Hello Hikers,
I am creating this thread mostly for my Connecticut and Long Island friends who join the annual MLK weekend hike, but all are welcome to join the potential hike and discuss. My proposal is that we do an annual weekend hike of the New England Trail (Now officially a National Scenic Trail) with the end goal of completing the entire trail.
Here are my thoughts...
What do you think? I do not have the NET guidebook, but if there is interest I will get it and map out an idea for the first weekend.
Scott
I am creating this thread mostly for my Connecticut and Long Island friends who join the annual MLK weekend hike, but all are welcome to join the potential hike and discuss. My proposal is that we do an annual weekend hike of the New England Trail (Now officially a National Scenic Trail) with the end goal of completing the entire trail.
Here are my thoughts...
- Some of these sections could be done on MLK weekend, but I admit I would prefer more prime season hiking. At a minimum maybe a weekend every Fall. I am good most weekends September to November, but the holiday weekends are always booked for me (Labor Day and Columbus Day), so that means a two-day, Saturday & Sunday hike. An easy 16 - 20 mile section each hike seems like a reasonable goal to me.
- I have no preference NOBO or SOBO, but starting NOBO in Guilford would be easier access at the start for most.
- The CT part of NET has only a few designated camping spots, so I suggest we find convenient lodging along the trail for the initial sections. (Slack packing!)
- I like to hike alone, so in some sections we could set up a system where most go NOBO, I do the section SOBO, we meet in the middle, spend a night, and trade keys and meet at the end of the hike on Sunday to swap back again.
- The New England Trail is 235 miles long, so at an 20-mile annual rate I am pretty sure I would never finish it. I'm OK with that if that is what most people want to do. But, if we did two weekends a year and finished in six years, well I'd like to think I will be there. Or that at least the rest of you would carry my ashes If we did two weekends a year, I suggest we consider a Spring weekend (yes, buggy and muddy) and a Fall weekend. But MLK weekend could still be a reasonable choice for some sections, so we still have that option too.
What do you think? I do not have the NET guidebook, but if there is interest I will get it and map out an idea for the first weekend.
Scott
“Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”
John Greenleaf Whittier
the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”
John Greenleaf Whittier