Classic Hikes: Long Trail, Inn-to-Inn

GPS: 43°04'N 72°55'W

Civilization is never far from the Long Trail—at 78 years old, the granddaddy of all long-distance routes. You can opt to avoid society altogether by hiking the crest of the Green Mountains, but you'd only be creating the illusion of true wilderness. Instead, embrace the idea of civilized wilds on a five-day, guided, inn-to-inn hike on the LT from Stratton Mountain to Killington Mountain with Extreme Adventures of Vermont. By day you'll hike between ten and 15 miles (24 kilometers), carrying a light pack around moosey bogs and up rocky Mount Tabor and other New England summits. By night you're shuttled to picturesque B&Bs, like 200-year-old Rowell's Inn in Andover. You're in luck if you arrive on a Friday or Saturday evening, when innkeeper Michael Brengolini serves platters of grilled meats slathered in his "Mad Mike's" barbecue sauce.

Vitals: Extreme Adventures of Vermont; $975 for a five-day guided hike; www.extremeadventuresvt.com. For maps, visit www.greenmountainclub.org.

Originally published in the April 2008 edition of National Geographic Adventure

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