On my last post, I went over the very basics of my upcomming hike of the Long Trail. This post will detail the nitty gritty of how I am preparing for my first long0distance hike.
This guide will be geared specifically for those looking to thru-hike the Long Trail. With that being said, a lot of the information contained in this guide will be useful to day-hikers, weekend warriors, etc.
Author’s Note: Some of the links on this post may be affiliate links. If you do end up making a purchase through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for the support!
Part 1: Resupply Strategy
On long-distance hikes, you carry everything on your back. It would be nearly impossible to carry all your food for an entire hike of this magnitude (unless you are going for speed records, which I am not), so you need to resupply every so often to restock on food.
There are a few different supply strategies that hikers tend to use when they run out of food.
1. Get off the trail and go to the nearest store/town to buy enough food until you get to the next stop for resupply.
2. Prepare all your food beforehand, and have it shipped to designated locations near the trail (i.e., a post office or hotel).
I will be utilizing strategy 2. I will be preparing all my food beforehand, and because I am driving up, I will be dropping off my resupply boxes at four separate locations (listed below) that I will pass along the trail. This allows me to keep many days of food on me at all times without having to carry too much, and it keeps my pack weight as low as possible.
- Resupply 1 — Green Mountain House (57 miles NOBO on the Long Trail): This will be my first resupply location. It is in Manchester Center, which is a few miles west of the trail. I plan to schedule a ride or hitch into town.
- Resupply 2 — Inn at the Long Trail (104 miles NOBO on the Long Trail): This is the most famous stop on the LT; it is less than a mile from the trailhead. I will be dropping off a resupply box and staying here for a night.
- Resupply 3 —Old Stagecoach Inn (184 miles NOBO on the Long Trail): This supply will bring me to the city of Waterbury and the Old Stagecoach Inn. A few miles east of the trail, Waterbury is a great town to rest and resupply in.
- Resupply 4 — Johnson Hardware Store (225 miles NOBO on the Long Trail): My final stop will be here because this store accepts resupply boxes and has food and equipment for sale. Bonus points for being within walking distance of the trail. After I resupply here, that will last me to Journey’s End.
Author’s Note: All the locations listed above accept hiking resupply boxes as of September 2021. If you plan on using them, be sure to contact them beforehand to ensure they still accept packages.
Part 2: Food Strategy
My trail food is made up of breakfast, hiking snacks, and pre-made dinners. I plan on starting the first section of my hike with about 3,000 calories per day and making adjustments if needed. This hike will be the first time I have had to plan more than 4 days of nutrition, and I am sure mistakes will be made. I have done ample amounts of research on the subject, but because everyone’s bodies and needs are different, nutrition is one of those things you have to learn on the trail.
- Breakfast — I am not a morning person… I have never been, and probably never will be. When I wake up in the morning, I like to get up, start packing, and quickly hit the trail. The last thing I want to do is sit down and have a dedicated breakfast. A GoGo squez with some peanut butter as I am packing up my gear suffices for me. Additionally, I am not a coffee drinker, so that simplifies my morning.
- Lunch — I opt for hiking snacks throughout the day. Everything from jerky (specifically Sweetwood), dried fruit, trail mix, nuts, and my favorite, pistachios.
- Dinner — On most weekend hikes, I would maybe buy some freeze-dried meals or a ramen bomb. For this trip, I have opted to pre-make most of my meals. I bought some dehydrated ingredients from Harmony House, Archer Farms, and others. These ingredients will be mixed to create meals based on recipes I have from Backcountry Foodie.
I want to take a moment to shout out Backcountry Foodie. They are an amazing resource for hikers. They have hundreds of healthy, delicious, and easy-to-make breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes with specific instructions. You can organize all the recipes into a meal plan and create shopping lists. Backcountry Foodie founder Aaron is a registered dietitian and puts out educational content on nutrition in the backcountry.
Part 3: Logistics
The Long Trail is traditionally hiked as a point-to-point trail. A point-to-point trail starts at one location and ends at a different location. Coming from Virginia, I have a few options to get there.
The southern trailhead of the LT is near Williamstown, Massachusetts. Williamstown is a decent-sized town with many options to get there. The Northern trailhead, however, is very remote. It is at the Canadian border near the small town of North Troy, and it is impossible to get there via public transportation. A private shuttle is required in most circumstances.
I am going NOBO (northbound), so I am starting at the southern trailhead and ending at the northern trailhead. After much consideration (and luck), I decided to drive up via my personal vehicle and use a hired shuttle.
I plan to drive from DC up to a location near the northern trailhead, dropping off my resupply boxes along the way. This will save me on shipping costs. With the assistance of the Green Mountain Club, I found a long-term parking option about 13 miles from the Canadian border. My vehicle will be parked there for the duration of my hike. An individual has volunteered to shuttle me from my parking location all the way to the southern terminus (for a fair price).
Once I get to the southern terminus, I will begin my hike. Once I reach Journey’s End at the Canadian border, I have arranged a ride to my nearby vehicle.
Other Options:
There are a myriad of other ways to get to the Long Trail. The best resources I have found are the Long Trail Facebook group and the list provided HERE. If you live near the DC area, there is an Amtrak-run train called the Vermonter. It runs daily from DC to Vermont, with many stops in between.
If you are planning on hiking the Long Trail, I hope this post will give a little insight into what options are available. The way I am deciding to do it is by no means the only or correct way.
