Category: Education
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Safe Water Crossing Techniques on the Long Trail
Most creek and river crossings on the Long Trail have a solid bridge or are mild flows of water. Nevertheless, all hikers should have a fundamental understanding of safe water crossing techniques and plan ahead so they are not caught in an unsafe water crossing situation. In periods of prolonged or heavy rainfall, even the…
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Ready for Rescue: Essential Tips for Outdoor Safety
This article appears in the Summer 2023 Long Trail News and was adapted from a presentation by Vermont Search and Rescue Coordinator Drew Clymer. Most of us know and follow routine hiking safety procedures. We understand the importance of hiking in groups rather than alone, and leaving our plans with someone at home, so they…
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PROTECT THE TRAILS DURING VERMONT’S SPRING MUD SEASON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31, 2026 CONTACT: Chloe Miller, Communications Manager at Green Mountain Club , 802-241-8234 PROTECT THE TRAILS DURING VERMONT’S SPRING MUD SEASON Waterbury Center, Vermont – As spring arrives and snow melts, Vermont’s mountains and trails are quickly transitioning to mud season. The Green Mountain Club encourages trail users to avoid muddy trails, follow any seasonal trail or road closures, and help protect the treadway and…
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Managing Mud Pits and Puncheon on the Long Trail
If you’ve hiked on the Long Trail (LT), you’re probably familiar with some of its notorious mud pits that require wide, precarious steps over a few random logs that dot the surface of the mud puddle or sacrificing your mostly dry socks to tread directly through the ankle-deep sludge. Mud management is part of the…
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Trail Talk: Waterbars and Drainage
This article appears in the 2024 Fall Long Trail News and was written jointly by GMC’s Communications Manager Chloe Miller and Education and Volunteer Coordinator Lorne Currier. When Keegan Tierney, GMC’s Director of Field Programs, interviewed for his job in 2017, he said “You’ll never see me build a waterbar.” A few years later, Keegan…
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Put On Your Trail Eyes
This article appears in the 2024 Fall Long Trail News and was written by GMC’s Education and Volunteer Coordinator Lorne Currier. Hey Folks! My name is Lorne Currier, and I’m the Green Mountain Club Volunteer and Education Coordinator. I work with hundreds of volunteers every year, and though I like to think I know a lot of…
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Trail Talk: Social Trails and Brush-ins
This article appears in the 2024 Summer Long Trail News, written by GMC Communications Manager Chloe Miller with contributions from Volunteer and Education Coordinator Lorne Currier. “STOP WITH THE STICKS!!!!” read an impassioned email from a hiker, sent to the Green Mountain Club and the Vermont Department of Forests Parks and Recreation in late 2022.…
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How to Read a Vermont Mountain Weather Forecast for Better Hike Preparation
Earlier this hiking season, Vermont State Parks partnered with the National Weather Service’s Burlington office to raise awareness of the detailed recreation and mountain point forecasts the agency produces daily. Meteorologist Seth Kutikoff breaks down how to read a mountain forecast, and how to apply its findings to your next hike! The National Weather Service…
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Hiking with Dogs
Dogs make awesome hiking companions, but similarly to humans preparing for hikes, dogs have many considerations to take into account too. This can include things like ability, preparedness, trail etiquette, and seasonal factors. While most of the following tips relate to day hiking (we’ll do another post soon on backpacking with your dog!), many will…
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Alpine ID: 15 Plants to Find above Treeline
This post was first written on August 5, 2021 by Angie Hilsman and was updated with additional information on June 27, 2023 by Lily LaRegina. State botanist Bob Popp kneels beside a flat rock, just in front of the Mt. Mansfield Visitor Center. He points out mountain cranberry and bluets to a dozen GMC staff…