#long trail

[placeswordsdreams]

Long Trail, Vermont

[roadtripnewengland]

Marker on Long Trail, Eden Mills, Vermont (1935)

[hong-ara]

Whatever happened to Sunshine?

For @thelioninmybed and @imindhowwelayinjune

- don´t know which design I prefer ;)

[rjzimmerman]

Alaska trail would link city, wilderness — if it can survive red tape

The Long Trail is a rare bipartisan initiative beloved by both environmentalists searching for sustainable recreation and conservatives hoping for tourist money. Yet it still faces the major foes of all modern ideas: red tape and funding. And whether it can even survive the process of creation is the first test of resolve for those who hope to hike it someday.

If I were younger, and had a younger heart, lungs and legs, I would consider doing this hike or bike ride. But now I can’t, so I’ll just read about it and search out photos taken by others.

Excerpt from this Washington Post story:

An overgrown and nearly forgotten section of the historic Iditarod trail; a sidewalk through the state’s largest city; narrow tracks over soft Arctic tundra; a paved path adjacent to a busy highway. These may not sound like portions of what could be a mostly wilderness through-hike across the nation’s least-developed state, but to proponents of the Alaska Long Trail project, they are the key pieces of a 500-mile dream.

A bipartisan collection of politicians and outdoor enthusiasts here is working to make the idea a reality through incremental trail development statewide. But whether the project comes to fruition could be decided by a battle against an obstacle greater than funding or politics: red tape.

Organizers of the Long Trail — ultimately connecting Seward, a cruise port and fishing hub at a far tip of the state’s road system, and Fairbanks, the last major stop before the state’s Arctic oil fields — aim to string together about 100 miles of existing trails with 400 miles of historic routes, many established by Indigenous Alaskans.

The final trail, which could take decades to construct, would include trekking around or over several glaciers, four mountain ranges, two state parks, one national park, one national forest and hundreds of miles of near-total solitude with little connectivity to the outside world. Unlike other major U.S. through-hikes, including the Appalachian Trail, the Long Trail is planned as “braided,” with multiuse sections for snowmachines or other motorized use or bypasses splitting the designated trail into routes for different users.

Piecing together the trail means connecting many types of land. Because only about 12 percent of Alaska’s 373 million total acres is privately owned, according to the state, the majority of needed sections are already controlled by federal, state or local governments, with small slices owned by individuals or Alaska Native corporations.

Although working with mostly public land is comparatively cheap because it requires few purchases, the trade-off is a bureaucratic maze of proposals, easements, transfers, public notices, surveys and approvals that can take years for each section, no matter how small.

[hiking-nemo]

I finished another thru hike! Vermont’s Long Trail is 272 miles long, and the first established long distance hiking trail in the US.

Even when people say something is difficult and shouldn’t be taken lightly, you never truly understand until you are in the middle of it. The first week was nothing but cold, wet, and pain. I got some reprieve from the rain for a few days and hiked in my camp shoes to let my scabbing blisters heal. This trail was like nothing I had encountered before. There were times when the trail required you to physically climb up boulders and ladders!

As difficult as the trail was, it was the best challenge I have ever tackled. I don’t think I’ve ever had that much fun tackling something so physically straining. The views weren’t terrible either. Hiking throughout the peak fall foliage was a gift. Watching the leaves change from green to yellow, red, orange, then eventually to brown and then falling off the trees leaving most of them barren as well as completely obscuring the trail created it’s own small challenge.

I met so many wonderful people on the trail that I know I would not have been able to finish if it wasn’t for their knowledge and insight. Lil’ Banjo reminded me of trail community and always willing to extend a helping hand when you see others suffering. Uncle Tom let me room with him in the first town, and regaled me with stories of all the hiking he did throughout his journey. The Crockets (Sweet Meat & Heavy Load) advised me to hike in crocs to release tension on my feet while they heal. Em & Bean reminded me to enjoy the challenge, live in the moment, enjoy the small things, and to take your time. Most importantly, Mouse showed me how quick friendships blossom and how deep those connections become in such a short amount of time when all distractions of the outside world are removed, as well as how you can lose track of time when you’re in the presence of someone you love being around.

Well, that’s it for this post. I might publish the journal I kept while I hiked the Long Trail, I haven’t decided yet. I’m ready for my next adventure. The motivation I’ve gained from this thru hike is something I am going to hold onto for dear life. I don’t want a repeat of slipping into a stupor after my last hike. And it’s true what everyone says, you’ll never forget your first thru hike, and you will be chasing that high for the rest of your life.

[whatsy0urdream]

Pacific Crest Trail, Days 15-18

Pacific Crest Trail, Days 15-18

May 11, Day 15, Miles 20, Mile marker 251 A little bit about life on the trail. For those of you who may not know, something called Tramilies ‘Trail Family’ forms while hiking. Most people choose to be a part of one, some, of course, choose to hike alone but I found the start of my tramily with Ali. Typically most tramilies hike during the day alone, meeting up for breaks or at water stops, as…

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[pcttrailsidereader]

Past, Present, and Future

By Howard Shapiro

Looking back on 2021 the hiking world in the western United States was shaken by another fire season of epic proportions. People were forced off the trail or had to consider alternatives that weren't exactly on their hiking radar. After a couple years of this it looks a little trendy but with the recent snows up and down the west coast maybe just maybe 2022 will break the trend or be another in a string of weather anomalies...think 2017 or 18 with 'super blooms'. Either way, climate is changing the way we approach the mountain west.

Rees and I left the west in 2021 and joined our east coast based hiking partner Jim Peacock for a jaunt on the Long Trail in Vermont. That too was a change. As we have noted in previous posts the Long Trail not only took us to new heights (Mount Abe, Camel's Hump, Mount Mansfield) it physically kicked our collective derrieres. So much mud, rock, and roots that were inhibiting to say the least. Our normal walking meditations, sharing talks, and lightheartedness were replaced with survival mode on all levels. We all agreed that this was not the place to break a wrist or worse slipping and sliding as we inched along.

Rees and I have also spent the past year and a bit more co-editing a new collection of PCT stories entitled 'Crossing Paths' coming out in May of 2022. These stories are written by sixty different authors who share experiences from the trail from the last ten years. This book will accompany the two previous volumes that this website is named for; 'The Pacific Crest Trailside Reader'. Those books featured California and Washington, Oregon respectfully and came out in 2011. Like the first books this new one will devote all proceeds to the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA). Even though it won't find its way into readers hands until the spring you can pre-order it now through various web based booksellers.

2021 has continued to be shaped by the pandemic or has it morphed into an endemic? Will we be living under a COVID influence now and into the future? No one can really say. However as hikers we are resilient, determined, and creative problem solvers. Throw a fire in our way and we leapfrog around it, a tent pole snaps and we duct tape it, starting from one trailhead we strive to get to our end point. As you are thinking about 2022 we hope you will take a moment or two to reflect on the year past asking what did you do that made a difference in your life and what do you want to do in the year ahead that will provide you something to look forward to.

2022 is just around the corner. Looking ahead there will undoubtedly be pleasurable views and lofty expectations. All stimulations for our spirits. Thank you for visiting our site and please share it with others. Here's wishing everyone a safe and healthy new year.

[snartha]