ADMIN NOTE: This is a Premier Route - read the Guidelines. You must announce your attempt in advance, and track your attempt diligently; live-tracking is recommended for Premier Routes.
“The Long Trail: Where even the downhills are uphill.” - Alicia Hudelson
Description: The Long Trail in Vermont runs 272 miles from the MA/VT border to Canada, along the spine of the Green Mountains. It traverses most of the largest mountains in Vermont, directly summiting or coming within 0.2 miles of summiting all five of the 4,000 foot peaks in Vermont. Along with towering mountains, you’ll find quiet dirt roads, pristine remote lakes and ponds, and 70+ backcountry campsites and shelters.
The southernmost 105 miles of the Long Trail are concurrent with the Appalachian Trail. This section of the Long Trail has more infrastructure, you’re likely to see many more hikers, and it is generally considered easier terrain than the northern section of the trail. This part of the trail is still rugged, however, and summits multiple ski resorts including Bromley, Stratton, and Killington. At the Maine Junction, the Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail split: the Appalachian Trail continues eastward towards New Hampshire, and the Long Trail continues approximately 167 miles north to the Canadian border. This section of trail is generally considered to be more rugged and remote, summiting several notable mountains such as Mt. Abraham, Mt. Ellen, Mt. Mansfield, Camel’s Hump, and Jay Peak. The Long Trail is notoriously wet and muddy, earning the nickname “Ver-mud” from Appalachian Trail thru-hikers.
The Long Trail has a solid history in the Fastest Known Time Of the Year Awards:
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2018: Alyssa Godesky, #1 Female (supported)
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2019: Nika Meyers, #3 Female (unsupported)
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2019: Jeff Garmire, #4 Male (unsupported)
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2020: Joe McConaughy; #2 Male (self-supported)
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2021: Mikaela Osler, #2 Female (unsupported)
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2021: Ben Feinson, Top 10 Male (supported)
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2022: Liz Derstine; #5 Female (self-supported)
Support Style: Supported, self-supported, and unsupported variations of the Long Trail all have significant history.
Route History: Conceived in 1909 by James P. Taylor, the Long Trail was built by the Green Mountain Club (GMC) from 1910-1930. In the beginning the GMC only had a couple dozen members who pain-stakingly cut out the path through the wilderness. Today, the GMC has over 10,000 members, and they work to maintain the Long Trail along with the Green Mountain National Forest, State of Vermont, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and private landowners.
The Long Trail is the oldest continuous long-distance footpath in the United States, and as such it has a rich history of hikes of all lengths and speeds. According to the Green Mountain Club, hundreds of people set out to thru-hike the Long Trail each year, and tens of thousands more visit the trail in some capacity. The Long Trail also served as the inspiration for the Appalachian Trail; while helping with the construction of the Long Trail on Stratton Mountain in 1909, Benton MacKaye had his first ideas for what would ultimately become the Appalachian Trail, which would be completed in 1937, seven years after the completion of the Long Trail.
Speed efforts on the Long Trail date back to its very founding. Irving Appleby is the first known person to race the Long Trail all the way back in 1926 and 1927. He raced the Long Trail a few years before the trail was even completely finished; at the time the trail ended in North Troy but did not quite extend all the way to the Canadian border. It is safe to say that the Long Trail has one of the oldest history of speed attempts of any trail out there.
Media Coverage:
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John Kelly’s 2023 supported FKT in Trail Runner Magazine
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Will Peterson’s 2023 unsupported FKT in Outside Magazine
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Liz Derstine’s 2022 self-supported FKT with the Green Mountain Club
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Mikaela Osler’s 2021 unsupported FKT with the Green Mountain Club
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Ben Feinson’s 2021 supported FKT in Vermont Public
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Joe McConaughy’s 2020 self-supported FKT in Trail Runner Magazine
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Nika Meyers’ 2019 unsupported FKT in Vermont Sports
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Jeff Garmire’s 2019 unsupported FKT in Vermont Sports
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Alyssa Godesky’s 2018 supported FKT in ESPN
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Nikki Kimball’s 2012 supported FKT was documented in the film "Finding Traction"
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Travis Wildeboer’s 2010 unsupported FKT in Ski-Hi News
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Jonathan Basham’s 2009 supported FKT in Runner's World
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Ted Keizer’s 2004 supported FKT in the Rutland Herald
Route Variations: There are no directional route variations for the Long Trail. Although the majority of recent records have been run north to south, the Long Trail can be raced in either direction.
