Author: Green Mountain Club

  • Spring is here! Can you find it?

    Spring officially started March 20, but warming weather ushers in the real telltale signs of spring. Flowers are blooming and trees are budding. Birds are migrating back to Vermont to breed, or they’re stopping in for food and rest on their way further north. You don’t have to be an expert naturalist to observe these…

  • 88 Side Trails in Less Than a Week

    88 Side Trails in Less Than a Week

    This article was written by Nigel Bates. It previously appeared in the Winter 2020 Long Trail News under the title “Side-to-Side in Less Than a Week.” In July I set the fastest known time for hiking the 88 trails on the Green Mountain Club’s list of Long Trail side trails in six days, 10 hours,…

  • Codding Hollow Conservation: Celebrating Success after Thirty-Four Years

    The Fall 2020 Codding Hollow property conservation agreement protects one-third of a mile of Long Trail in Johnson and Waterville. You can read more about the protection in this press release. This article was written by GMC Conservation Manager Mollie Flanigan and appears in the Winter 2020 Long Trail News. In September the Green Mountain…

  • Winter Camping Do’s & Don’ts for a Successful Trip

    This article was written by John Plummer, VHCB AmeriCorps member & GMC group outreach & field coordinator. Winter camping can be very rewarding. There are no bugs, there are fewer crowds, you can see further through the forest. However, travelling in winter is challenging and poses risks that don’t exist at other times of the…

  • Winter Hiking Safety Tips From a VT Search and Rescue Coordinator

    This article was written by Neil van Dyke and previously appeared in the Winter 2020 Long Trail News under the headline “Winter Hiking Safety.” There are few times more beautiful for hiking than a crisp, clear Green Mountain winter day. The deep blue of the sky is experienced at no other time of year, and…

  • 100 Years of Taft Lodge on Mount Mansfield

    This article was written by John Page and previously appeared in the Summer 2020 Long Trail News. Before 1910 the Summit House hotel at the top of the toll road from Stowe was the center of hiking activity on Mount Mansfield. Guests driven to the hotel spent their days exploring the top of the mountain,…

  • Leverage: It’s Not About Size or Strength

    This article was written by Rosalie Sharp, 2019 Long Trail Patrol Leader, and previously appeared in the Fall 2019 Long Trail News. Family and friends typically struggle to understand what I mean when I say I lead trail crews. I’ve found the quickest way to create an image is to tell them something like “My…

  • Mountain Names: Remembering their Aboriginal Origins

    This article was written by Rich Holschuh and previously appeared in the Fall 2019 Long Trail News. As Europeans settled on the continent and early pioneers explored, they often gave places new names commemorating the Founding Fathers and other important Americans… [Indigenous people] have viewed such commemorative names as inappropriate: humans are too small, too…

  • Problem Bears? Or Problem People?

    Vermont hiking trails have long been perceived as places where you don’t need to worry about bears. People hiked, camped, and cooked and stored food without concern. Times have changed, and with the increase in the black bear population, hiker behavior needs to change too. In recent years we have experienced bear problems at several…

  • Couch to Camel’s Hump / Couch to Killington

    Are you a Vermont hiker that has never hiked one of the state’s beautiful 4,000’ mountains? Or, are you not a hiker yet because the mountains seem intimidating and you don’t know where to start? Whether you want to hike in northern or southern Vermont, we have the hiking plan for you – try our…