Short Book on the Long Trail: Backpacking America's First Long Distance Hiking Trail

WINNER - 2015 Outdoor Writers of Ohio "Outstanding Media Achievement." Before the Continental Divide Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail or even the Appalachian Trail, there was the Long Trail. Begun in 1910, Vermont's "footpath in the wilderness" traverses the very spine of the Green Mountains from Massachusetts to the Canadian border. Though it shares over 100 miles with its younger and more famous cousin, once they split, the Long Trail is another level of hiking challenge. Trail guides are essential for most hikers. A guide can tell you where water is available and what the elevation change is over a set distance. It might even use words like steep, scramble and exposed in a clinical manner. In a less clinical manner this book explains the rewards and the struggles of one backpacker's 2015 attempt to thru-hike this difficult 273 mile trail. There are beautiful views, sunny days, interesting company and other high points along the way. There are also slick downslopes, boot sucking mud holes, and a number of climbs that elicit the thought, "You've got to be kidding me." In other words, A Short Book on the Long Trail provides a concise, realistic, yet entertaining feel for this demanding experience.