Long Trail Divisions

Thanks to everyone who read my first post on this blog. I haven't heard any "are you crazy?" or "why are you doing that?" comments yet, like I did when I told my friends I was training for a marathon. I have 3 friends already signed up to do a section of the Long Trail (LT) with me. There are 12 sections of the LT so there are plenty more hikes to join me on. Consider bringing your friend, a family member or your dog!

I bought the Long Trail Guide published by the Green Mountain Club. This is a must have for an end-to-end hiker. The guide is comprehensive and gives a detailed description of each trail (called "divisions"), the elevation, side trails and camping options.

The Long Trail is broken into 12 divisions:
Division 1 - 14.3 mi - MA-VT State Line to Vt. 9
Division 2 - 22.6 mi - Vt. 9 to Arlington - West Wardsboro Rd.
Division 3 - 22.7 mi - Arlington-W. Wardsboro Rd. to Mad Tom Notch
Division 4 - 20.6 mi - Mad Tom Notch to Vt. 140
Division 5 - 23.7 mi - Vt. 140 to U.S. 4 (Shelburne Pass)
Division 6 - 19.9 mi - U.S. 4 (Shelburne Pass) to Vt. 73 (Brandon Gap)
Division 7 - 22.5 mi - Vt. 73 (Brandon Gap) to Cooley Glen Shelter
Division 8 - 18.9 mi - Cooley Glen Shelter to Birch Glen Camp
Division 9 - 30.3 mi - Birch Glen Camp to Bolton Mountain
Division 10 - 27.2 mi - Bolton Mountain to Vt. 15
Division 11 - 26.7 mi - Vt. 15 to Tillotson Camp
Division 12 - 23.3 mi - Tillotson Camp to the Canadian Border

Time to start planning my trip. I'm considering starting the hike this Fall, but my weekends are filling up quickly. I may have to wait until next Spring. I'm starting to get my gear in order and will need to buy a few things like a water filter. And of course, this means I will have to buy some gadgets too (I can't help it!). I'm looking at buying a GPS unit to log my hike. I will upload the GPS coordinates and waypoints for a future hiker. If you have personal experience with a GPS unit, send me a note with your suggestions or leave a comment. Or leave me a comment just to say hello!

On a sidenote, I am running in the Reach the Beach race this weekend in New Hampshire. I'm really excited about the race. This one falls under the "Why are you doing that?" category. I will post a report next week about the race along with some pictures.

Vermont Rediscovered

I am a city person and I thrive in a metropolitan city. I am used to 24 hour everything, convenience and impatience. If you drive in the left lane doing 100mph, people will honk for driving slow. Michiganders are stressed out, anxious and obese.

I've been living in Vermont for 4 years now and had to make many adjustments here. First, my college had more students on campus than the population of Burlington, VT. Secondly, the pace of life here is slooow. Vermonters are happy to drive 5 miles under the speed limit and they are happy if they finish 1 errand a day. Vermonters also live for life outside of work. They often close their stores 10 minutes before closing time. As you can imagine, I've been pulling my hair out the last 4 years. I don't think this is entirely bad, but just different from what I am used to.

I couldn't figure out why people loved Vermont so much. The winters are long, it gets dark here early and everyplace takes at least 30 minutes to drive to. However, this past year, I have rediscovered Vermont and it makes sense to me now. The secret was to not spend 60 hours at the office or holed up at home and get outside! Everywhere you look you see people running, biking, skiing and hiking. Vermonters are active and love being outdoors. This past spring, I ran the Vermont City Marathon. The marathon was an incredible experience and I can't wait to run it again year after year.

Now my next challenge is to hike the entire Long Trail in a year. This is not a huge feat, but trying to juggle a job and family will require some planning. I won't hike the whole trail at once, but on the weekends. I will post a blog and pictures for each trail I hike.

I enjoy hiking with friends and making new ones. If you want to join me for any of the hikes, send me an e-mail. After the hike, I will invite you to be a guest blogger and share your experience. See you on the Long Trail!