Part 4: The Gear List
My 3-season base weight hovers around 15 lbs. It is not ultralight by any means, but it’s pretty good. With that being said, I do believe that lighter is generally better. I do a fair share of ounce counting, and I go as light as possible on my gear where I can. When you add my base weight with 5 days of food and carrying water, my total pack weight hovers around 28 lbs.
In general, the most important things are that you have the proper gear to keep you safe and that all of your gear gets put to use. If you go backpacking regularly and consistently don’t use a piece of your gear, there is no sense in bringing it. This excludes things like first aid or emergency equipment that you would only use under certain circumstances.
If you are interested in seeing the exact weights of my Long Trail pack, please check it out at Lighterpack (a great tool if you are trying to organize and keep track of your gear for a hike).
If you have any questions or comments, or if you want to tell me my gear list sucks and I am an idiot, please reach out to me.
Big Four:
- Pack – Hyperlite Mountain Gear Northrim 3400 (Not the lightest pack, but comfortable; only 35 oz. and made of waterproof Dyneema Composite Fabric, making this perfect. I have brought this through days of gnarly rainstorms, and it has kept my stuff completely dry. Plus, the added durability HMG put into the Northrim one gives me peace of mind)
- Shelter – Zpacks Free Duo w/ 4 stakes (Light, roomy, and freestanding; very easy to pitch; and single-walled so you can keep the inside dry if you have to set up in rain. Being single-walled with Dyneema, it can have condensation issues if not ventilated properly)
- Sleeping Bag – Feathered Friend Swallow UL 20 degree (light and, most importantly, warm; Feathered Friends knows how to make a great product. Made with goose-down, this bag has kept me warm through some very cold nights)
- Sleeping Pad – Therm-A-Rest Neo Air Xlite (Weighing in at less than 13 oz and with an R-value of over 4, this is a great product. Doesn’t take too much to blow up or deflate and is very sturdy)
Worn Clothing/Gear:
- Hat — Purdue Baseball cap (Boiler Up!)
- Sunglasses — Sungod Renegades
- Buff — Buff High UV Coolmax
- Short-Sleeve Base Layer — Six Moon Designs
- Shorts — Patagonia Strider Pro
- Underwear — Smartwool 150
- Socks — Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew (Best socks in the world; I cannot imagine how many blisters I would get without these)
- Shoes — Altra LP 5
- Gaiters — Dirty Girl
- ABC Watch — Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire (How I track my hiking stats and upload GPX data)
- Trekking Poles — Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork
Backup/Sleep Clothing:
- Rain/Wind Jacket — Raidlight Hyperlight MP+ (Fantastic poncho that zips in front, keeps me dry without too much sweat. Hard to find, I believe they are made in Europe)
- Mid-Layer — Kuiu Peloton 97 Hoodie (Kuiu is a company that makes hunting gear, but this mid-layer is warm and only 5 oz.!!! It is also perfect for layering)
- Hiking Pants — Arc’teryx Gamma LT
- Spare Underwear — Smartwool 150
- Spare Socks — Darn Tough
- Camp Shoes — Mayfly Imago (many backpackers would probably say camp shoes are unnecessary, and maybe they are, but after a day of hiking, I need to take my shoes off).
- Down Jacket — M.H. Ghost Whisperer UL (1000 down-fill at just over 6 oz)
- Long Johns — Fjällräven Thinwool
- Beanie — All-Paca Beanie (fantastic cottage company based out of NC. They make great products, and this beanie is no different)
- Gloves — Icebreaker Quantum Gloves
Electronics:
- Phone — Google Pixel 5
- Headphones — Type C Razer
- Battery pack x2 — Nitecore NB10000 (only 5.35 oz. so I bring two along)
- Headlamp — Nitecore NU25 w/ Litesmith adapter
- Wall Charger — Anker PowerPort Mini Dual Wall Charger
- Charging Cable x3 — Garmin Charging Cable, Type C w/Micro USB Adapter, & Type C
Storage:
- Food Storage — Ursack Allmitey
- Chest Pack — Zpacks Chest Pack (I can keep all my snacks for the day in this for easy access while hiking)
- Shoulder Pouch — H.M.G. shoulder pouch
- Dry Bag x2 — H.M.G. Pod 70L (One is for the tent & sleeping pad, and the other is for the sleeping bag & pillow)
- Dry Bag — H.M.G. Pod 55L (for clothing)
- Dry Bag — Zpacks Medium-Plus Stuff Sack (for hygiene & electronics)
- Dry Bag — LiteAF First-Aid Pouch
Hygiene:
- Hand Sanitizer — Dr. Bronner’s Lavender
- Insect Repellent — Sawyer Picaridin Lotion
- Anti-Chafe — Vaseline mini
- Toothbrush — Zpacks Toothbrush
- Toothpaste — Crest
- Floss — Oral B Glide Pro-Health
- Lip Balm — HURRAW! Sun Lip Balm SPF 15
Miscellaneous:
- Pillow — Sea to Summit Aeros Down
- Towel — STS Airlite Towel
- Trowel — Deuce #2 (Please dig a cathole; Leave No Trace is extremely important)
- Tripod — Pocket Tripod Pro
- Fire Starter — Bic mini lighter
- Kindling — Vaseline-soaked cotton balls
First-Aid/Repair:
- Knife — Swiss Army Classic SD
- Neosporin — 1oz tube
- Antiseptic Wipes — Antiseptic wipes
- Gauze Pads — Gauze pad
- Bandage — Bandages x4
- Tape — Tenacious tape
- Pain Relief — ibuprofen
- Misc. — Imodium
Previously: Long Trail: Introduction