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Hello again, everyone. I wanted to use this post as a sort of wrap-up for my long-distance hike of the Long Trail. I will post some fun facts about my hike and will include my GPX files in case you would like to use them to plan your route of the Long Trail.
Post-Hike Overview
-Name: Long Trail
-Location: Vermont
-Hike Type: Point-to-Point
-Direction Hiked: Northbound (NOBO)
-Month(s) and Year(s) Hiked: 1st Section (Early to mid-September 2021), 2nd Section (Late September to Early October 2022)
-Start Date: September 4th, 2021
-End Date: October 5th, 2022
-Days on Trail: 22 (20 hiking with 2 zero days)
-Total Mileage: 279.14 (Recorded with my Garmin fēnix 5x)
-Total Elevation Gain: 72,176 FEET!!!!! (Recorded with my Garmin fēnix 5x)
-Gear List: https://lighterpack.com/r/bz7s44
-Peaks Climbed: 72 (Listed here)
-GPX File:
Last Word
Prior to hiking the Long Trail, I had approximately 500 miles of hiking across the US. Most of which were along the Appalachian Trail. I hiked in the White Mountains, the Shenandoah National Park, and the Grayson Highlands, to name a few. Even with extensive research and training, I can say without a doubt the Long Trail is the most difficult trail I have ever hiked.
Now I know what you are thinking… “Matt, of course this was your hardest hike!!! You never did a long-distance hike before!!! ” You would be correct in thinking that; however, I would still say the same thing if I just went out for a weekend hike of any northern section of the LT. It was indeed the most rugged footpath I have ever walked on. Individual sections of the trail may not be any more difficult than some harder sections of the AT, for example, but mile for mile the LT is continuously hard. It rarely gives you a chance to catch your breath or relax. “Relentless” and “unyielding” are words that I would use to describe it.
I promise that paragraph above isn’t me complaining or trying to make my accomplishment more Herculean (though it was 😉). It is just the reality. The LT is unforgiving, and the pain-to-reward ratio isn’t nearly as high as some other trails I’ve done.
With all that being said, my hike was also incredibly fun and rewarding. Though the views weren’t many, when you did get them, they were worth every ache and pain. The trail community was so kind, charming, and helpful. I had three moose pass right by me, which is the coolest thing I have seen hiking on a trail. After spending nearly a month in Vermont, it has quickly jumped up near the top of my U.S. state rankings. Vermont also has the best craft beer of any state. On my drive home, I made sure to stock up.
I am so glad to have had this experience, and I can’t wait to take on the next hike; I already have some ideas in mind.
If you have any questions about hiking the Long Trail, feel free to reach out. I would not have been able to do this without help from others in the hiking community and would love the opportunity to help others. I would be happy to help in any way I can. You can also read all my other posts about my hike, which feature some great information.
Thank you all for reading and following along!!!
Previously: Long Trail: Day 21 (VT-242 to Journey’s End)