Category: History
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Battell Shelter: A Look Back and Plans for the Future
At 3,300 feet on the south side of Mount Abraham, just under a mile from the summit, the Long Trail hiker comes upon Battell Shelter. The three-sided Adirondack-style lean-to, built in 1967 by work parties from Farm and Wilderness Camp in Plymouth, sleeps eight. Battell Shelter is one of the highest three-sided shelters on the…
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A Visual History of the Long Trail News Design, GMC’s 100-Year-Old Membership Magazine
The Long Trail News is GMC’s membership magazine. In 2022 the magazine celebrated its Centennial with a special edition examining the past, present, and future of the magazine. Here, we take a look at the Long Trail News design, layout, and contents of the magazine. With our increased focus on digital communications and a general…
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8 Tips for Avoiding Search and Rescue Services
There can be no denying that 2021 was been an active year for search and rescue (SAR) in Vermont. While no database provides exact numbers, there have been an estimated 25 percent more incidents than usual. A backcountry rescue can require more time and resources, so it’s important to know how to get yourself out…
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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,…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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Looking Back 50 Years: How the Caretaker Program Began
This article was written by Vic Henningsen and previously appeared in the Spring 2019 Long Trail News. Green Mountain Club caretakers are a familiar sight to those visiting the busiest parts of the Long Trail, but few hikers know we owe their presence to the hard work of visionaries more than a half century ago.…