AT Hiking in Connecticut

“Sometime soon my friend Rajiv and I are looking to do some sort of Friday through Sunday backpack on the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut. Rajiv lives in Ridgefield, CT.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good hike where Rajiv and I can be driven to the trailhead from Ridgefield at 4 or 5 on a Friday, camp before sunset, hike all day Saturday, camp again, and then hike a bit again on Sunday before his parents would pick us up at the trail terminus.

I'm a student at Dartmouth College, so I've hiked the AT a lot in VT and NH, and I've also hiked quite a bit in the Whites, but I've never been on the Connecticut section of the AT, so I was wondering if someone could give me some general information.

Looking at the AT stats on thebackpacker.com website, it looks like the most logical thing would be to pick up the AT in Kent, CT (about 30 miles north of Ridgefield), and hike to West Cornwall, CT. Can anyone tell me if that would be a nice beautiful hike or not? It doesn't have to be extremely rugged wilderness, but I'd rather not be a few hundred yards from suburban backyards most of the time (or would I have to not hike in CT at all in order to avoid that?).

I'm a fairly accomplished hiker. Rajiv is very inexperienced, but is in good physical condition. Would this hike be too strenous for a first-timer?

Any info or suggestions for other really 2 or 3 day backpacking trips in that area of Connecticut would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Joel Dahl”

“So does anyone have any suggestions?

Sorry. This is a shameless move to get the thread I started to the top of the discussion--however briefly--in the hope that someone will give me some advice!

Joel”

“That's a good strategy, actually.

I wish I knew more about the AT in Connecticut so I could help you, but I'm more familiar with the Georgia stretch. But a lot of the AT in the Northeast is essentially suburban in nature.

Generally, anyone in good physical condition can hike any part of the AT, so I doubt if there's anything in CT that your friend can't handle, as long as he eats enough and stays hydrated.

Good luck on finding a good hike.

Here's a website that has a few suggested hikes for that area. I haven't hiked any of these, so I can't vouch for them, but it's better than nothing.”

“That whole area isn't bad, not very remote, but pretty with the river and all. The AT in CT has some easy places to access the trail, get the AT maps for the state and plan about how many miles you want to do each day and figure your on and off points from there. The AT data book is good for figuring this stuff out. I started a hike in Great Berrington MA once on my way to VT, it was this time of year and the bugs were enough to make me quit. Much more swampy than I expected, who new mass was one big bog. Anyway, good luck!”