Wapack Trail vs. Long Trail--which is tougher?

[Jeff List]

Accounting for some of the main factors that make a trail tough--including the elevation gain and how rocky/rooty the trail is--which is tougher on average, the Vermont Long Trail or the MA/NH Wapack trail?

(The reason I ask is that I hiked the Wapack Trail out and back on Saturday in training for an upcoming through hike on the Long Trail, which I know very little of. It would be useful to know how the two trails compare to help estimate the daily mileage I might be able to make on the Long Traill.)

thanks.

 

[Peaks]

Long and hard trail

There's a reason why the LT north of Killington is often refered to as the Long and hard trail.

Wapack is much easier.

 

[RollingRock]

The Long Trail is much tougher. I read a study that said the Long Trail, based on the elevation climbed per foot, was even tougher than the Appalachian Trail. Having done both [Long Trail twice], its real tough between Killington and the major road after Mansfield [not Smuggler's].

 

[RoySwkr]

Accounting for some of the main factors that make a trail tough--including the elevation gain and how rocky/rooty the trail is--which is tougher on average, the Vermont Long Trail or the MA/NH Wapack trail?

There are some sections of the Long Trail that are similar to the Wapack Trail, and some that are much tougher. The toughest section of the Wapack is probably the ascent just N of Rte. 101, while there are sections of the Long Trail that are near vertical. The Long Trail also features more vertical feet of uphill/downhill at a time, and a generally rougher footway.

Hundreds of people hike the LT every year, so it's not impossible. Just don't expect it to be as easy as the Wapack.

 

[Michelle]

Another vote for Long trail...........I don't remember anything remotely difficult about the Wapack.....I remember ladders and steep ascents on northern LT.......but I was also carrying a 30lb pack!!

 

[mirabela]

I don't know the Wapack, but having hiked the LT and the AT both, I can attest that there are many stretches of the northern LT that are as tough as or tougher than the most demanding sections of the AT in the Whites and in Maine. In terms of difficulty, mile for mile, the Mahoosucs are a good benchmark for comparison; in particular, much of the LT between Mt. Ellen and Route 15 (Johnson) will work you over as badly or worse.

Still, it makes a great thru-hike. Just allow adequate time.

Best wishes!

 

[Jeff List]

Thanks for the replies; that's just what I needed to adjust my expectations and planning for harder, slower, and more food needed.

 

[wardsgirl]

I found the northern part of the LT to have among the worst footing of any trail I have ever hiked. I don't know how it compares to the Wapack, but my guess is that it doesn't.

Make sure you have extra sticky soles on your boots. Every rock is slippery, every day is rainy, every summit features a viewless rock next to a deep puddle of mud. Just sayin'.

LT '08

 

[Jeff List]

Every rock is slippery, every day is rainy, every summit features a viewless rock next to a deep puddle of mud. Just sayin'.

But other than that it was great? ;-)

 

[mookie]

Accounting for some of the main factors that make a trail tough--including the elevation gain and how rocky/rooty the trail is--which is tougher on average, the Vermont Long Trail or the MA/NH Wapack trail?

(The reason I ask is that I hiked the Wapack Trail out and back on Saturday in training for an upcoming through hike on the Long Trail, which I know very little of. It would be useful to know how the two trails compare to help estimate the daily mileage I might be able to make on the Long Traill.)

thanks.

you did the entire wapack out and back in one day?
pretty cool, thats a good day right there.
i did it a few weeks ago (one way) and i would say that there is no comparing the LT to the wapack. i have only done a few sections of the LT (all the cool ones of course) and can say that it is significantly tougher than the toughest sections of the wapack.

 

[Jeff List]

you did the entire wapack out and back in one day?

It took me 15 hours to do the full out and back, and I had to finish going down Watatic with a flashlight. Given that that's about 43 miles (with the trail beiing a bit longer now with the re-route through Windblown), I'm trying to translate that to how many miles/day I can make on the Long Trail, and how many days of food I'll need to go un-resupplied. Of course the more food you carry, the slower you go, and the more days of food you need. This will probably be a very tough learning experience.

 

[Early Bird]

The LT vs. Wapack. Hmmm. Wolverine vs. bunny. Just sayin'.
Seriously, both are fabulous hikes. But as has been said above the LT is tougher by far. The Wapack can be done in a day, while the LT takes 3-4 weeks on average. I used to be a volunteer mentor for people planning to hike the LT. You can contact the GMC for a mentor or PM me and I'd be happy to talk more with you about it. I promise, no more wisecracks. And have fun out there. It is an awesome trail, despite the slippery rocks and mud.

