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The heinous push was over. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see a rustic, clapboard shelter in my life. Today shouldn’t have been possible, yet here I was, standing in the dark on a forested ridge with crickets singing around me. The last sixteen hours of walking had carried me across 34 miles of some of the roughest trail in New England. Sure, I still had 26 miles to cover the next day, but the last big test had been passed with not much to show for it but two bleeding feet, a growing disgust of Powerbars and hunks of dry pepperoni flaked with soil. I unlatched the door of the Tillotson Camp and threw my fraying pack on the stiff wooden bunk. I hung my rain gear on a hook even though I knew they wouldn’t dry before my dawn departure. The huge rip in the crotch of the pants seemed comically large, as if only a madman would consider the garment as any sort of protection against the elements. Yet, who but a madman would consider walking 280 miles in ten days as an appropriate way to spend the brief days between college graduation and a summer internship?
# WORDS: 4150
# PHOTOS: 2
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Companion forum thread to:
Light and Fast on Vermontâs Long Trail
Looking at those pictures, just how much weight did you lose in those ten days?
Congratulations on your accomplishment! Thank you for the thoughtful and passionate write-up.
Hey Dean,
I designed a menu that was seven meals / ~4000 calories a day of dry (meaning I didn't have to cook it or carry a stove) food which left me pretty well-off. A lot of my food choices were based off the work of professional hiker Andrew Skurka. His website (http://andrewskurka.com/) has a lot of good info on nutrition for endeavors like this. I'm not sure what my weight was before and after, but I didn't really lose any weight – no matter how gaunt my mind and heels felt. Thanks for reading.
-Scott Morris
So fastpacking cures the breakup blues?
Nice article, glad you ultimately succeeded.
You're an excellent writer. I wish I was capable of the same. Congratulations on your successful hike. I had a 9 1/2 day 248 mile hike last year….wonderful, yet tiring.
I really enjoyed your write-up- goes to show that pictures aren't needed when the text is so descriptive. You managed to capture well the rollercoaster emotions of a good fastback. I would love to hear more though about how you related to other aspects of the trail, scenery, and trail life.
Really enjoyed reading your piece. Thank you and congratulations!
I have two questions for you as I am planning an extremely similar, unsupported hike of the Long Trail for June of 2014.
1. What pack did you use? I am primarily concerned with this since my usual pack (golite Jam) isn't going to cut it for the amount of weight I'll be carrying.
2. I noticed you had no issues with black flies. Is that true? I'm pretty surprised since I thought they would be at their worst around this time.
thanks again!
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