From my Experience: Guidebooks for the Long Trail

I carried the Vermont's Long Trail Waterproof Hiking Map 4th Edition

(https://www.greenmountainclub.org/product_detail.php?sku=2216) and kept it in my pocket. I enjoyed having easy access to trail’s upcoming profiles. I found that some of the climbs look steeper than they really were. Jay Peak, for example, was not as bad of a grade as I thought it was going to be. Camel’s Hump’s profile looks crazy on the map but it was a quick, steep climb followed by a long, long, long decent. The mileage on the map did not always match up with the mileage from the End to Ender’s Guide or the Long Trail Guide. I was told by a caretaker that this map is one of the best that is currently available for the Long Trail. The accuracy of the map has been enhanced through the use of GPS technology. I highly recommend carrying this map.

I also carried the End-to-Ender's Guide, 18th Edition 2011 (https://www.greenmountainclub.org/product_detail.php?sku=2225). I relied on this guide for town information and shelter information. I found that the organization of the book to be confusing at times especially since I was use to the setup of the The Handbook for the AT, which is also authored by Bob McCaw. There are separate sections for the distance between shelters, descriptions of shelters, town information, and “other” information. I found several typos regarding mileage. There are other typos regarding town information as well, such as the price for the Green Mountain House Hostel and the Green Mountain Inn being hiker friendly. Information regarding shelters in the shelter information is outdated. Emily Proctor Shelter, for example, should have excellent views and be vulnerable in bad weather but that is not the case. The view is completely overgrown by trees and it appears to be well protected from winds. The guide state’s that there is a hand pump for water at Shooting Star Shelter. Not true! The water source is a stream 500 ft below the shelter and it was dry during my experience.

Finally, I also carried the Long Trail Guide, 26th Edition (https://www.greenmountainclub.org/product_detail.php?sku=2200 ). I loved this book! The mileage in this book would usually agree with the End to Ender’s Guide but would sometimes disagree with the map mileage. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the upcoming trails and shelters. There was not information regarding town stops but plenty of information regarding the shelters and trails. It also provided information on what you were looking at from the vistas and historical information of the area/shelters. I got in the habit of reading at night the section of trail I was going to hike the following day and found that it was spot on.

I would recommend carrying all three.