Thru-hiking Vermont's Long Trail

September 8, 2016 1:09 PM

I'm currently thru-hiking Vermont's Long Trail (northbound, finishing mid-October) and finding it kind of underwhelming. What can I do to spice things up?

So far, at about a week in, my experience of the trail has been pretty monotonous. The camping and hiking are exactly the same day after day, the "green tunnel" effect has meant very few views, and towns are far between. Due to my current fitness level, going faster is not a viable plan for the moment, but I'm hoping that will change.

I need ideas to make things more exciting, or at least different day to day.

I have access to a car when I'm in town, so let's say anything within an hour's drive of my resupply towns (Manchester, Rutland, Lincoln, Waitsfield, Waterbury, Burlington, Stowe, Morrisville, Montgomery) is fair game - that probably means all of Vermont and some of western New Hampshire.

Things I like include:
- bodies of water, especially with views and/or swimming
- natural wonders, caves, rock formations
- urban exploration, abandoned buildings, unused railroad tracks
- colorful foliage (coming later in the season, can't wait!)
- roadside attractions, both kitschy and not
- tasty food of all kinds, especially local meat, dairy, fruits and veggies
- weird things in general
- meeting people in general (I've got one couchsurfing day lined up, and I've heard of the Yellow Deli folks)
- interesting meditations to do, things to read or think about, songs to sing, skills to learn

Also looking for good places along the trail itself to spend a zero day or two. I'm set up at Stratton Pond right now, and it's a lovely change of pace - socializing, swimming, sunset views, easy side trails, just great for hanging out.

Thanks for your suggestions!

posted by danceswithlight to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

The West Rutland Carving Studio has their SculptFest which often has a lot of really great outside art in their weird semi-abandoned quarry area. I haven't been in a few years but when I went it was memorable. Maybe call to check exactly what they have going on. Rutland itslef has a bunch of weird old railroad track sorts of things.

Ritterbush Pond in Eden is supposed to be the good place to swim on the North part of the trail. While I was trying to find more information about it, I found this discussion about other good swimming holes.

Lot of good food options in Burlington. This is the gastropub that folks recommend, though there are a few little weird roadside diners also, depending what you're looking for. I like this place. Stowe has a good public library with nice rocking chairs and wifi so it might be a good place to chill and do a little looking up of things, it's right in the downtown area of Stowe.

The trail does get more challenging (and the state more empty) the further north you go. If I can help with other local stuff that might not just be attraction stuff, I live in Randolph, do let me know.
posted by jessamyn at 1:30 PM on September 8, 2016

I'm a few hundred miles away from completing a 20 year old AT thru hike attempt (when I restart, who knows). I went South to North, but it was a fairly well established notion that the south-bound thru-hikers were crazy. I once met one who carried with him a life-size cardboard version of Cindy Crawford. She'd stand guard on his tent in the evenings, which is how I found them. It didn't strike me as particularly odd since I'd been in the woods for months already and it tends to make me fairly accepting of peculiarity. Anyway, we said our good mornings. I don't believe he introduced me formally to Cindy but she was acknowledged, and I headed on up the trail.

It's common for huts along the way to have a trail journal where you can sign in and say what you're up to. After I passed him I found the logs he'd left.

"Thinking about stopping in the next town to resupply. Worried that Cindy might leave me for the bright lights and big city."

Further journals detailed the rise and fall of their relationship in (to me) reverse chronological order. I didn't get the impression that the relationship would last. But my point is, if you like weird a cardboard cut-out of someone special is a light weight way to make things a bit more interesting for yourself and everyone you meet.

There's also the naked hiking option. I ran into that too, but maybe it's not such a hot idea in late September.
posted by roue at 2:45 PM on September 8, 2016 [5 favorites]

You might need to change your scale of observation. For instance, spend some time (since you aren't a speed obsessive) every day taking note of the plants, trees, wildflowers, rock types, etc. I recall that the trail does get more rugged as it moves north, but all along, there was plenty to note in terms of natural minutiae. If you don't have sketching materials, pick up some colored pencils and a small notebook at your next town stop. Spend a few minutes each day making notes about phenology (signs of the changing seasons - what insects you hear at morning and dusk, what birds, colors/stages of the plant flower-seed cycle) and sketching leaf shapes, mosses, etc. Go micro.
posted by Miko at 9:29 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Stowe has some good restaurants, particularly Plate, which is a short walk from the above-mentioned public library.
posted by actionstations at 11:10 PM on September 8, 2016