email
> messages to my main contact person for me, which was
> especially nice when I was running behind schedule to get to a
> phone
>
> 15.  Guidebook descriptions of trail conditions varied; in the
> northernmost sections "steeply" means having to traverse a 10-12
> foot slab of rock at a 70 degree angle with no clearly visible hand
> holds, but in the southern sections ... well I'm still looking for the
> supposedly steep sections there
>
> 16.  there are at least 7 different kinds of mud in Vermont
>
> That's probably more than enough.  All told, it was a great hike for
> me.
>
> Any questions?
>
> Concordia, LT '02
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