 

[wardsgirl]

But other than that it was great? ;-)

Nope! I'll never hike in the rain again, for one thing.

And it took some serious time before I regained confidence in my footing after hiking the LT. For months, I feared being slammed to the ground on every step. The cool thing was that I finished, during a rainy, rainy summer, when so many others got off the trail.

My car was at the former B&B at the Canadian border and when the owners picked me up, Jay and Camilla said I was the only one left. Everyone else had gotten off the trail and gone home. Quite a feeling!

 

[Taconic]

Have you done any hiking in the Whites or northern VT? That would compare much closer to LT overall than the Wapack.

I wouldn't plan on much more than an average of 20-25 miles a day if you're in really good shape and move quickly on bad terrain. Those would be hard days, though, particularly once you get past Stratton. 15-20 would probably be more conservative, but you have to be used to that sort of thing to even make that.

In any case, I wouldn't use the Wapack to gauge anything in regards to the LT. Think bigger... and rockier.

 

[mirabela]

These folks bring up an important point re: slippery rocks -- I don't know about the Wapack, but whereas most of the trails in the Whites feature granitic stone which is at least a little bit grippy even when wet, the LT mostly traverses gneiss, schist, serpentine, marble, quartzite, and other metamorphic stone which tends to be very slippery when even just a little damp. Foot placements that look like they should hold you, often won't.

You dayhiked 43 miles so obviously you're able to do a big day. The southern miles will be a place you can rack up some good mileage -- getting to the Maine junction in 4 or 5 days is probably realistic. After that, though, you're going to want to slow down -- and a few gaps later you're going to want to slow WAY down.

Your post seems to suggest you want to go all the way through w/o resupplying at all?? Is that right? That seems like it would be a tough way to go. I mean, you'd have to average almost 30 miles a day, starting with a haul of ten days worth of food ... sounds like misery ...

But maybe I've misunderstood you. The LT is pretty easy to resupply from. Good towns include Manchester, Rutland, Waitsfield/Warren, Jonesville/Waterbury, Stowe, and Johnson. If you average, say, 22 on the easier stuff and 15 on the harder parts, you'd never have to haul more than about three days' stuff if you hit all the towns -- or you could just do two resupplies and carry about six days' worth for each of three legs.

 

[Jeff List]

My background: I was a traditional backpacker way back in my youth, but recently I've mostly been an ultrarunner (four 100 mile finishes, including Western States, Wasatch, and Hardrock--all middle of the pack finishes). Much of my training has been in the Whites, so I'm very comfortable on rough trail. In the Whites my best effort is a 19 hour hut traverse.

But the Long Trail will be hiking, not running, so none of my baselines are all that useful. Also, I've only done one multi-day effort (3 days around Mt. Rainier on the 93 mile Wonderland Trail), so that kind of thing is fairly unfamiliar too.

For the Long Trail, I only have 8.5 days available, and I'm planning to start in the North and go as far as I can with no resupply. My pack weight will be about 19 lbs, with 10 of that food. If I can't finish (and I realize that is very likely), I'll just bail and my wife will pick me up. The reason for starting in the north is that my condition will likely be the best at the start and go downhill from there, so I want the toughest parts first.

It's good to know that the rocks on the Long Trail are much more slippery than in the Whites--that will indeed make it way tougher.

I'll be up in the Whites this Friday and Saturday attempting to hike about 33 miles/day with the pack for practice, and staying at Barnes Field site #8.

Thanks for all your advice. It has made me realize that this will just be an effort to get as far as I can and learn from it, with finishing unlikely on this first try.

 

[FARMER]

Sounds like a good time Jeff let us know how you make out. Packs a bit heavy though. Maybe plan on eating only every other day.

Ryan

 

[mookie]

cool beans.
when do you plan on starting?
it has been a dry summer so far so the trails round here are in great shape.

 

[Jeff List]

I'll be starting on Sept. 4, after a very large breakfast.

Good to hear the trails are dry, but are the water sources drying up too?

Farmer, are you still in Europe? How were the mountain ultras?

 

[mookie]

I'll be starting on Sept. 4, after a very large breakfast.

Good to hear the trails are dry, but are the water sources drying up too?

Farmer, are you still in Europe? How were the mountain ultras?

who needs water.......