We finished about a 70 mile section of the Long Trail in Vermont.
Route:Â https://caltopo.com/m/RU8L
It was a fantastic, slightly difficult hike. My 55 year old knees are starting to not like heavy downward hikes. But none the less, it was wonderful.
The section we did was North From Lincoln Gap Up the ridge line, crossing Camels Hum and finally Mt Mansfield.
We hiked the last week in June 2108 and the weather was perfect. Highs of 80 degrees and the lows well above 40.  We “permethrined” our clothes and got not single bite from a mosquito, tick nor black fly.
Logistically we took a taxi directly from Burlington airport to the trail head.  I had called ahead and the Green Taxi folks gave me a price of $100 flat to drop my “Fly home bag” at the Comfort Inn where we stayed the evening before we flew out and then to the trailhead. Our driver, turned out had climbed Camels Hump the week before and was more than happy to give us a bit of care finding the trailhead in Lincoln Gap. The drive took 1 hour.
At the far end we hitched to a bus stop and caught the Williston Shopper From Johnsonville back to Burlington.
Significant facts:
- The trail is rocky and there are no switchback. It is very very slow going. We hiked 12 to 14 hours a day to stay on schedule.  We were unable to average 2 miles an hour for any one day.
- The trail is very well marked.
- The trail is pretty empty except at the tops of the major peaks. There you will find people who drove to a parking lot or took the cable car to the top. (Which will piss you off as you have earned the view, and they clearly have not)
- Nothing is flat. You are ether ascending or descending all the time.
- Water was plentiful and easy to access.
- There is almost no place to stealth camp other that the shelter and ski resorts.
- Cell phone coverage on almost every ridge and summit . Thats more than half the trail (I have T-mobile . the MRS has AT&T)
- The song of the morning Hermit Thrush is perhaps the most beautiful thing you ever hear. (Don’t bother googling it . — The dynamic range is far far beyond what your speakers cam play)
- Hitching a ride is very simple as most local are used to seeing people with backpacks coming out oat one of the 4 or 5 logical spots to resupply.
- Flights to Burlington are pretty cheap.
