HE EXODUS BEGINS around this time every spring. At least 1,500 backpackers will set out from Springer Mountain, in Georgia, intent on hiking the 2,158-mile Appalachian Trail to Mount Katahdin, Maine. Perhaps one in five will complete the five-month odyssey. They will spend the better part of the summer humping up and down the trail’s 725 rugged miles through New England, enjoying what is arguably the most spectacular scenery along the AT. More than one-third of the Appalachian Trail passes through five New England states: Connecticut (52 miles), Massachusetts (89 miles), Vermont (145 miles), New Hampshire (158 miles) and Maine (281 miles). But you don’t have to take five months off from life to enjoy the AT. A “thru-hike” of its New England stretch might be accomplished by a fit hiker in just over two months, give or take. Long-distance hikers resupply themselves with food and other necessities either by having packages mailed to them general delivery at post offices near the trail, or buying supplies in towns. Detailed sectional maps of the trail and other information are available from The Appalachian Trail Conference (below), the umbrella group which oversees the various clubs that maintain the AT. Eminently accessible from hundreds of trailheads and road crossings, the trail also continues to be hugely popular with day-hikers and weekend backpackers — contributing to crowding at certain summits and campsites. It forms the backbone of many of New England’s major trail systems, from western Connecticut and Massachusetts to the White Mountains and Maine’s Baxter State Park. Backpackers, particularly those heading out for more than a few days, are wise to embrace the ethic of traveling as light as possible. Take only what’s absolutely necessary. Day-hikers would be prudent to adopt a seemingly contradictory approach: Take everything you think you might need, especially plenty of food, water and extra clothing; be prepared for the worst possible conditions. For a sense of what Mother Nature may throw at you on the AT in New England, take the region’s normal weather and magnify its unpredictability and harshness. July through early October generally offer the driest and warmest weather, although wintry conditions can occur in any month in the bigger mountains, and summer’s humidity and bugs present their own difficulties. Winter is extremely harsh along much of the trail, the most remote parts of which become all but inaccessible. Snow lingers late into spring at the higher elevations. Day Hikes
At 4,802 feet, the summit of New Hampshire’s Mount Moosilauke offers a sweeping view of the White Mountains on a clear day. The Beaver Brook Trail section of the AT ascends past nice cascades to Moosilauke’s open summit in 3.5 miles, the most direct route. Park at the trailhead along Route 112 in Kinsman Notch, west of Woodstock. The Webster Cliffs offer sustained views from high above Crawford Notch, the first views coming just two miles from the road. This round-trip hike of 6.6 miles along the AT follows the crest of the cliffs to Mount Webster’s 3,910-foot, craggy summit. From there, the views take in a broad sweep of the Whites to the south, including the prominent horn of Mount Chocorua. The hike begins at a turnout on the west side of Route 302, 3.9 miles south of the Crawford Notch hostel, at the access road to the Ripley Falls Trail. Cross the road, following the AT northbound. For info, contact the White Mountain National Forest Supervisor, 719 North Main St., Laconia, NH 03246; (603) 528-8721. The New England state with the longest piece of the AT also boasts some of the trail’s most remote hiking. But for thru-hikers, the AT — which coincides here with the Hunt Trail — to the 5,267-foot summit of Mount Katahdin provides a dramatic conclusion to a long journey. About half of the trail lies above tree line on Maine’s biggest mountain, and demands scrambling over steep rock in places and one ladder of iron rungs drilled into a short cliff face. From Katahdin Stream Campground in Baxter State Park, it’s a round-trip hike of over 10 miles, but worth the pain. For info, contact park headquarters, 64 Balsam Drive, Millinocket, ME 04462-2190; (207) 723-5140. Vermont’s second-highest mountain, 4,241-foot Killington, lies