Category: From the Field
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Field Season on Film
This article was written by assistant trail crew lead Jivana Esposito and appeared first in the Fall 2025 Long Trail News. As I dive deeper into the trail world, I find myself extremely inspired by archival pictures of trail crews in the early 20th century, when film photography was just evolving. Photos of crews cutting…
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Restoring Taft Lodge: A Labor of Love for Historical Preservation
This article appears in the 2025 Spring Long Trail News and was written by GMC Project Coordinator Justin Towers. One of the larger field projects this summer will be structural repairs to Taft Lodge, the oldest, largest, and second-highest shelter on the Long Trail. After a rebuild in 1996 and successful log replacements in 2016, 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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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…
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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…
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How Trail Crews Fight Erosion
“Erosion is what causes all the problems on trail,” says Kevin Hart, GMC field supervisor of the Long Trail Patrol. “The main goal of trail crew is to stop erosion.” Kevin’s not talking about bear encounters or overflowing privies or litter in firepits when he says “problems.” He’s talking about trail degradation. You know what…
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Citizen Science Projects on the Long Trail and Beyond
Spring is an excellent time to explore the natural world around us and celebrate plants and animals emerging again. But did you know your casual observations can contribute to scientific research projects all over the world? Citizen science refers to the public’s collaboration and participation in professional science projects, especially in the natural world. The…
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Dupuis Hill: A Case Study in Maintaining Appalachian Trail Open Areas Views
What makes a National Scenic Trail scenic? What is the significance of one scenic vista? How much time and money should be put into maintaining one view? These were some of the questions debated by US Forest Service (USFS), Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and Green Mountain Club (GMC) staff as we stood on the Appalachian…
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A Day in the Life of a Long Trail Patrol Crew
What is it like to work on a trail crew? For more than 90 years the Green Mountain Club has hired seasonal crews to live and work on our trails. The Long Trail Patrol, GMC’s professional crew, augments the efforts of the club’s hundreds of volunteers to undo the effects of erosion by water and…
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What a Day Looks Like for GMC Caretakers
This article previously appeared in the Spring 2021 Long Trail News under the title “Day in the Life of a GMC Caretaker.” As many more people than usual took up hiking last summer, the Green Mountain Club had to manage their impacts while making them feel welcome. Fortunately our caretakers can tap more than 50…