06 2026-08 AT VT trip lessons and overall summary

Normally I could only do 3 hiking trips in one year on Memorial, Independence and Labor Day weekends.  But this year I already completed 6 trips, and Labor Day is still ahead of us. So far it was 20 days, 14 nights and 7 hikers meals completed in the wild. Every night was memorable in a certain way. Every day was different, tough, and unforgettable.

This time I’ve driven 338 mi, biked a bit over 30 mi and hiked almost 40 mi.

This trip was different because:
 – as I was covering a tiny new section that was missed 6 years ago in 2020;
 – the trip took place TUE through FRI with only one rain on Thursday evening;
 – new 3-liter bladder and new power bank were used.

What is special about this section of AT? Vermont is much more earthy and less bouldery. Deciduous trees are prevailing.  The forest is much lighter and airier. The inclines and declines are gentler (at least the section I was exploring) despite how formidable it looks on elevation charts. Water sources are more obscure and less reliable. The trail deviations are less frequent.  You just keep going on the trail without many alternatives. The 40-mile section from route 9 in Bennington and route 11/30 near Manchester is wild. Right at about 20-mile mark, there is a road crossing, but other than that – there are no maintained frequently used roads except for overgrown winter trails. As a result, you will see day hikers only on top Stratton Mountain (from Gondola) and at Prospect Rock (from a local). It is very good if you are looking for tranquility. Number of encountered hikers was incredibly low: 10, 3 and 7 (as opposed to 255 in Predental range in White Mountains).

There are still two missing AT sections in New England: a small piece in North Adams, MA (about 1,5 mi) and White Mountains Carter Notch between routes 16 and 2 in NH (1878.3 – 1899.3 = 21 mi)

Navigate through the List

1. 01 2026-08 First August trip to Vermont (2026/08/17)
2. 02 2026-08-18 TU First day so full of driving, biking and hiking (2026/08/18)
3. 03 2026-08-19 WE - second hiking day - jump over Glastenbury Mountain (2026/08/19)
4. 04 2026-08-20 TH - 15 mi day over Stratton Mountain (2026/08/20)
5. 05 2026-08-21 FR last 10 mi to the car (2026/08/21)
6. 06 2026-08 AT VT trip lessons and overall summary (2026/08/22)