Transport to/from Cohos trail Northern Terminus

[pedxing]

It seemed to work great for Hillwalker going to the Northern Terminus of the LT so I'll try here, too.

I'm looking to do the Cohos Trail starting July 20th or on one of the next few days following. I plan to keep hiking for a couple hundred miles after I finish, so driving my car to the Canadian border and then coming back for it later would be a monstrous pain. I'm looking to either:

1) Car swap with someone doing the Cohos in the opposite direction.
2) Pay for a ride to the Canadian/NH border - maybe with someone doing the trail, or picking up or dropping off a CT hiker.
3) Share the expenses of getting a shuttle to the trailhead.

I'm flexible as to where the ride comes from (Basically somewhere south or west) and can consider driving or taking a bus from home (Boston area) to meetup elsewhere.

 

[Guthook]

Sounds pretty cool! I'm planning a similar trek in October, so I'd love to hear your post-trip report. What's your route after the Cohos Trail?

My plan for getting to the Northern Terminus (so far) is to leave my car with a friend in Bethel, and get a ride from one of the shuttle services listed on the Cohos Trail Association's website: http://cohostrail.org/shuttle.html

I don't know the exact rates for the shuttles, but I'm expecting to drop a chunk of change for it. We'll see.

Good luck on your trip! Can't wait to hear how it goes!

 

[RoySwkr]

You can get a bus from Boston to Franconia/Littleton or Berlin (no longer service to the Balsams) and then get a shuttle from there, you might check with cab cos. and see how negotiable their fares are. Return same way from wherever you end up.
http://www.concordcoachlines.com/images/stories/pdf/NH_Jun_0609_handout.pdf

There are often 3k whackers headed up that way Fri night if you want to go earlier/later.

 

[pedxing]

Roy. The 3K'ers were one of my hopes for working something out. You are probably right about Fridays being the day to go. Unfortunately, I'm working the weekend of the 19th - so I'd have to shorten my trip to wait to Friday. I'll have to think on that.

From the shuttlers I've been in touch with, the rate is 1 dollar/mile for the shuttlers' mileage... so at best that would be 2$/mile for my trip or at least 150 from Berlin to the border. This would be OK if I had a couple people to share the ride with. Otherwise, it might be better to make up a sign and hitch. I'll try a few shuttling options if I can't work out anything else. I also posted an offer to swap cars with southbounders on the Cohos Trail website and did get one promising PM here.

Guthook: I saw your thread with your plans - it sounds like a cool trip, a bit more creative than mine. My aim is to head west through the Pemi - starting out on Nancy Pond trail - and then mostly following the AT from Franconia Ridge and trying to reach Rutland at the time of the Long Trail Festival (week end of August 8) and then hike north on the LT. It would be cool if I was able to reach the Canadian border before having to head home.

 

[bcskier]

Me too!

Oddly enough I've worked out the details for a July 21 start at the northern end. Sounds like the CT might be crowded!

My plan for reaching the start is to take the bus from Northampton, MA (about 20 mi. from home) to Montreal and then connect to Sherbrooke. From there it's about a 47 mi. hitch to Chartierville and then 3 mi. south to the border.

I'm open to other possibilities however. I doubt I'd be open to driving myself up there. I'm supposed to be met in Jefferson and having to reclaim a car is not a happy prospect.

Does anyone know if there is a bus running from Sherbrooke to Chartierville?

Thanks, Phil

 

[pedxing]

Phil: that sounds like an interesting approach to getting to the trail head. While the solitude is part of the attraction of the CT, I'd be interested in splitting the cost of a shuttle from Berlin or somewhere in the area where I can leave a car safely and maybe cooperating on the route finding for the first day or so. Please keep me posted on your ideas and plans if that makes sense to you, and I will do the same.

 

[Guthook]

Pedxing, that does indeed sound like a great plan! One of the things that intrigued me about the Cohos was the ability to do it and then head to either Katahdin or Vermont, or wherever. Maybe I'll see you at the Long Trail Festival in Rutland.

So are the shuttles that you talked to the ones from the Cohos website? That's a pretty hefty cost, so I'm glad you figured that out early. I'll have to take a look at alternatives. I wonder if I can bribe a friend of mine from near Gorham to take me half-way. Hmm...

 

[bcskier]

Bus through Canada

The bus fee for me to go to from Nhamp to Montreal is only $55.20 and if I wanted to book it 21 days in advance it's only $31.00 ($46.00 with 14 days). The Montreal to Sherbrooke bus is another $35.00 Can. I have no idea what the hitchhiking will be like from Sherbrooke to Chartierville however.

 

[pedxing]

Guthook: Sportsman Lodge on the Cohos site was one of the places I contacted - I'll have to double check the others. I haven't tried to bargain or talk anyone down in price or negotiate a stay + shuttle deal, so I don't want to discourage you from trying.