along the AT and the Long Trail. Though the trail passes the bare slopes of the Pico and Killington ski areas, the views from the 3,957-foot summit of Pico are good, and from atop Killington excellent. The AT crosses Route 4 in Sherburne Pass, so you begin hiking at 2,150 feet. Heading south, Pico’s summit — reached via a side path of less than a half-mile — is about a six-mile round-trip hike, and Killington’s a more rigorous 11-mile round-trip on the AT. You can hike to the summit of Massachusetts’ highest peak, 3,491-foot Mount Greylock, on a moderate round-trip hike of a little over six miles, most of it on the AT. Drive to the Jones Nose parking lot on Rockwell Road, reached from the south entrance to the Mount Greylock State Reservation in Lanesborough, or via the Notch Road over the mountain from Route 2 in North Adams. (If you drive the Notch Road from North Adams, turn right onto Rockwell Road.) From the parking area, follow the Jones Nose Trail a half-mile to a scenic view on the left — Jones Nose — then continue past it onto the AT northbound to Greylock’s summit. On the flat summit are the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Bascom Lodge, a war memorial tower, and good views stretching west to the Taconics, north to the Green Mountains and east overlooking hills and valleys. For info or a map, contact the Mount Greylock State Reservation, P.O. Box 138, Lanesborough, MA 01237; (413) 499-4262. The pastoral view of northwestern Connecticut from Lion’s Head is one of the finest on the AT in that state. You can reach it with a fairly easy hike of 4.6 miles round-trip on the AT. Drive to the parking lot on Route 41 in Salisbury, Conn., less than a mile north of the junction of routes 41 and 44 in the town center. Hike north on the AT to the open ledges of Lion’s Head. Backpacking Trips
From the high ridge of the Carter Range in the White Mountains, you get a terrific view of Mount Washington and the Presidential Range towering to the immediate west. The 20-mile traverse of the Carters on the AT can be done in two to three days by shuttling two vehicles. Leave one car at the Appalachian Mountain Club visitor center on Route 16 in Pinkham Notch, 11 miles south of Gorham and 12 miles north of Route 302 in Glen. Then drive to this trek’s start, a parking area where the Appalachian Trail crosses Route 2 in Shelburne, N.H., 3.6 miles east of Gorham, and hike south on the AT. For info, contact the White Mountain National Forest Supervisor, 719 North Main St., Laconia, NH 03246; (603) 528-8721. Glastenbury Mountain, in the southern Green Mountains, has a fire tower that offers a 360-degree panorama. Make a fairly easy, two-day, 20-mile loop up Glastenbury on the AT, West Ridge Trail and Bald Mountain Trail, spending the night at Goddard shelter, a quarter-mile below Glastenbury’s summit. The shelter has an excellent view south to Mount Greylock. Start from the large parking lot on Route 9 between Bennington and Woodford, Vt. Hike north on the AT, which coincides here with the Long Trail. On the second day, follow the West Ridge Trail south for 7.8 miles and turn left onto the Bald Mountain Trail, which descends nearly two miles to a public road. Turning right on the road, you will reach Route 9 in less than a mile. Turn left and walk east along the highway for 1.2 miles back to the parking lot. For information about the Long Trail, contact the Green Mountain Club Inc., Route 100, RR 1, Box 650, Waterbury Center, VT 05677; (802) 244-7037.
Michael Lanza writes a syndicated weekly outdoor column about New
England, and he is author of “New England Hiking,” a guidebook from Foghorn Press (800-FOGHORN). His column appears in: The Springfield (Mass.) Union-News, The Quincy (Mass.) Patriot-Ledger, The Lawrence (Mass.) Eagle-Tribune, The Sunday Morning Sentinel/Kennebec Journal (Augusta/Waterville, Maine), The New Haven (Conn.) Register, The Manchester (Conn.) Journal-Inquirer, The Meriden (Conn.) Record-Journal, The Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American, The Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph, The Concord (N.H.) Monitor, The Keene (N.H.) Sentinel and The Valley News (Lebanon, N.H./White River Junction, Vt.). E-mail can be sent to michael.a.lanza@valley.net.
