[vter]

Are any of you regular posters here members of the Vermont 251 Club? For newbies....the State of Vermont has 251 towns. The 251 Club comprises of members who have visited all 251 towns and/or are in the process of doing so. You don't "get" anything for doing so, except for bragging rights LOL.
Over the years I've visited just about every town in the state, but never documented it. Now...I'm on a mission to do so. I have my picture taken at the post office, the school, or another public building (town hall, fire station etc) as "proof" that I visited. It has been loads of fun.
I highly recommend doing this - you'll get out and see lots of Vermont you've never seen before!

[flu189]

I read about this many years ago and have always thought about pulling it off. Up to now I guess I have hit about 66% of the actual towns in terms of boundaries. Right now I am working on finishing all the side trails feeding into the Long Trail as I have end-to-ended the Long Trail four times.

[tkln]

That sounds really cool...I'll have to look into that when we move. You'd figure after all the time I've spent up there I could tick off a whole lot, but I don't think I've got that many down...is there a convenient list somewhere you can use as a check list?

[MRVphotog]

vter..don't forget about the four Gores in Vermont to claim the prize.

flu......what was your fav section?

[flu189]

Originally Posted by MRVphotog

vter..don't forget about the four Gores in Vermont to claim the prize.

flu......what was your fav section?

It really varies as I have been through several sections in different weather and seasons. Thinking about it though I really always liked the section from North Troy at the border to Rte 15 in Johnson, about 55 miles of trail. It makes a nice week hike with a combination of beautiful forest and various peaks. From Rte 15 to Rte 17 at Appalachian Gap is the toughest in terms of elevation gain and loss and terms of how rough the footway can be. I have been lucky in that I have been able to hit all the high peaks by now in good weather. This summer I did a side trail (Bucklin Trail) to summit Killington on a good day. All the other times I went past there on the AT/LT the weather was lousy, so finally I caught a break. In the southern part of the state the AT/LT is very nice as there are several swimming opportunities. Working on the side trails now has been pretty enjoyable as you get quite a bit more variety and in most cases more solitude. When you are thru hiking you basically are stuck with continuing on in all kinds of weather, but I have taken a zero day here and there to allow for better weather to get over Mansfield and Camels Hump or just sometimes stay at a spot I found to be nice. The only section I never really liked was the 20 mile part between Rte 4 and Rte 73, it always seemed to be overgrown and the miles just took forever. For our region here, the Hedgehog Brook Trail up to the LT and then Burnt Rock is real nice. In the winter I like to snowshoe up the Beane Trail to Birch Glen Camp then continue to Huntington Gap and come back down on the VAST trail.

[vter]

Check out vt251.com - The Vermont 251 Club
The website is not officially affiliated with the club, though it does promote it. The website allows you to track where you've been, write notes, etc.

[MRVphotog]

Awesome...I have only done the sections around here....App Gap to Lincoln Gap and LG to Mt Grant. Have you heard about the the huge trail two guys illegally cut recently on Big Jay which is just south of Jay Pk?

[tkln]

Wow. I've been to 24 towns. I was hoping I'd done more than that!!! Time to get out there...I'm at least glad that I've been to a few out of the way places...but definitely need to hit more.

[flu189]

Originally Posted by MRVphotog

Awesome...I have only done the sections around here....App Gap to Lincoln Gap and LG to Mt Grant. Have you heard about the the huge trail two guys illegally cut recently on Big Jay which is just south of Jay Pk?

Yes, I read about that swath they cut. Apparently their intention was to create a backcountry ski run. For the most part the Long Trail is pretty remote and the terrain so rough that incursions are not too common. Down in the southern part there are a few area where ATV trail encroach onto the AT/LT, but I have not witnessed any significant damage. The Catamount x-cty ski trail which now runs the length of the state sounds interesting. A section of runs by way way over here in Huntington. The VAST system also is pretty impressive and offers a great way to get out and enjoy winter, but I don't own a sled. While out snowshoeing I have crossed some VAST trails and even used them. The snowmachiners I did encounter were not riding recklessly, rather just taking their time and enjoying the experience.

[MRVphotog]

Sounds like you have things covered....we have a small section of the VAST trail in the north section of the valley which I and others use for x-c....it's part of our local pathway system....the snowmobilers are easy to get along with plus the past few years, especially first half of last winter the VAST trail has been more like a hiking trail than a snowmobile trail.

We have hiked the Cat Trail sections here in the MRV, looks like a very cool trail system.