My throwback to Vermont on the LT/AT

The walk north continues. After New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts seemed to disappear in a blur. I had the pleasure of having a friend come hike with me from Lee, MA to Williamstown/North Adams, MA. Passing the 1600 mile mark seemed like a huge accomplishment, but I was excited for what would come next:

Vermont.

I could feel the excitement building as I got closer to the Vermont border. Not even the rock coming out of Massachusetts and the rain could discourage me. I was finally returning to a section of trail that looked familiar.

By October 2025, I had completed sections 2 and 3 of the Vermont Long Trail in preparation for my At thru hike. This 84.4 mile stretch overlaps the AT and crosses some of the Green Mountains such as Stratton Mountain, Bromley Mountain, and Killington Peak.

It took me 8 days to complete that practice hike as someone who had never backpacked before. I felt pretty good about it, but I was ready to find out if the last 4 months of hiking had made me better or stronger this time.

Similarities and differences

The good news is that I did better. It took me about 6 days to complete the same sections I did in October. However, the time it took me to complete it was less satisfying to me than the way I felt while doing it.

For example, I remember having a hard time climbing Stratton and Bromley mountains the first time. This time? I could climb both without stopping to take a breath. Of course, I didn’t have trail legs and my pack was 10 to 15 pounds heavier back then than it is now. It just showed me how far I’ve come. It showed that I was getting stronger and more fit for this hiking thing.

It was definitely a confidence boost at a time when I needed encouragement to know that I wasn’t doing so bad.

However, the second round of this section had some differences that I wasn’t thinking about. The cooler October weather brought with it fall-colored trees, dry terrain, and empty shelters. What a difference it can make to return in the summer. To start, the first five days of my stay in Vermont on this trip can be described in one word: humid.

I was constantly wet from rain, sweat, mud, puddles of water, or a combination of all of those. I remember drying my shoes and socks in the rare sunny moments only to be caught in an unexpected afternoon storm an hour later. Because of all that rain, the ground was extremely muddy and slippery.

Oh, and who can forget the bugs? There were no errors in October. In June? All the mistakes. I caught the end of black fly season in Vermont, plus the mosquitoes.

Navigating that was exhausting, to say the least. And yet, none of that bothered me because I was having so much fun remembering what the hike was like in October. More than once I found myself saying, «Oh yeah, I remember this part!»

Unexpected fun parts

When I did my section hike in October, I didn’t go out to resupply or pay much attention to any hiker services that may have been available. My hike was different in all the best ways.

Some of the fun and unexpected aspects of my hike in Vermont were the farm stands! These are stands or small barns that have all kinds of delights for hikers, including vegetables, baked goods, cold drinks, and resupply items. They also had charging stations and places to refill water bottles. It was a great mood booster to arrive at a farm stand and relax a bit. And who can be mad at all the maple-based delights?

I stopped at more farm stands than towns in Vermont. Part of that is because there aren’t many lodge options or places where the trail gets close to a town like it does in other states/sections. One exception is the Rutland/Killington area. There is a free bus that runs between these two towns. It was a great place to resupply and recalibrate before attempting Killington Peak. Plus, the people were super friendly!

Finishing Vermont

I completed my time on the Vermont sections of the AT (a total of 150.8 miles) in about 9 days. I don’t think October could have imagined it would travel across the state so quickly. My stay in Vermont certainly ended sooner than I expected.

I arrived in Norwich and crossed the bridge into New Hampshire with a bittersweet feeling. I said goodbye to the Green Mountains of Vermont once again as I turned toward the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about the White Mountains. I’ve heard how tough they can be. But my time in Vermont encouraged me to believe that maybe, just maybe, I can outrun the Whites all the way to Katahdin.

God willing.

And so we continue the adventure….

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