This illicits a lot of nostalgia for me. I hiked the Long Trail in 1971 and had to end about 35 miles short of a one shot end to end because of the weather. Our entire hike was plagued by Hurricane Doria and I especially remember the Mt. Mansfield crossing was at the same time the Hurricane was reaching land so we had sustained 70 mph winds and rain on the climb and descent.
The constant rain for those two weeks ruined (rotted) the boots on our feet along with some serious issues with trench foot. And I’m sure any who have made that hike can imagine with the grueling pace and the less that best conditions when the food and time ran out (and as teenagers you always think you can do it again…you have forever after all) we opted to quit and try again the next year.
Very tough at the time but the memories now are very cherished indeed by all who were there and although we all finished that last section as individuals none of us ever got or applied for the “end to end” certification. We all wanted to make a fast trip (for the books)as a group and despite the weather came close but in the end I think we all simply accepted that we got beaten and it never felt right to apply for the certification for something we never got to finish as we began.
