If you’re in Vermont next Thursday (2/5), I’ll be giving a talk about Hiking the Long Trail Side-to-Side List as part of the James P Taylor (the guy who thought up the Long Trail) Adventure Speaker Series. The talk is free and will be held at the Green Mountain Club’s Visitor Center in Waterbury, Vermont, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. While the event is free, registration is required. If you can’t attend, my presentation will be videotaped and published on YouTube. I’ll provide a link to it here and in my weekly newsletter when it’s available.

The Long Trail Side-to-Side is a list of 88 trails (166 miles total) that approach the Long Trail (272 miles total) from the east and the west. It’s a great list of trails to hike if you want to prepare for the Long Trail but want bite-sized adventures in the meantime, or if you’ve hiked the Long Trail already and want to get reacquainted with it without committing to another end-to-end thru hike or section hike. Suitable for all ages, the Side-to-Side can be completed as a series of day hikes, backpacking trips, or a combination of both.

In my talk, I’ll cover:

• the rules for hiking the list
• how to keep track of your progress
• the best times of the year to hike
• the best maps and navigation apps to use
• best hiking gear, clothing, and footwear to use
• backpacking tips
• strategies you can use to break up the trail list into manageable pieces

I hiked the Long Trail in 2008, so hiking the Side-to-Side list (2025) let me revisit many of the scenic spots and shelters where I’d slept without having to hike the entire 272-mile trail again. When I started the Side-to-Side list, I’d just decided to move from New Hampshire to Vermont, but I hadn’t decided where I was going to settle in the state. Hiking the Side-to-Side list let me visit most of the towns and natural areas that border the Long Trail along the length of the state. That really opened my eyes to the state’s vast recreational opportunities and helped me figure out where I wanted to live.

Hope to see you there. If you come, be sure to come up and say hello!