Starting the Long Trail!

Mass-Vermont border on the Long Trail

Here I am again, excited and a little nervous about hitting another trail. I started at County Rd, a gnarly dirt path that crosses the Long Trail/Appalachian Trail about 3 miles north of the Mass-VT border/the southern termini. I opted this route to avoid the elevation gain required from taking the AT from US 2 also to postpone the start with a little more civilization time–it is surprising sometimes how hard it can be to start a trail even though I know I’ll have a great time. The hike to the border was pleasant with few up and downs, and a great surprise–a porcupine on trail! I’ve only ever seen a porcupine once on the Continental Divide Trail while walking in Colorado. They are timid creatures and mostly nocturnal–hence the great surprise in seeing it in the afternoon. Poor little guy must have been hungry. It feels great to be back on trail, if a little weird. I stayed in Congdon shelter with two section hikers and 3 kids starting the trail. I’ve been so fortunate to have had all these trail experiences, yet its always great to see enthusiastic new faces super excited about embarking on a new kind of adventure. 3040 gain