Volunteers Needed for Barn Raising
and Frame Prep
August 9 & 10

All are welcome to help us out with the barn raising and frame prep for our new Visitor Center.

Beyond strong bodies we need volunteers to help serve refreshments, document the event through video and photography, and to provide other support. Please join us for this historic community event.

What:
GMC Visitor Center Barn Raising and Frame Prep Day

When:
Frame Prep Day
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Barn Raising Event
Sunday, August 10, 2008

Where:
GMC Headquarters
Click here for event and registration details

New Gate Installed Near
Governor Clement Shelter

The recent installation of a gate limiting motorized access to the Governor Clement Shelter in Shrewsbury is good news for overnight hikers. The Shrewsbury select board found a solution after years of discussion and concern regarding rowdy evening activities at the shelter during hiking season. The stone walled shelter, built in 1929, had long ago become a difficult place to spend a quiet night in the woods. Townspeople, the Green Mountain Club (GMC), Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Green Mountain National Forest, and Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation had been working to limit motorized access so that hikers, anglers, hunters and snowmobilers could continue to enjoy what is now one of the oldest shelters on the Long Trail and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The gate will be locked and closed to unauthorized motor vehicles from April 15 to September 15. GMC will post signs both north and south of the shelter so hikers will be aware of the gate closure period. Click here for photos of the shelter and the new gate

Seasonal Message: Thunderstorm Safety

You’re on the trail, the air is sticky and humid, the wind picks up, and the temperature is dropping. The clouds are getting darker. You hear the first rumble of thunder. Now what?

First, get off high ground. If you can hear thunder, you are within range of lightning strikes. Always retreat from high ground unless going uphill is the quickest route to safety (such as when near a shelter). If you can’t make a quick exit, find shelter in the trees. Small, densely-packed ridgeline trees are better options than a tall tree in a field. Next, make sure you’re not standing in water – ground strikes can find you. Remove anything that can conduct electricity, like your pack frame. Crouch to reduce your profile. Put on rain gear and some warm clothing like a wool hat – one never knows how long a storm will last. Be prepared for noise and wind. Make sure your gear is secure. I once saw a pack cover blow from Maine’s Goose Eye Mountain all the way back to New Hampshire.

If you’re in a group, spread out a little for safety. When the weather breaks, look for a short route off the mountain or to a shelter. This should help you get through the storm. Then you can tell stories later: “Once I had to shoo an enormous porcupine out of Sucker Brook Shelter in the middle of a midnight storm and then my dog ran after him. I lit a candle, pulled out my pliers from my backpack and waited for him to return . . .”

This article was written by GMC Director of Field Programs Dave Hardy. It was first published in the Long Trail News.

Nature Guide to Vermont's Long Trail
New Green Mountain Club Publication

While hiking the Long Trail, you may have stopped to ask, “What kind of a tree is that?” or wondered about a colorful flower growing trailside. Now you can have the answers at your fingertips, with the easy-to-use Nature Guide to Vermont's Long Trail.(pictured top right)

This beautiful new publication, with full color photos throughout, is at the printers and will be available in a few weeks!

For more information and to place an advance order