Getting the Band Back Together on the LT

The Long Trail is a 275 mile footpath through the Green Mountain State. It's the trail that inspired Benton Mackaye to dream up the Appalachian Trail. The LT is also America's first long distance hiking trail. On October 19th, 2013, Aaron "Jerusalem Cruiser (JC)" Knapp (AT Thru-Hiker '12), JP "Sherps" Krol (AT Thru Hiker '10) and I will be headed from the US-Canadian Border south to the Vermont-Massachusetts state line. Between the three of us we have over 6,500 miles of long distance backpacking!

Sherps visited JC and I on the AT in 2012
with some epic trail magic in New York!

My travels to Vermont will start in Chicago on October 14th, I'll take the train to thru the night to Schenectady, NY. I'll have a five hour layover, however I will get to spend that time with my sister! From there it's back on the train to Rutland, VT. Sherps lives in Waterbury, that's where my plans get a little more interesting. I will be hitch hiking from Rutland to Waterbury! When I arrive Sherps will be finishing up his last few days of work. Over the next few days we will be shopping, going over LT maps, guide books, dropping our food caches at road crossings and taking care of any last minute things. We'll stay the night at the US-CAN border on the 18th and begin our hike toward Massachusetts state line on the 19th.

I'm extremely excited to get to spend time Sherps and JC again. We spent a few nights on Mt. Leconte in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park this March. JC and I also spent a few days hiking the AT in Georgia as well.

This spring and summer I was doing a lot of running and developed plantar fasciitis. I'm worried if this will prevent me from doing big miles or forcing me off trail. My feet are my biggest worry at this moment.

Since I'm one of the few people holding onto their "dumb phones" the best way to follow my hike will be via my twitter page @PretzHikes.