September 2023
The Long Trail is the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the USA and was the inspiration for the Appalachian Trail.
The National Recreation Trail portion of Vermont’s Long Trail is from Killington Peak to Mt. Ellen.
I had planned to do this as one backpacking trip. Originally, I planned to do the entire northern Long Trail section, from Canada to where the Appalachian Trail joins the Long Trail near Killington Peak, as one long backpacking trip. However, I have an elderly cat that is eating less and less as the weeks go by (yes, she has been to the vet), and I don’t want to leave her for days at a time right now. I therefore am doing this NRT segment of Vermont’s Long Trail in five sections, from north to south.
Mt. Ellen to Lincoln Gap. Sept 1, 2023
I did an out-and-back from Lincoln Gap to Mt. Ellen to get the northernmost NRT segment. That’s 6-ish original miles of the NRT segment and 12.4-ish total out-and-back miles (with around 3000 feet of elevation gain).
Hike 1. The approach to Mt Abraham from Lincoln Gap felt fairly steep and vertical, with rugged terrain similar to NH’s White Mountains and little ledges to scramble near the top. The summit of Abraham is open, though there isn’t much space for more than a few people. After Abraham comes a few smaller mountains, and the hiker goes up and down over those while also going through the tops of a couple little ski areas. Mt. Ellen itself is in the trees, but there is another little ski area just past the summit which offers nice views.
There were lots of friendly people on the trails, including a woman who recognized the little hiking doll I carry as being made by Arlette “Apple Pie” Laan. She took a photo. A guy from NY and I kept leapfrogging each other; he was nice to chat with too. There were also a couple of very young girls who reminded me of my two when they were that age. They were singing and laughing their way up the trail, with their happy parents behind them. Plenty of other folks too, all enjoying their day.
Hike 2. I went out of order and flipped down to the southern end for my next hike. I intend to do the rest of the NRT segment from north to south (from Lincoln Gap to Route 4).
September 9, 2023. Route 4 to Killington Peak
This 12.4 mile roundtrip hike had, I don’t know, somewhere between 2500 and 3000 feet of total elevation gain as an out-and-back (?). It felt like an easier NH 4K as the grades were never steep and the terrain was fairly straightforward except for the final short push up Killington’s summit cone.
It lightly rained most of the way up, which was fine as it cooled me off. I’d rather have that than hot and humid conditions any day.
The rain and the mist gave the woods a lovely spooky feel to them. A bear hung about not too far from the trail close to the intersection with Sherburne Pass Trail; I did not see it, but there was a ton of very fresh scat right on the trail, and I could smell Mr/Ms Yogi strongly for about a tenth of a mile. No tracks in the mud though, so it seemed like he/she pooped on the trail and then stayed in the woods to the side. When I came back down, I could still smell the bear, so I don’t think he/she ever went very far (maybe up a nearby tree).
Loved the 2+ miles of nearly flat walking at 3500 feet between Shelburne Pass Trail and just beneath Cooper Lodge.
No summit views this morning except ghostly cell tower equipment in and out of the fog.
I met a young guy near the summit and gave unsolicited advice about directions to the nearby ski area after he told me that’s where he was heading. He didn’t ask for advice, and I realized afterward I might have been annoying. Oops.
On the way up and down, I passed the same descending AT thru-hiker and chatted with him for a while. He has never hiked in NH or Maine, and he needed to take a couple of breaks coming down Killington. I did not want to give unsolicited advice again so I kept quiet about my thoughts, but I do hope the nice fella flips up to Katahdin soon and finishes his hike as a flip-flop, otherwise at the pace he is going he might not make it up there before the snow arrives (mid- to late-October).
Hike 3. Lincoln Gap to Middlebury Gap. 17.4 miles with around 4000 feet of elevation gain.
The fellow I hired as my shuttle was good company. He picked me up at Middlebury Gap and drove me to Lincoln Gap, all the while filling me in on local odds and ends regarding the recent rains and the tolls they have taken on the community. He is also a prolific hiker, so we shared enthusiasm for northeast hiking and hiking in general.
He dropped me off at Lincoln Gap around 8am, and off I went. The trail itself feels fairly moderate in all its ups and downs over Mt Grant, Mt Wilson, Mt Roosevelt, and Breadloaf Mountain (plus a couple smaller peaks) except for the slog up Mt Wilson, which I found particularly tiring. Other than that it felt like a straightforward traverse, similar in mileage and elevation gain to NH’s ZBonds traverse.
The only difficulty, which I should have anticipated given all the recent rain, was that the trails were 85% mud or running water. This slowed me down a bit. I also got rained on most of the day, which I didn’t mind as the precipitation kept me cool.
I met a bunch of hikers, most of them Long Trail end-to-enders. Everyone was in good spirits in spite of the mud and water.
I had a total of five grouse encounters, though thankfully all of them just did the noisy-flying-thing and not the confront-the-hiker thing.
No views anywhere today given the rain and foggy summits.
Hike 4. September 14, 2023. Middlebury Gap to Brandon Gap. Just under ten miles with around 2000 feet of elevation gain.
This day felt easy. The ups were all moderate, the day was sunny, dry, and cool, and the trail wasn’t all shoe-sucking mud. I made good time and enjoyed the few viewpoints. Saw more end-to-enders, all of whom seemed happy to be out there. Horrid Cliffs was an especially lovely place to sit for a while.
Hike 5. Brandon Gap to Route 4. 21 miles and 2200 (?) feet of elevation gain. September 17, 2023.
My shuttle driver was a great local guy named Brock. He agreed to meet me at 6am since I had a long hiking day ahead of me, and we talked life and Vermont and kids and all kinds of things on the way to Brandon Gap.
The 21 miles were a green tunnel with only one viewpoint. The terrain felt easy, with most of the ups extremely gradual and the ground dry (yay!). A cool breeze and bright sunshine made their way through the tree canopy, and fallen leaves littered the trail here and there. Autumn is not quite here, but the prelude is playing.
I stopped at Rolston Rest Shelter at 1pm with five miles left in my day. A large group of teens arrived with adult chaperones; they were a happy and boisterous family with guest exchange students. I had fun speaking with them.
Got to my waiting car on Route 4 around 3:15, which means I did the 21 gentle mountain miles in about 8 1/2 hours including short breaks. Not bad for me.
So ends my section hike of the National Recreation Trail portion of the Long Trail. Have to say I am curious as to why this section was designated as an NRT and not, say, from Appalachian Gap northward. The northern parts of the Long Trail have far more viewpoints and exposure along with more rocky and interesting terrain.
I am now also finished with LifeQuest Vermont, except for the AT and NCT portions, which I will do when I hike the AT and the NCT.
