Planning
The Long Trail is a 273 footpath through the state of Vermont. It has a reputation among hikers, not for being the longest, but for being one of the oldest backpacking trails in the US, as well as one of the oldest. The Green Mountain Club built the trail between 1910 and 1930, and has maintained it ever since.
I didn't decide one day to hike the trail, the idea mostly grew on it's own. It was a thought that had been slowly expanding in the back of my brain for years, waiting for the right time to burst forth. In June I quit my job, and it seemed like there was never going to be a better time.
I began to plan out my schedule, and fill in the gaps in my food and equipment. While this was not going to be my first hike, it was going to certainly be the longest I'd done by far- and I needed to be sure I had the provisions to complete the hike. I had a new shelter, courtesy of my parents- a lightweight tarp- and a new set of hiking poles thanks to Gabby. Food was a more difficult proposition.
I doled out coffee in daily increments, and I ran our home dehydrator nearly 24-7 creating a mass of beef jerky for snacks. This in itself became an undertaking, as I tried to mandolin some significantly large pieces of meat- enough to last me 24 days on the trail.
In the living room, my pile of equipment and food was growing. I divided up my food into several resupply drops. One of the major advantages to having loving parents living in Vermont was that they were willing to drop food off to me at several points along the trail- so no need to carry all of it at once.
It took some wrangling- and dropping a lot of superfluous gear- but eventually I had it down to a 38.6 pound bag, and was fairly confident I had everything I needed.
On July 17th, Gabby and I made the long drive out Route 2 to a B&B in Williamstown, Massachusetts- clear on the opposite side of the state from Boston. We stayed the night, preparing to set out in the morning.
I didn't decide one day to hike the trail, the idea mostly grew on it's own. It was a thought that had been slowly expanding in the back of my brain for years, waiting for the right time to burst forth. In June I quit my job, and it seemed like there was never going to be a better time.
I began to plan out my schedule, and fill in the gaps in my food and equipment. While this was not going to be my first hike, it was going to certainly be the longest I'd done by far- and I needed to be sure I had the provisions to complete the hike. I had a new shelter, courtesy of my parents- a lightweight tarp- and a new set of hiking poles thanks to Gabby. Food was a more difficult proposition.
While it took several hours, I sliced a 4 pound chuck of top roast into thin chunks, and marinated them in a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, and liquid some among other foods.
After that, it was around 12 hours in the dehydrator to come up with beef jerky.
It took some wrangling- and dropping a lot of superfluous gear- but eventually I had it down to a 38.6 pound bag, and was fairly confident I had everything I needed.
On July 17th, Gabby and I made the long drive out Route 2 to a B&B in Williamstown, Massachusetts- clear on the opposite side of the state from Boston. We stayed the night, preparing to set out in the morning.
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