Green Mountain Club

Maintaining & Protecting Vermont's Long Trail Since 1910

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Russ Ford

Russ has served on the GMC Stewardship and Land Conservation Committees since 2008, and he and his sons maintain the Laura Woodward Shelter.  He began section hiking the Long Trail in 1975 but hasn’t quite managed to finish yet. Russ did complete the 740 mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail in 2015, and in 2016 paddled from near Lake Superior north to James Bay, via the Missinaibi, Brunswick, and Moose Rivers.

Russ has a Master’s Degree in ecology from the University of Vermont where he studied the impacts of dairy farming on Lake Champlain’s nutrient loads and water quality. His family hikes, hunts, fishes and skis on land conserved by the GMC, and he sees serving on the Board as a way to give back for those opportunities.

PROTECT THE TRAILS DURING VERMONT’S SPRING MUD SEASON 

March 31, 2026

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 31, 2026 CONTACT: Chloe Miller, Communications Manager at Green Mountain Club [email protected], 802-241-8234  PROTECT THE TRAILS DURING VERMONT’S SPRING MUD SEASON  Waterbury Center, Vermont – As spring arrives and snow melts, … Read more

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Mission

The Green Mountain Club is the founder and maintainer of the Long Trail - the oldest long distance hiking trail in America. Established in 1910 to build this trail stretching the length of Vermont, the club now also maintains the Appalachian Trail in Vermont and trails in the Northeast Kingdom in its mission to "make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in the life of the people." Read more...

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Connect

4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road
Waterbury Center, Vermont 05677
802-244-7037 | Email GMC
Click here
for current hours. Email us for hiking advice. 

Copyright © 2026 Green Mountain Club · All Rights Reserved. · Site by Earthlogic.

Mud Season is Here — Protect the Trails

See current trail closures by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (VTFPR) on state land as conditions change, available on TrailFinder, and avoid muddy trails, follow any seasonal trail or road closures, and help protect the treadway and vegetation during mud season.