 

[Hillwalker]

Hitchhiking sign & stuff

If you decide to hitch, take a piece of Tyvek about 16 by 16 and a big black magic marker. Makes great signs and won't melt in the rain. I made signs as I traveled as needed. Fold into strip signs as needed.

Only took me 7 hours to go from Rt 4/100 in Killington to North Troy via VT 100 all the way. (9 AM to 4 PM) (maybe 125 miles)

Wore a baseball cap, my glasses and tried to smile. I think that the smile was more of a grimace at times, but I guess it worked.

Got more rides while wearing the pack than with it sitting by my side. Also, don't try to hitch while beside buildings, gas stations or other signs of civilization. Always walk a bit out of the populated areas. (into the wilderness I guess)

One nice lady driving a huge 3500 pick-um-up asked me if I was a killer before she let me in the cab. I told her that I gave that up in 1969 shortly after I got back from the "Nam"

One young couple that picked me up said, "wow, we never see old people hitching." "You're rare." I said, "no, medium rare bordering on well done since I will be seventy in November". That brought me another "wow".

Good luck! HW

 

[vegematic]

My plan for getting to the Northern Terminus (so far) is to leave my car with a friend in Bethel, and get a ride from one of the shuttle services listed on the Cohos Trail Association's website: http://cohostrail.org/shuttle.html

I'll bring you if your timing works with my GA schedule.

 

[Guthook]

I'll bring you if your timing works with my GA schedule.

Hey, aren't you supposed to be on the Long Trail right now? Where'd you find a computer? Thanks for the offer... I've got a few other ideas if that doesn't work out, too. I'll talk to you later about that!

Since the trip is still almost three months away I'll wait a bit for the final details... but Pedxing, I can't wait to hear a trip report. From the CTA's website, it sounds like they're making a lot of changes from year to year. Can't wait to see what it looks like!

 

[vegematic]

Hey, aren't you supposed to be on the Long Trail right now? Where'd you find a computer?

Forecast was for 5 days (at least) with likelihood of severe lightning storms and we were about to go over Camel's Hump and Mansfield. Decided to wait it out at home for a few days.

 

[Hillwalker]

Took a break too

Forecast was for 5 days (at least) with likelihood of severe lightning storms and we were about to go over Camel's Hump and Mansfield. Decided to wait it out at home for a few days.

I was headed southbound and hitched into a B&B (Nye's Green Valley B&B) in Jeffersonville on Monday also due to the harraka weather forecast. They shuttle for extremely low prices and often free if you are staying. Anyway, are you going SOBO or NOBO? Going to get back on as soon as I see a decent forecast. Maybe I'll see you all out there.

 

[pedxing]

Hillwalker and Veg - I've been thinking a bunch about what it would be like to be backing through this weather we've been having. I think three days in a row of lots of rain is the worst I've had. Anyway, I hope the weather improves for both of you.

 

[pedxing]

BCSkier - the trail might be a little less crowded. Looks like I'm set to start a day behind you. A kind soul I did some snowshoeing who does some trail work on the Cohos offered to give me a ride from the White Mountains.

 

[bcskier]

The hay is in the barn, I'm set to go.

The one uncertainty in my planning was how the hay-making weather would cooperate but we've gotten our first cutting into the barn so I am cleared for take off.
My plans for getting there had to change due to a misunderstanding about i.d. required at the border. I have a passport but it expired in May. After doing some online research about renewing it as well as what requirements existed I was misled into thinking I could use the expired passport to reenter the U.S. from Canada.
Only recently did I learn that I couldn't do that. The rules changed on June 1 it seems. So... I too played the good friend card and have a retired colleague who is willing to go on a road trip for 10 hours and drive me to the trailhead.
I should be there in the afternoon on Monday, 7/20 (I had to bump it up a day because of my friend's schedule) so Pedxing I will be two days ahead of you. I plan two short days going through the Dixville Notch area where I'm supposed to be met by a friend coming up from Wenham. Could that work to your advantage in any way? Resupply perhaps? At any rate if you make it to Panorama Shelter by the evening of Sat. 7/25 you'll have caught up to me.
I have some other questions to ask you but I'll probably use a p.m.

Phil

 

[pedxing]

I'm glad you got a ride and a friend willing to make the long drive. Since Wednesday will be a short day for me, I can't see making it to Panorama by Friday. If the next two days are your low mileage days, I might be able to catch up over that weekend. I'm still debating my resupply strategy - I better hurry up and decide! I think I'll just do one mail drop and stretch my food with meals purchased along the way.

 

[Guthook]

Good luck on your hikes! I can't wait to hear how great the trail is... although I should probably keep my mind in the present rather than daydream about the Cohos all day. Oh well.

Happy trails.