The Long Trail - Training Hike

The Long Trail is a 273 mile foot path in Vermont. It follows the main ridge of Green Mountains from the Massachusetts / Vermont line to the Canadian border. It is the oldest long distance hiking trail in the United States.


I've hiked all but the northern most 88 miles of the Long Trail. I plan on completing it this June. I'll start at the Canadian border and hike south to Rte. 2 in Jonesville. 


In preparation I've been doing a series of training hikes. The general plan is to hike every other day. On each hike I'll increase the amount of weight I carry. After I max-out the weight I'll start increasing my distance. This is my normal training hike routine. 



During the workweek my training hikes for the Long Trail have been at the Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary. I walk a figure 8 route that links together its 3 largest elevation gains. Each loop is approx. 3 miles long.


You can learn more about Thorncrag here. 


You can find out more about fitness for long distance hiking here.