Duxbury Road - Lincoln Gap: We also have a variation for this challenging 30-mile section of the LT which includes the Monroe Skyline. This part of the LT includes three of Vermont's five 4,000 footers: Camel's Hump (4,081'), Mt. Ellen(4,081'), and Mt. Abraham (4,016'). The Green Mountain Club's Long Trail Guide calculates the mileage for this point to point section at 30.4 miles, and there is more than 11,500 feet of elevation gain.
Comments
Headed out on Monday morning to start an attempt for the Unsorted record.
I will be starting at the MA/VT border around 5 or 6 am, headed north bound.
I'll be starting an attempt for the supported FKT on the Long Trail Thursday morning (7/26) ~5am heading SOBO. I'll be carrying a SPOT Gen3 and tracking will be sent here:
https://www.projectwandeln.com/tracking/
-Alyssa Godesky
On Wednesday 8/8/18 around 4a I will start an unsupported, southbound attempt on the Long Trail. Reception limited updates on Instagram @avermily.
-Andy Vermilyea, Castleton VT
Hi Friends,
This week I am starting a Southbound thru-hike of the Long Trail with the intention of lowering the Unsupported FKT of 6d 17h 25m, set by Travis Wildeboer.
I will start with all supplies necessary to complete the hike and use only what I bring with the exception of publicly available water. I will also finish with all the supplies I start with with the exception of consumables (food, fuel, and toilet paper). I will also be unaccompanied and unassisted, and any deviation from these intentions will be documented as such.
I will time the attempt with a wristwatch, and verify the attempt with SPOT gps tracking, the link to which has been provided to board administrators. I will also write a detailed report of the attempt and provide it to this community for scrutiny and/or laughs.
Thanks to those who've come before for providing the information and inspiration to go for it!
TUNA
Headed back at it again for the unsupported attempt.
Starting this evening I will be heading southbound from the Northern terminus. Periodic updates will be available through Instagram @Lance_therunner
I know the trail well at this point. Now it's time to bring it all together.
Cheers,
Lance Parker
Admin Note: Looks like Lance pulled off the trail at 120 miles: "Making that call that's getting oh so old at this point. Almost to Lincoln gap where I'm gonna end this journey. Due to the really poor sleep I got the last two nights I have really low confidence in getting the southern 150 miles done in 3 days."
Tomorrow, August 31, 2018, around midday I will begin my northbound, (minimally) supported, Long Trail thru hike. I will be resupplied twice at road crossings but will otherwise be unsupported. I don't expect to challenge for the supported FKT, or even Travis Wildeboer's unsupported FKT, but I only have 13 days off from work so it will be a relatively speedy attempt. I do not have a GPS tracker but I will report back with my overall time if I finish the whole trail. Thanks to everyone here at Fastest Known Time for the inspiration!
-Nat Woodward (struggling_along)
At 2:00 pm on Thursday Aug 30 (Day 7), I decided to abort the run. Starting Tuesday at 4am, I began my final push to the end, hiking 105 miles through two nights, only stopping for short naps and to elevate my feet. Harsh mountain storms through night 6 depleted me as I tried to keep pace through 5 foot visibility. At Stratton summit I had 11.5 hours to cover 40 miles, but, even after a morning rebound, trail conditions had deteriorated to slick rocks and slippery mud. My food bag was nearly empty, my feet were raw, and I was rotating between two pairs of wet socks. At Story Spring Shelter with 35 miles to go and 7.5 hours until cutoff, I knew the record was out of reach. My intention from the beginning was not to thru hike the trail, but to challenge the FKT. In this spirit, while coming up short on the attempt is a hard pill to swallow, the appropriate choice was clear to me even in a sleep deprived daze.
There will be a full write up coming soon, but thanks for joining me on this trip. I’d also like to thank the AT/LT hikers who encouraged me and bolstered me, especially in the final days, including White Bread, Food Truck, and Carrot Top. I hope your journeys are fulfilling as well.
And also a shout out to Travis’ unbelievable effort, which continues to push us all beyond our limits.
