In late September and early October of 2010 I hit up the LT again, this time southbound. The approach for this trip was to go ultralight and enjoy two weeks of Autumn in Vermont. While the LT can be a very challenging trail, it is very rewarding as well. The availability of many close towns (and even closer post offices) means that you don't really need to carry very much food. There are also more than enough shelters for sleeping, which makes going ultralight pretty easy. So, 14 days after leaving the Canadian border I found myself 280 miles south- in Massachusetts! I really appreciated only having to carry a pack of minimal weight up and down many steep mountains too! Especially since 9 of the 14 days were filled with rain and classic Vermont mud a.k.a. Vermud!