Journal: 3redfalcons.wordpress.com...

Trail: Long Trail     Goal: 275 Miles

Dates: Jul 22 2010 - Aug 12 2010

The LT runs through the Green Mountains, the length of Vermont: 275 miles from Williamstown on the MA/VT border to North Troy on the border with Quebec. I’ll be carrying 25-30 lbs, hiking around 15 mi/day, and sleeping mostly in ... more

The LT runs through the Green Mountains, the length of Vermont: 275 miles from Williamstown on the MA/VT border to North Troy on the border with Quebec. I’ll be carrying 25-30 lbs, hiking around 15 mi/day, and sleeping mostly in GMC-maintained shelters. I’ll spend the first five days with my Dad. We’ll meet Mom at Stratton Pond and do Stratton Mt with her. A two-night Stratton trip was our very first family backpacking trip, ten years ago, when I was eight and my brother was five. (Perhaps not the wisest, eh?) We’ve made a family trek every year since then. Our trips have been up to eight days and have ranged over the Green Mountains (VT), the White Mountains/Presidentials (NH), the Adirondacks (NY), the Talkeetnas (AK), and the Bavarian Alps (uh… Bavaria). Over the years our interests have sharply diverged: my brother has zero interest in roughing it; my Mom prefers a slower pace; and while Dad and I both enjoy a challenging trek, this time, I want to go it alone. More than just an extended backpacking trip, this is a coming-of-age trial for me, a vision quest. I seek to reconnect with myself and with nature as I make a major transition in life, from a teenager under my parents’ wings to an adult and college student. The Long Trail seemed the perfect place to do this: a good length (3 weeks); not totally isolated; familiar; and a return to my first hike. less