Cohos Trail Completed

[Amicus]

Today's Boston Globe includes this interesting article on the completion of the Cohos Trail. Credit is given to Kim Nilsen, its inventor, and to Lainie Castine, who has taken the lead in finishing it.

 

[Guthook]

I'll have to read this soon. I've been following the Friends of the Cohos Trail facebook page for the past few months, and it's pretty remarkable how much work they've been doing on the trail. Kim and Lainie seem like powerhouses in the group.

On a somewhat related note, I talked to Bob Curley of the Quabbin to Cardigan greenway at the ALDHA Gathering last weekend, and he's fairly confident that the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail break north of Amherst will soon be rerouted and that there will eventually be a trail system running from Sunapee to Cardigan, then maybe to the Squam Range from there. The New England Trail I mostly hike two years ago may be a serious reality in the not-too-distant future. I'm pretty excited about this.

 

[pedxing]

The Cohos Trail association is definitely the little trail association that could! I'm hoping to hike it again in its completed state.

Hat's off to Kim, Pete and Lainie Castine and everybody else in the CTA.

 

[vinovampire]

Thanks for posting this link. As a Vermonter, I've never heard of the Cohos Trail. It looks like the entire trail could be done in two weeks, which is a nice amount of time for those of us with limited amounts of vacation time and want to stay in New England.

Since that article seems to be behind the Boston Globe pay wall, I'll include a link to Cohos Trail Association. Membership seems reasonably priced and it looks like a nice little organization.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

As someone who likes to go to Pittsburg for a vacation I'm glad to see more hiking opportunities up there. I've only hiked Mt. Magalloway up there but now I see there are some more options. I'm looking forward to hitting those other portions of the trail.

Some good day hikes:

http://cohostrail.org/northdayhikes.html

 

[Amicus]

Since that article seems to be behind the Boston Globe pay wall, I'll include a link to Cohos Trail Association. Membership seems reasonably priced and it looks like a nice little organization.

I think the way it works now is you have to register (no charge) once on the reconfigured B. Globe site, but then current articles like this are free, although older stuff from the archives must be purchased. That's how it worked for me, at least.

In any case, there is no essential info in the article that you can't get from the Cohos Tr. website - mostly it describes Kim Nilsen's persistence in seeing his inspiration through to realization after 33 years, despite long periods of little support. There are 3 shelters at present but eventually they hope to add 10 more.

My own experience with this Trail has been limited to day hikes that happen to follow it, in whole or part, such as some recent hikes to Sugarloaf and the Percys in Nash Stream Valley. There, the Cohos Tr. sections were clearly signed and blazed.

 

[vegematic]

I don't think the article mentions it but the CT links up with a (growing?) trail system in Quebec. It is possible to hike from Crawford Notch as far as Mont Megantic on the CT and the Sentiers Frontaliers. I'm planning to just that next summer.
-vegematic

 

[pedxing]

It looks like the entire trail could be done in two weeks, which is a nice amount of time for those of us with limited amounts of vacation time and want to stay in New England.

Cohos Trail Association.

I think two weeks is a great amount of time for the Cohos Trail - it should allow some flexibility and some fun. Mileage comes easier on the CT, than on the New Hampshre and Maine AT or the Long Trail. I did it in 12 days, starting day one at about 4PM and I am definitely not one of VFTT's fast high mileage hikers and neither I nor the trail were in our top form at the time. Hiking the CT was a great way to get to know New Hampshire better.

Thanks for giving the CTA a membership plug, its a small scale operation and the support can really make a difference.

Edit: A news story which is similar to the Globe's can be had without registering at: http://news.alpinezone.com/102461/

Edit #2: How could I pass an opportunity to link to my Cohos trail journals in the hope of getting my 3rd or even 4th viewer (BTW clicking on one picture will give you a chance to click through the whole set - including ones which aren't in the journal)!

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=281209