Since the gear I took with me on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike last year worked out quite well, I’m using most of the same equipment on this year’s Long Trail thru-hike. There are, however, a few changes I’m making to my gear selection to make it a little more lightweight. Combined, my gear changes reduce my base pack weight by around two pounds and free up quite a fair bit of space, so it’s not nearly overflowing when filled with food.
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Since no thru-hike is complete without a gear list, what follows is the list of gear I’m taking with me on my Long Trail thru-hike. Most of this gear I took with me on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike last year, though a few pieces are new. I’ve also written on the details of what gear changed, and why.
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Yesterday, I revisited Sugarloaf Mountain, the nearest actual mountain to my house. I was there last year for the second test hike for my Appalachian Trail thru-hike, so it seemed an excellent place to visit for a test hike for my upcoming Long Trail thru-hike. So, for the first time since September, I loaded my pack with all my gear and started hiking.
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While I knew since last September that I was going to be thru-hiking the Long Trail this summer, I didn’t actually begin looking into Long Trail logistics until January, when I ordered copies of the Long Trail End-To-Enders guide and a topographical trail map from the Green Mountain Club, the stewards and maintainers of the Long Trail (and also the Appalachian Trail in Vermont). In comparison to my six-week lead time for the Appalachian Trail, I’ll have been “planning” for my Long Trail hike for either six or ten months, depending on how you want to count.
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Vermont is a beautiful place. During my time in Vermont on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike last year, nearly every scenic outlook in Vermont was simply gorgeous. Vermont rivaled New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and large parts of Maine, for being the most picturesque portion of the Appalachian Trail.
And, in just a few weeks, I’m returning to Vermont to begin my next adventure: a thru-hike of Vermont’s Long Trail.
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