><>”
No FKT for me. However, following up on my post from 8/30/18 I completed a (minimally) supported Northbound thru-hike of the Long Trail in Vermont. I started at the Southern Terminus (MA-VT border) on 8/31/2018 at 10:40 AM and completed the trail at the Northern Terminus (Canadian border) on 9/12/2018 at 11:35 PM. Total time on trail was 12 days, 12 hours, 55 minutes. I was resupplied in person with gear swaps twice (VT Route 103, and East Duxbury Road). I could have shaved a little time off as I had a resupply fiasco where I forgot to grab a fuel canister at the Route 103 resupply and had to back track over 2 miles. I could have slept a little less and with better gear choices and better planning I could have probably done the hike unsupported however I cannot conceive of a scenario in which I could have posed a serious challenge to Travis Wildeboer's unsupported FKT of 6d 17h 25m, let alone challenge the supported FKT held by Jonathan Basham. Therefore, 12 days, 12 hours, and 55 minutes will likely stand as my personal best for this trail.
Name: Nat Woodward
Trail Name: struggling along
I will be headed out on or about July 5th (weather dependent) for an unsupported FKT of the Long Trail. Starting southbound I will be tracking myself using a garmin inreach mini. https://us0-share.inreach.garmin.com/AM7QK if you want to follow my progress.
I will start with all supplies necessary to complete the hike and use only what I bring with the exception of publicly available water. I will also finish with all the supplies I start with, with the exception of consumables (food, and toilet paper). I will also be unaccompanied and unassisted, and any deviation from these intentions will be documented as such.
I will be going for a sobo unsupported FKT starting Saturday, June 22. Saw Josh Perry's new record. Geez. Impressive. Wondering if this route is getting competitive enough to start separating nobo and sobo attempts. Will hope to post to instagram (@eliburakian) and will have an inreach. This will be my third attempt.
share.garmin.com/eliburakian
We don't want to "dilute" the FKT by having people choose direction based on which FKT is easier. You should go whichever direction you think is fastest for you in order to beat the existing FKT.
Peter, makes total sense!
I wasn't originally going to post here, as it isn't really my intention to declare an attempt...but figured I probably should regardless. After years of wanting to thru-hike the LT unsupported (especially since living in VT), I have finally found a block of time to do it. I'm moving out West next month, so this is really the only chance I'll have. I have the upmost respect for the LT, and having done most of it in parts know just how rugged and soul-crushing it can be. I am neither stupid enough, nor bold enough to declare I'm going after what was an already a stout record by Travis (and now even stout-er thanks to Josh)....but, I am at least going to try to go hard as I can, and see how things shake out. I'm sitting in Jay VT, now and will begin around 5:00 am tomorrow morning (weather contingent). Since my 2007 AT thru-hike, I've wanted to do this. So, more than anything, I'm just incredibly excited to finally be able to get out there. I've been watching friends and fellow hikers tackle the trail over the past few weeks and I have been excitedly waiting patiently for my day. So...here we go....
-John Fegyveresi
Tracking (30-minute intervals to save battery on extended mode): https://share.garmin.com/johnfegy
...Also, for what it's worth, I was scoping out Journey's end this morning and saw another friend of mine starting his southbound Unsupported hike. I hope he's doing well out there!
....just wanted to add for clarity, I am going completely Unsupported and carrying all supplies from the start, to the finish, taking only water from the trail.
Finished up my Unsupported hike of the LT today. Ran into a lot of trouble (some avoidable, some not) but still had fun pushing the pace a bit. Final time from stopwatch-to-stopwatch was 7 days, 11 hours, 42 mins, 48 seconds. My tracks from my inReach should also be available here:
share.garmin.com/johnfegy
Major hat tip to Josh and Travis. Going sub 7-day is a monumental effort for Unsupported.
I’m going to give the Long Trail a shot later this week. I will be going unsupported and north to south. The likely start date is Thursday. Here is the tracking link, and il use my watch too, as the spot has often had issues in the dense forests. https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=1f2105d2ca379786f1&hoursPast=0&showAll=yes *link will go live when I start. Looks just hot enough for me to have some fun out there
Confirming at giving this thing an unsupported attempt tomorrow, somehow made it out to Vermont after lots of flight issues, now it’s nearly time to give up some sleep.
No FKT for me (yet), but I completed a self supported Long Trail in 9 days 22 hrs with a SOBO hike. Did resupplies in three different towns, and carried around 2-3 days worth of food at a time. What a beautiful and gnarly trail. Loved every minute of it, and definitely will be back again.
Hi All,
Will be attempting an unsupported/ unaccompanied hike next week heading NOBO- most likely starting Monday 8/5 with a 12pm start and can update with any changes. Will time it and track using a SPOT: https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=01bov2lf6YABpLBbfxU1UDdYySjaZHJlQ
Inspired by my good friend and fellow 2016 SOBO-AT compatriot, Tuna, to give it a try! Congrats to Jeff and the other recent folks who have done so well. Setting a high bar! Intention is to be safe and have fun.
