Long Trail 2005:

    We finally finished the 270-mile long Vermont Long Trail, 5 years after we started. This last hike was a short, 2-day trip from the base of Jay Peak to the Canadian Border.

Day One:
Saturday September 24
7.5 miles / Jay Pass, Rt 242 to Shooting Star Shelter

    Our last hike began at Jay Pass, and at 10:20 we began a quick 1,681 foot ascent to the top of Jay Peak. The tram was running that day, so at the top of the mountain we ran into some people who had taken it up to check out the view: young women with their dogs and old women with their purses. After a quick snack, we headed down the other side, stopping for lunch at Laura Woodward Shelter. There was another small group of hikers here, out on a day hike. I could tell they weren't out for any length of time when I saw one of them drinking a Coke.
    When we got to Shooting Star shelter, at about 5:30, we found 3 others already there. It was a full house on our last night. Because our trip was so short this time, we had planned a special meal for our last night. Bird had cooked up a big pot of chili the day before and carried the frozen block in his backpack, letting it defrost thoughout the day, so that it was just ready to eat by dinnertime. Karen carried a bottle of wine. I had questioned the idea of carrying a heavy glass bottle all weekend, but it was nice to be able to toast our last night with a glass of Chianti.

Day Two:
Sunday September 25
5.7 miles / Shooting Star Shelter to U.S.-Canadian Border
to the Journey's End Trail trailhead

    Our last day went by quickly, with all of the big mountains now behind us. We started at 8:00 and by 11:30, we were standing at the U.S. - Canandian border. There is a metal obelisk at the end of the trail, marking the boundary between the two countries.
    A little further down a spur trail is the Journey's End camp, which was recently rebuilt. We took the opportunity to write a final entry into the trail log book before walking down the road to get picked up by my dad, his shiny Accord bumping along the potholes of the backwoods Vermont dirt road.

    We didn't know exactly what we were getting into when we started. We came a long way from that day 5 years ago, when we started hiking with a stomach full of fried food and a backpack full of 60 lbs of unnecessary weight. Overall, it was more difficult than we expected, but also more rewarding.

The Shooting Star shelter, the final night that we slept in the woods

Here we are at the end of the trail. Looking out across the thickly forested landscape, you can actually see a line cut into the trees marking the boundary between the two countries.