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Building Puncheon and Community on Mount Ellen: A Volunteer and Staff Work Day

October 14, 2020 by Matt Heller 3 Comments

This post was written by Matt Heller, GMC’s Media Intern. Matt is a senior in the media studies program at St. Michael’s College, minoring in environmental studies. All photos and videos in this post are his.

On Monday, October 5th, Green Mountain Club staff members and volunteers spent the day near the summit of Mount Ellen constructing puncheon. These small bridge-like structures allow hikers to walk over the muddy trail as opposed to going through it.

8-ft long 3×8 stringers and 30-in long 6×6 sills were brought to the summit of the North Ridge Express Quad by Sugarbush Resort.
The Eastern Hemlock planks and tools were then carried to the work site about a quarter-mile down the Long Trail.

Without puncheon, it is recommended that hikers go straight through the mud. Going around the mud creates “social trails” which damages trailside vegetation and widens mud pits. As Lorne Currier, Volunteer and Education Coordinator for the Green Mountain Club put it, “Mud makes more mud when you add in hikers that don’t stay in the mud.”

Before the sills could be placed, a support hole was dug on either side to ensure the puncheon sits flat.
Six 8’’ galvanized spikes were hammered into each puncheon.
Testing the newly constructed puncheon to ensure its stability.

Currier, who led this trail work day, takes many different groups of volunteers out on the trail throughout the year. Some are community service groups like college outing clubs and boy scout troops. Some are made up of members of GMC’s network of over 1,000 annual volunteers. This includes trail adopters who, piece by piece, individually maintain the length of the Long Trail and its side trails, as well as section volunteers, who are members of regionally-based chapters assigned to specific areas of the Long Trail.

“If we didn’t have the volunteer corps that we have then a lot of the trails wouldn’t see maintenance,” Currier said.

Creating crush by taking a sledgehammer to larger rock.
The crush was placed at the ends of the puncheon for stability, as setting the wood directly into mud would risk the puncheon shifting.
Searching for loose rocks was difficult in this location, but they could be found near uprooted trees.

Despite not being able to run large-group efforts this year, Currier said there was an increase in hours that trail adopters put into their sections of trail. Both from people simply having more free time as well as from people acknowledging the need for conservation during this year’s increased trail use, the 500+ miles of trail network received the attention it needed this year.

The finished product, which will last for 10-15 years, helping to save trailside vegetation from trampling.

This work day on Mount Ellen exemplified the cooperation it takes to maintain such a large network of trails. Neither staff nor volunteers can do it alone, but when we all work together it benefits not only the trail, but also the community that is the GMC.

The foliage was at peak on the chairlift back down.
GMC staff and volunteers head back to the parking lot after a day of work

While winter sees fewer volunteer opportunities in the field, Currier will spend the time signing up new volunteers, planning projects with returning ones, and running educational programs in preparation for the 2021 trail season. There are many ways to get involved, so please see our Volunteer Opportunities page to see which one is right for you!

https://www.greenmountainclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Puncheon-building-on-Mt-Ellen-video-Matt-Heller.mp4

Filed Under: From the Field, People, Trail, Volunteers

Comments

  1. Jeff Stone says

    October 21, 2020 at 9:42 pm

    Looking at all the hard work the club does, you make me proud to be a member. I’ll be on the AT/LT tomorrow!

    Reply
    • GMC Staff says

      October 22, 2020 at 8:45 am

      Thank you for the kind words! We’re proud to be made up of members like you. Enjoy your hike!

      Reply
  2. Pete Saile says

    October 24, 2020 at 2:58 pm

    Great video Matt…..nice job and thanks for your additional help that day !

    Reply

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Ask a Science Teacher: Why is the Long Trail so Muddy?

March 27, 2023

Vermont — and especially the Long Trail — is known for being sort of muddy. We even have an official fifth season, "mud season." Why is Vermont (sometimes known as "Vermud") and the Long Trail so muddy? Why is the Long Trail so muddy? To answer, we asked Joe Bahr, newly minted author of the … 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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