All the best, Samurai, Albuquerque, NM
Admin Notes:
8/05: Looks like he stopped for a break at Kid Gore Shelter, 28.5 miles.
8/08: No SPOT data for 2 days, looks like he quit?
Hi There!
Yes! Came off my attempt after 2 days in and decided to slow the pace. Learned lots and may try again in the future but for now just tipping my hat to all those who have made great efforts/ accomplishments here before. Amazing trail and thanks for the community!
Best, Samurai
Hello. I will be starting a NOBO unsupported thru hike wednesday the 14th of august. I was going for a FKT but since the FKT had been improved two times in the last 2 months, it will be a bit difficult. But still I give it a try. You will be able to track me at this link.
share.garmin.com/WRP2Y
Thanks
Laurent Homier
I did complete my NOBO traverse with no FKT. After 80 miles in 34 hours I had to let go the unsupported way because of knee and feet pain caused by the weight of the bag. Took a night sleep with my wife in our van at route 140 and went back on the trail with a lighter bag ( kept all my gear and about 2 days of food at all time). Slept all my other nights in the mountains and had resupplies and cooked meals at road crossings( Thanks to my wife). I reached the Canadian border wednesday the 21rst at 9:33 am, making it a 7 days and 48 minutes thru hike. No FKT but most probably a 50 years+ record. Had a wonderfull week. Thanks to the Green Mountain Club for such a nice trail. Got my membership today!!
My traverse was also a fundraising for youth mental health. Raised over 10000$. Anyone can contribute by buying a kilometer of my hike at: https://www.jedonneenligne.org/fcommunautairegq/658/
Hello All,
I will be starting my attempt, tomorrow, August 15 for the women's supported record on the Long Trail. I will be going North to South and will be tracking via a Garmin Inreach Mini.
https://us0-share.inreach.garmin.com/lapierre
Miles & Smiles,
Aliza Lapierre
Hi Long Trail FKT community!
I am planing on attempting a women’s unsupported record of the Long Trail starting tomorrow morning (9/26) at the Canada Boarder and heading south to MA. I’m excited to take on this challenge on the trail that inspired my love for hiking and follow in the footsteps of so many amazing people. I will be tracking my route but will have a private link and will plan to share a trip report/GPX if my attempt is successful.
Happy trails,
Nika "Early Bird" Meyers
@earlybirdhikes
Hello everyone,
In 3 days, on June 19th, I will be attempting an unsupported FKT attempt. I will be starting at approximately 9:00pm from the northern terminus going SOBO. I will be carrying a garmin inreach for live tracking (see link below) and I will also be recording the FKT with my Gaia GPS app, as well as posting daily strava updates (see link below).
https://share.garmin.com/corinkwasnik
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1576859
Use this link to access my Strava account:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/ckwasnik
Sorry for change of plans,
My dental school has changed my schedule as they are giving Juneteenth (Friday June, 19th) as a "day of reflection, commitment, and action for racial justice." I will now be starting tomorrow night (6/18) around 8:30pm. Sorry for any confusion.
Assuming nothing changes with the weather forecast, I'm going out tomorrow for a try at the women's unsupported FKT. I'll be starting at the northern end around 7am and will have an inreach tracker: https://share.garmin.com/aliciarunning Training has been kind of nonexistent this summer but I heard the trail is in relatively good condition, so I feel like I have to at least try!
Looks like I'm going to start this afternoon around 4pm instead, unless the light afternoon showers turn into something more...
Hello, Trail Friends -
Tomorrow, May 29, I plan to begin an unsupported FKT attempt on the Long Trail. I will begin around 7 am from the Canadian border, with plans to finish late Thursday evening (6/3) or early Friday morning (6/4) at the MA line.
This will be my second attempt at the unsupported FKT (I came off the trail at App Gap in 2014).
You can follow my progress here: https://maps.findmespot.com/s/X4P6
The SPOT recording interval is set to 10 minutes to preserve battery life. I'll also be wearing a Suunto Ambit3 Peak, recording in the lowest accuracy setting to preserve battery life. I will upload that track when I come off the trail.
Updates may also be shared intermittently on the @vermonthuts instagram account where cellular service is available.
Many thanks to those who've set such a high bar on this beautiful trail. I've watched the record get faster over the years, and I know the stars will need to align for this attempt to be a success.
