By Chris Laclair
EAGLE TIMES SPORTS EDITOR
Twenty-one-year-old Newport resident Jagger Lovely, a 2021 graduate of Newport Middle High School, has set a personal 10-day goal to complete a challenging 273-mile hiking venture along the Long Trail in Vermont. He needs to travel 27.3 miles a day to meet his goal and get back to the start of junior year at the University of New Hampshire.
The trail is the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the country. It is also the trail that built the foundation for the Appalachian Trail.
The start of his journey of 3.8 miles began north of North Adams, Mass., on the Appalachian Trail. From there, he travels 107 miles north through Vermont as the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail are the same trail until the Appalachian Trail turns east. The Long Trail continues north for the rest of the hike until he reaches the 273-mile conclusion at the Canadian border.
His father, Newport Community Center Director PJ Lovely, dropped his son off on Saturday, Aug. 12. His father crews (a trail term) for him. That entails bringing him food and drinks, footwear, medical supplies as needed and other essentials for the long hike. They meet up on the trail at preselected spots for the exchange and camp overnight together.
“I am very happy to be able to crew for my son and help him with achieving one of his dreams,” PJ Lovely said. “Jagger wants to inspire the kids that he works with at the summer day camp at the community center as they have a map that they follow on his journey.”
One of the biggest challenges for Jagger is the amount of mud on the trails.
“Vermont is living up to its nickname, ‘Vermud,’ but it’s still very beautiful,” PJ Lovely said.
For anyone who wishes to follow his journey, please visit the Facebook event page https://fb.me/e/1rBgD4Yx8.
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