Our Stories

Jay Shutt: NCNST Long Distance Hiker

Posted on August 31, 2026 by Kate Lemon

Jay Shutt

Vermont
(Previously received the central patch + Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mackinac Bridge and 1000 Miles.)

I began hiking the North Country Trail in May 2018 when I joined the Buckeye Trail Circuit Hike Group for a hike in the New Straitsville Section of the Buckeye Trail that runs concurrently with the North Country Trail. In early 2024 I applied for and was granted the NCT Long-Distance Hiker patch along with the Ohio and Mackinac Bridge rockers.

I joined a group of hiking friends from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York that I have met over the years while hiking the NCT. We hiked all the NCT miles in Vermont over a 6-day period from Monday August 4 through Saturday August 9, 2025. We started at Maine Junction (Eastern Terminus of the NCNST) and worked our way across Vermont to the New York State Line at Crown Point.

I enjoyed the varied nature of the trail in Vermont starting with the more rugged part that follows the historic Long Trail and then the more bucolic sections around Middlebury and finally the sights as we approached Lake Champlain. It was fun catching up with, and hiking with, fellow NCT hikers from three different states on this adventure.

Learn more about long distance hiker recognition at explorenct.info/NoCoLo/index.htm.

The North Country Trail Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The tax identification number is 38-2423480. View the state disclosure statement at northcountrytrail.org/transparency.