Cheers,
RJ Thompson
Stowe, VT
The forecast for Sunday afternoon through Monday night just got a bit worse. Given that I'd be crossing Mansfield, Bolton, and Camel's Hump in that timeframe, I'm gonna hold off and hope for a better weather window in the next week or two. Apologies for the false alarm. Such is the weather in Vermont this time of year.
Gonna get started this morning on my sobo LT unsupported attempt. Hope to be at the northern terminus around 7 am. Same tracking link as my original post: https://maps.findmespot.com/s/X4P6
Cheers!
Alas, I came off the trail in N. Shrewsbury after making it to Gov. Clement shelter as a severe thunder storm set in early morning while descending Killington. Loud cracks of thunder shook the shelter. Mind and body are in good shape, but I saw the forecast for 70-80% chance of continued tstorms this afternoon and evening in Stratton, and I wasn’t about to risk it. With a two-year-old son and a second kiddo on the way, I had to make the right call for my family and myself.
I believe I was approximately 11 miles ahead of Jeff Garmire’s record when I left the trail (based on comparing his trip report), so I was especially bummed with how quickly things changed. What can ya do, right? Indeed, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
I plan to write a full trip report soon, if not just to document for future reference in case I decide to try again. Will share a link so others can learn what went right and not so right.
Best of luck to those on the trail now, and those planning their FKT attempts! I still believe it is very much possible to go sub 5.5 days unsupported on the LT. Someone find the right weather window and prove me right!
Time to catch up on sleep.
Cheers!
-RJ
Hi all ! I will be going for the women’s unsupported record and starting on June 22nd!
follow on my Instagram @mummahiker or find me on Facebook for updates,
Whitney Page Pearson.
Unsupported attempt on the LT starting the morning of July 6th.
Follow along -- @ackfitz
https://www.strava.com/athletes/6748082
Johnny Fitzgerald
Lets go!
Headed out SOBO the morning of 7/10. Going to go for the mens unsupported record. Cheers!
Tracking: https://maps.findmespot.com/s/FNYX
Spot tracking set to 30 min. intervals. I will also be tracking on my garmin watch.
Decided to hike back north after about 28 miles and an inflamed IT band. Rugged trail for sure!
Tomorrow, Thursday Aug 12, I'm beginning a SOBO supported FKT attempt!
Details/tracking: mercuryontherun.com/long-trail
Hmm here's a link that should actually work! https://mercuryontherun.com/long-trail
Sadly the FKT attempt did not go to plan! Here is my written account of how everything went down, plus there are overall and daily stats listed at the end.
Annnd here's a working link of my recap.
This week I’ll be making an attempt at the men’s supported record on the Long Trail. Target start is 8/25 at 5:30 a.m., with some flexibility for weather. No idea how this will turn out, but at the very least it will be a fun adventure with my friends on a rugged and beautiful trail that I’ve gotten to know quite well over the past few years. Many thanks to Ben for his support in planning this attempt!
Live tracking: https://share.garmin.com/nigelbates928
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/54372987 (I’ll be recording when alone, and pacers will record when running with me)
Instagram: nigel__bates
Yes hi hello!
I plan on attempting a women's unsupported FKT of the Long Trail starting on August 25. I will be hiking southbound and tracking with a private Garmin page. I love this trail. Inspired and excited!
Brooke
@bohemianbrooke / @thedailygroove_
On Monday, June 13th I will be headed south bound on the LT trying for the unsupported female FKT. I am choosing not make my tracker public, but will provide the link to website officials.
I'm heading out tomorrow, July 3 for a self-supported attempt! Jennifer Pharr Davis holds the self-supported record, however, I am aiming to go under Mikaela Osler's women's unsupported time per FKT guidelines. Will post updates if I can at instagram.com/pinkfeathers and I am sharing my private tracking link with the site runners.
Update: made it to Roundtop Shelter (45.7 miles) night one, second morning going up Whiteface felt totally gassed, and in hindsight very under-fueled. I got off trail at Barnes Camp at VT-108. Here's my recap/reflection.
ello and greetings,
tomorrow July the 3rd I’ll be starting my attempt at the unsupported mens time held by the great Legend.
daily tracks recorded from my watch uploaded via strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/45093976
garmin on deck but honestly will most likely have it on low power mode dropping pins every 10mins
insta: @jimmy_rips
Also forgot to mention that I’m heading southbound!
Heading out again today, trying a more conservative approach and heading nobo, either way looking forward to spending time in these beautiful mountains!